Great Britain’s U20 Men’s team returned from their most recent world championship campaign with a bronze medal.
There is little doubt that Italy was huge favourites to claim the gold medal in ‘World Championship Division II, Group A.’
On reflection, a third-place finish instead of claiming silver, and being unable to force Italy into a ‘winner-takes-all showdown’ is a disappointing result.
Regardless of overall performances, team and individual, the damage was inflicted in two specific periods of play.
Letting a two-goal lead slip in the third period against Korea, who won in the shootout.
If letting two points slip in that manner wasn’t bad enough, the second-period implosion against Romania was shocking in its nature.
Comfortably leading 1-0, Great Britain allowed the tournament hosts to score three goals in as many minutes to begin the second period. A fourth followed later in the frame as Romania feasted on defensive errors and a let-down in GB’s overall level of performance.
On the positive side of the ledger, many Great Britain players will have learnt much from this campaign.
For some, it was their first world championships at this level.
Others made their international debut.
There is little more to be garnered from dissecting the tournament and each game, so instead, let’s focus on a few players who made a strong impression.
Lucas Brine
Martin Grubb handed the 19yo goaltender the GB net, and he didn’t let the team down.
His .915 save percentage was the fifth-best in the competition.
He played more minutes than all the contemporaries ranked above him, including the two highly-rated Italian netminders.
Of the thirteen goals he allowed, only seven were even-strength tallies, keeping GB in games during 5v5 play through the tournament.
Liam Steele
Much was expected of the blueline making his international debut.
There were errors, one notable mistake against Korea, but the positives far outweighed the negatives for the prospect ranked on the NHL Central Scouting list.
Defensively he was solid and showed excellent gap control on a European ice surface.
Steele wasn’t shy of blocking shots, but more importantly, he used his ‘long stick’ to good effect on numerous occasions to separate the puck from opponents.
Confidence wasn’t an issue for the smooth-skating defenseman either.
On this penalty kill, he took the opportunity to slice through the Romania power-play unit. Unable to get a shot off on the play, the defenseman drew a penalty.
Speaking of shooting, that’s one facet of his game I would like Steele to employ a little more.
He has a heavy shot which would have caused goaltenders problems and likely ended up with rebound opportunities for teammates.
More often than not he made the right play and used his physical attributes to his advantage in keeping possession. On many occasions, including against the impressive Italian team, Steel transitioned defense into attack with a strong defensive play followed by a swift outlet pass or skating into open ice ahead of him.
Also, note that Steele did not commit a single infraction in the tournament.
Liam Stenton
Awarded the ‘C’ before the tournament, Liam Stenton led from the front for Great Britain.
The most experienced defenseman on the roster was cool, calm and controlled for the majority of the tournament. He made excellent defensive reads and wasn’t shy of transitioning the puck quickly when on his stick.
His smart play here in the offensive zone led directly to a goal for Jack Hopkins.
He also showed he can be a real shot threat as evidenced by this goal.
Another shot led directly to a goal for Logan Neilson providing a screen in front.
Stenton is far too good to be playing in NIHL1 and should be receiving regular ice-time in the EIHL. It’s the only way he’s going to be able to elevate his game to take the next step.
Logan Neilson
Neilson had played very little hockey heading into this world championship.
He made up for lost time with an all-action performance throughout the tournament.
The 6’5” forward used his size appropriately in playing a physical brand of hockey, strong in possession and a force on the forecheck.
That shouldn’t distract from the fact he has a decent set of hands and some skill to boot.
His partnership with Finley Howells enabled Neilson to finish the tournament with a tournament-best six goals.
Finley Howells
The rest of the watching public got to witness what Telford fans see regularly.
On his international debut, Finley Howell showcased a ton of skill and fantastic finishing ability to end up as the joint leading scorer.
The Tigers forward is more than just skill and fantastic goals as he showcased with some delightful crisp passing. All five assists were primary markers and with some clinical finishing by teammates, he could easily have doubled that tally.
Jack Hopkins
If you weren’t sure about the hype surrounding Jack Hopkins before the tournament then you should be after a fabulous showing through five games.
The 17-year-old not only showed up the attributes which make him an offensive powerhouse but also the other side of his game.
Relentless pursuit of the puck through all three zones, defensive awareness and a willingness to battle for every loose puck.
Hopkins finished third in tournament scoring and fourth in face-off win percentage, at over 65%. He also won the second most battles in the dot.
Another current Telford player, Hopkins played at times like he had eyes in the back of his head such is his hockey IQ.
Many players may have dumped the puck in under pressure in the neutral zone. Not Hopkins. He shows composure, strength and skating ability to create himself some room. It ultimately leads directly to a goal for himself.
On the power play, he puts the puck directly onto the stick of Alex Graham for a powerplay goal.
A piece of individual skill creates a scoring chance.
You saw it above, but Jack Hopkins decision-making here is exemplary. Ignoring the pass with a teammate covered, opting instead to shoot and beat the goaltender clean with a wrist shot.
With fifteen of the squad eligible for the 2023 World Championships, Great Britain should be well placed to have another go at claiming a gold medal and achieving promotion.
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