Leafs: Grundstrom and Bracco Make Impact in First Day at World Juniors

In the first day of the World Juniors Tournament, Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Carl Grundstrom and Jeremy Bracco get on the score sheet.

Going into the World Junior Championship, the Toronto Maple Leafs did not have any big name prospects taking part in the tournament. However, they are represented by four players in Jeremy Bracco, Carl Grundstrom, Martins Dzierkals and Joseph Woll.

During the first day of the tournament, Sweden opened up against Denmark in Montreal, while Team USA faced Latvia in Toronto. While many were waiting for the puck to drop between Canada and Russia later on at night, Leafs fans were treated with two strong performances by Bracco and Grundstrom.

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Sweden made easy work of Denmark by winning 6-1, led by Buffalo Sabres‘ prospect Alexander Nylander, who scored two goals. However, it was Grundstrom that had Leafs fans talking.

Grundstrom had a goal and an assist on two very nice plays that helped Sweden establish early dominance. He has been impressive this season, especially with Frölunda HC, where he has 11 goals in 23 games.

Grundstrom is quickly proving that the smaller ice surface is not going to be a problem for him, while showing a nice balance of size, speed and physicality. Here is the video of the goal he scored on a breakaway, while Sweden was shorthanded:

Then, Grunstrom showed off his speed and elusiveness, while setting up Ottawa Senators‘ prospect Jonathan Dahlen for a beautiful goal. It will be interesting to see how the 2nd round (57th overall) pick in the 2016 draft plays when the games get tougher:

Bracco had a lot of buzz coming into this tournament with an outstanding season so far in the OHL, for the Kitchener Rangers. He is playing on the third line with Jack Roslovic and Erik Foley.

Bracco was noticeable early on with the puck as he showed off his improved skating ability and vision with the puck:

Bracco then showed his great hands by scoring late in the game, to add to USA’s already commanding lead. This came after he received a hard hit from Rudolfs Balcers that got some attention, but he was able to continue in the game and get his revenge with a nice goal:

After the game, Sean Fitz-Gerald from the Athletic wrote about Bracco’s performance and spoke with USA’s head coach Bob Motzko. “He’s been one of our bright surprises,” said Motzko. “Great energy, great puck mover, and he can shoot. He’s got the brain, and he’s got the skills”.

Bracco would finish with a goal on four shots and some time on the powerplay. It will be interesting to see if he moves up in the lineup and how much he can produce with the time he is given.

Woll was the backup for the game as Tyler Parsons got the start for the U.S. However, he might get a start at some point, so that the U.S. can have some options going into the knockout round.

Dzierkals had a strong game for Latvia showing off his skill with the puck. However, the lack of talent on the Latvian team will make it tough for him to get much done in the tournament, despite the strong numbers that he has been putting up in the QMJHL.

Next: Top 10 Leafs' prospects heading into the World Juniors

Dzierkals will try to rebound against Russia on Tuesday, while Bracco and Woll will play against Slovakia on Wednesday. Grundstrom will go up against a tougher opponent in Switzerland, who have one of the top draft eligible players in the tournament with Nico Hischier.