Day 2 of the World Junior Summer Showcase kicked off with the two best teams from Day 1 facing off, seeing USA Blue take down Finland 5-1.
As they did in Game 1, Finland came out of the gates hot, controlling much of the play and generating a handful of high-quality chances.
Ryan Cameron, who started for USA Blue, was perfect through his opening period and a half, being a key reason why the game remained knotted at zeros through the opening frame.
It was just past the 30-minute mark when we saw the opening goal of the game, this time coming off the stick of Ethan Wyttenbach, scoring on the breakaway past the glove of Juuso Ainasto.
After a strong forecheck from Wyatt Cullen, which knocked the puck off of Max Laatikainen’s stick, Wyttenbach picked it up and fired it home for his second of the game.
From there, Finland had a strong end to the period, collecting their first goal of the game with Eetu Orpana tipping one past Harrison Boettiger.
A standout player from yesterday, Brooks Rogowski, showed off his skating ability to score off the rush 34 seconds into the third period.
Later in the third, Jamie Glance sniped one from a low angle over the shoulder of Juuso Ainasto to ice the game, putting USA Blue up by 3 goals.
Carter Sanderson potted his fourth goal of the tournament into the empty net to secure the 5-1 final for USA Blue over Finland.
Standouts:
F Ethan Wyttenbach (USA | Calgary Flames)
Wyttenbach put together another great performance today after yesterday’s game, where he tallied 3 assists en route to a 6-1 win for USA Blue. Today we saw the goal-scoring side come out for him, potting 2 goals en route to the win for USA Blue.
F Aapo Katavisto (FIN | 2027 Draft Eligible)
Yesterday, we highlighted Katavisto as a standout performer for what he did with the puck, collecting a goal and an assist on the day. Today we saw a more complete game, getting into lanes, blocking shots, and playing very well defensively throughout the game, a role you can expect him to play on the main roster come December.
D Vertti Svensk (FIN | Los Angeles Kings)
An extremely strong skater, we saw Svensk continue to control the pace of play around him throughout today’s game. If he can use his speed and edges to get around defenders while also continuing to play well defensively, he could emerge as a minute leader for this Finnish team as they continue the showcase.
G Ryan Cameron (USA | Edmonton Oilers)
What previously felt like a set goaltending rotation for the United States could become much more interesting after Cameron’s performance today. The 221st overall pick was lights-out today for USA Blue, with strong positioning, the ability to battle through screens, and good lateral movement. Whether Cameron has done enough through 2 separate 30-minute appearances to make the merged US roster, which will be decided tomorrow, still remains to be seen, but there will be plenty of excitement with what he’s been able to do.