Team USA is moving on to the semifinals of the 2024 World Junior Championship after their 7-2 rout of Latvia on Tuesday. The US grabbed their first goal of the game just 90 seconds into the first period and never looked back from there, leading the entire game.
Washington Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard kept up his point-per-game pace in the tournament with an assist on linemate Will Smith’s second-period strike. Leonard has collected five points (2g, 3a) in five games as the US heads into the penultimate round.
You aren’t stopping Will Smith from there!@usahockey | @BC_MHockey | @SanJoseSharks | #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/3QZkAAoCba
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 2, 2024
Leonard picked up his assist with just four minutes remaining in the second period to put Team USA up 5-1. With Latvia pressing to try and find a way back into the game, Leonard sent a cross-ice pass up to Gabe Perreault which sprung Perreault and Smith on a two-on-one.
Perreault waited out the slide of the Latvian defender and lifted a pass to Smith. Smith got just enough of the puck with his one-time shot to force it through the lunging pad of the Latvian netminder.
The tally secured not only Leonard as a point-per-game player through five games but also his entire line which he has been a part of since all three players’ time with the US National Development Team Program. The three also play together in the NCAA with Boston College.
Ryan Chesley, the Capitals’ other prospect on the team, skated 18:04 of ice time in the game and fired three shots on net. This is the second year in a row that Chesley has made it to the semi-finals with Team USA.
MOVING ONNN 🇺🇸#WorldJuniors | @WinmarkResale pic.twitter.com/oE8RY4moua
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2024
One team that the US will not have to deal with in the next round is Team Canada as the back-to-back champions crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals. Czechia scored with just 11 seconds remaining in regulation to send the Canadians packing in a 3-2 finish.
Canada managed just one lopsided victory, a 10-0 blowout of Latvia, in their five games and finished with 13 less goals than the US currently has. That lack of offense has drawn criticism based on how the team’s roster was chosen, snubbing a handful of supremely productive junior forwards.
Two of those forwards being Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall and Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt. Cristall leads all active WHL players in points per game with 2.1 and Heidt is right behind him at an even 2.
Team USA’s next opponent will be Finland. Finland moved on after a 3-2 overtime win over Slovakia.
Screenshot via @NHLNetwork/X
