Celebrini ejection, potential IIHF discipline overshadow Canada's pre-tournament win

Team Canada defeated Switzerland 6-3 at Catena Arena in Angelholm, Sweden on Friday.

Macklin Celebrini was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct during the second period of Canada's pre-tournament win against Switzerland on Friday. The 17-year-old centre hit Swiss winger Leo Braillard into the boards from behind. 

"It's one of those last-second plays," said Canada head coach Alan Letang. "But he's got to understand when you got to pull up and wrap a guy up a little bit. Hopefully that young man is all right."

Braillard hit his head off the dasher board and did not finish the game. 

"I heard he's pretty OK," said Switzerland coach Marcel Jenni. "It's probably something with the neck, but I don't know. We have to see. They're checking him."

Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University, only has three minor penalties through 15 NCAA games this season. 

"I know he feels horrible," said Letang. "You're going hard for a puck and it's a spin [by Braillard], but the onus is on that guy going in there and you'd like to see him maybe wrap him up a bit and maybe a bear hug or something."

"It's just unfortunate," said linemate Fraser Minten. "He's used to pretty strong guys in college so probably trying to give a little push into the boards and a bad situation there. Hopefully the guy's OK and hopefully Mack's back tomorrow."

Celebrini, who is projected to be the first pick in the next NHL draft, may face supplemental discipline from the IIHF. 

Canada wraps up its pre-competition schedule with a game against the United States on Saturday before opening the World Juniors on Boxing Day against Finland. 

After a standout selection camp, Celebrini has continued to rack up the points in exhibition play while generating instant chemistry with Minten and Jordan Dumais on Canada's second line. Celebrini had a goal and two assists on Tuesday against an under-25 team from Denmark. He had two assists against Switzerland before being ejected at the 12:55 mark of the second period.

"He's pretty spectacular," said top-line winger Conor Geekie, who scored a power-play goal on Friday courtesy a nice Celebrini feed. "But with the team we have anyone can fill [in]. You know, it's nothing against him, it's more about our team and how well we fight for each other and how we all work."

With Celebrini out, Minten moved back to his natural centre position and Carson Rehkopf, who started the game as the 13th forward, moved to the left wing spot on that line.  

"Gives someone an opportunity to step in," said Letang. "Mints got a chance at centre and stepped in a little bit. Razor gets a chance to move up and play more shifts so we got some video to show him on what we need and how we need to do it."  

"It was a little sloppy in the third so hard to tell," Minten said of the feel with Rehkopf. "I think we were pretty good when we were out there." 

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Canada also lost a defenceman when Tanner Molendyk departed the game in the second period with an upper-body injury. 

"He's fine," Letang said. "Just a little precautionary. You're always worried about some of these exhibition games and you try and get through them without little bumps and bruises."

Tristan Luneau (illness) did not dress so Canada was down to five defencemen most of the game. 

"It's tough," said Team Canada blueliner Oliver Bonk. "It's really, really big ice so it's really challenging to skate around that much." 

Molendyk was seen shaking his arm on the bench in pain in the first period. The smooth-skating Saskatoon Blade is questionable for Saturday's game.

"He was icing [it] and he seemed to be pretty good so we'll see how he responds in the morning and go from there," Letang said. 

Luneau, who plays for the Anaheim Ducks, is doubtful for Saturday's game. 

"We're still managing him," Letang said. "We're lucky he's a pro and he knows what he's doing, but it's not a perfect world to potentially have to play with five D and a bumped and bruised [guy]. If our forwards help out a little bit more, if we track a little bit harder, get a few more pucks deep, I think it lightens our D's load. That third period, we got real fancy which put more onus on our D and now they're going back for pucks, now they're grinding it out more in our D-zone. I think we could have cruised through that third period by playing the right way." 

Letang wants his team to view this adversity as a challenge. 

"Obviously with the back to back it's not perfect, but guess what? We play back to back in the tournament and we got to find a way," Letang stressed. 

Late Friday night, Hockey Canada announced it had added Brantford Bulldogs defenceman Jorian Donovan back to their pre-tournament camp. The Ottawa Senators prospect had been cut before the team travelled to Sweden. 

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Canada exploded for four goals in the second period to take control of the game. 

"We had some moments in the second where I thought we got to our game and it showed how much speed we can play with, how dangerous we can be when we play the right way," said Letang.

But there were more than a few teachable moments in the first and third periods. 

"Two of the goals they scored were just poor puck management," Letang said. "It helps us realize, we have to be a predictable team."

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead, Canada surrendered a couple goals late in the first period. Switzerland scored the only goal in the third period. 

"We have to play north most of the time," Letang said. "If we're going to roll back and go D-to-D and hinge and have a forward roll under, that's not our style and it's going to cost us tomorrow when we play that exhibition game. It's going to cost us against the Finns. It will cost us against the Swedes [who are also in Canada's group]. We have to play our way and that's north and it's predictable and putting pucks to the net."

Minten sensed the team let up when they had the lead. 

"These games are sometimes a little difficult when we have a lot more skill, it feels like, and have control of the game at times," the Maple Leafs prospect said. "I thought we were a little sloppy. It wasn't our best, but hopefully bring a little more consistent game against the U.S." 

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There will be some positive clips during Saturday's team meeting and many of them will feature the fourth line. Letang sent out Owen Allard, Owen Beck and Nate Danielson to start each period.

"They play to our identity," said Letang. "They bring a ton of energy. If we need to jumpstart something, that's a line that can go out and sustain some energy."

"We've been playing really fast," said Beck. "We got some speed on that line, a lot [of] hard workers, and pretty talented players so we'll have that dog-on-a-bone mentality and work our butts off."

The line hemmed in the Swiss on the first shift of the second period with Beck eventually scoring to regain the lead.

"They sustain some O-zone cycle and we'll show some of those clips where they play north and it's effective for them," Letang said. "They put pucks where someone's going to be if they're not there yet and that's how they're able to play fast."

"They're just dogs on the puck," said Bonk. "They started the second period strong. The Swiss couldn't really do anything because it was constant pressure."

Beck later scored a shorthanded goal during the Celebrini major. The Montreal Canadiens prospect knocked down a clearance by Bonk, which appeared to be well behind him, and then dashed in on a breakaway. 

"Just saw a turnover in our zone and the big ice here gives us lots of room to play so just got my feet going," Beck said. "Yelled for it, got a touch on it, and sent myself on a breakaway there."

Beck may have called for the pass, but Bonk was trying to make a simple play. 

"I'm trying to go ice it and then Becker, backhand, behind the back, knocked it down and went on a b-way," Bonk said with a smile. "That's all credit to him. Thanks for the apple."

Beck, who is Canada's only returnee, was named the team's player of the game. 

"Becker deserved the player of the game," Letang said. "His skating was dominant. He was good on the draws."

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Mathis Rousseau allowed three goals on 29 shots to pick up the win for Canada.

"First feel of the Olympic ice so still stuff to improve," the undrafted 19-year-old said, "but a good first one."

The Halifax Mooseheads goalie felt he should've stopped the first Swiss goal by Jonas Taibel.

"Not the prettiest, I guess, but it's good to get that out of the way before the tournament," he said. "You know, that's in the past. Now, I focus on the next game."  

Rousseau credited Miles Muller for making a nice move on a breakaway to score Switzerland's second goal. The third goal came on a weird deflection. 

"A couple of those bounces were a little bit unfortunate but he looked calm, he looked confident," Letang said. "I like when he went out to play the puck. The D said he was talking. It's a good game for him to play. I don't think the first had a whole lot of scoring chances and then they get the two goals off of two breaks or poor puck management. He held in there all right. That next save is the big one and he gave us a couple after that."

That's no surprise to Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell, who has watched Rousseau compile a 16-3-2 record this season. 

"He's the same guy every day," Russell noted. "In the last year and a half and he hasn't been pulled from any of our games. He's not going to razzle dazzle you but he's just going to play the same game. You know, one of the hardest things for these kids at this age is consistency and he is the poster child for consistency."

Rousseau leads the QMJHL lead with a .934 save percentage this season. 

"He's going to play the same game whether he's playing in the World Junior Championship or playing for the Halifax Mooseheads," Russell said. "That's just who he is."

Rousseau, who logged 30 minutes in Tuesday's first pre-tournament game, appreciated the chance to go all the way on Friday. 

"It's good," he said. "It's different than a half. You can build on that. You get a real feel for what the games are going to be so it's good to get that done." 

Sherbrooke's Samuel St-Hilaire and Seattle's Scott Ratzlaff will play in Saturday's game against the United States. 

"We gave Rousseau that game just to get him in that game conditioning and we'll give the other two guys probably the split and see how they handle a little bit of that pressure and heat coming from the U.S. team," Letang said.

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Team Canada lines in Friday's game: 

Geekie - Poitras - Savoie
Minten - Celebrini - Dumais
Cowan - Yager - Wood
Allard - Beck - Danielson
Rehkopf

Mateychuk - Lamoureux
Furlong - Bonk
Molendyk - Warren

Rousseau 
Ratzlaff

Not dressed: Luneau (illness), St-Hilaire