Day four of the Ice Hockey World Championship is in the books, and for the guys from the Nashville Predators, there's a lot to be proud of.
The Predators got few guys competing, sending four of their players to play in the tournament: Ryan O'Reilly representing Canada, Roman Josi representing Switzerland, Justus Annunen representing Finland and Ryan Ufko representing USA.
Let's do a quick rundown and see how our guys are doing at the world stage so far.
O'Reilly is Canada's X-Factor
Factor is eighth in tournament scoring with three goals and four points in three games. His three goals are the most by a player on Canada and are tied for first in the tournament. He also ranks sixth in point-differential with a +4 rating. Despite playing middle-six minutes for Canada, O'Reilly puts up stats like he's a top-line centerman.
He was named alternate captain alongside John Tavares and Sidney Crosby, with Macklin Celebrini as captain, to help guide this team to its first World Championship title since 2023. From what we can see on the ice, it looks like O'Reilly and the other leaders are doing their job. O'Reilly is putting the factor in X-Factor. He is arguably the best performer among the Preds in competing.
Josi is the tournament's best defender
While he may not have the most points among defensemen, Josi is sure is producing elsewhere. He is the captain of Switzerland once again and he's doing everything he can to make sure his nation comes out on top. He scored in today's matchup against Germany, and on top of that he also had two assists.
Defensively, he has the fourth highest rating in the tournament and highest among competing defensemen with a +5 rating. He's playing nearly 20:00 per game, one of the highest in the tournament. Taking down Germany was more than just a game, it was a statement. With the crowd cheering Josi's name over Moritz Seider's, it's becoming clear that fans are realizing that Josi's still got it at 35 years old.
Finland getting its taste of Big Juice with Annunen
Ever since finding success in Nashville, Annunen has been living the life. He proved to the NHL that he is a reliable backup goalie and future starter in the making. On Finland, Annunen carried that legacy. In his two starts, he averaged a .940 save-percentage with a 1.5 goals-against-average.
His 50 shots faced are the third highest in the tournament, and so are his 47 saves. At 6'4", not a lot of shots are getting past his body; and that's been a good thing for Finland. With the team's best defenseman being Henri Jokiharju, Finland will have to rely on their goalie to do the saving, and Annunen has been doing just that.
Ufko doing what he can with weak USA squad
There isn't much to write home about when it comes to USA. The team has ranks 12th in scoring efficiency, 14th in save percentage and 11th in special teams. USA's roster looked pretty disappointing from the start, being full of depth players. Ufko was one of these guys, yet he's looked pretty good amongst them all.
Ufko posted his first point, a primary assist, of the tournament today. He has a -2 rating which isn't the best, but you can't expect any better based on the team around him. Ufko demonstrated his excellent puck handling skills on a handful of occasions so far, including a familiar look against Great Britain, mirroring his first career NHL goal.
Additional Updates
- Ryker Lee was released from the roster yesterday. The 26th overall pick was named to USA's preliminary roster at the beginning of the tournament.
- Jack Ivankovic has not recorded a start yet for Canada. He serves as the team's third-string goalie behind Cam Talbot (Detroit Red Wings) and Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets).
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