Three Flyers players went to Men’s Worlds and only one will be leaving with a medal in hand. Scott Laughton and Canada took home gold in a 5-2 victory over Germany.
Laughton, an assistant captain for Canada, scored the empty netter in what was already handily a Canadian victory. Canada scored four straight goals after both team traded a goal in both the first and second periods.
Laughton’s goal came was scored with 1:54 remaining in the third period. It was the second straight game that he scored an empty netter, icing the game for Canada in their semi-final win. This one was scored from inside the offensive blue-line this time.
Scott Laughton with the empty net goal! pic.twitter.com/Cjr5yTYDG6
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 28, 2023
Sammy Blais ended up with the game-winning goal as he scored twice in the victory. Laughton was fourth on the team in points, tied with Blais with eight points. Laughton’s three goals were third for Canada.
It was the first time Laughton put on the Canadian sweater since 2014. He had one point in seven games during the U20 WJC. He has represented his country on four total occasions.
Laughton is coming off a career season with the Flyers and was the only one to have a letter on his jersey. He hit highs in goals (18), assists (25), and points (43). He was tied for fourth in goals and was fifth on the team in points. He and Travis Konecny led the team with three-shorthanded goals apiece. Laughton’s seven shorthanded points were the also the most he’s ever posted in a season.
As one of John Tortorella’s go-to guys, Laughton is likely to have a similar role on the Flyers next season.
Gauthier, Attard fail to medal at Worlds
Moving on to the two other Flyers who attended the Men’s World Championship, Team USA failed to win a medal despite going undefeated in the group stage and 8-0 heading into the semi-final. They were 1:23 away from a gold-medal date with Canada before an overtime loss sent them to a bronze medal game versus Latvia.
They would have a 3-2 lead until Latvia tied it with 5:39 to go and would later lose just 1:22 into overtime. Going into the game, it was the 12th straight year that the US would lose in the semi-finals.
Gauthier ended the tournament with seven goals and nine points as he appeared in all 10 games. He performed well as a U20 at the tournament. Attard was used sparingly in his first appearance for the US. He scored one goal in four games.
Gauthier will be heading back to Boston for his sophomore season while Attard will once again try to crack the Flyers roster in training camp.