Florida Panthers prospect Jakub Kos and Czechia finished with the silver medal at the 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Kos sent the game overtime when he scored his second of the tournament with 6:36 left in regulation by deflecting Tomas Hamara’s pass off the back skate of defenseman Ethan del Mastro and past Canadian goalie Thomas Milic.
🚨 53:24 Jakub Kospic.twitter.com/9me3WnjEs7
— Livesport.cz (@LivesportCZ) January 6, 2023
Dylan Guenther gave Canada the gold when he notched his second goal of the night 6:22 into overtime. Guenther, a first round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2021, also had an assist for the hosts.
Kos finished the game with two shots on goal and a plus-one rating in 14:51 of ice time. He also took one draw and won it.
Florida’s sixth-round pick (184th overall) in 2021, Kos finished the tournament with two goals, three assists and a plus-four while playing all seven games for the Czechs, mostly on the third line.
Ludvig Jansson and Sweden had to settle for fourth place after losing a wild 8-7 overtime decision to the United States, who took the bronze on Chaz Lucius’ third goal of the game.
Jansson had two secondary assists, including one on Filip Bystedt’s goal with 22 seconds left in the third period. Jansson beat his man down the wall and centered in front on the game-tying marker. He played 19:36 and finished the game with two shots on goal and a plus-two rating.
FILIP BYSTEDT TIES IT UP WITH 21 SECONDS LEFT!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/5gFzHIgucQ
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) January 5, 2023
A fourth-round selection (125th overall) in 2022, Jansson led all defenseman in scoring at the World Juniors and was tied for seventh overall with ten points (4G/6A). He posted a plus-nine rating and collected 4 PIM while playing in all seven games.
Jansson was named to the Media All-Star Team which was as follows:
- Goalkeeper: Tomas Suchanek, Czechia
- Defender: David Jiricek, Czechia
- Defender: Ludvig Jansson, Sweden
- Forward: Connor Bedard, Canada (MVP)
- Forward: Logan Cooley, United States
- Forward: Jiri Kulich, Czechia/
Sandis Vilmanis, Florida fifth-round pick (157th overall) in 2022, finished the tournament with one goal and an assist (looks like the first goal he scored was given to someone else) while playing all six games for Latvia, who bested Austria in the relegation playoff to remain in the top level for 2024. Vilmanis posted a minus-four rating and 4 PIM.
All three of the Panthers who played in the tournament were productive players on their teams, with Jansson being the standout and showing an unexpected offensive dimension to his game.