How Red Wings Players Fared at 2017 IIHF World Championships
6 years ago
The Detroit Red Wings’ season ended just over a month ago. While many players may have headed for the golf courses, four Wings played in the annual IIHF World Championship tournament in Cologne and Paris. Dylan Larkin, Dan Dekeyser, and Jimmy Howard played for the United States (coached by Jeff Blashill) while Petr Mrazek tended the net for the Czechs. Aside from Howard, these players had overall disappointing seasons and, although the tournament is not at the level of the NHL, the World Championships offered a chance to head into the offseason with more confidence. For Howard, injuries plagued him throughout the season and this tournament gave him a chance to build on a very good season when he was healthy.
The young United States team started the tournament off with a disappointing loss to the lowly Germans (without Leon Draisaitl). They then rattled off six straight wins over Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, and Russia placing them first overall in Group A. They were matched up with the fourth overall team in Group B, Finland, in the Quarterfinals. The U.S. team played terribly and ended up losing 2-0, eliminating them from the tournament.
The Czech Republic team was headlined by players like Jakub Voracek and David Pastrnak. The team went 3-2-0-2 with wins over Belarus, Slovakia and France, overtime wins over Finland and Norway, and losses to Canada and Switzerland. These results left them in third place in Group B. They played their quarterfinal game against Russia, the second place team from Group A. The lost the game 3-0 and the team was eliminated from the World Championships.
Though their teams had disappointing results, some Red Wings had successful tournaments. Let’s breakdown how each of them fared.
Petr Mrazek
Petr Mrazek entered the IIHF tournament as the Czech’s number one goaltender. He had a disappointing tournament, posting a goals against average of 2.47 and a save percentage of .881. Part of this can be attributed to a weak defensive unit comprised of just two NHL players, Michal Kempny and Radko Gudas. This does not understate the fact that Mrazek just played plain bad. He ended up losing his starting job to Pavel Francouz who plays for the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. He finished a disappointing season with a disappointing World Championship.
Grade: D
Jimmy Howard
Jimmy Howard was the oldest member of a very young Team USA. He was the team’s starting goaltender, playing in 6 of 8 games. Howard was very good in the tournament, posting a 1.86 goals against average and a .920. His tournament included a nine save shutout against Team Italy. The two goals scored against Howard in the Quarterfinals were not his fault. He routinely gave the U.S. team a chance to win. Howard continued to play strong hockey during the tournament, building on a strong 2016-17 NHL season.
Grade: A-
Dylan Larkin
Dylan Larkin’s 2016-17 NHL season can be described as a sophomore slump. The 20 year old played his 3rd World Championship in 2017. This experience made the young center a leader of a young hockey team. Team USA acknowledged this, naming him one of the alternate captains. Larkin played a top six center role, normally with the New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Nick Schmaltz. He played in all situations, playing some of his best hockey of the year. Larkin finished with 2 goals and 8 assists. He was even 62% on faceoffs, playing an all-around game. He was routinely amongst the U.S. forwards’ ice time leaders and one of the team’s best players all tournament long. Coach Blashill leaned on Larkin in all situations and Larkin delivered. The young Wings’ World Championship showed the Dylan Larkin of the beginning of his rookie season. He was great.
Grade: A
Danny Dekeyser
The Wings’ defenseman had a disappointing season, not living up to the 6 year $30 million deal he signed this past offseason. He was amongst the oldest players on Team USA. Dekeyser played in the United States’ top four, usually paired with Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba. He was a non-factor offensively, finishing the tournament with 0 points. He played on the team’s penalty kill and was strong defensively. Dekeyser did not turn the puck over often and was the team’s best shutdown defender (a role not worth $30 million). He slightly outperformed his 2016-17 season with the Wings, but he was dormant offensively.
Grade: C+
