While the IIHF World Championship ended in disappointment for the Detroit Red Wings, a couple of individuals came away with noteworthy performances.
Most encouraging was how well Dylan Larkin played at center, after a turbulent sophomore NHL season in Detroit.
Larkin produced consistently, with points in six of eight games, and dominated in the faceoff circle, where he won 91 of 146 face-offs, or 62.3%. Larkin, 20, led USA with eight assists, and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 10 points, behind Johnny Gaudreau’s 11 points.
Two of Larkin’s best games came against elite competition, as he had two assists in a 4-3 victory over Sweden, and a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory over Russia.