Hradec, Beaudoin, others successful at World Junior Championship – Deseret News

The World Junior Championships are finally here and it’s been glorious. Whether a game is 2-1 or 14-2 (both of which have already happened), it’s been must-see hockey.

The Utah Hockey Club has five players for their respective countries. Here’s a look at how each one is doing so far. These notes are from Saturday night.

Vojtech Hradec, Czech Republic

The biggest story among Utah HC’s prospects has been 6-foot-4 center Vojtěch Hradec, who scored three goals and five points against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

Final result: 14-2 in favor of the Czech Republic.

Kazakhstan has never been known for its high-level hockey; while it’s good enough to occasionally play in major international tournaments like this, it often gets embarrassed like this.

As such, five points from Hradec is nice for his Elite Prospects side, but it’s not exactly the feat one might assume it is. Hradec also had an assist Thursday in the Czech Republic’s 5-1 win over Switzerland.

He is currently the second highest scorer in the tournament.

Melker Thelin, Sweden

Goalkeeper Melker Thelin started the first game of the tournament for Sweden with 15 saves in a 5-2 win over Slovakia on Thursday. He didn’t play the next day, which is probably a sign that he has the confidence of the coaching staff.

They opted to rest him against Kazakhstan on Friday, which likely means he will play against Switzerland on Sunday.

Veeti Väisänen, Finland

Utah’s only defenseman in the tournament, Veeti Väisänen, has played a big role for Finland so far. His team beat Germany 3-1 on Friday but lost 4-0 to Canada on Thursday.

Väisänen has not registered a point, which was somewhat expected as he is more of a defensive defenseman.

Michael Hrabal, Czech Republic

Michael Hrabal recorded 25 saves in the Czech Republic’s first game of the tournament, the aforementioned 5-1 win over Switzerland. His .960 save percentage is excellent, although the sample size is small, and Switzerland won’t be the toughest opponent Hrabal faces in the tournament.

He did not play against Kazakhstan. As is likely the case with Thelin, the coaching staff is probably saving Hrabal for the tougher competition.

Cole Beaudoin, Canada

If you’ve been following this tournament, you’ve probably already heard about Canada’s collapse against Latvia on Friday. Canada had never lost to Latvia at this tournament and had been outscored 41-4, but a strong effort from Latvia this year forced the game into a shootout, which Latvia won.

Cole Beaudoin, whom Utah drafted in the first round of the draft in June, scored his first point of the tournament in the game, a secondary assist on Colorado Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie’s power play goal.

By the way, Utah HC fans might remember Ritchie’s ridiculous preseason goals this year.

Where to watch the World Juniors

Fans looking to watch the World Juniors can tune into the NHL Network. The full program is published at the network’s website.