The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) made a decision that will provide benefits on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean when it opted to ban European junior goalies entirely from its annual import draft starting in 2014.

The new policy, announced earlier this month, will still allow teams in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to select European goalies born in 1994 and 1995 at the 2013 draft slated for July 3, but only during the first round. In 2014, the ban will be complete (European goalies currently playing in the CHL can stay on).

This move is primarily intended to improve the state of Canadian goaltending. As has been well-documented, Canada hasn’t won gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship since 2009, and goaltending has been a problem in each of its four consecutive stumbles. Losing medal round games versus CHL-based goalies like Russia’s Igor Bobkov (London Knights, 2011) and Andrei Makarov (Saskatoon Blades, 2012, 2013) has amplified Canada’s pain.

The CHL hopes to give more opportunities to homegrown talent and thereby reverse this trend. In the big picture, the motherland of hockey also has legitimate concerns about its Olympic and World Championship goaltending.

But what hasn’t been widely pointed out is that the new CHL policy will also serve young European netminders well. How so?

History and statistics clearly indicate that the best European goalies have been developed in their own domestic leagues. Conversely, very few who have come to the CHL for their U20 years have reached their potential.

That’s not to take anything away from the fine job CHL clubs have done in developing North American talent between the pipes. Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Grant Fuhr, and countless other top NHL and international goalies for Canada have emerged from these leagues. In the future, greater emphasis on goalie coaching, along with the increased CHL opportunity for Canadian netminders, could very likely make Canada the premier goaltending nation again.

However, teenage European goalies go on to bigger and better things, both in the NHL and in senior IIHF competition, when they nurture their skills in their native environment.

Want proof? Take a look at this list of the 52 European goalies taken in the CHL import draft since 2004. It’s in chronological order. Goalies who went on to play in the NHL are marked with an asterisk.

Marek Schwarz (Czech Republic, 2004, Vancouver Giants, WHL) *

Jaroslav Halak (Slovakia, 2004, Lewiston Maineiacs, QMJHL) *

Eero Kilpelainen (Finland, 2004, Peterborough Petes, OHL)

Ondrej Pavelec (Czech Republic, 2005, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, QMJHL) *

Stefan Grauwiler (Switzerland, 2005, Oshawa Generals, OHL)

Sebastian Dahm (Denmark, 2005, Belleville Bulls, OHL)

Anton Khudobin (Russia, 2005, Saskatoon Blades, WHL) *

Lukas Flüeler (Switzerland, 2006, Ottawa 67’s, OHL)

Michael Neuvirth (Czech Republic, 2006, Plymouth Whalers, OHL) *

Jaroslav Janus (Slovakia, 2007, Erie Otters, OHL)

Robert Mayer (Switzerland, 2007, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL)

Timo Pielmeier (Germany, 2007, St. John’s Fog Devils, QMJHL) *

Milan Pucholt (Czech Republic, 2007, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL)

Juha Metsola (Finland, 2007, Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL)

Jakub Kovar (Czech Republic, 2007, Oshawa Generals, OHL)

Marek Benda (Czech Republic, 2007, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, QMJHL)

Tomi Karhunen (Finland, 2007, Sarnia Sting, OHL)

Riku Helenius (Finland, 2007, Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL) *

Tomas Vosvrda (Czech Republic, 2007, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)

Philipp Grubauer (Germany, 2008, Belleville Bulls, OHL) *

Maximilian Englbrecht (Germany, 2008, Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Jonathan Sääf (Sweden, 2008 Val-d’Or Foreurs, QMJHL)

Robin Lehner (Sweden, 2009, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL) *

Christopher Gibson (Finland, 2009, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL)

Petteri Similä (Finland, 2009, Niagara IceDogs, QMJHL)

Petr Mrazek (Czech Republic, 2009, Ottawa 67’s, OHL) *

Ville Kolppanen (Finland, 2009, Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL)

Tadeas Galansky (Czech Republic, 2009, Saginaw Spirit, OHL)

Ramis Sadikov (Russia, 2009, Erie Otters, OHL)

Joni Ortio (Finland, 2009, Swift Current Broncos, WHL)

Alexander Pechurski (Russia, 2009, Tri-City Americans, WHL) *

David Honzik (Czech Republic, 2010, Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL)

Andrei Makarov (Russia, 2010, Lewiston Maineiacs, QMJHL)

Igor Bobkov (Russia, 2010, London Knights, OHL)

Dennis Saikkonen (Switzerland, 2010, Brampton Battalion, OHL)

Matej Machovsky (Czech Republic, 2010, Guelph Storm, OHL)

Juraj Holly (Slovakia, 2010, Calgary Hitmen, WHL)

Steffen Søberg (Norway, 2011, Swift Current Broncos, WHL)

Johan Mattsson (Sweden, 2011, Sudbury Wolves, OHL)

Mathias Niederberger (Germany, 2011, Barrie Colts, OHL)

Roman Will (Czech Republic, 2011, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL)

Jonathan Iilahti (Finland, 2011, Vancouver Giants, WHL)

Jaroslav Pavelka (Czech Republic, 2011, Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Patrik Bartosak (Czech Republic, 2011, Red Deer Rebels, WHL)

Oscar Dansk (Sweden, 2012, Erie Otters, OHL)

Joonas Korpisalo (Finland, 2012, Prince George Cougars, WHL)

Patrik Polivka (Czech Republic, 2012, Victoria Royals, WHL)

Nikita Serebryakov (Russia, 2012, Saginaw Spirit, OHL)

Eetu Laurikainen (Finland, 2012, Swift Current Broncos, WHL)

Marek Langhamer (Czech Republic, 2012, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL)

Andrei Vasilevski (Russia, 2012, Mississauga Steelheads, WHL)

Marvin Cüpper (Germany, 2012, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL)

Seventeen were drafted by WHL clubs, 22 by OHL clubs, and 13 by QMJHL clubs. Four never played in the CHL (Jonathan Sääf, Jonathan Iilahti, Joonas Korpisalo, Andrei Vasilevski); the other 48 did.

Let’s go step by step here. Only three of those goalies have won major CHL prizes. Ondrej Pavelec twice captured the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy for having the QMJHL’s best GAA (2006, 2007). Philipp Grubauer backstopped the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires to the 2011 Memorial Cup. Patrik Bartosak was named both the WHL’s and the CHL’s Goalie of the Year for 2013.

Out of those 48 CHLers, 11 have played in the NHL. That might sound good.

But in reality, only three of the CHL-trained Europeans – St. Louis’s Jaroslav Halak, Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec, and Washington’s Michal Neuvirth – have become starting NHL goalies at any point in their careers. Only Pavelec is currently the undisputed starter for his club, and NHL.com statistics ranked him 37th in GAA (2.80) and 34th in save percentage (90.5%) out of 50 NHL goalies who played 14 or more games in 2013.

None of these three have won a Stanley Cup or a Vezina Trophy.

Boston’s Anton Khudobin is a backup at age 27. Ottawa’s Robin Lehner is still hoping to establish himself at the NHL level, and the jury is also still out on youngsters like Washington’s Grubauer and Detroit’s Petr Mrazek.

As for the other four? Their NHL stays were brief. Marek Schwarz played just six career games with St. Louis. Timo Pielmeier (Anaheim), Riku Helenius (Tampa Bay), and Alexander Pechurski (Pittsburgh) were all one-game wonders.

Of course, it takes time for goalies to develop, but it’s fair to say we already have a good idea of the NHL prospects for this group of 48. And the odds are slim for most.

Conversely, none of the European-born and trained Vezina Trophy winners – Pelle Lindbergh, Dominik Hasek, Miikka Kiprusoff, Henrik Lundqvist, and Sergei Bobrovsky – played one minute in the CHL.

This year was the first time ever that all three Vezina Trophy nominees were European. And like Bobrovsky and Lundqvist, Antti Niemi had zero CHL experience.

In senior IIHF competition, the achievements for CHL-trained European goalies are pretty sparse too. Slovakia’s Halak is the only one who has played at the Olympics. Pavelec was on the 2010 Czech Olympic roster but didn’t suit up. Pavelec won a gold medal as a backup at the 2010 Worlds and bronze in 2011 as the Czech starter. Jakub Kovar had a good run with the bronze-winning Czechs in 2012.

The fact is, whether you’re talking about Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Niklas Bäckström, Tomas Vokoun, Semyon Varlamov, Jonas Hiller or Viktor Fasth, today’s best European NHL goalies were not developed in Canada as teenagers. They stayed home until they were ready to come over and compete against men.

Due to the CHL’s policy change, that’s a pattern that will now be easier for other European teens to emulate. From the standpoint of international development, it’s a win-win.

In 2013, 82 goalies played in at least one NHL game. Here’s the breakdown by continent and by nation.

North America: 50
Europe: 32

Canada: 36
Czech Republic: 4
Finland: 8
Germany: 2
Russia: 6
Slovakia: 2
Sweden: 9
Switzerland: 1
United States: 14

LUCAS AYKROYD

ZURICH – The 2013 IIHF Referee Supervisors and Referee supervisor-in-Trainee meeting took place from June 13, 2013 till June 15, 2013 in Zurich, Switzerland.

25 IIHF Referee supervisors and one referee supervisor-in-trainee took part in this meeting. During this meeting participants have been informed about the results of their work at the IIHF Championships and Completions, discussed goals for future regarding methods of the development of IIHF game officials, exchanged information regarding operation of IIHF Championships and competitions on different levels.

The meeting agenda included presentations made by different IIHF Referee Supervisors regarding running the Team Rule Information Meeting, co-operation with IHF Directorate Chairmen, daily planning for IIHF game officials at different levels of IIHF Championships and completions. Special session was devoted to practical measurements of Goalkeeper equipment based on IIHF Measurements Standards and Procedure.

A special session was devoted to guidelines regarding evaluation of IIHF game officials and their recommendations for future IIHF Championships. Special group works were devoted to suggestions regarding updating content of the current IIHF Referee Supervisor’s Handbook and feedback from IIHF Referee Supervisors regarding participation in IIHF Championships and Events.

Taking part in the meeting were Christer Englund, The Chairman of the IIHF Officiating committee, Dave Fitzpatrick, IIHF Sport Director, Konstantin Komissarov, IIHF Officiating Manager and Adrian Oggier, IIHF Sport Co-ordinator.

MINSK – After his visit in Minsk, Glen Hanlon and the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association reached an agreement over a two-year contract.

Hanlon will replace Andrei Skabelka as head coach of the Belarusian national team for the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons. The contract includes an option for an automatic extension for a third year dependent on the team’s performance.

Under Hanlon the Belarusian national team had its best performances in World Championship history. He coached the team in three years – 2005, 2006 and 2009 – and led it to the quarter-finals twice. The 6th place in Riga 2006 was the best finish for Belarus in a World Championship.

Since leading Belarus to the quarter-finals at the 2009 World Championship in Switzerland, the national team hasn’t achieved a top-8 placing and dropped down to 14th place in the 2013 IIHF World Ranking.

The coach with American and Canadian citizenship was also coaching the Slovak national team for two years but was let go after missing the quarter-finals in 2010 and on home ice in Bratislava in 2011. Most recently he was an assistant coach with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in the past season.

Hanlon has already worked on a training program in preparation of the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship the country will host in Minsk. He is expected to return to Belarus at the end of July and beginning of August for the first stint of his new term.

He will also have a strategic role in developing the U20 and U18 programs.

MARTIN MERK

VIENNA – The Austrian Ice Hockey Association named Pekka Hämäläinen new head coach of the women’s national team.

The Finn will replace Christian Yngve from Sweden to lead the Austrian women’s national team in the 2013/2014 season. He signed a one-year contract.

His fellow countryman Jyri Kuivala, who has led the U15 women’s national team, will be his assistant coach with a special focus on off-ice training.

Hämäläinen brings experience from the highest level of Finnish hockey with him. The 59-year-old played for Kiekkoreipas Lahti in the top Finnish league as a defenceman and coached KalPa Kuopio in the SM-liiga in the ‘90s where he also was a sports director.

In 1997 he joined the Finnish Ice Hockey Association where he was coaching junior national teams from U15 to U18, winning the bronze at the 2001 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship.

Later he moved to the women’s program where he first coached the U18 women’s national team in the 2008/2009 season. From 2009 to 2012 he was behind the bench of the Finnish women’s national team which he led to Olympic bronze in Vancouver 2010 and to another bronze at the 2011 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.

The Austrian women’s national team, ranked 12th, missed out on the qualification for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and will participate in the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A in Prerov, Czech Republic, instead from 6 to 12 April 2014.

Against the Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway and France, the Austrians aim to win a medal. Nine camps and approximately 14 exhibition games are scheduled until the event.

“I expect from the players that they are motivated to work hard to achieve the next steps,” Hämäläinen said.

“Austria’s women’s hockey program is still very young but it has already had some success. To be 12th in the IIHF Women’s World Ranking is remarkable. We will do everything to make the next steps forward and I believe in the team’s potential and that we can win a medal in the Czech Republic, but only if we continue to work and practise hard.”

MARTIN MERK

ZURICH – The IIHF has announced on Tuesday the groups, the 20 participants and five hosts of the IIHF European Women’s Champions Cup events for the 2013/2014 season.

After an overwhelming number of team registrations and host applications, the groups for the first two rounds of the three-stage competition have been determined.

Click here for the groups, participants and hosts.

Sixteen national champions will start their European campaign in the first round that will be played 18-20 October. French champion HC Neuilly sur Marne, Latvia’s Laima Riga, Slovak club Spisska Nova Ves and HDK Maribor from Slovenia will host the four tournaments.

The teams from last year’s finalists’ countries receive a bye and will start in the second round to be played 6-8 December. The Espoo Blues, who became Finnish champion for the first time since 2009, will host Group F that also includes AIK Stockholm from Sweden and two qualifiers.

Group E will include defending champion Tornado Moscow Region from Russia, Swiss champion ZSC Lions Zurich and two group winners from the first round.

Due to the Olympic Winter Games the final tournament will not be played in February but from 14 to 16 March 2014. The host team will be determined after the second round.

Tornado Moscow Region won the event in the last two years. The team from Dmitrov aims for the title hat trick. Last season the Russians edged the ZSC Lions Zurich 3-2 in overtime before blanking Sweden’s MODO Örnsköldsvik 5-0 and defeating Finnish host Kärpät Oulu 5-2 to claim the trophy.

CHICAGO – The National Hockey League awards were handed out over the weekend. Two of the top trophies went to Russians, one an established star and the other newly minted as the league's top goalie.

Alex Oveckhin of the Washington Capitals took home the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, beating out Sidney Crosby and John Tavares. This is the third Hart trophy that Ovechkin has won, making the Russian forward one of only ten players in the history of the award to win it more than twice.

Ovechkin’s MVP bid kicked into high gear in the final month of the regular season, which saw him score 24 goals in his final 23 games to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the League's top goal-scorer with 32.

His monumental effort late in the season almost single-handedly turned the Capitals’ season around. The team made the playoffs and won the Southeast Division and the third seed in the Eastern Conference before falling to the New York Rangers in the first round.

"Big thanks to my linemates, teammates," Ovechkin said on NBC Sports Network. "All the coaching staff, trainers, they do a great job, especially the coaching staff. They put me on the right wing, so it was kind of hard. But as everybody knows, I like the challenges. It was a big challenge for me and the coaching staff, but we [made] it."

Though he missed out on the MVP, Crosby was chosen as the recipient of the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the NHL’s most outstanding player chosen by a vote of players.

Other Canadians were recognized for their exceptional play in 2012/13. P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's outstanding defenceman. Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau claimed the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, currently competing against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final, was chosen for the Frank J. Selke trophy for the NHL’s top defensive forward. Paul Maclean from the Ottawa Senators, won the Jack Adams award for Coach of the Year.

One of the more surprising winners was Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who took home the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie beating out the likes of Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Niemi.

Bobrovsky (21-11-6, 2.00 goals-against average, 93.2 save percentage, four shutouts) was a key player in Columbus' surprising late-season playoff push that kept the club in contention until the final moments of the season. The first-time Vezina finalist appeared in 11 of the Blue Jackets' franchise-record 12-game point streak (8-0-4) from Feb. 26 through Mar. 22.

He won eight of his last nine games, posting a 1.64 goals-against average and 94.5 save percentage in that span. Overall, Bobrovsky ranked second among NHL goaltenders in save percentage and sixth in goals-against average.

Click here for a complete list of all the award winners on NHL.com

ADAM STEISS

Switzerland’s leap from 11th place at the 2012 IIHF World Championship to the silver medal this year marks one of the biggest improvements in recent tournament history. But the Swiss aren’t the only ones who have medaled the very next year after a sub-par performance.

Going back to the start of the new millennium, here are five memorable examples of top-16 nations that went directly from disgrace to delight.

The Team: Sweden

The Years: 2000 and 2001

The 2000 IIHF World Championship is mostly remembered for Russia’s shocking 11th-place finish on home ice in St. Petersburg despite a roster starring Pavel Bure, Alexei Yashin, and Sergei Gonchar. But it was nearly as bad for Sweden. Tre Kronor went winless in its last four games, including a 2-1 quarter-final loss to archrival Finland.

The Swedes finished seventh – their worst result since coming ninth in 1937.

But in 2001, the Swedes bounced back. They defeated the Americans 3-2 in the bronze medal game, with Andreas Johansson tallying the winner with under four minutes to go. Third place wasn’t the perfect result for a squad featuring a top line with Daniel Alfredsson, Mats Sundin, and Fredrik Modin, but it was still nice to end on a winning note.

The Team: United States

The Years: 2003 and 2004

In 2003, the United States simply didn’t ice a team of its usual caliber. Only 12 of the players were NHLers. Even with the talent of a 22-year-old Ryan Miller in goal and the experience of a 39-year-old Phil Housley on defence, this squad was destined for the Relegation Round. It finished 13th in Finland.

The Czech Republic was a much friendlier setting for the Stars and Stripes in 2004. Under head coach Peter Laviolette, the Americans turned out to be shootout superstars in the elimination games.

Defenceman Andy Roach stunned the host Czechs with his spectacular 3-2 shootout winner in the quarter-final. Roach also shone in the bronze medal game shootout as the U.S. beat Slovakia 1-0. Goalie Ty Conklin was named to the tournament all-star team.

The Team: Russia

The Years: 2004 and 2005

With eight World Championship gold medals for the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1990, Viktor Tikhonov is one of the most successful coaches in tournament history. However, his winning percentage took a beating when he made a comeback behind the bench at the 2004 Worlds at age 73.

Russia stumbled to a 10th-place finish, losing to Sweden, Slovakia, the U.S., and Finland. “It takes time to gel, and we did not have that time,” Tikhonov said afterwards. “First of all, it’s the mistakes of the players [that led to us being eliminated]. Second, the lack of time.”

Things went better under coach Vladimir Krikunov the following year in Austria. Playing a much tighter defensive style, the Russians would crack the podium for the first time since 2002. A three-point effort by a pre-NHL Alexander Ovechkin lifted Russia to a 6-3 victory over Sweden in the bronze medal game.

The Team: Germany

The Years: 2009 and 2010

It was lucky for the Germans that they were guaranteed a spot at the 2010 IIHF World Championship as the host nation. Otherwise, they’d have been relegated after finishing fifteenth in 2009. Head coach Uwe Krupp had to go back to the drawing board after that debacle in Switzerland, which featured just one win over newly promoted Hungary in the Relegation Round.

But it was a totally different German team that showed up in 2010. Demonstrating unbelievable work ethic and discipline, they set the tone with a 2-1 overtime win to open the tournament against the United States in front of a world-record crowd of 77,803 at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins Arena.

A 1-0 quarter-final win over Switzerland and a 2-1 loss to the Russians put these underdogs into the bronze medal game. Even though Germany lost 3-1 to Sweden, its fourth-place finish was beyond what anyone had dreamed before the tournament.

The Team: Slovakia

The Years: 2011 and 2012

Finishing 10th on home ice in Bratislava was tremendously disappointing for Slovakia in 2011. The sadness was compounded when Slovak captain Pavol Demitra passed away in the tragic September plane clash that wiped out the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

However, the Slovaks would rebound strongly at the 2012 IIHF World Championship. They needed a 5-4 win over France to squeak into the quarter-finals. Surprise wins over Canada (4-3) and the Czechs (3-1) gave them a berth in the gold medal game. Even though they couldn’t stymie Russian superstars like tournament MVP Yevgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and Alexander Syomin in a 6-2 loss, they had nothing to be ashamed of.

“We were disappointed to lose the game, but not in how we finished the tournament,” said Slovak captain Zdeno Chara. “It’s a privilege to play in the final and I tried to tell the guys to enjoy the moment. You never know when you get a chance to do that again.”

LUCAS AYKROYD

As bronze adorned John Gibson’s red, white and blue uniform during the medal ceremony at the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, a certain fact became evident: this young goaltender is about to be in high demand.

But first, let’s look back at how Gibson jumped to the top of several scouting wish lists in such a short period of time.

Gibson’s accolades started five months prior at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.

The American goaltender’s 1.36 goals against average and 95.5 save percentage in Ufa not only secured a gold medal for Team USA, but it also earned him Tournament MVP honours in the process.

That was against players his age.

Surely, not much was expected of the 19-year-old at the World Championship playing against top professionals from Europe and North America.

Or was it?

Team USA head coach Joe Sacco tapped Gibson to start against host Finland in the American’s fourth preliminary round game – a tough test to say the least in front of a partisan Helsinki crowd.

After giving up an early first-period goal to Jarno Koskiranta, Gibson stymied the Finns for the remaining 54 minutes, stopping 31 of 32 shots from the opposition in all, to give Team USA a 4-1 win and three important points.

Speaking of his ability to be so opportunistic, Gibson said: “Anytime you get to play for your country, it’s a major honour. My approach was to be ready when called upon and not do anything differently. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Gibson would go on to start one more preliminary round game against Germany – a convincing 3-0 shutout of the Germans.

Alex Galchenyuk, Gibson’s teammate on both the World Junior and senior squads, says the goaltender is a strong presence in the crease.

“When John is in net you just have a confident feeling as a skater. You don’t have to worry so much about playing extra defence. Instead, you can focus on playing attacking offence,” said Galchenyuk.

A shaky performance against Slovakia by the other American goaltender, Ben Bishop, convinced Sacco to start Gibson against the high-octane attack of Russia (which bolstered its roster by adding Alexander Ovechkin prior to the game) in the quarter-final round.

Buoyed by eight U.S. goals, Gibson stopped 31 of 34 Russian shots advancing his team to the semi-finals, while sending an extremely disappointed Russian team home.

When asked about his mental approach against the likes of Ovechkin, Alexander Radulov and Ilya Kovalchuk, Gibson said: “You definitely notice when those guys are on the ice, but you have to stay steady. They shoot the puck like anyone else and you have to play the same way against them.”

The U.S. would then fall to Switzerland in the semi-finals, setting up a rematch against a medal hungry Finnish squad in the bronze medal match.

Gibson was tremendous again, including some critical saves late in the game to keep the game tied at 2-2 and in overtime as Finland attacked relentlessly. He would make two more massive saves in the shootout as Team USA went on to win its first medal at the World Championship since 2004.

“It was unbelievable what John pulled off in that tournament – especially in overtime and the shootout. He gave us a chance to win the medal and I think he was absolutely our MVP,” said Galchenyuk.

In so doing, Gibson, Galchenyuk and defenceman Jacob Trouba became the first Americans in history to win medals at the World Junior and World Championship tournaments in the same year.

Now, the focus switches to Gibson’s professional future and speaking of NHL talent, everyone agrees Gibson fits the bill.

But where will he play?

Gibson was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, 39th overall, but currently plays in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers.

At present, the crease in Anaheim is extremely crowded with the likes of Switzerland’s Jonas Hiller and Sweden’s Viktor Fasth occupying the starting and backup roles.

The two were quite the formidable duo for a dominant Anaheim team this past season.

And, with Gibson NHL ready, is there a team willing to trade for his services?

Gibson says he’s not concerned with all of the possible scenarios.

“Just like with this tournament, I’ll be ready to capitalize on the opportunity whenever and wherever is comes,” he said.

Similar to all the scouts at the World Championship, Galchenyuk is excited about Gibson’s future.

“I can’t wait to see him in the NHL. He’s definitely ready for the next level. John has a great work ethic and approach to the game. I’ve told him that he’s ready,” Galchenyuk remarked.

Whether Gibson’s NHL debut comes in Anaheim or somewhere else, his pair of medals in 2013 proves that the 19-year-old is prepared to compete against the best in the world.

RYAN O'LEARY

OSLO/RIGA – The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association confirmed on Thursday that 23-year-old national team player Scott Winkler is dead. He was found at his home in Asker, Norway on Wednesday.

The cause of death is not known. Scott Winkler was one of Norway’s most promising players. In last year as a junior in 2010, Winkler had most goals, assists and points while leading Norway’s U20 team to promotion to the top pool of the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Winkler had just completed his four years at Colorado College where he played and graduated in economics. He was named to the All-Academic Team on three consecutive years, a recognition bestowed on players who combined athletics and academics in an outstanding way.

Winkler was drafted by the NHL Dallas Stars, in the third round in 2008. In 2012, Winkler played three games with Norway’s men’s senior national team.

"Scott was a true athlete and he excelled in school," said Robert Jonson from Norway’s Athletic High-Performance College which Winkler attended before going overseas. "He was a great character, a good friend with all his teammates. There was something special with Scott," Jonson told the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.

Both the Dallas Stars and Colorado College issued statements on Thursday.

In an unrelated incident, Latvian national junior team player Kristians Pelss, 20, was missing for several days after what is believed to be a drowning accident in his native Latvia.

Authorities confirm that they have received information which said that a young man dove from a bridge into the Daugava river in Riga and did not appear later. Latvian Police confirmed that Pelss has been reported as missing since Monday or Tuesday this week.

His dead body was found on Friday night. Police confirmed that relatives of the player identified Pelss on Saturday.

Kristians Pelss was the captain of the Latvian national junior team 2012 and he became the Western Hockey League champion with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season. He was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 and he played in the Oilers’ minor league organization in 2012/2013, both in the American Hockey League and in the ECHL.

Pelss returned to Latvia from North America last Monday.

Compiled by IIHF.com staff, from various sources      

If Jaromir Jagr wins the Stanley Cup this year with the Boston Bruins, the Czech hockey legend will set an interesting NHL record that will be hard to beat. There will be a 21-year gap between his last Cup (1992) and his latest one.

That would be the longest wait between Cups for any player in league history.

Currently, the record of 16 years belongs to Chris Chelios, who won his first Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and his second with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Mark Recchi is second at 15 years: he first won with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and had to wait for his second Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

Jagr, 41, won back-to-back Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. The powerful and gifted right wing was part of an incredible cast that included Recchi, Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, Paul Coffey, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, and Tom Barrasso, among others.

Since then, Jagr has captured plenty of international hardware, including the 1998 Olympic gold in Nagano, the 2005 IIHF World Championship (which put him into the Triple Gold Club), and the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

But amazingly, despite playing with powerhouse Pittsburgh teams throughout the 1990s – plus some talent-laden squads in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia in the new millennium – the five-time NHL scoring champion has never tasted Stanley Cup champagne since he was 20.

Why haven’t more players experienced similarly lengthy gaps?

There are a lot of reasons.

Obviously, you need to play for a long time. Even considering Jagr’s played four seasons with Avangard Omsk in Russia, he still ranks 34th in all-time NHL regular season games with 1,391.

You need to win a Cup very early in your career, because if it doesn’t happen till you’re 25, you’re unlikely to be around in your 40s. Jagr is a special breed – most players are not destined to be Hart Trophy winners who rank eighth in all-time NHL scoring with 1,688 points.

You need to have some bad luck. For instance, the Penguins were heavy favourites to three-peat in 1993, but shockingly fell to the New York Islanders in the second round.

And most multiple-Cup winners achieve that feat with the same team within a limited period of time. (See the recent rosters of Pittsburgh, Detroit, New Jersey, Colorado, and so on.)

Other NHLers who have had long gaps between Cups include:

Mickey MacKay (14 years: Vancouver Millionaires 1915, Boston 1929)
Craig Ludwig (13 years: Montreal 1986, Dallas 1999)
Brian Skrudland (13 years: Montreal 1986, Dallas 1999)
Joe Nieuwendyk (10 years: 1989 Calgary, 1999 Dallas)
Chris Osgood (10 years: 1998 Detroit, 2008 Detroit)

LUCAS AYKROYD