Owen Power’s magic lifts Canada past Czechs at world juniors — and just might land him on Olympic radar

EDMONTON One of the endearing features of the world junior hockey championship is that it can be a coming-out party for the next generation of hockey stars.

And if Sunday’s opener was any indication, the Buffalo Sabres have something special in 6-foot-6 defenceman Owen Power.

The Mississauga native and product of the University of Michigan had a hat trick in his first world juniors appearance, to lead Canada to a 6-3 win over a spunky Czech Republic team.

Olen Zellweger, Mason McTavish and Donovan Sebrango also scored for Canada, who have run their record over the Czechs – who now call themselves Czechia — to 18-1-2.

Michal Gut, Pavel Novak and Stanislav Svozil scored for the Czechs, who gave the Canadians a scare by taking a 3-1 lead in the first period.

Power’s goals stood out. After the Czechs went up 3-1 midway through the first, Canada coach Dave Cameron called a time out. Power responded on the next shift, a point shot to elude Jakub Malek.

Then in the second, Power scored twice. Both were power play goals and the result of 5-on-3s, after the Czechs took two penalties on the same play while already down a player.

The power play is often the difference in a short tournament, and this one gave Canada some confidence and some breathing room in a game that was closer than expected in the early going. More physical, bigger and more talented, Canada eventually took over the game, giving the Czechs very little time with the puck.

Ultimately, the score flattered the Czechs, who had their only pre-tournament game cancelled due to COVID. Canada held a 37-17 shots advantage, controlling the game once Power went to work.

Power play: Power has had an usual year, mapping his own path to stardom.

He was probably good enough to play for Canada a year ago, but Michigan didn’t release him because he’d have spent too many days away from university (more than 50, given the restrictive COVID protocols that were in place last year).

Then Power joined Team Canada – the senior men’s team – that won gold at the world championships in Latvia. He went from a small role at the start of the tournament to a major contributor. From there, the Sabres chose him first overall in the NHL draft.

He declined to turn pro, wanting a more full college experience and shot at the world juniors. Now with NHLers not going to the Olympics, Power could well be on the radar for an appearance at the Winter Games in Beijing.

Not so grand: It was a far smaller than expected crowd at Rogers Place – home of the Edmonton Oilers – that took in Canada’s opener at the holiday tournament for the world’s best hockey players under the age of 20. Capacity was limited to half the 18,500-seat arena, but it was far fewer than that who actually came after Hockey Canada offered refunds. Perhaps the cold kept them away – it’s -27 C under an extreme cold warning in this part of the world. Maybe it was that they couldn’t get snacks and drinks, ultimately deciding it was better to watch from home rather than in person.

They missed some fun, albeit choppy, hockey. Defence was a rumour in the first period as players sliced and diced their way through the zones. McTavish’s goal was just like that. He circled the Czech zone unchallenged before getting off a wrist shot for the game-opener.

Madcap first: Six goals in all – three apiece – were scored on 17 shots in a first period where each team’s defence was closer to that of Swiss cheese. The Czechs even went up 3-1 – the third goal a beauty by Svozil and his between-the-legs move to beat Canadian defender Olen Zellweger and then beat goalie Dylan Garand. Cameron called a time out. Canada responded with a goal from Power on the next shift – just 23 seconds after Svozil’s goal, and then one from Sebrango in the final minute. All those crazy back-and-forth rushes amounted to excitement, but decided nothing, the game tied 3-3, Canada holding the shots edge 10-7.

Bedard watch: One name Canadians might also start to get familiar with is Connor Bedard, who became the first 16-year-old to play for Team Canada at this tournament since Connor McDavid in 2015. Bedard started the game as Canada’s 13th forward. He set up Sebrango’s game-tying goal at the end of the first, and pretty much played the rest of the way on the first line with Shane Wright and Cole Perfetti.

COVID calls: The tournament began with five COVID cases. One Finnish player, one Swiss player, one Austrian and two game officials. All were in self-isolation, the IIHF said.

COVID has another direct effect on the tournament: No team will be relegated due to the unpredictability of the current situation. The IIHF announced that change just minutes before the first tournament game was played. One team was supposed to be relegated, with Belarus having earned promotion. The IIHF said the next world junior tournament – in Russia – will be played with 11 teams instead of the usual 10.

Finns win: In the earlier game in Canada’s group, Finland beat Germany 3-1 on a pair of goals from Kings prospect Samuel Helenius. Undrafted 19-year-old Joel Maatta added a single. Brad Lambert – in the mix as a top-five pick next summer — had a pair of assists.