The 2019 IIHF World Championships wrapped up on Sunday, with Finland defeating Canada for the title. Seven members of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization made the trip to Slovakia to represent their countries on the ice.
FORWARDS
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Canada
PLD was a stand out player for Canada, scoring three goals and four assists in eight games as the Canadians won the silver. His +10 rating was tied for 11th among all skaters in the tournament. He showed instant chemistry with Vegas winger Mark Stone
Filthy little fake shot from Pierre-Luc Dubois to freeze the Swiss tendy. Easy backdoor tap in for Stone! pic.twitter.com/54tH51k2dC
— Mike Lysyj (@Lysyj11) May 23, 2019
Alexander Wennberg, Sweden
Wennberg returned to 2016-17 form after seeing his usage drop dramatically in the final months of the NHL season. He scored 10 points (tied for 14th in the tournament) in just six games played. His +11 rating was tied for third.
Here he is with a faceoff win (!) on a power play (!!) and a deflection for a goal (!!!)
🚨 POWERPLAY GOAL for @Trekronorse! Wennberg levels the score off the face off!
Stay up to the minute with game action with the IIHF App: https://t.co/PDQtNtuJxc ▶️ https://t.co/yImldTg3TU pic.twitter.com/MTiLmNwSxh
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 18, 2019
Alexandre Texier, France
Sexy Texi was 1/2/3 in seven games, but unfortunately as the only NHLer on his team, they found themselves overmatched. A heartbreaking loss to Great Britain (4-3 in OT after leading 3-0 through 28 minutes) meant the French are relegated and will not compete in this event next season.
Here is his lone goal of the tournament:
From Grenoble to the NHL via Finland and the AHL: young French forward @ATexier99 has succeeded at any level this season and shines at his second #IIHFWorlds with @Hockey_FRA
READ: https://t.co/nu1NotP8M2@BlueJacketsNHL @monstershockey @kalpa_hockey @bruleursdeloups pic.twitter.com/nWV5xYOLb7
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 19, 2019
DEFENSEMEN
Vladislav Gavrikov, Russia
After just two games of NHL experience, Gavrikov returned to Europe for another go-around with his Russian teammates, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal last season. Gavrikov earned no points in 10 games played, but had a +2 rating as the Russians won the bronze medal, the second of his career (2017).
Zach Werenski, United States
Werenski was a late addition to the American roster, and only played two games before the good guys were bounced by Russia in the quarterfinals. Sad!
GOALIES
Elvis Merzlikins, Latvia
Hopeful franchise savior Merzikins did not have a great tournament, following past successes with his national team. The Latvians did not qualify for the playoffs, with a 3-4 record, and Elvis had just a 1-3 record as the starter. His .914 save percentage in five games played ranked 18th in the tournament, while his 2.78 goals against average was 21st.
Veini Vehvilainen, Finland
Double V won a gold medal as part of the championship team, but his playing time was limited. The only game he played was a start against Team USA. He had 23 saves on 26 shots faced in a 3-2 OT loss.