5 things learned from Day 2 of World Juniors

Wednesday was the second day of the 2018 World Junior Championship, which is being held in Buffalo.

Results

Switzerland 3, Belarus 2
Canada 6, Slovakia 0

Five things we learned

Canada defeats Slovakia

Jordan Kyrou (St. Louis Blues) had a goal and two assists, Jonah Gadjovich (Vancouver Canucks) scored two goals, Sam Steel (Anaheim Ducks) had a goal and one assist, Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) had two assists, and Colton Point (Dallas Stars) made 20 saves to help Canada to a 6-0 win in a Group A preliminary-round match against Slovakia at KeyBank Center.
"I liked our game a lot more," Canada coach Dominique Ducharme said. "We were more consistent on the things we want to do and the style we want to play. We were consistent for 60 minutes. I thought we lacked energy on Tuesday (in a 4-2 win against Finland) and we were better tonight."
Steel scored in the first period, Kyrou, Gadjovich and Taylor Raddysh (Tampa Bay Lightning) in the second, and Maxime Comtois (Ducks) and Gadjovich in the third.

USA players enjoy great outdoors

The United States National Junior Team held a practice at New Era Field in preparation for rival Canada in the first outdoor game at any top-level IIHF world championship. The game will be played Friday. (3 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN, RDS).
"The ice was good, it's hard, it's fast and I can't wait," forward Kieffer Bellows (New York Islanders) said. "It's going to be a really fun game. You just got to be ready for anything out there because it could be windy, it could be snowy."
United States coach Bob Motzko held a 30-minute practice that included odd-man rush drills and shots on the goalies.
"It was pretty fast," center Casey Mittelstadt (Buffalo Sabres) said. "It was fun to be outside, get some cold air in the face. It's really refreshing. At first I think it's a little chilly but it really grows on you."

Kyrou impresses for Canada

Sarnia forward Jordan Kyrou was leading the Ontario Hockey League with 58 points in 30 games at the time he was named to the Canadian National Junior Team earlier this month.
Selected by the Blues in the second round (No. 35) in the 2016 NHL Draft, Kyrou scored an impressive goal and had two assists in the win against Slovakia, and has four points (one goal, three assists) in two games on Canada's top line with Steel and Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames).
Kyrou skated around Slovakia forward Erik Smolka in the slot and scored a power-play goal to give Canada a 2-0 lead 1:24 into the second.
"It was good work on the power play; I just made a nice move and put the puck on net," Kyrou said. "When I skated back to the bench, the guys were like, 'Wow, nice goal.' It doesn't happen often but when [you score like that], it's nice. It boosts your confidence."

Kurashev hopes to follow Hischier

Switzerland forward Philipp Kurashev hopes one day to enjoy the success New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier has experienced as an NHL rookie.
Kurashev got off to a good start when he scored with 8:44 left in the third period to give Switzerland a 3-2 win against Belarus in a Group B preliminary-round game at KeyBank Center.
Kurashev, a B rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2018 NHL Draft, skated on a line with Hischier for Bern Under-20 in Switzerland's Elite Junior A League in 2014-15.
"We're good friends," Kurashev said. "We had a good connection together. It doesn't surprise me all the success he's had."
Kurashev has 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) in 33 games in his second season for Quebec of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
"This tournament is probably the biggest before the draft so I'm just trying to do my best and hope it will be good enough," he said. "I feel like I'm a good playmaker with good vision; I see the game well."

Canada to hold outdoor practice

The Canadian National Junior Team is scheduled to practice at New Era Stadium Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET).
"It's about the environment, not only the ice," Ducharme said. "We won't be on the ice long but we want our guys to be feeling the ice and feeling the stadium. We don't want it to become too much of a big thing. We're going to be short, but also just prepare our game."
Defenseman Kale Clague (Los Angeles Kings), who missed the game against Slovakia with an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot against Finland Tuesday, is expected to play against the U.S. Friday.

What's next | Complete schedule

Thursday

Finland vs. Denmark (12 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center, NHLN, TSN, RDS)
Russia vs. Switzerland (2 p.m. ET; HarborCenter, TSN3, TSN5, RDS2)
Sweden vs. Czech Republic (4 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center, NHLN, TSN, RDS)
U.S. vs Slovakia (8 p.m. ET; KeyBank Center, NHLN, TSN, RDS2)