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eishockeydigital · 4 years ago

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Lausanne HC - Aufstieg in die Phalanx der Grossen vier oder der Fall ins Bodenlose?

Werden wir gerade Zeuge eines Aufstiegs des Lausanne HC oder dessen Fall in das Bodenlose und der Vernichtung von Millionen von Schweizer Franken? Egal in welche Richtung die Reise des Traditionsklub am Ufer des Genfersees gehen wird, wir werden uns köstlich unterhalten. Nicht nur auf, sondern vermehrt auch neben dem Eis. Vor allem wegen den drei Besitzern aus der Tschechischen Republik und Russlands. Vergangene Saison im Schnelldruchlauf Nach der Qualifikation war der 4. Rang gesichert und damit das Heimrecht in der Serie gegen die ZSC Lions. Konnten die beiden Teams jeweils ihre ersten Spiele zu Hause gewinnen, änderte sich dies mit Spiel drei. Zwei Mal in Folge gewannen die Zürcher ehe Lausanne im fünften Spiel wieder siegen konnte. Die Löwen aus dem Hallenstadion machten indes im sechsten Spiel der Serie zu Hause den Sack zu. Lausanne hat die Chance nicht beim Schopf gepackt aus einer guten Saison eine sehr gute zu machen. Die vielen Unruhen und Querelen während der Saison neben dem Eis sind nur die Spitze des Eisberges eines Klubs der ausser Kontrolle geraten zu sein scheint. Beispiele gefällig? Bitte sehr: Cory Conacher wurde mit hohen Versprechungen nach Lausanne geholt. Doch weder Trainer noch Spieler fanden zusammen. Dies lässt sich auch an den Punkten ablesen. "Nur" neun Tore und fünf Vorlagen gelangen Conacher in Lausanne in 21 Spielen. Als er den Vertrag mit Lausanne auflöste und zu seinem ersten Arbeitgeber dem SC Bern in der Schweiz wechselte, gelangen ihm in 19 Spielen neun Tore und 13 Assists. Und er war von Beginn an ein wichtiger Teil der Mannschaft und übernahm Verantwortung. Oder der langjährige Captain des Lausanne HC, Etienne Froidevaux. Ihn wollten die Lausanner bereits zum Ende der Saison 2019/20 nicht mehr im Kader haben, suchten einen neuen Arbeitgeber. Lausanne fand aber keinen, der den Vertrag zu gleichen Konditionen weitergeführt hätte. So war zu Beginn der Saison Froidevaux mehrheitlich auf der Medientribüne anzutreffen und schaute dem Treiben auf dem Eis von dort aus zu. Am Ende war Lausanne dann doch noch um seine Dienste froh. Spätestens als die Verletzungen zu nahmen oder Spieler wegen der Pandemie pausieren mussten.

Der ehemalige Captain des Lausanne HC geht die kommende Saison in Biel auf die Jagd nach Punkten. (Foto Wikimedia) Und dann kamen noch die Gerüchte aus der Kabine des Lausanne HC an die Öffentlichkeit, dass Mitbesitzer und Sportchef Petr Svoboda nach dem Moto wer zahlt befiehlt zu handeln gewohnt war. Einige Spieler erzählten unter vorgehaltener Hand, dass die Lohnreduktionen stets kurzfristig angesetzt wurden ohne dass die Spieler eine Möglichkeit bekamen, sich dazu zu äussern. Wenn dies nun nicht akzeptiert wurde, so landete man (mehrheitlich) auf der Tribüne. Trotz oder wegen(?) diesen Querelen belegten die Lausanner nach der Qualifikation den vierten Rang. Dies zeigt eigentlich die Qualität des Kaders auf. Was wäre wohl im Bereich des Möglichen, wenn Lausanne einmal eine Ruhige Saison bestreiten könnte`? Faceoffs/Spiel Bei den Face-Offs schaffte Lausanne eine Punktlandung des Liga Durchschnitts. Genau die Hälfte aller Anspiele gewannen die Löwen. Um an der Spitze mithalten zu können ganz klar zu wenig. PP Acht Prozentpunkte hinter Leader Fribourg, knapp 5% Punkte vor dem letztplatzierten und doch nur Rang 11 in Überzahl. Damit kann die Mannschaft nicht zufrieden sein. Es muss mehr von der blauen Linie kommen, die Aufstellung und Aufteilung der Rollen klarer sein. Oft beobachtete der Zuschauer, dass die Spieler zu lange die Scheibe am Stock hatten und nicht schnell zirkulieren liessen. Der sogenannte "Point-Man", der Mann an der blauen Linie welcher den Abschluss sucht, fehlte oder konnte nicht angespielt werden. Mehr Tempo, schnelleres zirkulieren lassen des Pucks und vor dem Tor konsequentes "Screening", also dem Torhüter die Sicht wegnehmend, fehlten im Powerplay der Lausanner. PK Der Lausanne HC nahm mit 4.10 Strafen pro Siel eine Strafe mehr als der Leader Bern. Lausanne war 341:03 Minuten in Unterzahl während Leader Bern in dieser Sparte auf 264:51 Minuten kam. Alles Klar? Mitnichten. Hätte sich zum Beispiel Mark Barberio etwas zurückgehalten und anstelle der drei fünf Minuten Strafen nur eine kassiert, wäre der Klub wieder im Mittelmass angelangt. Das Boxplay konnte standhalten. Dennoch müssen kleinere Anpassungen vorgenommen werden. Abgänge während und nach der Saison Florian Vuichard (T), Robin Grossmann (D), Vladimir Roth (D), Schneeberger Noah (D), Nathan Vouardoux (D), Benjamin Antonietti (F), Petr Cajka (F), Marco Cavalleri (F), Cory Conacher (F), Etienne Froidevaux (F), Brian Gibbons (F), Libor Hudacek (F), Charles Hudon (F), Mauro Jörg (F), Denis Malgin (F), Matthias Mémeteau (F), Rihards Puide (F), Lee Roberts (F), Neue Saison Goalies - Luca Boltshauser - Tobias Stephan - Viktor Östlund (Neu von Ambri) In der vergangenen Saison wechselten sich Tobias Stephan und Luca Boltshauser im Tor ab. In den Playoffs erhielt Tobias Stephan den Vorzug und Luca Boltshauser bestritt von den sechs Spielen nur noch eines. Der Vertrag von Tobias Stephan läuft Ende dieser Saison aus. Wird er nach dieser Saison die Torhüterausrüstung im Estrich versorgen oder wird er noch eine Saison weiterspielen? Sollte Tobias Stephan den Rücktritt vom Eishockey geben, dann wäre eine Nummer 1 Position frei. Oder hat Lausanne seine zukünftige Nummer 1 schon unter Vertrag? Luca Boltshauser könnte diese Rolle ausfüllen. Dazu müsste er von Trainer Jon Fust das Vertrauen bekommen und genügend Eiszeit in dieser Saison. In der Vergangenheit zeigte sich, dass dem nicht immer so war. Denken wir an Nicklas Schlegel oder an die Torhütersituation vor drei Jahren in Davos. Eine zukünftige Nummer eins muss langsam und behutsam Aufgebaut werden. Die Zeiten der "hüst und hott" Torhüter, welche gleich in die Fusstapfen seines Vorgängers stehen können sind vorbei. Mit Viktor Östlund haben die Lausanner eine gute Nummer 2b. Zur Zeit ist er an den HC Ajoie ausgeliehen. Er sollte aber jederzeit zurückkehren können. Wenn dies aber zu oft geschehen sollte, so würde er von der Liga gesperrt werden. (Keine B-Lizenz unter National League Klubs möglich). In jedem Fall brauchen die Lausanner noch einen weiteren Schlussmann um diese Situation im Notfall zu entschärfen. Verteidigung - Guillaume Anex - Mark Barberio (Kanada) - Lukas Frick - Joel Genazzi - Martin Gernat (Slovakei) (Neu von HC Ocelari Trinec) - Andrea Glauser (Neu von SCL Tigers) - Fabian Heldner - Justin Krueger - Aurélien Marti - Victor Oejdemark Kommt mit Martin Gernat der neue Blue Liner für das Powerplay? Der Slowake kann diese Position Problemlos einnehmen. Im allgemeinen liebt er die Offensive mehr als die Defensive. Dies zeigen seine Statistiken bei seinem letzten Klub, Ocelari Trinec. Mit 13 Toren und 28 Assists war er einer der besten Verteidiger der Liga. Wie schnell findet er sich im Schweizer Eishockey zurecht, um sich vorne in der Skorerliste zu etablieren? Kann Andrea Glauser Robin Grossmann ersetzen.? Keine leichte Aufgabe für den ehemaligen Fribourger Junior der letztes Jahr noch bei den SCL Tigers gespielt hatte. Glauser hätte diese Voraussetzungen eigentlich. Oft fehlt ihm aber noch der Zusatz Kick einen Gang zulegen zu wollen. Er hat sich in den letzten Jahren indes gut entwickelt und konnte sich in den Dunstkreis der Nationalmannschaft spielen. Er scheiterte immer im Finalen Cut um an die Weltmeisterschaften zu fahren. Vielleicht klappt es nach dieser Saison. Das Team von Patrick Fischer hat eine intensive Saison vor sich, welche als Höhepunkt die olympischen Spiele in Peking hat. Da spielt die Weltmeisterschaft in Finnland eine Untergeordnete Rolle. Gut möglich, dass er aus diesem Grund in Finnland dabei sein wird.

Andrea Glauser soll Robin Grossmann ersatzen. Kann der Ex-Tiger dies tun? (Foto: Hockeyhebdo.com) Wie so oft sagt die Papierform dem Lausanne HC eine stabile, offensiv ausgerichtet Verteidigung voraus. Zudem haben sie mit Justin Krueger einen Krieger in den eigenen Reihen. Auch wenn er im Spiel den einen oder anderen Fehler macht. Diese macht er mit seinem Körpereinsatz meistens wieder Wett. Mit Gernat kommt ein weitere offensive Verteidiger. Ist dies der eine zu viel oder gerade Richtig um die Blaue Linie zu stärken und im Powerplay erfolgreicher zu sein? Die Saison wird es zeigen. Sturm - Cody Almond - Fabio Arnold - Benjamin Baumgartner (Neu von Davos) - Christoph Bertschy - Tim Bozon - Floran Douay - Cory Emmerton (Kanada) - Jason Fuchs (Neu von Biel) - Josh Jooris - Ken Jäger - Ronalds Kenins - Robin Leone - Guillaume Maillard - Riat Damien (Neu von Hershey Bears/ AHL) - Jiri Sekac (Czech Rep) (Neu von Avangard Omsk) - Phil Varone (Kanada) (Neu von Barys Nur-Sultan/KHL) Die Lausanner konnten dem HC Davos einen wichtigen Spieler wegnehmen. Benjamin Baumgartner gilt als ausgezeichneter Stürmer und ähnelt in seiner Spielweise Dominic Zwerger vom HC Ambrì-Piotta. Der Österreicher mit Schweizer Lizenz spielt ebenfalls in der Nationalmannschaft. In den vergangenen beiden Jahren entwickelte er sich in Davos sehr gut. Mit 27 Punkten (2019/20 respektive 25 Punkte kam er definitiv in der National League an. In Lausanne wird er unter John Fust weiter gefordert. Unter Umständen könnte er in einem Jahr zu den New Jersey Devils wechseln. Von Ihnen wurde er vor einem Jahr in der sechsten Runde an der 161 Position ausgewählt. Mit dem ehemaligen Genfer Junior Damien Riat kehrt ein Prospect aus der NHL in die Schweiz zurück. Der in der Organisation der Washington Capitals spielende Stürmer kam letztes Jahr bei den Hershey Bears zu 33 Einsätzen in der AHL Riat wurde von den Capitals an Lausanne ausgeliehen um weitere Spielpraxis zu erhalten und nicht im stark besetzten Kader zu verhungern. Für Lausanne kann er zu einem wichtigen Spieler werden. Er könnte in diesem Jahr aus dem Dunstkreis der Nationalmannschaft aufsteigen um nach den olympischen Spielen in Peking an den Weltmeisterschaften in Finnland teilzunehmen. Erstaunen würde dies niemanden. Um dann in der nächsten Saison den Durchbruch in er NHL zu schaffen? Der nächste mögliche Nationalspieler im Kader der Lausanner ist Jason Fuchs. Er ist, wie Damien Riat, im erweiterten Kader der Nationalmannschaft und kam wie dieser zu einigen Internationalen Einsätzen. Mit seinen 25 Jahren ist er im richtigen Alter um den Sprung in die Nationalmannschaft zu schaffen. Er ist, wie sein Vater Régis Fuchs, ein brillanter Vorbereiter welcher den angeborenen Instinkt hat im richtigen Moment den tödlichen Pass auf seine Flügel zu spielen. Leider neigt er dazu, seine defensiven Aufgaben zu vernachlässigen. Dies kann sich indes noch ändern. Wenn die Entwicklung von Fuchs den gleichen Verlauf nimmt, so wird Jason in zwei Jahren ein Topstürmer sein. Es gilt ihm genügend Zeit zur Entwicklung zu geben.

Ist Jason Fuchs auf den Spuren seines Vaters Reégis? (Foto: planethockey.com) Mit dem Tschechen Jiri Sekac kommt ein erfahrener linker Flügel an den Genfersee. Sekac konnte sich in der NHL nicht durchsetzen und musste sein Abenteuer nach zwei Jahren abbrechen. In diesen zwei Jahren spielte er für die Canadiens, die Ducks, die Blackhawks und am Ende die Coyotes. In dieser Zeit spürte der Tscheche dass sein Spiel nicht der rauen NHL entsprach. Dies zeigte er eindrücklich in Russland. Sekac ist ein sehr erfahrener Stürmer. Zwei Jahre war er in der NHL und nun deren 8 in der KHL. In 345 Spielen verbuchte er 201 Punkte. Mit der Nationalmannschaft konnte er den Durchbruch aber nicht feiern. Mit einer Teilnahme an den olympischen Spielen in Südkorea 2018 und zwei Weltmeisterschaften blieb er mit fünf Punkten unter seinen Erwartungen. Nun will er sich über gute Leistungen in der Schweiz für das Nationalteam und die kommenden Spiele in Peking aufdrängen. Mit Phil Varone ist ein kluger Zwei-Wege Center zurück in der Schweiz. Vor sechs Jahren spielte er mit den Rochester Americans am Spengler Cup und kam dabei in drei Spielen zu vier Punkten. Dabei tingelte der 178 cm grosse Stürmer zwischen der NHL und der AHL hin und her, spielte für drei verschiedene Franchises und sechs verschiedene AHL Teams. Er liebt es mit viel Geschwindigkeit vor dem generischen Tor aufzutauchen. Um im nächsten Moment vor dem eigenen Tor auf zu räumen. Die Gegnerischen Verteidiger müssen sich warm anziehen. Die Frage ist, ob die Löwen vom Genfersee Etienne Froidevaux ersetzen können. 8 Jahre lang war Froidevaux in der Kabine bei Lausanne ein Wortführer und Captain. Könnte diese Rolle durch Damian Riat eingenommen werden? Gut möglich. Doch noch wichtiger ist die Frage ob in Lausanne nun wieder Ruhe einkehrt. Wohl kaum. Trainer - John Fust (Head Coach) - Robert Petrovicky (Assistenz Coach) - Cristobal Huet (Goalie Coach) Lausanne und John Fust gehören irgendwie zusammen. Er arbeitet die fünfte Saison bei Lausanne. Am 8. Februar 2018 ersetzte er Yves Sarault und blieb dann in verschiedenen Funktionen dem Team erhalten. Sei es als verantwortlicher für die Jugendabteilung, als Sportchef oder, wie zuletzt als Assistent Trainer. Nun übernimmt er das zweite Mal die Verantwortung an der Bande. Kann er mit Lausanne endlich in das Finale vorstossen? Oder wird er bereits vor der Nationalmannschaftspause abgelöst?

John Fust muss Ordnung und Vertrauen wiederherstellen in Lausanne. (Foto; Lausanne HC) In den letzten zwei Jahren war Robert Petrovicky zuständig für die slowakische Juniorennationalmannschaft. Nun kehrt der ehemalige Spieler von Ambrì, den ZSC Lions und den SCL Tigers wieder in die Schweiz zurück. Zusammen mit John Fust spielte er zwischen 2001 bis 2003 in der Leventina . Nach der ersten Saison in Ambrì konnte er seinen grössten Erfolg feiern. Den Weltmeistertitel mit der Slowakei. Nun führt die beiden die Wege wieder zusammen. . Der Weltmeistertitel blieb Cristobal Huet verwehrt. Dafür hat er den Stanley-Cup Sieger mit den Chicago Blackhawks gewonnen. Mit Lugano wurde er Schweizermeister und mit Grenoble gewann er zu Beginn seiner Karriere die französische Meisterschaft. Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

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uncleleo16 · 8 years ago

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World Hockey Championship

Most hockey fans have been glued to the television over the past month watching the NHL playoffs and rightfully so, however in Europe the World Hockey Championship came to a close this past week with Sweden winning. It was a very good tournament with some upsets, close games, great goals and a lot of learning new international players. Let’s look at each of the 16 teams and evaluate their top players and how the country’s hockey is developing.

Italy:

Record: 0-6-1 (Relegated)

Overview of Tournament: Never won a game, started the tournament with an overtime loss to Slovakia and it was all downhill from there. Scored a tournament low 6 goals in the minimum 7 games and was obliterated 10-1 against Russia and 8-1 against Sweden. This tournament was valuable experience for a nation with little hockey success.

The Club League for players: AlpsHL: 10, EBEL: 8, NLA: 3, Liiga: 1, DEL: 1, NLB: 1, DEL2: 1

Top Scorer: Giovanni Morini - 22 years old - Center - NLA - HC Lugano. In 7 games Morini had 2 goals and 8 penalty minutes with a -6 rating. In 36 games with HC Lugano (Switzerland) this season he had 3 goals and 12 penalty minutes.

Former NHL Player: Thomas Larkin - 26 Years Old - Defenseman. Technically he never played an NHL game but he was drafted in 2009 during the 5th round and played 2 seasons in the AHL. He currently plays for Adler Mannheim in the DEL (Germany).

Player you should know: Andreas Bernard - 26 Years Old - Goaltender. Bernard helped keep Italy in a lot of games that should have been blowouts. In 5 games he had a 2.59 GAA and a .920 Save Percentage. He plays for Assat in Liiga (Finland) and in 44 games this season he had a 2.08 GAA and a .924 SV%.

Performance Grade: C Low Expectations, bad performance. But they get points for having close games against Slovakia, Denmark and Latvia.

Slovenia:

Record: 0-6-1 (Relegated)

Overview of Tournament: Started the tournament with a close game against the Swiss that went to a shootout, then proceeded to lose by 3 or more goals to Canada, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, Belarus and France.

The Club League for players: EBEL: 7, France: 6, KHL: 4, Belarus: 2, DEL2: 2, Czech2: 1, Denmark: 1, Allsvenskan: 1, Czech: 1

Top Scorer: Robert Sabolic - 28 Years Old - Left Wing - KHL - Admiral Vladivostok. In 7 games played, Sabolic had 2 goals and 6 points with 4 penalty minutes. He played 58 games this season with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL and had 19 goals and 44 points.

Former NHL Player: Jan Mursak - 29 years old - Forward. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2006 draft by Detroit and played 46 NHL Games. He was the captain of this Slovenian team and had 3 goals and 4 points in 7 games. He currently plays for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and had 20 points in 33 games last season.

Player you should know: Ziga Jeglic - 29 years old - Forward. He plays for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL and in 58 games had 11 goals and 27 points. One of only 4 players on this team in the KHL and had 2 goals in 5 games with Slovenia during this tournament. Has a good size at 6′1″ and has good playmaking skills.

Performance Grade: D+ This team has some reasonably talented players but only really put up a fight in game 1, a disappointing performance for a team with low expectations.

Slovakia:

Record: 1-4-2 (Did Not Make Playoffs)

Overview for Tournament: close call against Italy, close loss against Latvia followed by two shootout losses against Denmark and Germany. Ended the tournament with 3 lopsided wins for powerhouses Sweden, United States and Russia.

The Club League for players: Czech: 14, KHL: 5, Slovakia: 3, SHL: 2, Liiga: 1

Top Scorer: Michel Miklik - 34 years old - Left Wing - Liiga - JYP. In 7 games played he had 3 goals and 5 points with 4 penalty minutes. After bouncing around from Slovakian league to the Czech league he settled in JYP near the end of the season where he had 7 goals and 10 points in 11 games and 6 goals and 9 points in 15 playoff Games.

Former NHL Player: Mario Bliznak - 30 year old - Forward. He played 6 games in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks and 214 Games with their AHL affiliate. The forward plays in the Czech league and in 7 games in the tournament he had 1 goal and 1 assist.

Player you should know: Libor Hudacek - 26 Years Old - Right Wing. The Slovakian forward is a speedy winger who has experience in the KHL. He currently plays for Orebro HK of the SHL (Sweden) and last season had 14 goals and 38 points in 49 games. In the tournament he had 2 goals, 1 assist and 6 penalty minutes.

Performance Grade: D- The downward trend of Slovakian hockey is staggering. The team that finished 4th in the 2010 olympics and had five top 5 finishes in world championships between 2000-2010 (including 3 medal years) finishes 9th or worse in this tournament for the fourth straight year.

Belarus:

Record: 2-4-1 (Not in Playoffs)

Overview of Tournament: Almost opened the tournament with an upset win against Finland, than lost in their next 3 games to start the tournament 0-4. Rebounded with a close shootout loss to France and two regulation wins against Slovenia and Norway.

The Club League for players: KHL: 16, Belarus: 6, DEL: 1, AHL: 1

Top Scorer: Alexander Pavlovich - 28 years old - Right Wing - KHL - Dinamo Minsk. The forward had 4 goals and 6 points in 7 games with 4 penalty minutes. This past season he had 10 goals and 20 points in 58 games and is the alternative captain for Dinamo Minsk in the KHL.

Former NHL Player: Andrei Kostitsyn - 32 Years old - Forward. Andrei and his brother Sergei are both former NHL players who were on this Belarus team. Neither brother scored a goal in the tournament. Andrei plays for HK Sochi of the KHL and scored 16 goals and 34 points in 51 games this past season while Sergei plays for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and he had 5 goals and 26 points in 45 games this past season.

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Player you should know: Yegor Sharangovich - 18 years old - Forward. I was very impressed with Sharangovich’s play during this tournament and in 38 games of the Belarus league this season he had 15 goals and 28 points. He had 2 assists in 5 games at the World Juniors and 2 goals and 1 assist in 7 games with this team. He could easily be a NHL player in the future.

Performance Grade: C They performed as expected, but they definitely showed potential for growth.

Denmark:

Record: 3-4-0 (Not in Playoffs)

Overview of Tournament: Opened the game with consecutive defeats than beat Slovakia and Germany in the overtime frame. Finished the tournament winning a meaningless game against Italy.

The Club League for Players: Denmark: 8, SHL: 5, KHL: 3, Allsvenskan: 3, AHL: 2, NHL: 1, Liiga: 1, DEL: 1, EBEL: 1

Top Scorer: Nikolaj Ehlers - 21 Years Old - Left Wing - NHL - Winnipeg Jets. The Jets young star had 4 Assists and 4 Points with 18 penalty minutes in 7 games. The former first round pick has settled nicely in the NHL and last season had 25 goals and 64 Points in 82 Games.

Former NHL Player: Peter Regin - 31 Years Old - Center. He played 5 seasons in the NHL and 243 total games between Ottawa, New York and Chicago and last season was the Captain of Jokerit in the KHL where he scored 18 goals and 48 points in 57 games. In this tournament he had 2 goals, 1 assist and 4 penalty minutes in 7 games.

Player You Should know: Oliver Lauridsen - 28 Years Old - Defenseman. The 6′6″ defenseman is a solid stay-at-home player with an aggressive and physical style of play. He plays for Jokerit in the KHL and in 48 games was a +7 rating with 9 points and 33 penalty minutes. He had 2 assists in the world championships. He was also drafted in 2009 by the Flyers in the 7th round and played 4 seasons with the AHL affiliate and 16 total NHL games.

Performance Grade: C Standard finish from Denmark also did well defensively in most of their games.

Norway:

Record: 2-3-2 (not in playoffs)

Overview of Tournament: Opened beating the co-host French and followed that up quickly with a 3-0 defeat against Switzerland. Cruised by Slovenia and than lost a close 1-0 contest in overtime to the Czechs. Finished off the tournament losing in overtime to Finland, in regulation to Canada and losing by one goal to Belarus.

The Club League for Players: SHL: 9, Norway: 7, Allsvenskan: 4, Liiga: 2, NHL: 1, NLA: 1, Czech: 1

Top Scorer: Patrick Thoresen - 33 Years Old - Left Wing - NLA - ZSC Lions. The future norwegian hockey legend had 3 goals and 7 points in 7 games. In 50 Games with ZSC Lions he had 18 goals and 45 Points with 36 penalty minutes and a staggering +30 rating.

Former NHL Player: Jonas Holos - 29 years old - Defenseman. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2008 draft by Colorado. The 29 year old played 1 season in North America where he had 6 assists, 10 penalty minutes, -3 rating in 39 Games with the Avalanche. He currently plays for Fariestad BK of the SHL and was captain of this Norwegian hockey team where he added 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 games.

Player you should know: Lars Haugen - 30 years old - Goaltender. He had a solid tournament and has looked good with Fariestad BK of the SHL. In 35 Games this season he had a 2.14 GAA and a .925 Save percentage. In 5 games with Norway he had a 2.19 GAA and a .908 SV%.

Performance Grade: C- The Norwegians only scored 13 goals and Thoresen was partly responsible for over 50% of the goals. Things need to change offensively if they hope to achieve success.

Latvia:

Record: 3-3-1 (Did not make playoffs)

Overview of Tournament: Beat Denmark 3-0 in their opener, continued their winning streak with wins over Slovakia and Italy. Lost their first game 2-0 against Sweden than lost a crazy game against the United States before falling against the Russians. Faced Germany in a winner goes to the Quarterfinals match-up and although the game was close and evenly fought the Germans prevailed in the shootout to eliminate Latvia.

The Club League for Players: KHL: 12, NLA: 3, AHL: 2, Czech: 2, NCAA: 2, MHL: 2, NHL: 1, AlpsHL: 1

Top Scorer: Andris Dzerins - 29 years old - Center - Czech - HK Hradec Kralove. In 6 games played he had 4 goals and 5 points with 2 penalty minutes. During this season in 35 games in the Czech league he had 14 goals and 22 points with 30 penalty minutes.

Former NHL Player: Kaspars Daugavins - 29 years old - Left Wing. The former Ottawa Senator and Boston Bruin has had a few good seasons in the KHL. In 47 games last season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod he had 10 goals and 32 points. In 91 NHL games he had 6 goals and 15 points. He was the Captain of this Latvian team and had 2 goals and 3 points in 7 games.

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Player you should know: Elvis Merzlikins - 23 Years Old - Goaltender. The 3rd round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014 is turning into a very good goaltender. In 41 Games with HC Lugano of the NLA he had a 2.89 GAA and a .916 SV%. This tournament he was amazing in 6 games with a 1.98 GAA and a .937 SV%.

Performance Grade: B One of the fan favourite underdog teams of the tournament played above expectations and was never counted out in any of their games. Latvia is a growing hockey nation.

France:

Record: 4-3-0 (not in playoffs)

Overview of Tournament: The co-hosts lost their opener against Denmark but responded with a big 5-1 win against Finland. They then beat the Swiss in a shootout and lost a really close 3-2 decision against Canada in which they largely outplayed Canada. They won in a shootout against Belarus, lost a tough match against the Czechs 5-2 and ended the tournament with a 4-1 win against Slovenia. They didn’t move onto the next round because of three regulation defeats while Finland had 4 wins and 1 overtime loss.

The Club League for Players: France: 10, EBEL: 3, NHL: 2, KHL: 2, NLA: 2, Denmark: 2, NLB: 2, Liiga: 1, AHL: 1

Top Scorer: Stephane Da Costa - 27 years old - Center - KHL - CSKA Moskva. In 6 games Da Costa had 6 goals and 10 points with 2 penalty minutes and was one of the biggest stars in the tournament. In 24 Games in the KHL he had 9 goals and 20 points with 10 penalty minutes and 8 points in 10 playoff games. He is a former NHL player who played within the Ottawa Senators organization for 3 seasons.

Former NHL Player: Cristobal Huet - 41 Years old - Goaltender. The Goalie is a french legend and played 7 seasons in the NHL with Montreal, Los Angeles and Chicago and won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010 as the back-up. He currently plays in the NLA with Lausanne HC.

Player you should know: Anthony Rech - 24 years old - Left Wing. The young forward dominated the french league this past season with 15 goals and 43 points in 30 games and 20 points in 14 playoff games. He had a strong world championship with 5 points in 7 games and was signed to a professional try-out with DEL team, Schwenninger Wild Wings.

Performance Grade: A- They beat Finland, they won two close match-ups against Switzerland and Belarus, gave Canada all they could handle and finished the tournament with a win against Slovenia. For a country not known for hockey, they played fantastic and if they had won their opener against Denmark, their grade would have been an A+.

Germany:

Record: 4-3-1 (Lost in Quarterfinals)

Overview of Tournament: The Germans opened the tournament with a big 2-1 regulation win against the USA. They then proceeded lose the next two games 7-2 and 6-3 against Sweden and Russia. They beat the Slovakians in a shootout than lost to Denmark in overtime and beat Italy in regulation to set up the Latvian showdown. They won that game 4-3 in a shootout and then lost their quarterfinal match-up against Canada 2-1 in a close game.

Players Club Leagues: DEL: 17, NHL: 5, NLA: 1, SHL: 1, NCAA: 1

Top Scorer: Dennis Seidenberg - 35 Years Old - Defenseman - NHL - New York Islanders. In 8 games the defenseman had 1 goal and 8 points with 4 penalty minutes. This past season he had 5 goals and 22 points in 73 games. He is an undervalued defenseman with a good all around game and capable of heading the power-play unit.

Former NHL Player: Christian Ehrhoff - 34 Years Old - Defenseman. The 12 year NHL veteran defenseman returned to Germany in 2016 and signed with Kolner Haie. The offensive defenseman was seen as a healthy scratch often in his final two seasons in the NHL and decided it was better off to play in his home country. In 36 Games last year he had 8 goals and 23 points with 20 penalty minutes. He was captain of this world cup team and had 1 goal and 5 points in 6 games.

Player you should know: Dominik Kahun - 21 years old - Left Wing. The top scoring forward on a good German team, Kahun is only 21 and is coming off a season in which he had 11 goals and 30 points in 40 games for EHC Munchen and 11 points in 14 playoff games. He had 2 goals and 7 points in this tournament and he could be a good signing for an NHL team trying to improve their prospect pool.

Performance Grade: B+ The Germans had a very good tournament and didn’t disappoint their home crowd.

Czech Republic:

Record: 5-3-0 (Quarterfinal Defeat)

Overview of Tournament: Lost to Canada in a competitive opener, beat Belarus 6-1, won an overtime game against Finland and then a 1-0 overtime win against Norway. Beat Slovenia and France and finished the group play with a regulation loss against Switzerland. They faced Russia in the first round and lost 3-0.

Players Club Leagues: KHL: 9, Czech: 7, NHL: 6, NLA: 2, EBEL: 1

Top Scorer: David Pastranak - 20 Years Old - Right Wing - NHL - Boston Bruins. In 8 games played the future NHL star had 1 goal and 7 Points. He played 75 games this past season with Boston and scored 34 goals and 70 points.

Former NHL Player: Michal Repik - 28 years old - Right Wing. Repik was a 2nd round pick for the Florida Panthers and played a total of 72 games in the NHL. He currently plays in the Czech league for HC Sparta Praha. In the 8 tournament games he had 3 goals and 5 points.

Player you should know: Pavel Francouz - 26 Years Old - Goaltender. This goalie has been terrific in the KHL this past season for Traktor Chelyabinsk with a 1.43 GAA and a .953 SV% in 30 Games. He played 4 games in the tournament and had a 1.49 GAA and a .910 SV%. Francouz could be a NHL goaltender in the future if he continues to have strong seasons in Europe.

Performance Grade: B The Czech’s have received some criticism in previous tournaments but they did well in this one, competing every game close and almost defeating the Russians in the Quarterfinals.

Switzerland:

Record: 5-1-2 (Quarterfinal Defeat)

Overview of Tournament: Opened the tournament with a close call against Slovenia that they won, beat Norway 3-0 before losing in a shootout to France. Beat Belarus 3-0 and then shocked Canada with an overtime win thanks to Fabrice Herzog’s winner. Lost an overtime game to Finland and finished the tournament beating the Czech Republic in regulation. They faced a strong Sweden team in the Quarterfinals and lost 3-1.

Players Club Leagues: NLA: 23, AHL: 2, NHL: 1

Top Scorer: Vincent Praplan - 22 Years Old - Right Wing - NLA - EHC Kloten. In 8 games he had 4 goals and 7 points. The young forward is a future Switzerland star who had 15 goals and 42 points in 50 games for EHC Kloten this past season.

Former NHL Player: Damien Brunner - 31 Years Old - Left Wing. He played 2 seasons in the NHL with Detroit and New Jersey before heading to the NLA. He contributed 25 goals and 58 points in 121 NHL Games. He currently plays for HC Lugano of the NLA where he had 8 goals and 26 points in 33 Games. This tournament he had 2 goals and 3 points in 7 games.

Player you Should Know: Leonardo Genoni - 29 years old - Goaltender. Very few players have been more consistent over the past three seasons than Genoni. In 50 games with SC Bern he had a 2.11 GAA and a .936 SV% and then in 16 playoff games he had a 1.56 GAA and a .949 SV%. The Swiss goalie played 6 games in this tournament and had a 1.66 GAA with a .933 SV% and he started over former NHL goaltender Jonas Hiller for the majority of the tournament. NHL teams in need of a goalie should take a look at Genoni this summer as a possible signing option.

Performance Grade: A- The Swiss always seem to show up at international tournaments despite having only 1 NHL player and not a lot of star power.

United States:

Record: 6-2-0 (Lost in Quarterfinals)

Overview of Tournament: Lost their opening game 2-1 against Germany and this tournament seemed like a bad year for the States but they rebounded strong. Winning the next 6 games in regulation including wins over Russia and Sweden and headed into the playoff round as a contender. They then faced Finland and lost 2-0 in a game where Harri Sateri made 26 saves in a shutout but they States hurt themselves with 6 minor penalties compared to Finland only taking 2.

Players Club Leagues: NHL: 19, NCAA: 6

Top Scorer: Johnny Gaudreau - 23 Years Old - Right Wing - NHL - Calgary Flames. The young forward had 6 goals and 11 points in 8 games and is coming off another good season in Calgary where he had 18 goals and 61 Points in 72 Games.

Former NHL Player: None- Eligible. All players either currently play in the NHL or are in the NCAA and haven’t played in the NHL.

Player you should know: Anders Bjork - 20 Years Old - Right Wing. Yes he is American despite his name suggesting that he is from Denmark. The 2014 5th round pick is currently playing for Notre Dame in the NCAA and in 39 games the forward had 21 goals and 52 points. He is a Boston Bruin prospect who could be a 5th round steal if he continues to develop. He did however go scoreless in 5 games with the United States during this tournament.

Performance Grade: B Disappointing end to the tournament but their stellar play in the Group Round gives this team a B Grade. They will continue to be a contender for many years to come.

Finland:

Record: 5-4-1 (Lost in Semi-Finals and in Bronze Medal Game)

Overview of Tournament: Had a fairly rough group stage barely making it to the playoff round and their ownly semi-impressive win was an overtime win against Switzerland. They entered the playoffs as big underdogs against USA but shocked the States with a 2-0 victory. They then faced their rivals Sweden in the Semi-Finals but lost 4-1 being outshot 41-23 in the process. They also lost their Bronze Medal game to Russia 5-3.

Players Club Leagues: KHL: 11, Liiga: 5, NHL: 4, AHL: 3, SHL: 2

Top Scorer: Sebastian Aho - 19 Years Old - Right Wing - NHL - Carolina Hurricanes. The young superstar had 2 goals and 11 points in 10 Games for Finland. He is coming off a rookie season in Carolina where he had 24 Goals and 49 Points in 82 Games. His season was overshadowed by fellow Finland rookie Patrik Laine who did not play in this tournament.

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Former NHL Player: Lasse Kukkonen - 35 Years Old - Defenseman. The 5th round pick in 2003 played 4 seasons in North America with 159 NHL games between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers. He was the captain of this Finnish team and currently plays for Karpat of Liiga.

Player you should know: Veli-Matti Savinainen - 31 Years Old - Left Wing. The forward had his best season this past year with 30 Goals and 56 Points in 55 Games with Tappara of Liiga. Savinainen also had an impressive tournament with 3 goals and 7 points in 10 Games.

Performance Grade: C+ They did well against the United States but the rest of the tournament was very disappointing for Finland.

Russia:

Record: 8-2-0 (Lost Semi-Final Game to Canada, Won Bronze Medal)

Overview of Tournament: Went through Round Robin fairly unstoppable except a 5-3 loss against the United States. In the quarterfinals they got past the Czech Republic with a 3-0 win and step up a match-up against Canada in the Semi-Finals. They had a 2-0 lead against Canada heading into the third before Canada scores three unanswered and adds an empty netter to defeat the Russians. They ended up beating Finland in the Bronze Medal Game.

Players Club Leagues: KHL: 18, NHL: 7

Top Scorer: Artemi Panarin - 25 Years Old - Left Wing - NHL - Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks star was tremendous in this tournament with 4 goals and 17 points in 9 games. These numbers are coming off a season where he scored 31 goals and 74 points in 82 games.

Former NHL Player: Valeri Nichushkin - 22 Years Old - Right Wing. The young skilled forward with great work ethic left the Dallas Stars after the 2016 season for the KHL despite another strong season in the NHL. In 6 games during the tournament he had 3 goals and last season for CSKA Moskva he had 11 goals and 24 points in 36 games.

Player you Should Know: Nikita Gusev - 24 Years Old - Left Wing. The 2012 7th round pick is turning into a fantastic hockey player in the KHL. In 57 Games with SKA St. Petersburg he had 24 goals and 71 points with 23 points in 18 playoff games. Gusev will likely stay in the KHL next season but this tournament and his KHL numbers have raised NHL Gm’s interest in the young forward.

Performance Grade: A- The Russians are always a powerhouse and were major contenders for winning the whole tournament but a third period collapse cost them an otherwise fantastic performance overall.

Canada:

Record: 8-0-2 (Lost in the Gold Medal Game)

Overview of Tournament: The Canadians started the tournament with three dominating wins over the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Belarus. They then had a scare against the French but survived with a 3-2 regulation win. The Swiss shocked them in overtime with a win and the Canadians finished off their round robin with two dominating performances against Norway and Finland to make up for the Switzerland game. The Canadians got past two tough matches in the playoffs against Germany and Russia before matching up with Sweden in the Finals. The Canadians lost in a close shootout defeat.

Players Club Leagues: NHL: 23, AHL: 1, KHL: 1

Top Scorer: Nathan MacKinnon - 21 Years Old - Forward - NHL - Colorado Avalanche. The future of the Colorado Avalanche was sensational in this tournament with 6 goals and 15 points in 10 games. Despite a very poor team effort in Colorado this season, MacKinnon had 16 goals and 53 points in 82 games.

Former NHL Player: None Eligible. All Players are either in the NHL or AHL and the KHL player has never played in the NHL.

Player you Should Know: Chris Lee - 36 Years Old - Defenseman. The KHL star offensive defenseman has never played in the NHL or any big platforms for Team Canada. He went to a NCAA division 3 school, played three years in the ECHL and four years in the AHL before heading to Europe where he has spent the past 7 seasons. In 60 games with Metallburg Magnitogorsk of the KHL he had 14 goals and 65 Points with 21 points in 18 playoff games. In this tournament he played solid with 2 assists in 7 games.

Performance Grade: A anything short of a Gold Medal is a poor performance in the eyes of Canada but the Canadians lost a closely fought Gold Medal game in a shootout and were pretty solid throughout the whole tournament.

Sweden:

Record: 8-1-1 (Won Gold Medal)

Overview of Tournament: The Swedish didn’t seem that dangerous heading into the playoff stage with 2 defeats against Russia and the United States but they turned in on in the playoffs. The Cruised past Switzerland and Finland heading into a match up with Team Canada. Sweden played Canada neck and neck in the closest game of the tournament and Henrik Lundqvist shut the door in the shootout and Team Sweden raises the trophy for its first title since 2013.

Players Club Leagues: NHL: 18, SHL: 4, KHL: 2, NLA: 1

Top Scorer: William Nylander - 21 Years Old - Right Wing - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs. The young star had 7 goals and 14 points in 10 games and this is coming off a tremendous rookie season for Toronto. He had 22 goals and 61 points in 81 games with the Maple Leafs.

Former NHL Player: Linus Omark - 30 Years Old - Left Wing. The former Edmonton Oilers forward had 2 goals in 5 games during the tournament He plays for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL and is coming off a strong season where he had 14 goals and 56 points in 55 games.

Player you should Know: Joel Lundqvist - 35 Years Old - Center. The Captain of Team Sweden and Frolunda HC of the SHL, the veteran forward is highly respected amongst his Swedish teammates. He is also Henrik Lundqvist’s twin brother and although not as successful in hockey, he has done well. Last season he had 9 goals and 26 points in 51 games. During this tournament he had 1 goal and 2 points in 10 games.

Performance Grade: A+ They won Gold Medal, their top scorer is 21 years old and the Lundqvist brothers lifted the trophy together.

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