The best time of the year for junior hockey fans is nearly upon us.
10 countries are set to square of beginning on Boxing Day for the Chance to capture an IIHF World Junior Gold Medal. Canada and the USA are paired together in Group A while Sweden and Russia can be found in Group B. In last year’s tournament, the US won the tournament with a thrilling shootout win over Team Canada.
With the action set to begin on Boxing Day, teams have begun trimming their respective rosters. On Friday night, Canada will be making its final cuts, giving them just under 10 days to prepare for the big event. South of the border, the USA is in the midst of the same process and are looking to defend last year’s title. Goaltender Jake Oettinger has gone all out with his equipment, giving his pads, glove and blocker an American flag theme.
They don’t get much nicer than that.
Oettinger was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft. He currently plays for Boston University, where he has manged a 2.91 GAA with a 7-9 record. In the previous season he posted a much more impressive 2.11 GAA with a 21-11 record. Oettinger served as a backup in last year’s tournament but with 2017 gold medal goaltender Tyler Parsons now too old to participate, the job is up for grabs.
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There arguably hasn’t been a set of pads that have stood out as much in more than a decade. In the 2004 tournamnet, Vegas Golden Knights tendy Marc-Andre Fleury rocked his iconic pair of yellow Kohos.
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With the tournament closely approaching, it will be interesting to see if other goaltenders display the same patriotism as Oettinger.
(H/T Adam Kimelman)
