Pietrangelo Shines at World Championships

Team Canada may have been eliminated from medal contention due to a 2-1 loss against Russia, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any positive stories to take away from this year’s tournament. One of the brightest and most intriguing stories for Blues fans was the tremendous play of Alex Pietrangelo who continued to prove he will be an anchor and a difference maker regardless of how talented the competition he faces is.

When the dust finally settled on Team Canada’s somewhat surprising loss to Team Russia, we were able to get a complete look at just how well our St. Louis Blues representatives performed. Clearly, Alex Pietrangelo was the talking point as he ended his tournament with two goals, three assists and an amazing +9 through seven games.

The stats do well in speaking of Pietrangelo’s brilliance, but once again it was the manner in which he conducted himself out on the ice that might have been the most impressive. Whether he was under pressure or just making the simply play, Petro continued to ooze confidence even as he skated for his country against immensely skilled international talent.

Blues fans got a healthy taste of Pietrangelo’s poise and resolve and now the rest of the league (and world) is taking notice. If you weren’t already excited for Petro’s second complete season in the NHL, you definitely should be as we should be in for another exciting year as the defenseman continues to build and grow into his talent.

Looking around the rest of the Team Canada roster, you’ll find another member of the Blues that had a solid tournament. Chris Stewart won’t be one of the main talking points walking away from the tournament but his two goals and two assists in seven games just give more credit to his natural goal-scoring ability. When healthy, Stewart has proven that he can light the lamp with the best of them and he made a great impression in his first exposure at the international level.

Carlo Colaiacovo also made five appearances for Team Canada at the tournament and really didn’t make much of an impact. He ended with zero points and an even plus/minus rating but did gain additional experience skating alongside his teammate, Pietrangelo.

Obviously these three would have loved to end their tournament with a medal around their necks, but they should all be proud of their performances and Blues fans should have added excitement headed into 2011-12.