This year's edition of the IIHF World Championships has really displayed the narrowing gap between the elite ice hockey playing countries. Sure the likes of Canada, Finland, Russia, Sweden, USA, Slovakia and the Czech Republic remain firmly at the top of the elite echelon of teams in this event but they have faced stiffer and stiffer competition from nations that used to provide less of a test than a morning skate would. That has created some tense and tightly contested games but has also managed to show which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. It has been obvious which teams have enjoyed the nightlife a little too freely on some nights, and that is not a knock against anybody, because the players should be able to take in the local sights, sounds and flavors, especially in amazing cities like Helsinki and Stockholm, just not too much!
Here are some thoughts from the Helsinki group as the stage comes to an end Tuesday:
Belarus - Belarus has been a very interesting team to watch so far during this tournament. Of all the teams playing in Helsinki they seemed to bring the most consistent game plan game in and game out but have also produced some of the best performances from individual players in the event as well. They are a nation that is capable of putting together team's to compete with the highest caliber opponents but generally need to rely on the bounces falling their way to win or knock off the bigger teams, and that just hasn't happened for them in Helsinki.
Standouts - From their first game against Finland, goaltender Vitali Koval stood on his head. He has made highlight reel save after highlight reel save and has given Belarus a chance to win almost every game he has played in. His glove has been lightning quick all tournament long and his focus has been razor sharp. In front of him 23 year old Dmitri Korobov has been a pleasant surprise as well. The young defender has proved very good at finding the weakside lane during zone play and has found the net on multiple occasions so far in the tournament. The forward group has some NHL firepower but it has been the veteran presence of KHLer Alexei Kalyuzhny that has paced their attack. Kalyuzhny sees the ice well away from the puck but is also adept at dishing off to his speedier linemates before finding outlets for them around the net.
Canada - The favorite on paper, Canada has taken a bit of time to gel as a team but after two tough tests against Finland and Switzerland, they seem to have rebounded and found an identity, something that was clearly lacking in their OT loss to the USA. Many of the Canadian players are getting a serious lesson in how serious the Finns take their hockey as they haven't been able to do much around Helsinki without it making the papers, and while most of these players are used to such attention, this tournament usually provides some sort of relief from that, but not this year. On the ice it seems the team is capable of beating any of the other top countries but has also shown a bit of sleepiness at times. It will be interesting to see how focused the group is heading into the playoff stage.
Standouts - John Tavares has really raised his game, his skating stride and overall speed seem much improved and he has looked like a man who is really taking this opportunity to win some support for an Olympic team spot seriously. Tavares and Jeff Skinner have been the two players who have displayed the most consistency throughout the event for Canada and have been very exciting to watch.
Ryan Murray, the lone non-NHLer on the Canadian roster has not looked out of place. The 19 year old, projected top 5 pick in this year's NHL draft, has not seen a ton of ice time but has made the most of the ice time he has received, including time on the team's 2nd PP unit. It's clear that he is capable of playing against men and while he hasn't made much of an impact, he has been reliable and has looked mature beyond his years.
Finland - Finland started off the tournament very strong with great team play wins but it was evident this was going to be a team that struggled to score. Their performance dipped a bit with the pressure and media coverage they have received and it cannot be easy to get over the frustration hurdles that present themselves in a tournament like this when every on and off ice moment is scrutinized so harshly.
Standouts - Valtteri Filppula has been sensational. His skill level and speed are pacing his team. We've known for a while that he is a talented player but Detroit has done a magnificent job cultivating his puck management skills but has also created a ton of evident confidence. He looks poised to knock up his NHL performances a notch and has been one of the most consistently impressive players in the tournament.
Some none NHL players that have stood out for Finland are Leo Komarov, Antti Pihlstrom and Juuso Hietanen. Komarov might be the new worlds best pest. He has good speed, decent hands and applies great physical pressure. He loves to get under the opponents skin and often has at least three or four of the opponents players leaning over their bench yelling at him. He has the tools to be effective at the NHL level in his role very soon. Pihlstrom is another player who can play an intense and energetic physical style. His work ethic is off the charts and he has also shown some excellent offensive timing around the net as well. A very good penalty killer, he is looking like he is due for a return to the NHL. Juuso Hietanen is a relative unknown on the international circuit but after several stints watching the national team from the stands or press boxes, Hietanen has carved out his place this season. A smallish puck moving defender, Hietanen has great vision with the puck and is a quick decision maker. He isn't a physical force and isn't going to win many battles against bigger stronger opponents but he is very good positionally, anticipates well and as mentioned before really gets things started around the puck. Hietanen has been one of Finland's most used players during the tournament and has been very good QBing their top PP.
Also worth noting has been the play of Petteri Vehanen. Finland's backup goaltender has been touted as perhaps the best goaltender outside the NHL at the moment and showcased his skills well when called upon during this event. A very quick and athletic keeper, Vehanen finds loose pucks quickly and can prove very difficult to deceive in shooter vs goalie situations.
France - I brought it up before the tournament and France has really proven that I sometimes know what I'm talking about...or at least get lucky once in a while! The French have deep squad sprinkled with good offensive talent, committed defenders and a strong team work ethic. They have managed to upset top group mainstays, Switzerland and Belarus and continue to earn more and more respect as an elite hockey development program.
Standouts - Yohann Auvitu has been getting lots of attention from the Finns and not just because the second half of his name is pronounced the same as one of the more unfortunate Finnish words. Auvitu won a Finnish championship in the SM-Liiga this year with JYP and has been a steady offensive presence for the French, helping launch their attacks from the backend. Auvitu skates well, has very good puck presence and vision and is still very young.
Up front the French boast a deep and versatile forward group that has shown some serious confidence. It helps having NHLer Stephane Da Costa in the mix but the most consistently noticeable and effective forward on the French team has been Yorick Treille. Treille plays for Sparta Prague of the top Czech league and is a big bodied power forward with good playmaking ability and net presence. His puck protection skills have allowed the French to spread out the opponents defensive zone schemes and create some varied offensive attacks. He hasn't put up huge numbers but make no mistake he has been vital to the French success in this event.
Kazakstahn - Over-matched and outplayed for much of the tournament, the Kazaks return to the top group has them predictably facing relegation again, but this team has proven they are not the pushovers they once were on the international stage and are one of the best examples of the improvement of the quality of this sport outside the more known hockey playing nations.
Standouts - Vitali Kolesnik has been extremely reliable for the Kazaks facing a constant barrage of shots yet controlling the quality of any rebounds he's offered and often challenging the angle well enough to limit the effectiveness of most shooting lanes. Talgat Zhailauov has been one of their most noticeable skaters. He's not the biggest player but he is a smooth and fast technical skater with good hands. He has been a good presence on the forecheck and has been able to match the tempo of some of the higher skilled nations with his play.
Slovakia - The Slovaks have gone through the tournament with relative predictability so far. They have competed well in every game and have beat a top tier team, something they always seem to do in international play. They have gotten strong goaltending, stellar defence and some balanced scoring from their versatile group of forwards but will need to do more than rely on Chara's ability to keep opponent's top guns at bay if they are going to make any more noise in this event.
Standouts - Apart from Chara, young sniper Tomas Tatar has been another fine example of the Detroit Red Wings development system. Tatar is looking like another of their European "steals" already. He has great speed, tremendously quick hands and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Watching him buzz around the ice has been one of the tournament's early pleasures and judging by his performance in Helsinki thus far, it shouldn't be long until that is an NHL fan's pleasure.
Switzerland - Not the typical style of Swiss hockey we have seen in the past this particular group has some real sandpaper to them and it has made them a very interesting team to follow. Their aggressive and gritty style helped them push the Canadians and Finns but also proved to be their undoing in arguably the tournament's biggest upset when they lost to France.
Standouts - Damien Brunner has had Swiss hockey fans buzzing all season long. Brunner has emerged as one of the Swiss A League's most dynamic offensive forces and has carried that play into this tournament. A very quick and agile skater, Brunner has good hands but is most effective because of his ability to streak into open lanes and find holes in coverage away from the puck. The jury is still out on whether his style would translate to the North American game as he is fairly slender and doesn't have the ideal skill set for winning space in small contested areas. There have been plenty of NHL pro scouts keeping tabs on him though.
That sandpaper I mentionned has been most evident in the play of Switzerland's youngest player, Nino Niedereitter. El Nino has been playing with some serious fire and seems to be in some sort of skirmish after every play. Nino is looking more and more like a man and is showing good strides in improving his diversity and versatility. His scoring still needs some improvement in terms of consistency but the excitement keeps growing around the young prospect.
USA - Much like the Canadians, the US squad has been wildly inconsistent with their efforts, looking undefeatable at times and just plain bad at others. They have good team speed and a well rounded energetic young roster that can score and grind it out if need be. Their goaltending has been lackluster so far during the tournament and could prove to be their undoing but both goaltenders are also capable of stealing games and they may just be waiting for the right time to do so.
Standouts - No US player has impressed more than young Carolina Hurricanes defender Justin Faulk. Faulk has been incredible so far and teams continue to struggle to find an answer for his big shot from the point on the powerplay. Ryan Lasch is not a household name, but the diminutive American speedster led the Finnish league in scoring this year and has made himself comfortable playing top 6 minutes for a US team loaded with NHL talent. He is very quick and extremely opportunistic around the puck. His energy level has been noticeably higher than many of his NHL caliber teammates.
I'm getting ready to head back to Canada from Helsinki, and while I will continue to monitor this tournament closely my attention will shift a bit to the Memorial Cup tournament, stay tuned for my thoughts on that and some closing thoughts from this event throughout the playoff round.
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