The 2023 edition of the World Juniors has wrapped and it’s time to make a few observations. To help with this, Mitch Brown and I tracked micro stats from every game of the tournament to form a good picture of every player’s contributions at 5-on-5, from offensive creation to transitions and defence.
Let’s start with the obvious one.
1. Connor Bedard’s historical tournament won’t be replicated anytime soon
Connor Bedard came into the tournament with a ton of hype and expectations.
He somehow managed to surpass even the highest of them. His nine goals and 23 points in seven games was good for the fourth-highest scoring tournament of all-time from a single player and the highest in 30 years. He also tied Eric Lindros as the leading scorer for Team Canada in the history of the World Juniors. It’s
