(Beijing) Connor McDavid is not here. Neither did Leon Draisaitl, Jonathan Huberdeau, Cale Makar and Andrei Vasilevskiy. But there will still be talented hockey players in this Olympic tournament. Including the first three players drafted in the National Hockey League last summer, as well as two intriguing Slovak prospects. Here are 10 players to watch over the next few days.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
SIMON NEMEC, defender, Slovakia
This young offensive defenseman is expected to be among the top three players selected in the next draft. Quebecers Jérémy Ouellet-Beaudry and Marc-Olivier Crevier-Morin faced him this winter in the Slovak league.
“Nemec is an excellent player,” said Ouellet-Beaudry. I noticed it from our first game against him. I was surprised to learn that he was only 17 years old. He is very mobile. Most impressive is his calmness with the puck. He plays on the point on the second unit on the power play, and he makes good plays under pressure. »
“He’s a very confident young defender, with a great skate,” adds Crevier-Morin. He’s good defensively, and very good with the puck. I found him to be good in all circumstances [all around]and that he seemed to be mature for his age in his style of play.”
An offensive defender. Mobile. Right-handed. Canadiens fans, take notes!
OWEN POWER, defender, Canada
The very first choice of the last draft, which belongs to the Buffalo Sabres, is a general in defense. “He has evolved a lot in the last year,” said Gatineau Olympiques head coach Louis Robitaille, who coached him with Canada’s junior team. “He is incredibly calm. He’s a big guy [6 pi 6 po, 215 lb] ultramobile, excellent skater, able to play in all situations. He is from the mold of Victor Hedman. Which is to say, he’s not the most physical defender, but he makes his presence felt. In practice this week, Power played on the first pair, with Mat Robinson.
MATTHEW BENIERS, center, United States
A teammate of Owen Power at the University of Michigan, Beniers was selected second overall in the last draft by the Seattle Kraken. Louis Robitaille led a dozen games against him in international competitions. “He’s a guy who plays at very high speed. Even though he is only 19 years old, he is able to skate with the older ones. He’s strong on the puck, great at protecting the puck. He is also able to power up his teammates. ” A comparative ? “He has a lot of Kyle Connor in him. »
MASON MCTAVISH, center, Canada
PHOTO PAUL CHIASSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Mason McTavish
The third pick of the last draft started the season with the Anaheim Ducks, with whom he scored two goals in nine games. “His skills are incredible,” said Louis Robitaille. He has quick hands. He excels in attack, but he is also responsible in defense. Very strong on the puck. He likes challenges. He is a winner at heart. The higher the stake, the better. During training, his offensive talent set him apart from the others. He will be on the first line, with Eric Staal and Josh Ho-Sang.
HENRIK TÖMMERNES, defender, Sweden
A superstar of the Swiss championship. “He’s the most valuable player night after night,” says journalist Cyrill Pasche, from the Sport-Center agency. With 48 points in 40 games, “he is extremely efficient offensively. His game intelligence, his vision and above all his patience with the puck allow him to dominate the game with each appearance. Excellent on the power play, he regularly scores from distance thanks to the quality of his slap shot.
In addition, Henrik Tömmernes is solid in defense. The only question, according to Cyrill Pasche: will he be able to reproduce the magic of his game on a smaller rink, the size of the NHL?
JAKE SANDERSON, defender, United States
PHOTO JOHN AMIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Jake Sanderson
The Senators’ first-round pick in 2000, Sanderson is a dependable defenseman who has captained the United States in several international tournaments. “He won’t beat you with his slapshot like Shea Weber,” said Louis Robitaille. He’s more of a guy who feeds his teammates. A distributor. He is very mobile, but not the most physical. His style of play is comparable to that of Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
DENIS MALGIN, striker, Switzerland
At 18, he was among the top 10 scorers in the World Junior Championship. At 19, he made the jump to the NHL. At age 20, he was on the power play for the Florida Panthers. Then his progress stopped. Now 25, he dominates the Swiss championship, and hopes to return to the NHL, where his rights belong to the Maple Leafs. Will he succeed in his second impression? He still has to be able to play. Infected with COVID-19, he missed the first match of the tournament, and is isolated from the rest of his team.
SEAN FARRELL, left-winger, United States
This small attacker, who belongs to the Canadiens, produces more than one point per game this season at Harvard University. ” He is not very tall [5 pi 9 po], but he and Cole Caufield are friends. They played together in the American development program. He’s very smart. He has very good individual skills. And what a competitor! “, had packed the director of development of the Canadian, Rob Ramage, during an interview with my colleague Mathias Brunet, in November. That said, in the context of the Olympic tournament, moderate your expectations. In practice, he rotated on the fourth line.
BRENDAN BRISSON, striker, United States
The 2020 first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, the son of agent Pat Brisson also plays at the University of Michigan, with Owen Power and Matthew Beniers. A good skater, with a threatening one-timer, he will probably pivot the Americans’ second line, in the center of Nick Abruzzese (Maple Leafs) and Sam Hentges (Wild).
JURAJ SLAFKOVSKY, left winger, Slovakia
Like his compatriot Simon Nemec, Juraj Slafkovsky should be among the first players selected next summer. Very imposing physically, he has been evolving for several seasons with players older than him. This winter, despite being 17, he played around twenty games in the Finnish Premier League. Now, in a veteran tournament, don’t expect immediate dominance.
Canada opens its tournament against Germany this Thursday at 8:10 a.m. (Montreal time).