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The Preliminary Round of the 2016 World Hockey Championships is now complete.  Here is our report card for how each of Montreal’s representatives has fared thus far.

Sven Andrighetto: A-: Andrighetto got off to a slow start for the Swiss but improved as his tournament went on.  Despite that, he never really got moved up too much in the lineup as he was a mainstay on the third line most of the time (with some shifts on the power play) and finished as their leading scorer.  All in all, it was a good first exposure to the Worlds for Andrighetto who ends his season on a high note.

Stats: 7 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, +2 rating, 4 PIMS, 21 shots, 101:22 total TOI

Tim Bozon: C: My expectations were low for him heading into this tournament.  Basically, I was hoping to see him get a regular shift and that’s more or less what Bozon was able to do.  He spent some time on both the third and fourth lines and didn’t really do a whole lot else, good or bad.  The lack of offence is disappointing but considering he was coming off an underwhelming season with St. John’s, it’s not all that surprising either.

Stats: 6 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, -3 rating, 2 PIMS, 4 shots, 80:56 total TOI

Mike Condon: C-: The Americans didn’t ice the best of squads in front of Condon but the netminder didn’t do much to help the cause either.  He had one good game against France (where he was named as their Player of the Game) but was mediocre to subpar the rest of the way.  He’ll need to be much better – if he gets the opportunity to play, even – if the US wants to advance past the Czechs in the quarters.

Stats: 4 GP, 2-2-0 record, 2.26 GAA, .885 SV%, 1 SO

Lars Eller: B: Consistency has not been an adjective to describe Eller’s play with the Canadiens.  However, it’s appropriate to use it when it came to his first round performance with the Danes.  Eller has been their top line centre throughout the tourney while picking up points in five of seven games.  He hasn’t yet scored, however, something that may need to change if the Danes are to pull off the quarterfinal upset.  About the only real blemish for him was three high sticking penalties in Game 1.

Stats: 7 GP, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, -1 rating, 12 PIMS, 19 shots, 140:26 total TOI

Alexei Emelin: B-: Aside from being ejected for a tripping penalty against Latvia, it has been a pretty quiet tournament for the veteran blueliner.  That isn’t to say he has played particularly poorly but on a back end that is not exactly loaded with high-end talent, Emelin seeing third line ice time has to be a bit of a disappointment.

Stats: 7 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, +1 rating, 25 PIMS, 6 shots, 101:22 total TOI

Brendan Gallagher: B-: For someone who was highlighted by Canada’s World Cup management team as someone that was in the discussion for a final roster spot, I figured he was going to get more than third line duty with next to no power play time.  Gallagher has played well with the limited ice time he has had but really, that can be said for just about anyone up front for the Canadians.

Stats: 7 GP, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, +4 rating, 6 PIMS, 15 shots, 89:16 total TOI

Magnus Nygren: C+: We all know what Nygren’s role is for the Swedes.   He’s their power play quarterback and it’s his job to get that booming shot of his on goal.  So far, that’s exactly what he has done while not being a liability in his own end either.  However, Sweden has added some help to their back end which will send Nygren to the press box, likely for the rest of the tournament.

Stats: 5 GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, -1 rating, 4 PIMS, 14 shots, 84:03 total TOI

Tomas Plekanec: B+: We all know Plekanec as a playmaking centre so naturally, he’s among the tournament leaders in goals while failing to record an assist.  Beyond that, he has done exactly what was expected of him – be the top centre, play in all situations, and take all of the key faceoffs.  The captain is having himself a strong tournament so far.

Stats: 7 GP, 5 goals, 0 assists, 5 points, +5 rating, 6 PIMS, 24 shots, 127:12 total TOI

Martin Reway: C-: Reway was put in a tough spot for this tournament.  After being a late cut last year, he was asked to centre the top line.  Instead of being a complementary player which would have been an ideal role for him, he was asked to shoulder a big chunk of the scoring load.  Unfortunately, he didn’t handle the extra responsibility well.  The tight checking he faced neutralized him offensively and we all know he’s not a two-way player.  All in all, it was a tough tourney for Reway.

Stats: 7 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, -5 rating, 0 PIMS, 13 shots, 120:35 total TOI

Tournament StatTracker