Alex Tuch’s World Junior Championships Performance

After a second consecutive painfully disappointing performance at the World Juniors and another ousting at the hands of Russia, Team USA and Minnesota Wild prospect Alex Tuch were sent home earlier than expected Friday afternoon.

Tuch, the Wild’s top draft pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, finished the tournament with a goal and an assist in the quick five-game tournament. His lone goal came on the powerplay in USA’s first game against Finland in the preliminary round.

So what did we see and learn from Tuch as he played against the best teenage competition that the sport has to offer? First, as advertised, he is a menace in front of the net. With his 6-foot-4, 215 lb frame, he was able to provide crucial screens and a frustrating net-front presence for the opposition. Despite not going as deep as they would have liked, this proved to be extremely valuable for the American powerplay.

Another thing we learned was that Tuch is able to play with and against top competition without being fazed. Playing on the top line with Jack Eichel, potentially the top overall pick in the upcoming draft, Tuch showed he too is a top talent. While Eichel stole the show offensively, Tuch did the dirty work as he proved to be one of the premier power forward prospects in the tournament.

More from International Tournaments

• Let’s Check in on the Minnesota Wild Prospects in the WJC
• Minnesota Wild: No draft picks represented at World Juniors this year
• Team Europe One of the Best Hockey Stories in Years
• Team Europe Shocks the World and Makes World Cup Final
• Minnesota Wild: Team Europe and Niederreiter Roll to the Semis

Now that the World Juniors has come to an end for USA, Alex Tuch will return to Boston College for the second half of his freshman year with the Eagles. He’ll try to pick up where he left off with 5 goals and 6 assists through the first half.

Another point worth noting is that Alex Tuch will likely be one of the returners on next year’s World Junior squad and be more heavily relied on to provide offense. With an NHL-ready body and his first tournament complete, there is no reason to think he’ll regress after getting his first taste.

Thanks to Ken Jancef for the photo of Alex Tuch playing for Boston College.