IIHF World Championships Impact

Anthony Curatolo takes a look at IIHF World Championship Tournament Team Canada and the play of John Tavares thus far.

Team Canada, one of the favorites to come out of this tournament with a medal, has witnessed quite the performance from New York Islanders forward John Tavares.

Evander Kane may not be the offensive spark plug for Canada, but there is no worry from the Olympic Gold Medal winning country.

Canada has scored 11 goals in two games played so far, dominating over Latvia and Italy respectively.

For Kane, he along with fellow teammate in Atlanta, Rich Peverley, have both appeared on the score sheet registering an assist each early on in this tournament.

The Group B leaders have shown just how much of a lethal weapon the country is.

Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks has a goal and three assists, Kris Russel of the Columbus Blue Jackets has a goal and two assists, Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lighting has two goals and one assist and the aforementioned Tavares has two goals, all leading the offensive attack for Canada.

For the Islanders and Tavares, this is progress in the development of the future phenom for the organization.  With a decent freshman campaign, Tavares continuing to advance his skills at a tournament like this will pay dividends for the upcoming 2010-11 season.

In 82 games played this season on Long Island, Tavares was the leading scorer for the Islanders. He registered 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points.  As a player adapting to the faster paced NHL, Tavares showed signs of maturity as the season developed.

Originally, he was able to find the open space on the ice creating offensive chances through every shift. The league adapted to Tavares more than he adapted to the league at first.

The Olympic break gave Tavares some time off to sit down and review his own game.

From October 3rd through December 3rd, Tavares scored 11 goals. It was a fine start to the season for the freshman. However, his offensive game hit a wall.

From December 5th through February 14th, Tavares scored six goals but took 62 shots on goal.  With limited space on the ice, number ninety-one decided to get the puck on net from almost anywhere he found the opportunity to shoot.

The NHL went on hiatus for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.  Upon its return, Tavares’ game returned as well.

From March 2nd through April 11th, he registered seven goals on 42 shots. He was able to find the open space on the ice again.

Now, through two games played at the World Championships, Tavares has earned himself two goals on just seven shots. Further development to his game, something the Islanders are hopeful he will gain from this tournament.

The St. Louis Blues Chris Mason has been stellar between the pipes for Canada. He has both victories for his country, and an amazing 0.60 goals against average.

Of course, there has not been a tough opponent thus far but this team is built for success, much like the Canadian team from the Olympics.

Tonight Canada faces Switzerland, another Group B leader with two wins led by ex-NHL goaltender Martin Gerber. A team that should not be taken lightly.

Quick hits:

Rookie Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, a Calder Trophy finalist, has two points in two games for Canada.