Will O’Connor step up after a strong USA team performance?

The annual IIHF World Championship tournament attracts considerable attention in much of the hockey universe.

The United States is a startling exception to this.

North American fans tend to focus on the Stanley Cup Playoffs this time of year, although Canada’s World Series usually has more interest than in this country.

It’s understandable that hockey fans on this side of the Atlantic choose to focus on the playoffs. They routinely produce compelling stories, like how Florida is playing for the Cup after just making the postseason, and the rosters of teams competing in the IIHF event tend to be watered down.

This is especially true for Team USA and Canada, in part because so much of their top talent is still chasing the Stanley Cup when the world championship is contested. Additionally, after a grueling NHL season, players from these two countries seem more likely to pass up an invitation to play at worlds than many of their European counterparts.

Think about it: If the U.S. assembled its best roster, would Casey DeSmith really have been the No. 1 goaltender? Would Nick Bonino have been the captain? Would Drew O’Connor have gotten to the Nokia Arena in Tampere without buying a ticket?

But while the tournament has already been largely forgotten because of the U.S. fans who knew it was going to happen — not that the sting of coming out on top, overtime losses in the semifinals and the bronze medal game is going away for members anytime soon. of Team USA – could have a significant impact on the careers of some participants.

Boys like it Cutter GauthierThe 19-year-old Philadelphia Flyers prospect, who is young enough to compete in next winter’s World Juniors, scored seven goals in 10 games.

He is expected to return to Boston College for another season, but he regularly displayed a quick shot and accurate shooting that should serve him well when he turns pro. And Gauthier isn’t shy about using it; he finished with a tournament-high 57 shots on goal, 18 more than Canadian forward Tyler Toffoli, who finished second on the list.

But perhaps no player’s performance was a bigger revelation in the tournament than O’Connor, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top-six power forward for much of the 2022-23 season. When he wasn’t working on their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, anyway.

O’Connor moved to center during his stint with the national team, taking on a significantly larger role than he did with the Penguins.

He used his speed effectively, won a healthy share of puck battles and became a fixture in the shootout after averaging just 33 seconds per game in the NHL.

O’Connor finished the tournament with three goals and five assists, tied for 15th in the tournament scoring race, and her plus-minus rating of plus-8 was tied for seventh best.

It’s important to remember that the World Cup is quite different from the NHL; the playing surface is bigger there, the caliber of competition is lower.

Still, doing so well should give more confidence to O’Connor, who likely established himself as an NHL regular this past season.

He’s not going to develop into the league’s next dominant power forward, but maybe he can grow into a middle-six role. And getting a presumably positive review from Team USA coach David Quinn, who was Mike Sullivan’s college teammate and remains a close friend, probably won’t hurt his standing in training camp.

Assuming, of course, that O’Connor stays with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is slated to become a restricted free agent with the right to enter salary arbitration.