Wyatt Kaiser and the things we learned from Day 5 of the World Juniors
The fifth day of the World Juniors served up a lot of goals, with all three games having at least five combined tallies in an explosive effort from multiple countries.
Team USA was at the forefront of the onslaught, setting off fireworks while simultaneously shutting out Austria 7-0. Canada was nearly as explosive, dumping Czechia 5-1. In the closest affair of the day, Germany won a nail-biter 3-2 against Switzerland.
There were a lot of standout performances and some key storylines to follow as the tournament starts to hit crunch-time for some countries.
Here’s what we learned from the fifth day of action at the World Juniors:
Kaiser shines on World Juniors stage
Wyatt Kaiser got off to a relatively slow start for Team USA in the tournament, recording just a single assist in through the first two games of the tournament. Kaiser, selected in the third round (No. 81) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, had a breakout performance in the game against the Austrians, scoring two goals and recording the highest amount of time-on-ice he’s seen so far in the World Juniors.
Kaiser is an offensive-minded defenseman, his performance against the Austrians is the type of game he needs to play if he’s going to have a positive impact on the tournament the rest of the way.
We are officially on @wyatt_kaiser5 hatty watch. 😎#WorldJuniors 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2eCkMCE9hO
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) August 13, 2022
Johnson’s skill provides the highlight of the tournament
We all know Kent Johnson is a highly-skilled forward, and he put his skill on full display against Czechia. Johnson, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft of the Columbus Blue Jackets, had the puck behind the net and pulled off a lacrosse-style goal, also known as “The Michigan,” to beat goalie Tomas Suchanek in spectacular, jaw-dropping fashion. Johnson has great puck control and confidence with the puck on his stick, but before this game he hadn’t had much of an impact for Canada.
His performance against Czechia, adding an assist to the goal, might be enough to help him gain confidence and become the impact player everyone expects him to be for Canada.
💀💀💀 KENT JOHNSON with the goal of the tournament! @hockeycanada up 2-1 against @narodnitym #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/qY5WtdawAa
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) August 13, 2022
Germans battle for a big win against Swiss
Germany isn’t icing the most talented team they could for this summer edition of the World Juniors, but through three games this team is showing that they won’t be going away easily. After losing 5-1 against Team USA in the opener, Germany rebounded nicely with two straight wins over Switzerland and Austria. They had a full team effort to get the win over Austria. Goalie Florian Bugl stopped 23 of 25 shots for his second win of the tournament, Yannick Proske recorded three assists, Bennet Rossmy recorded two points (one goal, one assist), and Haakon Hanelt (Washington Capitals) scored the game winner.
With the win Germany sits third place in Group B, tied with Sweden who has a game in hand. This team deserves a ton of credit for how they’ve battled in this tournament.
DAY 1: JOAKIM KEMELL AND THE THINGS WE LEARNED ON DAY 1 OF THE WORLD JUNIORS
DAY 2: CONNOR BEDARD AND THE THINGS WE LEARNED ON DAY 2 OF THE WORLD JUNIORS
DAY 3: MASON MCTAVISH AND THE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM DAY 3 OF THE WORLD JUNIORS
DAY 4: OSKAR OLAUSSON AND THE THINGS WE LEARNED ON DAY 4 OF THE WORLD JUNIORS
DAY 5: WYATT KAISER AND THE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM DAY 5 OF THE WORLD JUNIORS