The IIHF World Championships have come to an end. Tampa Bay was well represented during the tournament. (Photos/IIHF)
Belarus: The host nation met up with Sweden in the quarterfinals last Thursday. Sweden struck first and Belarus responded with two goals but they ended up falling short. The Swedes earned the 3-2 victory and Belarus was eliminated. Bolts defensive prospect Dmitry Korobov ended his tournament with 3 assists, 14 PIMs and a +5 rating.
United States: Despite scoring the first goal, the young American squad allowed 
the Czech Republic team to run away with most of their quarterfinal game. The Lightning’s Tyler Johnson did his part and scored two third period goals, but the US was eliminated from the World Championship in the 4-3 loss to the Czechs. Tampa Bay’s Calder finalist ended the tournament with six goals and three assists in eight games. Johnson was named one of the three best players on the squad by Team USA’s coaching staff.
Russia: After going undefeated, it only made sense that the Russians would bring 
home the gold medal at the Minsk World championships. Lightning goalie prospect Andrei Vasilevskiy was between the pipes for their 5-2 victory over Finland on Sunday. Vasilevskiy stopped 66 of the 67 shots he faced. He ended the tournament with a .985 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against average. His 2-0 record also includes a 3-0 shutout victory over Germany. Oh, and a gold medal.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKUgv3maQw4]
The IIHF World Championships never seem to garner as much attention since they take place during the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s a shame. There was some great hockey, some incredible goals and amazing performances. A number of up and coming Lightning players and prospects were put on display for the hockey world to see. This year’s tournament reinforces just how bright Tampa’s future is going to be. This may be a terribly biased North American view point but a gold medal would be great. Stanley Cup silver would be even better.
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