North America – Nathan MacKinnon
The North American U23 team turned some heads during the exhibition slate. They’re skilled, hungry and, most of all, fast. Perhaps the fastest of the bunch was MacKinnon, who was flying in all three games.
He had two goals (including a beautiful penalty shot) and two assists, and was featured on the powerplay. The only facet of the game in which he struggled was in the faceoff circle, where he was never above 50 percent.
Though their third linemate remains a mystery, MacKinnon will almost certainly remain on a line with his juniors linemate Jonathan Drouin. He will continue to get regular shifts at even strength and on the powerplay. If he, and his teammates, continue to fly around the ice as they have been, they may be a legitimate contender to win it all.
