Bruins prospect watch: Lauko injured at World Juniors; Beecher & Hall debut for USA

The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships kicked off on Thursday, with some of the most promising hockey prospects around the globe converging on both Ostrava and Trinec in the Czech Republic for the tournament — which will run through Jan. 5. 

The Bruins will be keeping close tabs on the tournament, with three prospects taking part in John Beecher (USA), Curtis Hall (USA) and Jakub Lauko. Here are some takeaways from the first day of WJC action: 

Lauko exits with injury

The last month hasn’t exactly been kind to B’s prospect Jakub Lauko, with his last game with the Providence Bruins coming all the way back on Dec. 7, a game in which the 19-year-old winger needed to be stretchered off against colliding with Utica’s Justin Bailey. 

Despite the scary scene and subsequent injury, the hockey gods appeared to give Lauko a break just in time for World Juniors, as Providence cleared the forward for game action and loaned him to the Czech Republic national team for the tournament.

But less than a minute into Thursday’s matchup against Russia, Lauko’s second World Juniors run came to a crushing end.



Just 53 seconds into the matchup, Lauko was dropped in a nasty neutral-zone collision, favoring his knee before eventually getting helped off the ice. 

https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1210202599313616898

The offensive dynamo was spotted later in what ended up being an impressive 4-3 win for the Czech Republic, but it was a tough sight to see. Rather than being back on the bench playing for his country (in his country, no less), Lauko was forced to watch the game behind the glass, his knee sporting a brace. 

https://twitter.com/HeresYourReplay/status/1210234338769620992

Following the game, Russian reporter Igor Eronko posted that Lauko is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury, but Czech head coach Vaclav Varada confirmed that it is an MCL injury — one that will keep Lauko out for at least the rest of the tournament. 

https://twitter.com/IgorEronko/status/1210256797203861504

It’s a brutal blow for Lauko and his team, which was counting on him to be one of the club’s most effective weapons up front. Now, the primary question will be just how long this injury is going to sideline Lauko, especially with plenty of games remaining in the AHL schedule. 

Lauko, a third-round pick of the B’s in the 2018 NHL Draft, has been limited to 18 games in his first year of pro hockey down in Providence, tallying four goals and eight total points.

Even if his role on the 2019-20 Baby B’s might be rather limited when compared to regulars such as Urho Vaakanainen, Jack Studnicka, Alex Petrovic, Jakub Zboril and many more, Boston is still very, very high on Lauko, who needs all the reps he can get if he is to morph into the skilled, feisty forward that many in the organization believe he can become. 

But he can’t get there if he’s on the shelf for an extended stretch. Here’s hoping this injury doesn’t completely scuttle the rest of his 2020 season.

https://twitter.com/jakub_lauko/status/1210526966606159872

Beecher, Hall debut for USA 

Both John Beecher and Curtis Hall made it out unscathed in Team USA’s 6-4 loss to Canada on Thursday, but struggled to generate much on the scoreboard, combining for zero points in the defeat. 

While Hall was primarily relegated to a fourth-line role, Beecher was knocked out of his usual spot at center and shifted to the wing on Team USA’s second line with Cole Caufield and Jack Drury. That top-six crew was largely a dud, with both Caufield and Drury tagged as minus-2 players in the loss, with none of the three forwards tallying any points in the loss. 

It will be curious to see if Beecher, in particular, gets another top-six look for Team USA’s next matchup — and if so, perhaps back at center. Even if the baseline numbers were pedestrian, Beecher’s trademark speed was rather evident throughout Thursday’s contest, and led to some solid numbers when it comes to his transition game.

In terms of zone exits, Beecher was a perfect 3-for-3 in successful controlled attempts — using his wheels to get the puck out of Team USA’s end of the ice and through the neutral zone.

https://twitter.com/StarsStripesHKY/status/1210323783929810950

As for zone entries, Beecher controlled four of his six attempts to bring the puck into Canada’s side of the ice, whether it be by carrying the biscuit in himself or feeding a teammate for an easy crossing over the blue line. 

https://twitter.com/oliviaylin/status/1210340457944944640

If Beecher can continue to both push the puck out of danger and into the O-zone, the scoring chances should start to pile up for the B’s 2019 first-round pick. Team USA will be right back at it with a matchup against Germany at 1 p.m. on Friday.