WJC: Montoya’s Stock Soars

More WJC notes include updates on draft-eligibles Al Montoya and David Booth as well as Minnesota’s second rounder Patrick O’Sullivan.

Al Montoya (2004)

Named tournament’s top goaltender, leading the United States to their first gold medal in Under-20 action .. covers much of the net due to his good size .. almost impossible to beat down low when in a groove due to his fast legs and excellent flexibility .. likes to play the puck outside his crease and does it exceptionally well .. allowed three goals in the gold medal final, but could not be blamed for any of them .. instinctive and sometimes impulsive, Montoya hit a groove and was on his game for the duration of the tournament after an on-and-off season in college .. plays square to the shooter and comes out of the crease to challenge the oncoming attacker .. his play on the angles has improved dramatically comparing to our previous viewings .. superb laterally and relentlessly competitive .. impressed with great composure and covered up his rebounds superbly .. helped his draft stock considerably, but his great play will only raise expectations in the second half of the season.

David Booth (2004)

Bulky winger started the gold-medal final on the fourth line .. one of the more noticeable players in the first half of the game .. has excellent basic skills, fast skater and a smooth puckhandler .. good lower body strength, sturdy on the puck and is tough to move along the boards .. protects the puck well due to a big reach and sound upper-body strength .. good, strong wrists and loves to attack the net .. a reliable force provided the United States with a no-nonsense energy boost late in the game protecting the USA lead.

Drew Stafford (2004)

Late addition to the US roster did not look out of place .. great size, strong on his skates, smooth laterally with excellent top-end speed .. has a strong hold on the puck at full speed .. drove to the net consistently and created scoring chances .. gets involved physically, fights for pucks and reacts well to shifts in possession .. rewarded with a bigger role as the tournament went on and played on the shift with Patrick O’Sullivan and Patrick Eaves late in the gold medal game .. multi-purpose forward does everything.

Matt Carle (San Jose Sharks)

Logged considerable minutes on the USA blueline .. smooth skater is a reliable puckhandler and plays strong on the puck .. undersized, but intelligent and makes informed and well-paced decisions offensively .. struggled in his own zone, especially in his positioning and in terms of clearing the zone .. lacks focus, needs to be more poised and quicker laterally.

Patrick O'Sullivan (Minnesota Wild)

Made up for an average start to the tournament with two clutch markers in the third period of the gold medal game .. played with more fire than we usually see from him and consistently put the puck on the net .. a crisp, accurate passer with excellent anticipation skills .. deceivingly quick skater who knows how to create space for himself and finds proper shooting positions effectively .. still looks as small as before, but he’s stronger on the puck and in traffic .. prone to taking unnecessary penalties, like his ill-advised slash late in the semi-final that allowed Finland to get back in the game.

Stephen Werner (Washington Capitals)

Came to play in the gold-medal final as most of his teammates .. hard-working, versatile player without major weaknesses .. smooth, deceptive skater although does not possess

great speed .. a poised, crafty forward who shows good hustle and positions himself well for a shot .. an all-around complimentary player does all little things well, but is rarely the catalyst.