Showing Some International Love: Olympic Pre-Qualification - Group H

Continuing with the Olympic qualifying previews, here's Group H. The host Ukraine looks to have a simple path to the next round, or do they? Let's find out.

Note: Most data from the IIHF website.

World Rankings

20. Ukraine
23. Poland
26. Estonia
29. Spain

Rosters

Rosters as of November 6th

Ukraine

Goalies: Mykhailo Balaban (Donbass Donets'k), Igor Karpenko (Sokil Kyiv), Yevgen Napnenko (Donbass Donets'k), Pavlo Yachnyk (Berkut Kyiv), Ruslan Borysenko (Kompanion Kyiv),
Defense: Volodymyr Aleksyuk (Donbass Donets'k), Oleg Blagy (Kompanion Kyiv), Denys Isayenko (Berkut Kyiv), Sergi Klymentyev (Berkut Kyiv), Igor Kugut (Dynamo Kharkiv), Mykola Ladygin (Yuzhny Ural Orsk), Vitali Lyutkevych (Donbass Donets'k), Yuri Navarenko (Shakhtyor Soligorsk), Denys Petrukhno (Berkut Kyiv), Olexander Pobiedonostsev (Berkut Kyiv), Vasili Polonytsky (Dynamo Kharkiv), Dymtro Tolkunov (Sokil Kyiv)
Forwards: Ruslan Bezshasny (Sokil Kyiv), Roman Blagy (Donbass Donets'k), Artem Bondaryev (Dynamo Kharkiv), Pavlo Borysenko (Kompanion Kyiv), Mykyta Butsenko (Donbass Donets'k), Sergi Chernenko (Sokil Kyiv), Vitali Donika (Donbass Donets'k), Ruslan Fedotenko (Donbass Donets'k), Artem Gnidenko (Berkut Kyiv), Dmytro Gnitko (Levy Novoyavorivsk), Dmytro Isayenko (Donbass Donets'k), Olexander Karaulshuk (Berkut Kyiv), Kostyantyn Kasyanchuk (Dynamo Kharkiv), Sergi Kharchenko (Sokil Kyiv), Maxym Kvitchenko (Donbass Donets'k), Olexander Materukhin (Donbass Donets'k), Andri Mikhnov (Berkut Kyiv), Dymtro Nimenko (Donbass Donets'k), Yevgen Pastukh (Dynamo Kharkiv), Olexi Ponikarovsky (Donbass Donets'k),  Shamil Ramazanov (Berkut Kyiv), Roman Salnikov (Berkut Kyiv), Oleg Shafarenko (Yunost Minsk), Olexander Toryanyk (Berkut Kyiv), Oleg Tymchenko (Yunost Minsk), Sergi Varlamov (Donbass Donets'k), Olexander Yakovenko (Sokil Kyiv)

Poland

Goalies: Kamil Kosowski (GKS Jastrzebie), Przemyslaw Odrobny (KH Sanok), Rafal Radziszewski (Cracovia Krakow), David Zabolotny (Orlik Opole)
Defense: Adam Borzecki (Schwenninger Wild Wings), Bartosz Ciura (GKS Tychy), Bartosz Dabkowski (GKS Jastrzebie), Pawel Dronia (KH Sanok), Rafal Dutka (GKS Tychy), Jerzy Gabrys (Unia Oswiecim), Jaroslaw Klys (Cracovia Krakow), Michal Kotlorz (GKS Tychy), Patryk Noworyta (Cracovia Krakow), Bartlomiej Pociecha (KH Sanok), Mateusz Rompkowski (GKS Jastrzebie), Szymon Urbanczyk (Unia Oswiecim), Patryk Wajda (KH Sanok)
Forwards: Adam Baginski (GKS Tychy), Aron Chmielewski (Cracovia Krakow), Mateusz Danieluk (GKS Jastrezbie), Krystian Dziubinski (KH Sanok), Radoslaw Galant (GKS Tychy), Dariusz Gruszka (KH Sanok), Marcin Kolusz (KH Sanok), Leszek Laszkiewicz (Cracovia Krakow), Mikolaj Lopuski (GKS Tychy), Tomasz Malasinski (KH Sanok), Grzegorz Pasiut (GKS Tychy), Jaroslaw Rzeszutko (Unia Oswiecim), Marek Strzyzowski (KH Sanok), Maciej Urbanowicz (GKS Jastrzebie), Jakub Witecki (GKS Tychy), Krzysztof Zapala (KH Sanok)

Estonia

Goalies: Villem-Henrik Koitmaa (Panter Purikad Tallinn), Anton Sizov (Tallinn Viking Sport)
Defense: Martin Gut (Tallinn Viking Sport), Anatoli Jakovlev (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Ken Kuus (Odense IK), Artjom Minin (Porvoo Hunters), Maksim Robushkin (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Dmitri Rodin (Sheffield Steeldogs), Martin Terna (Tartu Kalev-Valk)
Forwards: Maksim Borovikov (Tallinn Viking Sport), Riho Embrich (Espoo Blues), Konstantin Gristsenko (Tallinn Viking Sport), Maksim Ivanov (Tallinn Viking Sport), Sergei Ivanov (Tallinn Viking Sport), Andrei Lukin (Pohti Pyhajarvi), Uku Molder EHC Numberg), Ilja Ponomarjov (Tallinn Viking Sport), Robert Rooba (Espoo Blues), Artjom Runjantsev (Tallinn Viking Sport), Maksim Semjonov (Porvoo Hunters), Mark Taru (Espoo Blues), Vassili Titarenko (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Mihkel Vorang (Panter Purikad Tallinn)

Spain

Goalies: Ander Alcaine (Bipolo Vitoria-Gasteiz), Bruno Gonzalez (CH Jaca), Luis Sokolov (CHH Txuri-Urdin)
Defense: Guillermo Betran (CH Jaca), Juan Brabo (Bipolo Vitoria-Gasteiz), Alejandro Hernandez (Bipolo Vitoria-Gasteiz), Daniel Hilario (CG Puigcerda), Alvaro Monllor (SAD Majadahonda), Eduardo Paz (SAD Majadahonda), Jorge Pinar (CG Puigcerda), Alejandro Vea (CHH Txuri-Urdin)
Forwards: Gonzalo Ansa (SAD Majadahonda), Oriol Boronat (CG Puigcerda), Juan Bravo (SAD Majadahonda), Javier Garcia-Arias (SAD Majadahonda), Adrian Gonzalez (SAD Majadahonda), Pol Gonzalez (Milton Icehawks), Juan Munoz (Bipolo Vitoria-Gasteiz), Pable Munoz (FC Barcelona), Alejandro Pedraz (SAD Majadahonda), Carlos Quevedo (Ilves Tampere), Bastien Ribot-Tona (CG Puigcreda), Adrian Sosa (CHH Txuri-Urdin), Oscar Vazquez (SAD Majadahonda)

Schedule

November 8
Poland - Estonia
Ukraine - Spain

November 9
Poland - Spain
Estonia - Ukraine

November 11
Spain - Estonia
Ukraine - Poland

Last 5 International Matches

Ukraine: Win (Japan) - Loss (Slovenia) - Loss (Great Britain) - Loss (Hungary) - Loss (Austria)
Poland: Loss (South Korea) - Win  (Australia) - Win (Netherlands) - Win (Romania) - Win (Lithuania)
Estonia: Win (Spain) - Win (New Zealand) - Win (Iceland) - Win (Croatia) - Win (Serbia)
Spain: Loss (Estonia) - Win (Iceland) - Win (Serbia) - Win (New Zealand) - Win (Croatia)

Predictions

1 (Qualify) - Ukraine
2 - Poland
3 - Estonia
4 - Spain

Pretty straight forward here. Ukraine is no doubt the dominate team of the bunch and should be through easily (especially with 2 locked out players on the team). What disturbs me a bit about this pick is that Ukraine just got demoted, so they have to pull it together. It's a good thing Ukraine got the easiest of the three groups. Poland settles for second, and is probably the only team that has the possibility to give Ukraine fits when they play against each other. Estonia probably ends up third, attempting to build on their recent promotion to Division I Group B. Spain kept it close against Estonia during their last meeting, but I don't see them getting a win. Spain will end up last.