Only 2 games on the schedule yesterday and here are my thoughts:
USA- DEN
- Jared Rutledge got his chance to keep USA's shutout streak alive and didn't disapoint his team. Although not challenged too much he did have to make a few saves in the first that really set the tone for the rest of the game.
- The US defense was stellar once again. Their ability to move the puck up ice off transition has been the key to the US success so far.
- Up front Matt Lane and Quentin Shore had good games. Shore has shown some strong ability to fire the puck from the circles and picks his spots well.
- Denmark's Magnus Povlsen was again a pleasant surprise for his team. He really gets around the ice well and proved he can skate and deny space well against a grittier North American opponent.
- There is also quite a bit to like about Danish captain Kristoffer Lauridsen. Strong on skates, was unintimidated by big US defenders Jones and Trouba and fought well to earn space in the net front area.
- US is quickly earning respect and I might need to revise my pre-tournament predictions as they are emerging as the favorites thus far.
SWE-LAT
- The Swedes seemed generally shocked by the speed and physicality the Latvians offered early on in this game. They really struggled to get much offensive zone pressure early and had an equally hard time breaking the puck into the zone against a very underrated and defensively sound Latvian D group.
- As the game wore on, Swedish captain started to assert himself and was a force in all 3 zones. He threw some good hits, unleashed a couple rocket shots and was a strong defensive presence as well.
- Top goaltending prospect, Oscar Dansk had the night off for Sweden and the game was no picnic for his backup, Magnus Hogberg. Hogberg was forced to come up with some very tough saves in the 3rd period to keep a determined Latvian attack from equalling the game.
- Elias Lindholm, a late 94 birthdate, was also very strong for the Swedes. And while that's easy to say, considering he was given credit on two goals in the 3rd period for the Swedes, it was his faceoff presence and consistency that really helped push his team to victory.
- Swedish 95 born Andre Burakowsky was the other member of Sweden's top line and really showcased his quickness and outside rush ability during this game. He is a real gem and will be a highly coveted offensive player in the 2013 NHL draft.
- Teddy Bluegers had another strong showing for the Latvians. He was creating offensive chances all game long in the playmaker role but also had a strong rush in the 2nd period but was robbed after a very nice move to backhand on partial breakaway.
- Rihards Bukarts was also in fine form for most of the game and can prove extremely elusive with the puck on the rush. He is very good at making last second cuts to avoid checks and continune on with the puck.
- Defender Rinalds Rosinskis was again an impressive physical force for the Latvians. A defence first player, he can really take away space well and was difficult to get around all night for even the most elusive Swedish forwards. He is really carving out a name for himself so far at this event.
- Latvian goaltender Ivans Punnenvovs was spectacular. This was first viewing of the young Latvian, and what I say was an impressive display of competitiveness and skill. He answered the call almost every single shot and had to make some ridiculous saves with his glove. If he can show effort like this consistently, we just might have something to talk about as far as pro potential is concerned.
Random Notes:
- The scouts section was packed for the Sweden vs. Latvia game and included a few GMs as well. Steve Tambellini was in attendance, as was Steve Yzerman. Yzerman, always the class act, posed for a ton of photos with Czech fans on the concourse after the game. I remember when I was on the organizing committee in Halifax for the World Championships and Yzerman and Shane Doan would stop to sign every shirt, pose in every picture. It was tough when it was your job to move them around undetected and on time, but I always had a ton of respect for them for making that time.
Showing posts with label Znojmo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Znojmo. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 April 2012
U18 Thoughts - Day 3
Day 3 of the U18 Champs had me running around the country to catch the games I wanted to see, got to enjoy the backroads of southern Czech Republic, experienced a 5 man accordion band in the lobby of my hotel when I got back and saw some old friends.
As far as the games went here are my thoughts from a busy day 3:
USA- CZE
- Another shutout for Collin Olson, people don't understand how difficult it is for a North American to come to Europe for a short term competiton. The adjustments and fatigue really effect focus, which most positions can get away with. Goaltenders not so much.
- The US kept the Czechs to 17 shots on goal with most of those coming in the 3rd period with the game firmly in their control.
- The stable of US defenders led by Jones and Trouba is exceptional, they play a smart team game and the transitional attack option they provide is deadly.
- Daniel O'Reagan has been a nice addition to the team and has seen a lot of crucial offensive minutes up front, including PP minutes. His ability to play the perimeter has made life easy for Nicholas Kerdiles who is getting more chances from the middle ice to shoot.
- Young Czech forward Jakub Vrana had a great game agasint Denmark but was not able to match his performance agains the US and really struggled to win space against the big, mobile US defenders.
- It was a tough showing for most of the Czech players as not many were able to get much going.
RUS - GER
- Germany pulled off arguably their biggest upset win at this tournament in recent memory. They were a surprising team last year and look to repeat that situation again this year.
- Germany is well coached, play a very disciplined team style and pick their spots.
- 95 born Frederik Tiffels was the catalyst for Germany in this game. His lightning quick speed and full ice work ethic was contagious after he put it together for Germany's first goal of the game.
- The combination of Marcel Kurth and 95 born Leon Draisaitl was potent on the powerplay. Draisaitl is a very good playmaker in the offensive end and showed off some tremendous vision, with Kurth battles hard for space and can make things happen around the net.
- German goaltender Marvin Cupper was beyond stellar keeping Russia frustrated in the 3rd period and was the main reason Germany was able to hold on for the win.
- Russia has great young talent up front. Late 94 birthdate Bogdan Yakimov is a very appealing offensive player. He has great size, moves well and his technical ability with the puck is impressive.
- Valeri Nichushkin, who plays every shift with Yakimov in all situations, is explosive and has seemingly endless talent. Great with the puck, he showed outstanding poise and patience on Russia's first goal and sprinkled in strong displays of defensive and physical play throughout the game for a very complete performance.
- Anton Slepyshev is one of Russia's top prospects for this year's draft but has been seriously overshadowed by his younger linemates.
- Andrei Vasilevski, who has a shot to be the first goaltender drafted this year, was unimpressive. He didn't have a bad game, but wasn't able to come up with the saves he really needed to. He continues to show holes on his blocker side. He wasn't bad, by any stretch, but he needs to be better to justify his hype.
SWE-SUI
- Sweden continued their dominance of this event so far with a convincing drubbing of Switzerland.
- The game was never really in doubt for Sweden and their big guns had little trouble creating chances on the Swiss.
- Again, leading the way it was the line of Sebastien Collberg, Alexander Wennberg and Gustav Possler, with Possler taking his turn to score a hat trick in this game. The 3 are at the top of the tournament scoring chart so far.
- Hampus Lindholm had a strong showing and displayed some of the offensive flare that has him flying up the draft board for most teams.
- Swedish netminder Oscar Dansk, who is my personal vote for top goaltending prospect this year had a mediocre showing. He was never forced to do too much and went long stretches without much action.
- The Swiss did not have much working for them in this game. They relied heavily on their top line of Lukas Balmelli, Lukas Sieber and Dario Simion but the trio was not able to muster up many chances. Sieber's frustration was evident in the 3rd period and he resorted to using his stick a little freely on the defensive side of the puck.
CAN-FIN
- The game started out with a fast pace and some good physical play. Both teams had some good chances to score but both Korpisalo and Murray proved up for the task
- Canada got on the board with under a second to play in the 1st period as Matt Dumba hammered a one timer off the faceoff to open the scoring.
- Canada had Ryan Pulock and Hunter Shinkaruk dressed and playing even though they only arrived in Breclav slightly over an hour before the game. Pulock showed the fatigue a bit, struggling to control the puck early and was relegated to mostly PP duty for the game with the odd shift here or there. Shinkaruk on the other hand didn't seem to miss a beat and was more and more prevelant as the game went on.
- Scott Kosmachuk's work ethic really stood out. He flies around the ice and always seems to be in the action.
- Darnell Nurse had a rough game, getting called on some tough situations where he was perhaps a bit too overzealous physically.
- Kerby Rychel was arguably Canada's best player in this game, showing great work ethic and desire to get the puck at the net.
- Teuvo Teravainen and Juuso Ikonen were also making their tournament debuts as both just arrived in the Czech Republic. Teravainen was hands down the best player on the ice for either team and showcased his ability to do a bit of everything. His stock will continue to climb if he can keep up the efforts like this one.
- Ristolainen and Pokka had very average showings but Niklas Tikkinen was exceptional. He is a very smooth moving defender with great deceptive skills and tremendous puck distribution ability.
- Arrturi Lehkonen is a 95 born Finnish forward wearing an A. He played on the top line with Teravainen and Ikonen and had a very strong showing. He is dynamite around the net and shows great ability to pick up pucks in scrambles and rebounds. His hands and goal scoring ability are high end.
- Canada's Matt Murray actually kept the score from being a lot worse than it was. Finland moved the puck extremely well on the PP and managed to find shooting lanes from side to side. Murray was excellent at getting across and denying chance after chance. As strong as he was, I felt he was making saves he shouldn't have but didn't make a couple he should have. All in all though an impressive performance that should help his draft stock.
Today there are two games on tap: Denmark vs. USA in Brno and Latvia vs. Sweden in Znojmo. Both games are set to start at the same time, so I will likely take in the fun loving Latvians vs. the uber talented Swedes, which could prove to be a more competitive game than it appears on paper.
As far as the games went here are my thoughts from a busy day 3:
USA- CZE
- Another shutout for Collin Olson, people don't understand how difficult it is for a North American to come to Europe for a short term competiton. The adjustments and fatigue really effect focus, which most positions can get away with. Goaltenders not so much.
- The US kept the Czechs to 17 shots on goal with most of those coming in the 3rd period with the game firmly in their control.
- The stable of US defenders led by Jones and Trouba is exceptional, they play a smart team game and the transitional attack option they provide is deadly.
- Daniel O'Reagan has been a nice addition to the team and has seen a lot of crucial offensive minutes up front, including PP minutes. His ability to play the perimeter has made life easy for Nicholas Kerdiles who is getting more chances from the middle ice to shoot.
- Young Czech forward Jakub Vrana had a great game agasint Denmark but was not able to match his performance agains the US and really struggled to win space against the big, mobile US defenders.
- It was a tough showing for most of the Czech players as not many were able to get much going.
RUS - GER
- Germany pulled off arguably their biggest upset win at this tournament in recent memory. They were a surprising team last year and look to repeat that situation again this year.
- Germany is well coached, play a very disciplined team style and pick their spots.
- 95 born Frederik Tiffels was the catalyst for Germany in this game. His lightning quick speed and full ice work ethic was contagious after he put it together for Germany's first goal of the game.
- The combination of Marcel Kurth and 95 born Leon Draisaitl was potent on the powerplay. Draisaitl is a very good playmaker in the offensive end and showed off some tremendous vision, with Kurth battles hard for space and can make things happen around the net.
- German goaltender Marvin Cupper was beyond stellar keeping Russia frustrated in the 3rd period and was the main reason Germany was able to hold on for the win.
- Russia has great young talent up front. Late 94 birthdate Bogdan Yakimov is a very appealing offensive player. He has great size, moves well and his technical ability with the puck is impressive.
- Valeri Nichushkin, who plays every shift with Yakimov in all situations, is explosive and has seemingly endless talent. Great with the puck, he showed outstanding poise and patience on Russia's first goal and sprinkled in strong displays of defensive and physical play throughout the game for a very complete performance.
- Anton Slepyshev is one of Russia's top prospects for this year's draft but has been seriously overshadowed by his younger linemates.
- Andrei Vasilevski, who has a shot to be the first goaltender drafted this year, was unimpressive. He didn't have a bad game, but wasn't able to come up with the saves he really needed to. He continues to show holes on his blocker side. He wasn't bad, by any stretch, but he needs to be better to justify his hype.
SWE-SUI
- Sweden continued their dominance of this event so far with a convincing drubbing of Switzerland.
- The game was never really in doubt for Sweden and their big guns had little trouble creating chances on the Swiss.
- Again, leading the way it was the line of Sebastien Collberg, Alexander Wennberg and Gustav Possler, with Possler taking his turn to score a hat trick in this game. The 3 are at the top of the tournament scoring chart so far.
- Hampus Lindholm had a strong showing and displayed some of the offensive flare that has him flying up the draft board for most teams.
- Swedish netminder Oscar Dansk, who is my personal vote for top goaltending prospect this year had a mediocre showing. He was never forced to do too much and went long stretches without much action.
- The Swiss did not have much working for them in this game. They relied heavily on their top line of Lukas Balmelli, Lukas Sieber and Dario Simion but the trio was not able to muster up many chances. Sieber's frustration was evident in the 3rd period and he resorted to using his stick a little freely on the defensive side of the puck.
CAN-FIN
- The game started out with a fast pace and some good physical play. Both teams had some good chances to score but both Korpisalo and Murray proved up for the task
- Canada got on the board with under a second to play in the 1st period as Matt Dumba hammered a one timer off the faceoff to open the scoring.
- Canada had Ryan Pulock and Hunter Shinkaruk dressed and playing even though they only arrived in Breclav slightly over an hour before the game. Pulock showed the fatigue a bit, struggling to control the puck early and was relegated to mostly PP duty for the game with the odd shift here or there. Shinkaruk on the other hand didn't seem to miss a beat and was more and more prevelant as the game went on.
- Scott Kosmachuk's work ethic really stood out. He flies around the ice and always seems to be in the action.
- Darnell Nurse had a rough game, getting called on some tough situations where he was perhaps a bit too overzealous physically.
- Kerby Rychel was arguably Canada's best player in this game, showing great work ethic and desire to get the puck at the net.
- Teuvo Teravainen and Juuso Ikonen were also making their tournament debuts as both just arrived in the Czech Republic. Teravainen was hands down the best player on the ice for either team and showcased his ability to do a bit of everything. His stock will continue to climb if he can keep up the efforts like this one.
- Ristolainen and Pokka had very average showings but Niklas Tikkinen was exceptional. He is a very smooth moving defender with great deceptive skills and tremendous puck distribution ability.
- Arrturi Lehkonen is a 95 born Finnish forward wearing an A. He played on the top line with Teravainen and Ikonen and had a very strong showing. He is dynamite around the net and shows great ability to pick up pucks in scrambles and rebounds. His hands and goal scoring ability are high end.
- Canada's Matt Murray actually kept the score from being a lot worse than it was. Finland moved the puck extremely well on the PP and managed to find shooting lanes from side to side. Murray was excellent at getting across and denying chance after chance. As strong as he was, I felt he was making saves he shouldn't have but didn't make a couple he should have. All in all though an impressive performance that should help his draft stock.
Today there are two games on tap: Denmark vs. USA in Brno and Latvia vs. Sweden in Znojmo. Both games are set to start at the same time, so I will likely take in the fun loving Latvians vs. the uber talented Swedes, which could prove to be a more competitive game than it appears on paper.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
U18 Thoughts - Day 2
Day 2 wrapped up with some surprisingly entertaining games.
CZE vs. DEN
- After a couple down years, the Czechs have a very well rounded squad with a lot of underrated and talented players.
- Jakub Vrana was the best player on the ice all game long, significant because he's the only 96 born in the tournament.
- The Czechs were very good at creating scrambles and capitalizing on the bounces around the net.
- Eusthasious Soumelidis is very good at timing his net front attacks and has strong hand eye coordination.
- The Danish offense has some weapons but their top gun Oliver Bjorkstrand was far too selfish in this game. Sure he scored 2 goals, but I didn't count a single pass made or even attempted after the first period. Troubling trend if it continues.
- Soren Martensen and Magnus Povlsen both displayed tremendous skill and ability for the Danes during the game and while both aren't the biggest players they were quite effective in this game and deserve further attention.
- The Czechs need better performance from their goaltending but they have the capability to run with the best of this event.
SUI vs. LAT
- This was one of the best games I have ever watched at this tournament...honestly.
- The pace from the start of the game was intense and physical with both teams dishing out a ton of punishment and playing at a speed for a long duration. The flow slowed a bit once the refs got involved but picked up again in the 3rd.
- The Latvian group is a fun loving, hard hitting, run and gun style team that is very entertaining to watch.
- Latvia's Teddy Bluegers really showed why his name is being bounced around the mid rounds of NHL draft talk and was a prominent player in this game even though he failed to register a point.
- Young Edgars Bukarts is maybe the fastest player in the entire tournament. Great quickness in hands and feet.
- The Latvian defense must have thrown 40 hits on their own, including some huge open ice crunches by Rinalds Rosinskis and Edmunds Augstkalns.
- Goaltender Elvis Merzlinkins was wired all game long and made some incredible desperation saves, earning him player of the game for Latvia.
- Karlis Ozolins blocked a shot off his chest in the 3rd and was being attended to by paramedics on the bench. They even called for the paddles at one point, but they were not used and he was conscious and seems to be recoring fine. Something to keep an eye on as I beleive he went to hospital after the game.
- Swittzerland is really missing that playmaking star they've had in years past but boast some great young power forwards in Lukas Balmelli, Dario Simion and Lukas Sieber. Balmelli was particularly impressive in this game and just missed two shots late in the game, by the slimmest of margins.
- 95 born Phil Baltisberger plays like he is 5 years older than he is. Strong, physical and intelligent.
- Julian Schmutz was one of the best offensive players for the Swiss but almost left the game early after getting hammered at centre ice and coming off favoring his right shoulder. He missed a couple shifts but then scored on his first back and had a fairly good showing after, except for giving up the puck as the last man back on Latvia's second goal.
- Tough loss for the Swiss who will likely have to battle it out with Germany and Denmark in relegation unless they can upset one of the big dogs.
- A huge win for Latvia, which has without a doubt iced it's most competitive U18 team ever, an amazing feat considering their best player in the age group isn't participating. They are a fun team to watch, on and off the ice. When the girls who present the Tissot watches came on the ice they all raised their sticks and slapped them down to salute them and then erupted in laughter. Great to see kids having fun at a hockey tournament!
Day 3 will see 4 games on tap, I plan on taking the Germany-Russia game in Znojmo and then moving over to see Canada and Finland play in Breclav in the evening. Other games see the Czechs battle the US in Breclav and the Swedes and Swiss locking up in Znojmo in the evening. Games are moved from Brno to Breclav today as Brno's senior team is still in the Czech league playoffs.
CZE vs. DEN
- After a couple down years, the Czechs have a very well rounded squad with a lot of underrated and talented players.
- Jakub Vrana was the best player on the ice all game long, significant because he's the only 96 born in the tournament.
- The Czechs were very good at creating scrambles and capitalizing on the bounces around the net.
- Eusthasious Soumelidis is very good at timing his net front attacks and has strong hand eye coordination.
- The Danish offense has some weapons but their top gun Oliver Bjorkstrand was far too selfish in this game. Sure he scored 2 goals, but I didn't count a single pass made or even attempted after the first period. Troubling trend if it continues.
- Soren Martensen and Magnus Povlsen both displayed tremendous skill and ability for the Danes during the game and while both aren't the biggest players they were quite effective in this game and deserve further attention.
- The Czechs need better performance from their goaltending but they have the capability to run with the best of this event.
SUI vs. LAT
- This was one of the best games I have ever watched at this tournament...honestly.
- The pace from the start of the game was intense and physical with both teams dishing out a ton of punishment and playing at a speed for a long duration. The flow slowed a bit once the refs got involved but picked up again in the 3rd.
- The Latvian group is a fun loving, hard hitting, run and gun style team that is very entertaining to watch.
- Latvia's Teddy Bluegers really showed why his name is being bounced around the mid rounds of NHL draft talk and was a prominent player in this game even though he failed to register a point.
- Young Edgars Bukarts is maybe the fastest player in the entire tournament. Great quickness in hands and feet.
- The Latvian defense must have thrown 40 hits on their own, including some huge open ice crunches by Rinalds Rosinskis and Edmunds Augstkalns.
- Goaltender Elvis Merzlinkins was wired all game long and made some incredible desperation saves, earning him player of the game for Latvia.
- Karlis Ozolins blocked a shot off his chest in the 3rd and was being attended to by paramedics on the bench. They even called for the paddles at one point, but they were not used and he was conscious and seems to be recoring fine. Something to keep an eye on as I beleive he went to hospital after the game.
- Swittzerland is really missing that playmaking star they've had in years past but boast some great young power forwards in Lukas Balmelli, Dario Simion and Lukas Sieber. Balmelli was particularly impressive in this game and just missed two shots late in the game, by the slimmest of margins.
- 95 born Phil Baltisberger plays like he is 5 years older than he is. Strong, physical and intelligent.
- Julian Schmutz was one of the best offensive players for the Swiss but almost left the game early after getting hammered at centre ice and coming off favoring his right shoulder. He missed a couple shifts but then scored on his first back and had a fairly good showing after, except for giving up the puck as the last man back on Latvia's second goal.
- Tough loss for the Swiss who will likely have to battle it out with Germany and Denmark in relegation unless they can upset one of the big dogs.
- A huge win for Latvia, which has without a doubt iced it's most competitive U18 team ever, an amazing feat considering their best player in the age group isn't participating. They are a fun team to watch, on and off the ice. When the girls who present the Tissot watches came on the ice they all raised their sticks and slapped them down to salute them and then erupted in laughter. Great to see kids having fun at a hockey tournament!
Day 3 will see 4 games on tap, I plan on taking the Germany-Russia game in Znojmo and then moving over to see Canada and Finland play in Breclav in the evening. Other games see the Czechs battle the US in Breclav and the Swedes and Swiss locking up in Znojmo in the evening. Games are moved from Brno to Breclav today as Brno's senior team is still in the Czech league playoffs.
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