Jean-Yves Ahern – USA TODAY Sports
Team USA may not have gotten as far as they hoped to at the 2013 IIHF World Championship, but they were at least able to bring home a bronze medal. It took a shootout for the U.S. to get past Finland, and Alex Galchenyuk had a pair of big goals in the tiebreaker to help secure the win.
Galchenyuk got the nod in the shootout with the U.S. needing a goal to keep playing, and he delivered. After Finland missed their next two shots, Galchenyuk buried another attempt to seal the win and earn his second international medal this year (IIHF rules allow the same shooter to be used again after the third round). Galchenyuk also helped Team USA take home a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior Championship in January. He may only be 19 years old, but he performed well for a U.S. team full of younger players, and will try to have a bigger impact for the Montreal Canadiens next season.
The 2013 season saw Galchenyuk score nine goals and pick up 27 points as a rookie. He was overshadowed by teammate and fellow rookie Brendan Gallagher, but he was impressive in his own right. There was a lot of pressure on the 2012 third overall draft pick, but he adjusted to play at the highest level in a hurry after the lockout ended, a notable achievement for a player making the jump directly from juniors. The Canadiens could stand to see him score a bit more, and after a strong international performance the young forward’s confidence should be incredibly high.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
