I was excited to here about the possibility of the World Cup coming back. I hope to have a post on how it should be set up in time for next weeks SNH - the European division is giving me problems with the schedule. And with that last part of the last sentence: GIMME MY CANADIAN MEDIA CREDENTIALS!
Anyway, to avoid having this spot blank (like 80% of SNH's last season), here are some trades that happened this week.
Trades
To Tampa: Jean-Francois Jacques
To Florida: Future Considerations
Trade Analysis: Can't wait to see what kind of impact Future Considerations makes for Florida.
To Chicago: Henrik Karlsson
To Calgary: 7th round pick (2013)
Trade Analysis: Chicago did need help in net, but I don't think a Calgary backup reject was the idea they had in mind. Plus he was on waivers, why not put in a claim and save the pick?
To Pittsburgh: Chad Kolarik
To New York R: Benn Ferriero
Trade Analysis: Wait, Ferriero wasn't with the Sharks? Stupid lockout making me lose track of roster movements!
To Pittsburgh: Conditional 7th round pick
To Dallas: Carl Sneep
Trade Analysis: How long was Dallas Sneep-ing on that offer?...I think I'm done here.
Lineup Notables
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers
The Inconsistent Goalie(s): Joffrey Lupul (friendly fire...I mean broken forearm) is out. James Reimer is expected to start.
The Dreamy Goalie: Michael Sauer (concussion) is out while Aaron Asham (groin) is questionable. Henrik Lundqvist starts.
Battle of Alberta: Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames
Sliding Across The Ice New School: Ben Eager (concussion), Ryan Jones (eye), Theo Peckham (hip), Andy Sutton (knee), and Nikolai Khabibulin (groin) are out. Devan Dubnyk is in net.
Sliding Across The Ice Old School: Anton Babchuk (leg) is out while Roman Cervenka (blood clot) and Jiri Hudler are expected to play. Miikka Kiprusoff will start tonight.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Showing Some International Love: World Junior Championship - Division III Review
China gets through, Bulgaria improves, and Turkey wins (sort of). Lets see how this all happened.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standing
*Although registered, all UAE games are considered a forfeit and technically do not count against their record. This standing is modified to reflect the forfeited results.
Results
January 14
China 7 - Turkey 3
New Zealand 1 - Mexico 0
United Arab Emirates 0 - Bulgaria 5 (forfeit)
January 15
China 4 - New Zealand 1
Turkey 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
Mexico 1 - Bulgaria 3
January 17
Mexico 11 - Turkey 2
China 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
New Zealand 0 - Bulgaria 6
January 18
United Arab Emirates 0 - Mexico 5
Turkey 2 - New Zealand 6
Bulgaria 1 - China 10
January 20
New Zealand 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
Bulgaria 4 - Turkey 3
Mexico 1 - China 6
Recap
China made things seem easy, as - besides the first game - only needed the first period to win, then hold on for the rest of the game. China did allow three goals against Turkey, but that was the most a team could get by them, as they had no problem outscoring Turkey. China will now need to gear up for Division II next year.
Bulgaria had a big improvement over last year. They started off with a tough win against Mexico before breezing by New Zealand. China end up halting Bulgaria’s momentum. The Bulgarians ended the tournament with a close, penalty-filled game against Turkey. With this result, Bulgaria showed it can be a threat for promotion.
New Zealand basically stayed the same as last year. After shutting out a newly-relegated Mexico squad, it was downhill for the Kiwis. Losses against China and Bulgaria put them out of contention for a promotion. The U20 Ice Blacks finished the tournament with a win against Turkey. It’s nice to see New Zealand be consistent, but they will need to start making progress soon.
It was bad enough for Mexico to get relegated last year, but they regressed a lot. Two tough losses to New Zealand and Bulgaria took them out of getting back to Division II. A blowout of Turkey helped them regain some confidence, but it did not last long, as China beat them to end the tournament. Mexico has to regroup for next year and hope to produce a better result.
Turkey was usual Turkey: bottom feeder. The weird thing is that they were able to keep the first period of every game they played close, then after 20 minutes it slipped out of their hands. I don’t know if Bulgaria didn’t trying (they were technically out of the promotion spot) or if Turkey turned on the jets, but the last game should be something for Turkey to build on for next year in hopes to actually earn a win.
UAE did not show up to this tournament, forfeiting every game. It is a shame, since it would have been interesting to see what they could do.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standing
|
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Differential
|
|
China
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
15
|
+26
|
|
Bulgaria
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
12
|
+5
|
|
New
Zealand
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
+1
|
|
Mexico
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
+6
|
|
Turkey
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
3
|
-13
|
|
UAE*
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
-25
|
*Although registered, all UAE games are considered a forfeit and technically do not count against their record. This standing is modified to reflect the forfeited results.
Results
January 14
China 7 - Turkey 3
New Zealand 1 - Mexico 0
United Arab Emirates 0 - Bulgaria 5 (forfeit)
January 15
China 4 - New Zealand 1
Turkey 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
Mexico 1 - Bulgaria 3
January 17
Mexico 11 - Turkey 2
China 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
New Zealand 0 - Bulgaria 6
January 18
United Arab Emirates 0 - Mexico 5
Turkey 2 - New Zealand 6
Bulgaria 1 - China 10
January 20
New Zealand 5 - United Arab Emirates 0 (forfeit)
Bulgaria 4 - Turkey 3
Mexico 1 - China 6
Recap
China made things seem easy, as - besides the first game - only needed the first period to win, then hold on for the rest of the game. China did allow three goals against Turkey, but that was the most a team could get by them, as they had no problem outscoring Turkey. China will now need to gear up for Division II next year.
Bulgaria had a big improvement over last year. They started off with a tough win against Mexico before breezing by New Zealand. China end up halting Bulgaria’s momentum. The Bulgarians ended the tournament with a close, penalty-filled game against Turkey. With this result, Bulgaria showed it can be a threat for promotion.
New Zealand basically stayed the same as last year. After shutting out a newly-relegated Mexico squad, it was downhill for the Kiwis. Losses against China and Bulgaria put them out of contention for a promotion. The U20 Ice Blacks finished the tournament with a win against Turkey. It’s nice to see New Zealand be consistent, but they will need to start making progress soon.
It was bad enough for Mexico to get relegated last year, but they regressed a lot. Two tough losses to New Zealand and Bulgaria took them out of getting back to Division II. A blowout of Turkey helped them regain some confidence, but it did not last long, as China beat them to end the tournament. Mexico has to regroup for next year and hope to produce a better result.
Turkey was usual Turkey: bottom feeder. The weird thing is that they were able to keep the first period of every game they played close, then after 20 minutes it slipped out of their hands. I don’t know if Bulgaria didn’t trying (they were technically out of the promotion spot) or if Turkey turned on the jets, but the last game should be something for Turkey to build on for next year in hopes to actually earn a win.
UAE did not show up to this tournament, forfeiting every game. It is a shame, since it would have been interesting to see what they could do.
Showing Some International Love: World Junior Championship - Division II Group B Review
Well, that was easy for Estonia. Plus three teams finished with the same record. Who are they? Well take a look.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
Results
January 12
Iceland 4 - Belgium 2
Estonia 8 - Australia 0
Serbia 2 - South Korea 4
January 13
Australia 3 - Iceland 5
South Korea 6 - Belgium 2
Estonia 9 - Serbia 0
January 15
South Korea 5 - Australia 1
Estonia 12 - Iceland 1
Serbia 7 - Belgium 4
January 17
Belgium 2 - Estonia 25
Iceland 1 - South Korea 5
Australia 3 - Serbia 1
January 18
South Korea 3 - Estonia 8
Belgium 3 - Australia 5
Serbia 7 - Iceland 1
Recap
In every game, Estonia had the GWG in the first period, that`s how dominate their team was. Funny enough, they seem to get “worst” as the tournament continued. After shutting out Australia and Serbia, Estonia finally got scored on by Iceland, then continued their beating to the tune of 12-1. Probably the run-away winner of blowout of the U20’s Award would be Estonia’s trouncing Belgium 25-2. Estonia had no problem fending off any type of comeback South Korea was attempting in order to gain a promotion.
South Korea was basically like any second place team: win every game but the deciding one. After a minor scare against Serbia, South Korea put it in cruise control against Belgium, Australia, and Iceland. This set up South Korea and Estonia in a winner-gets-promoted match. It seemed like a good game, if you take away Estonia’s 4-goal first period. The loss keeps South Korea in Division II Group B for another year.
I can sum up Serbia, Australia, and Iceland in one go: All three won again Belgium, lost against Estonia and South Korea, and each split a win and lost against one another. Serbia is the team that ends up on top of the other two because of having the “better” goal differential (-4).
Belgium suffers the horrible fate of being relegated to Division III. They stayed close against Iceland, got blown out late against South Korea, then allowed Serbia to run away with it in the second period. The game against Estonia was B-A-D. What got me is that they pulled their starter after three goals (fair enough) then left the backup in to getting pummelled for 22 goals (terrible). I really wonder why they did not put the start back in after a couple goals to attempt to stop the bleeding? Just seemed like bad coaching cause the blowout to reach a 23-goal difference. Belgium finished the tournament with a respectable 2-goal lost to Australia. Belgium will now have to shake off a bad tournament and try to earn a promotion back to Division II for next year.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Standings
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Differential
|
Estonia
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
15
|
+56
|
South
Korea
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
12
|
+9
|
Serbia
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-4
|
Australia
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-10
|
Iceland
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
6
|
-17
|
Belgium
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
-34
|
Results
January 12
Iceland 4 - Belgium 2
Estonia 8 - Australia 0
Serbia 2 - South Korea 4
January 13
Australia 3 - Iceland 5
South Korea 6 - Belgium 2
Estonia 9 - Serbia 0
January 15
South Korea 5 - Australia 1
Estonia 12 - Iceland 1
Serbia 7 - Belgium 4
January 17
Belgium 2 - Estonia 25
Iceland 1 - South Korea 5
Australia 3 - Serbia 1
January 18
South Korea 3 - Estonia 8
Belgium 3 - Australia 5
Serbia 7 - Iceland 1
Recap
In every game, Estonia had the GWG in the first period, that`s how dominate their team was. Funny enough, they seem to get “worst” as the tournament continued. After shutting out Australia and Serbia, Estonia finally got scored on by Iceland, then continued their beating to the tune of 12-1. Probably the run-away winner of blowout of the U20’s Award would be Estonia’s trouncing Belgium 25-2. Estonia had no problem fending off any type of comeback South Korea was attempting in order to gain a promotion.
South Korea was basically like any second place team: win every game but the deciding one. After a minor scare against Serbia, South Korea put it in cruise control against Belgium, Australia, and Iceland. This set up South Korea and Estonia in a winner-gets-promoted match. It seemed like a good game, if you take away Estonia’s 4-goal first period. The loss keeps South Korea in Division II Group B for another year.
I can sum up Serbia, Australia, and Iceland in one go: All three won again Belgium, lost against Estonia and South Korea, and each split a win and lost against one another. Serbia is the team that ends up on top of the other two because of having the “better” goal differential (-4).
Belgium suffers the horrible fate of being relegated to Division III. They stayed close against Iceland, got blown out late against South Korea, then allowed Serbia to run away with it in the second period. The game against Estonia was B-A-D. What got me is that they pulled their starter after three goals (fair enough) then left the backup in to getting pummelled for 22 goals (terrible). I really wonder why they did not put the start back in after a couple goals to attempt to stop the bleeding? Just seemed like bad coaching cause the blowout to reach a 23-goal difference. Belgium finished the tournament with a respectable 2-goal lost to Australia. Belgium will now have to shake off a bad tournament and try to earn a promotion back to Division II for next year.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Saturday Night Hockey: Season Predictions, Trade Analysis, and Good Old NHL Hockey
Well this sure does seem weird, being that I haven’t done a SNH post in a while. Just a few things before we get down to business:
Season Predictions
Brad
Northeast Division
1 - Boston Bruins
2 - Ottawa Senators
3 - Buffalo Sabres
4 - Toronto Maple Leafs
5 - Montreal Canadiens (No Winnin’ For MacKinnon!)
Atlantic Division
1 - New York Rangers
2 - Pittsburgh Penguins
3 - Philadelphia Flyers
4 - New Jersey Devils
5 - New York Islanders
Southeast Division
1 - Carolina Hurricanes
2 - Tampa Bay Lightning
3 - Washington Capitals
4 - Florida Panthers
5 - Winnipeg Jets
Northwest Division
1 - Vancouver Canucks
2 - Minnesota Wild
3 - Edmonton Oilers
4 - Calgary Flames
5 - Colorado Avalanche
Central Division
1 - St. Louis Blues
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Nashville Predators
4 - Detroit Red Wings
5 - Columbus Blue Jackets
Pacific Division
1 - Los Angeles Kings
2 - San Jose Sharks
3 - Dallas Stars
4 - Phoenix Coyotes
5 - Anaheim Ducks
Myles
Northeast Division
1 - Boston Bruins
2 - Buffalo Sabres
3 - Toronto Maple Leafs
4 - Ottawa Senators
5 - Montreal Canadiens
Atlantic Division
1 - New York Rangers
2 - New Jersey Devils
3 - Pittsburgh Penguins
4 - Philadelphia Flyers
5 - New York Islanders
Southeast Divison
1 - Washington Capitals
2 - Tampa Bay Lightning
3 - Winnipeg Jets
4 - Florida Panthers
5 - Carolina Hurricanes
Northwest Division
1 - Vancouver Canucks
2 - Minnesota Wild
3 - Calgary Flames
4 - Edmonton Oilers
5 - Colorado Avalanche
Central Division
1 - Detroit Red Wings
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Nashville Predators
4 - St. Louis Blues
5 - Columbus Blue Jackets
Pacific Division
1 - San Jose Sharks
2 - Los Angeles Kings
3 - Phoenix Coyotes
4 - Dallas Stars
5 - Anaheim Ducks
Trade Analysis
To Carolina: Luke Pither
To Philadelphia: Brian Boucher, Mark Alt
Trade Analysis: Well surprise surprise, Boucher is back with the Flyers....for a bit. He was on waivers and is right now in limbo.
To Carolina: Kevin Westgarth
To Los Angeles: Anthony Stewart, 4th round pick (2013), 6th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: If you told me the picks were going to to Carolina, I would have believed this trade. For Lombardi to get the picks in the deal is pretty good.
To Edmonton: Mark Fistric
To Dallas: 3rd round pick (2013)
Trade Analysis: I heard of this being both an over-pay and a good deal for Edmonton. For a short season defensive depth is very much a need. I think this leans more on the good side for the Oilers.
To Montreal: Jason DeSantis
To Florida: Brendon Nash
Trade Analysis: Minor league D-swap. Sad to see Nash go, but welcome DeSantis.
To Toronto: Conditional 4th round pick (2014)
To Phoenix: Matthew Lombardi
Trade Analysis: Fair deal. Lombardi has had good years in Phoenix, now if he can only stay healthy.
To New York R: Brandon Mashinter
To San Jose: Tommy Grant, Conditional pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Rangers are just strengthening their farm system. Nothing to see here.
Lineup Notables
Ottawa Senators vs. Winnipeg Jets
Team Karlsson: Jared Cowen (hip) and Mike Lundin (finger) are out. Craig Anderson gets the start.
The Buffet-gliens: Nik Antropov (upper body), Antti Miettinen (upper body), and Zach Bogosian (wrist) are out. Ondrej Pavelec is in net.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
No Burkes: Jake Gardiner (concussion) is out while James van Riemsdyk (foot) is questionable. Ben Scrivens might be in net
No Gauthiers: Tomas Plekanec (rib) is probable. P.K. Subban remains unsigned (DAMMIT!). Carey Price starts tonight.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks
The Baldies: Sami Vatanen (foot) and Hampus Lindholm (concussion) are out. Jonas Hiller will be in net.
No Luongos (Soon): Ryan Kesler (wrist/shoulder), David Booth (groin), and Aaron Volpatti (shoulder) are out while Zach Kassian (back) and Dan Hamhuis (groin) are questionable. Cory “Not Luongo” Schneider will start.
- I will have the recaps of the last two U20 tournaments tomorrow.
- Expect less post about the Mooseheads. Part of it being the NHL is back, part of it being the picture uploading issue, and the last part (and the big one) is that classes are back in session so more weekend night work for me.
Season Predictions
Brad
Northeast Division
1 - Boston Bruins
2 - Ottawa Senators
3 - Buffalo Sabres
4 - Toronto Maple Leafs
5 - Montreal Canadiens (No Winnin’ For MacKinnon!)
Atlantic Division
1 - New York Rangers
2 - Pittsburgh Penguins
3 - Philadelphia Flyers
4 - New Jersey Devils
5 - New York Islanders
Southeast Division
1 - Carolina Hurricanes
2 - Tampa Bay Lightning
3 - Washington Capitals
4 - Florida Panthers
5 - Winnipeg Jets
Northwest Division
1 - Vancouver Canucks
2 - Minnesota Wild
3 - Edmonton Oilers
4 - Calgary Flames
5 - Colorado Avalanche
Central Division
1 - St. Louis Blues
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Nashville Predators
4 - Detroit Red Wings
5 - Columbus Blue Jackets
Pacific Division
1 - Los Angeles Kings
2 - San Jose Sharks
3 - Dallas Stars
4 - Phoenix Coyotes
5 - Anaheim Ducks
Myles
Northeast Division
1 - Boston Bruins
2 - Buffalo Sabres
3 - Toronto Maple Leafs
4 - Ottawa Senators
5 - Montreal Canadiens
Atlantic Division
1 - New York Rangers
2 - New Jersey Devils
3 - Pittsburgh Penguins
4 - Philadelphia Flyers
5 - New York Islanders
Southeast Divison
1 - Washington Capitals
2 - Tampa Bay Lightning
3 - Winnipeg Jets
4 - Florida Panthers
5 - Carolina Hurricanes
Northwest Division
1 - Vancouver Canucks
2 - Minnesota Wild
3 - Calgary Flames
4 - Edmonton Oilers
5 - Colorado Avalanche
Central Division
1 - Detroit Red Wings
2 - Chicago Blackhawks
3 - Nashville Predators
4 - St. Louis Blues
5 - Columbus Blue Jackets
Pacific Division
1 - San Jose Sharks
2 - Los Angeles Kings
3 - Phoenix Coyotes
4 - Dallas Stars
5 - Anaheim Ducks
Trade Analysis
To Carolina: Luke Pither
To Philadelphia: Brian Boucher, Mark Alt
Trade Analysis: Well surprise surprise, Boucher is back with the Flyers....for a bit. He was on waivers and is right now in limbo.
To Carolina: Kevin Westgarth
To Los Angeles: Anthony Stewart, 4th round pick (2013), 6th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: If you told me the picks were going to to Carolina, I would have believed this trade. For Lombardi to get the picks in the deal is pretty good.
To Edmonton: Mark Fistric
To Dallas: 3rd round pick (2013)
Trade Analysis: I heard of this being both an over-pay and a good deal for Edmonton. For a short season defensive depth is very much a need. I think this leans more on the good side for the Oilers.
To Montreal: Jason DeSantis
To Florida: Brendon Nash
Trade Analysis: Minor league D-swap. Sad to see Nash go, but welcome DeSantis.
To Toronto: Conditional 4th round pick (2014)
To Phoenix: Matthew Lombardi
Trade Analysis: Fair deal. Lombardi has had good years in Phoenix, now if he can only stay healthy.
To New York R: Brandon Mashinter
To San Jose: Tommy Grant, Conditional pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Rangers are just strengthening their farm system. Nothing to see here.
Lineup Notables
Ottawa Senators vs. Winnipeg Jets
Team Karlsson: Jared Cowen (hip) and Mike Lundin (finger) are out. Craig Anderson gets the start.
The Buffet-gliens: Nik Antropov (upper body), Antti Miettinen (upper body), and Zach Bogosian (wrist) are out. Ondrej Pavelec is in net.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens
No Burkes: Jake Gardiner (concussion) is out while James van Riemsdyk (foot) is questionable. Ben Scrivens might be in net
No Gauthiers: Tomas Plekanec (rib) is probable. P.K. Subban remains unsigned (DAMMIT!). Carey Price starts tonight.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks
The Baldies: Sami Vatanen (foot) and Hampus Lindholm (concussion) are out. Jonas Hiller will be in net.
No Luongos (Soon): Ryan Kesler (wrist/shoulder), David Booth (groin), and Aaron Volpatti (shoulder) are out while Zach Kassian (back) and Dan Hamhuis (groin) are questionable. Cory “Not Luongo” Schneider will start.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Showing Some International Love: World Junior Championship - Division III
Just one more World Junior tournament to go. Bulgaria host the Division III group, a group consisting of just as many Asian countries as European ones (plus Mexico and New Zealand).
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Roster
Bulgaria
Goalies: Nikola Nikolov (Slavia Sofia), Radosvet Petrov (Slavia Sofia), Dimitar Videnov (Slavia Sofia)
Defensemen: Nikolay Bozhanov (CSKA Sofia), Viktor Chebishev (Slavia Sofia), Bozhidar Feraliev (Red Star Sofia), Alexandar Ivanov (Slavia Sofia), Kristian Radovanov (Slavia Sofia), Aleksandar Vasilev (HC Benatky)
Forwards: Valentin Botsev (Slavia Sofia), Maksim Eftimov (HC Mlada Boleslav), Alberto Filipov (Red Star Sofia), Tomislav Georgiev (Slavia Sofia), Ivan Hodulov (SHK 37 Piestany), Bogdan Ivanov (HC Benatky), Momchil Krastev (Slavia Sofia), Martin Nikolov (HC Benatky), Hari Papazov (CSKA Sofia), Edgar Shelupets (CSKA Sofia), Martin Talev (Slavia Sofia), Vasil Videnov (Slavia Sofia)
China
Goalies: Shengrong Xia (Harbin), Qingchen Yu (Qiqihar)
Defensemen: Chi Feng (Harbin), Qing Liu (Qiqihar), Guocheng Ma (Harbin), Shuchao Zhang (Qiqihar), Tianyi Zhang (Harbin), Zhibo Zhang (Harbin), Zhihao Zhang (Qiqihar), Jianbo Zhao(Qiqihar)
Forwards: Jiachang Bao (Harbin), Peng Ji (Harbin), Hang Li (Qiqihar), Ning Li (Harbin), Yongshen Liu (Qiqihar), Tianxiang Xia (Harbin), Cheng Zhang (Qiqihar), Shanghang Zhang (Harbin), Wenquinghuai Zhang (Qiqihar), Ziyang Zhu (Harbin)
Mexico
Goalies: Richard Albrecht (Teotihuacan Priests), Allan Cukier (Mayan Astronomers)
Defensemen: Raul Bonilla (Zapotec Totems), Miguel Colas (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Kaleb Flores (Teotihuacan Priests), Eugenio Juarez (Teotihuacan Priests), Gustavo Martinez (Agaves Jalisco), Francisco Padilla (Zapotec Totems)
Forwards: Bruno Arjona (Toros Monterrey), Cuauhtemoc Balcarcel (Pumas Distrito Federal), Rodrigo Cepeda (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Jean Cobo (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Ruben Cuevas (Mayan Astronomers), Mauricio Gutierrez (Tigres Metepec), Aldo Miguel Hernandez (Mayan Astronomers), Diego Linares (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Kevin Mattingly (Leon Leones), Andres Perez Galicia (Teotihuacan Priests), Alejandro Raya (Mayan Astronomers), Diego Romero (Guadalajara Jalisco)
New Zealand
Goalies: Aston Brookes (Southern Stampede), Liam Henare (Gore)
Defensemen: Mitchell Frear (Southern Stampede), Aaron Henderson (Botany Swarm), Josh Louw (Canterbury), Blake McCombe (Auckland), Ben Roth (Dunedin Thunder), Lucas Roughan (Gore), Evan Terlesk (Auckland), Josh Williams (Canterbury)
Forwards: Callum Burns (Southern Stampede), Tristan Darling (Dunedin Penguins), Frazer Ellis (West Auckland Admirals), Keegan Harnett (Botany Swarm), Connor Harrison (Southern Stampede), Cameron Lang (Gore), Alex Taylor (Canterbury)
Turkey
Goalies: Tolga Bayburtlu (Erzurum GSK), Bartu Baykan (Gumus Patenler)
Defensemen: Batuhan Akay (Kocaeli Izmit), Berk Arcak (Hitit Spor Akademisi), Alihan Demirer (Kocaeli Izmut), Firat Erdem (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Emre Faner (Erzurum GSK), Muhammed Kalkan (Erzurum GSK), Gokhan Peker (BB Ankara)
Forwards: Dogu Bingol (BB Ankara), Fatih Faner (Erzurum GSK), Dogukan Gonulal (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Abdulkadir Inanc (Erzurum GSK), Doruk Kamis (Kocaeli Izmit), Ali Kara (Izmir BB), Mehmet Kiraz (BB Ankara), Baris Sesli (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Gokalp Solak (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Berk Ustun (Bogazici Paten SK), Ogun Uzunali (Kocaeli Izmit)
United Arab Emirites
Goalies: Salem Al Awi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Eisa Al Blooshi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Abdulla Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Defensemen: Hamad Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed A Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Jaberi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ahmed Al Ketbi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed Al Ketbi (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Forwards: Nasser Al Blooshi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Abdulla Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Khaled Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed J Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Kaabi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Khalifa Al Mahrouqi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Sultan Al Mansoori (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Mazrouei (Abu Dhabi ISC), Jumaa Al Muhairbi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Romaithi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Hazza Al Saedi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Yafeai (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Schedule
January 14
China vs. Turkey
New Zealand vs. Mexico
United Arab Emirates vs. Bulgaria
January 15
China vs. New Zealand
Turkey vs. United Arab Emirates
Mexico vs. Bulgaria
January 17
Mexico vs. Turkey
China vs. United Arab Emirates
New Zealand vs. Bulgaria
January 18
United Arab Emirates vs. Mexico
Turkey vs. New Zealand
Bulgaria vs. China
January 20
New Zealand vs. United Arab Emirates
Bulgaria vs. Turkey
Mexico vs. China
Notables
1 (Promoted) - Mexico
2 - China
3 - New Zealand
4 - Bulgaria
5 - Turkey
6 - United Arab Emirates
I see this playing out just like last year (with two changes). Being relegated from Division II last year, Mexico will be wanting to get back. China 's only lost last year was against eventual winner Iceland, so they should be able to put up a bit of a challenge for promotion. New Zealand will end up just over .500 and Bulgaria will end up just below .500. Turkey and UAE are interesting. While Turkey only registered 1 goal last year, UAE is very new to this level. I'm guessing Turkey's experience saves them this time and allows them to get a win. Next year, things may change.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Roster
Bulgaria
Goalies: Nikola Nikolov (Slavia Sofia), Radosvet Petrov (Slavia Sofia), Dimitar Videnov (Slavia Sofia)
Defensemen: Nikolay Bozhanov (CSKA Sofia), Viktor Chebishev (Slavia Sofia), Bozhidar Feraliev (Red Star Sofia), Alexandar Ivanov (Slavia Sofia), Kristian Radovanov (Slavia Sofia), Aleksandar Vasilev (HC Benatky)
Forwards: Valentin Botsev (Slavia Sofia), Maksim Eftimov (HC Mlada Boleslav), Alberto Filipov (Red Star Sofia), Tomislav Georgiev (Slavia Sofia), Ivan Hodulov (SHK 37 Piestany), Bogdan Ivanov (HC Benatky), Momchil Krastev (Slavia Sofia), Martin Nikolov (HC Benatky), Hari Papazov (CSKA Sofia), Edgar Shelupets (CSKA Sofia), Martin Talev (Slavia Sofia), Vasil Videnov (Slavia Sofia)
China
Goalies: Shengrong Xia (Harbin), Qingchen Yu (Qiqihar)
Defensemen: Chi Feng (Harbin), Qing Liu (Qiqihar), Guocheng Ma (Harbin), Shuchao Zhang (Qiqihar), Tianyi Zhang (Harbin), Zhibo Zhang (Harbin), Zhihao Zhang (Qiqihar), Jianbo Zhao(Qiqihar)
Forwards: Jiachang Bao (Harbin), Peng Ji (Harbin), Hang Li (Qiqihar), Ning Li (Harbin), Yongshen Liu (Qiqihar), Tianxiang Xia (Harbin), Cheng Zhang (Qiqihar), Shanghang Zhang (Harbin), Wenquinghuai Zhang (Qiqihar), Ziyang Zhu (Harbin)
Mexico
Goalies: Richard Albrecht (Teotihuacan Priests), Allan Cukier (Mayan Astronomers)
Defensemen: Raul Bonilla (Zapotec Totems), Miguel Colas (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Kaleb Flores (Teotihuacan Priests), Eugenio Juarez (Teotihuacan Priests), Gustavo Martinez (Agaves Jalisco), Francisco Padilla (Zapotec Totems)
Forwards: Bruno Arjona (Toros Monterrey), Cuauhtemoc Balcarcel (Pumas Distrito Federal), Rodrigo Cepeda (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Jean Cobo (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Ruben Cuevas (Mayan Astronomers), Mauricio Gutierrez (Tigres Metepec), Aldo Miguel Hernandez (Mayan Astronomers), Diego Linares (Aztec Eagle Warriors), Kevin Mattingly (Leon Leones), Andres Perez Galicia (Teotihuacan Priests), Alejandro Raya (Mayan Astronomers), Diego Romero (Guadalajara Jalisco)
New Zealand
Goalies: Aston Brookes (Southern Stampede), Liam Henare (Gore)
Defensemen: Mitchell Frear (Southern Stampede), Aaron Henderson (Botany Swarm), Josh Louw (Canterbury), Blake McCombe (Auckland), Ben Roth (Dunedin Thunder), Lucas Roughan (Gore), Evan Terlesk (Auckland), Josh Williams (Canterbury)
Forwards: Callum Burns (Southern Stampede), Tristan Darling (Dunedin Penguins), Frazer Ellis (West Auckland Admirals), Keegan Harnett (Botany Swarm), Connor Harrison (Southern Stampede), Cameron Lang (Gore), Alex Taylor (Canterbury)
Turkey
Goalies: Tolga Bayburtlu (Erzurum GSK), Bartu Baykan (Gumus Patenler)
Defensemen: Batuhan Akay (Kocaeli Izmit), Berk Arcak (Hitit Spor Akademisi), Alihan Demirer (Kocaeli Izmut), Firat Erdem (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Emre Faner (Erzurum GSK), Muhammed Kalkan (Erzurum GSK), Gokhan Peker (BB Ankara)
Forwards: Dogu Bingol (BB Ankara), Fatih Faner (Erzurum GSK), Dogukan Gonulal (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Abdulkadir Inanc (Erzurum GSK), Doruk Kamis (Kocaeli Izmit), Ali Kara (Izmir BB), Mehmet Kiraz (BB Ankara), Baris Sesli (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Gokalp Solak (Baskent Yildizlari Ankara), Berk Ustun (Bogazici Paten SK), Ogun Uzunali (Kocaeli Izmit)
United Arab Emirites
Goalies: Salem Al Awi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Eisa Al Blooshi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Abdulla Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Defensemen: Hamad Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed A Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Jaberi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Ahmed Al Ketbi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed Al Ketbi (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Forwards: Nasser Al Blooshi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Abdulla Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Khaled Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mohammed J Al Dhaheri (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Kaabi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Khalifa Al Mahrouqi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Sultan Al Mansoori (Abu Dhabi ISC), Mubarak Al Mazrouei (Abu Dhabi ISC), Jumaa Al Muhairbi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Romaithi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Hazza Al Saedi (Abu Dhabi ISC), Salem Al Yafeai (Abu Dhabi ISC)
Schedule
January 14
China vs. Turkey
New Zealand vs. Mexico
United Arab Emirates vs. Bulgaria
January 15
China vs. New Zealand
Turkey vs. United Arab Emirates
Mexico vs. Bulgaria
January 17
Mexico vs. Turkey
China vs. United Arab Emirates
New Zealand vs. Bulgaria
January 18
United Arab Emirates vs. Mexico
Turkey vs. New Zealand
Bulgaria vs. China
January 20
New Zealand vs. United Arab Emirates
Bulgaria vs. Turkey
Mexico vs. China
Notables
- New Zealand has a Canadian assistant coach that is 2 years older than me. I feel underachieved.
- This is UAE's first go-around at the U20 level.
1 (Promoted) - Mexico
2 - China
3 - New Zealand
4 - Bulgaria
5 - Turkey
6 - United Arab Emirates
I see this playing out just like last year (with two changes). Being relegated from Division II last year, Mexico will be wanting to get back. China 's only lost last year was against eventual winner Iceland, so they should be able to put up a bit of a challenge for promotion. New Zealand will end up just over .500 and Bulgaria will end up just below .500. Turkey and UAE are interesting. While Turkey only registered 1 goal last year, UAE is very new to this level. I'm guessing Turkey's experience saves them this time and allows them to get a win. Next year, things may change.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Showing Some International Love: World Junior Championship - Division II Group B
Just because the US won the main tournament doesn't mean the World Juniors are over yet. Division II (Group B) and III need to be completed. Here is a preview for the Division II Group B portion.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Roster
Australia
Goalies: Fraser Carson (Melbourne Mustangs), Liam Minson (Perth Northern Vikings)
Defensemen: Jack Carpenter (Melbourne Mustangs), Sam Cook (Newcastle Northstars), Christopher Fahy (Melbourne Ice), Tim Newmark (New England Mariners), Cameron Rose (Sydney Raptors), Marcus Wong (Melbourne Ice), Jamie Woodman (Banff Bears)
Forwards: Scott Clemie (Sydney Bears), Aaron Dumpleton (Perth Avalanche), Tim Fulton (Canberra Knights), Mitch Humphries (Granite City Lumberjacks), Tyler Kubara (Liverpool Saints), Chris Long (Perth Northern Vikings), Austin McKenzie (Melbourne Ice), Alec Stephenson (Sydney Ice Dogs), Matt Stringer (Melbourne Mustangs), Daniel Szalinski (Melbourne Ice), Cameron Todd (Sydney Beach Rebels)
Belgium
Goalies: Neil Bruyninckx (White Caps Turnhout), Maarten Vanthillo (Phantoms Deume)
Defensemen: Quentin Bollue (IHC Leuven), Sebastien Bollue (Sports Experts Shermont), Paul Cornelis (Liege Bulldogs), Ben Dolfyn (HYC Herentals), Max Mohlin (Vita Hasten Norrkoping), Erik Mondelaers (IHC Leuven), Frank Neven (IHC Leuven)
Forwards: Gijs de Saeger (IHC Leuven), Yoren de Smet (IHC Leuven), Simon Dozin (IHC Leuven), Andy Kolodziejczyk (Geleen Smoke Eaters), Sean McCann-Coppens (Phantoms Deume), Axl Milpas (Phantoms Deume), Anton Op de Beeck (HYC Herentals), Dennis Swinnen (Krefelder EV), Michael van Egdom (IHC Leuven), Bryan Verhaegen (Phantoms Deume), Ruben Vertessen (Phantoms Deume)
Estonia
Goalies: Aleksei Arno (Tallinn Viiking Sport), Keir Vainumae (Panter Purikad Tallinn)
Defensemen: Vitali Labzin (New Jersey Renegades), Konstantin Ljubobratets (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Alexander Maier (Tallinn Viiking Sport), Ragnar-Hindrek Russ (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Martin Terna (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Valeri Zgritsa (Narva PSK)
Forwards: Vladislav Dotskin (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Gennadi Filippov (Moselle Amneville), Artjom Gornostajev (Muik Nykarleby), Stanislav Gruznov (Narva PSK), Anton Gurtovoi (Panter Purikad Tallinn), Pavel Kulakov (Narva PSK), Sander Potisepp (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Mark Punger (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Robert Rooba (Espoo Blues), Mark Taru (Espoo Blues), Michael Tugo (Liepajas Metalurgs)
Iceland
Goalies: Einar Eyland (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Atli Valdimarsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik)
Defensemen: Ingolfur Eliasson (Mjolby Hockey), Kari Gudlaugsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Andri Helgason (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Steindor Ingason (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Daniel Magnusson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Sigursteinn Sighvatsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Viktor Svavarsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur)
Forwards: Brynjar Bergmann (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Gunnlaugur Gudmundsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Falur Gudnason (Bjorninn Reyjavikur), Kristinn Hermannsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Bjarki Johannesson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Johann Leifsson (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Daniel S Magnusson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Jon Oskarsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Hafthor Sigrunarson (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Bjorn Sigurdarson (Hvidovre IK), Gudmundur Thorsteinsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur)
Serbia
Goalies: Jovan Feher (MAC Budapest), Petar Stepanovic (Beostar Belgrade)
Defensemen: Ivan Anic (MAC Budapest), Uglijesa Novakovic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Pavle Podunavac (MAC Budapest), Nikola Stojanovic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Vuk Trajkovic (Beostar Belgrade), Llija Uzelac (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade)
Forwards: Andrija Babic (MAC Budapest), Uros Bjelogrlic (Ujpest Budapest), Vladimir Djakovic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Dimitrije Filipovic (Partizan Belgrade), Ivan Glavonjic (Beostar Belgrade), Nikola Kerezovic (Beostar Belgrade), Nikola Lazarevic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Lazar Lestaric (Tas Belgrade), Petar Novakovic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Petar Ogrizovic (Beostar Belgrade), Sinisa Pajic (MAC Budapest), Dominik Plavsic (MAC Budapest), Relja Radosavljevic (Ujpest Budapest), Andrej Zwick (Ujpest Budapest)
South Korea
Goalies: Kweonyoung Kim (Sun Duck HS), Yeonseung Lee (Kyung Bok HS)
Defensemen: Seok Jun Cho (Korea University), Woo Tae Hwang (Hanyang University), Jae Ho Kim (Korea University), Taegyum Kim (Yonsei University), Ho Sung Lee (Yonsei University), Jaegyu Lee (Korea University), Kangmo Lee (Kyunghee University), Seung Woo Lee (Korea University)
Forwards: Hansoo Ban (Kwangwoon University), Jinmin Choi (Korea University), Jae Jun Ha (Yonsei University), Mingu Kang (Hanyang University), Junehee Kim (Korea University), Soon Gi Kwon (Yonsei University), Doung Gun Lee (Yonsei University), Kiseon Park (Korea University), Junghyun Park (Yonsei University), Sanghoon Shin (Yonsei University), Sang Won Yoon (Yonsei University), Shinchul Yu (Korea University)
Schedule
January 12
Iceland vs. Belgium
Estonia vs. Australia
Serbia vs. South Korea
January 13
Australia vs. Iceland
South Korea vs. Belgium
Estonia vs. Serbia
January 15
South Korea vs. Australia
Estonia vs. Iceland
Serbia vs. Belgium
January 17
Belgium vs. Estonia
Iceland vs. South Korea
Australia vs. Serbia
January 18
South Korea vs. Estonia
Belgium vs. Australia
Serbia vs. Iceland
Notables
1 (Promoted) - Estonia
2 - Serbia
3 - South Korea
4 - Belgium
5 - Australia
6 (Relegated) - Iceland
I say Estonia (who finished second last year) does enough to earn a promotion. Serbia (third last place year) does push for the promotion spot but gets edged out. Newly relegated South Korea might have the skaters to do well, but their goaltending is a bit young, which might hinder them. Belgium and Australia remain status quo from last year. A newly promoted Iceland will need to do something big in order to remain in Division II.
Note: Most information from the IIHF website.
Roster
Australia
Goalies: Fraser Carson (Melbourne Mustangs), Liam Minson (Perth Northern Vikings)
Defensemen: Jack Carpenter (Melbourne Mustangs), Sam Cook (Newcastle Northstars), Christopher Fahy (Melbourne Ice), Tim Newmark (New England Mariners), Cameron Rose (Sydney Raptors), Marcus Wong (Melbourne Ice), Jamie Woodman (Banff Bears)
Forwards: Scott Clemie (Sydney Bears), Aaron Dumpleton (Perth Avalanche), Tim Fulton (Canberra Knights), Mitch Humphries (Granite City Lumberjacks), Tyler Kubara (Liverpool Saints), Chris Long (Perth Northern Vikings), Austin McKenzie (Melbourne Ice), Alec Stephenson (Sydney Ice Dogs), Matt Stringer (Melbourne Mustangs), Daniel Szalinski (Melbourne Ice), Cameron Todd (Sydney Beach Rebels)
Belgium
Goalies: Neil Bruyninckx (White Caps Turnhout), Maarten Vanthillo (Phantoms Deume)
Defensemen: Quentin Bollue (IHC Leuven), Sebastien Bollue (Sports Experts Shermont), Paul Cornelis (Liege Bulldogs), Ben Dolfyn (HYC Herentals), Max Mohlin (Vita Hasten Norrkoping), Erik Mondelaers (IHC Leuven), Frank Neven (IHC Leuven)
Forwards: Gijs de Saeger (IHC Leuven), Yoren de Smet (IHC Leuven), Simon Dozin (IHC Leuven), Andy Kolodziejczyk (Geleen Smoke Eaters), Sean McCann-Coppens (Phantoms Deume), Axl Milpas (Phantoms Deume), Anton Op de Beeck (HYC Herentals), Dennis Swinnen (Krefelder EV), Michael van Egdom (IHC Leuven), Bryan Verhaegen (Phantoms Deume), Ruben Vertessen (Phantoms Deume)
Estonia
Goalies: Aleksei Arno (Tallinn Viiking Sport), Keir Vainumae (Panter Purikad Tallinn)
Defensemen: Vitali Labzin (New Jersey Renegades), Konstantin Ljubobratets (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Alexander Maier (Tallinn Viiking Sport), Ragnar-Hindrek Russ (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Martin Terna (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Valeri Zgritsa (Narva PSK)
Forwards: Vladislav Dotskin (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Gennadi Filippov (Moselle Amneville), Artjom Gornostajev (Muik Nykarleby), Stanislav Gruznov (Narva PSK), Anton Gurtovoi (Panter Purikad Tallinn), Pavel Kulakov (Narva PSK), Sander Potisepp (Tartu Kalev-Valk), Mark Punger (Kohtla-Jarve Viru Sputnik), Robert Rooba (Espoo Blues), Mark Taru (Espoo Blues), Michael Tugo (Liepajas Metalurgs)
Iceland
Goalies: Einar Eyland (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Atli Valdimarsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik)
Defensemen: Ingolfur Eliasson (Mjolby Hockey), Kari Gudlaugsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Andri Helgason (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Steindor Ingason (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Daniel Magnusson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Sigursteinn Sighvatsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Viktor Svavarsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur)
Forwards: Brynjar Bergmann (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Gunnlaugur Gudmundsson (Bjorninn Reykjavik), Falur Gudnason (Bjorninn Reyjavikur), Kristinn Hermannsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Bjarki Johannesson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Johann Leifsson (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Daniel S Magnusson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Jon Oskarsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur), Hafthor Sigrunarson (Skautafelag Akureyrar), Bjorn Sigurdarson (Hvidovre IK), Gudmundur Thorsteinsson (Skautafelag Reyjavikur)
Serbia
Goalies: Jovan Feher (MAC Budapest), Petar Stepanovic (Beostar Belgrade)
Defensemen: Ivan Anic (MAC Budapest), Uglijesa Novakovic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Pavle Podunavac (MAC Budapest), Nikola Stojanovic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Vuk Trajkovic (Beostar Belgrade), Llija Uzelac (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade)
Forwards: Andrija Babic (MAC Budapest), Uros Bjelogrlic (Ujpest Budapest), Vladimir Djakovic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Dimitrije Filipovic (Partizan Belgrade), Ivan Glavonjic (Beostar Belgrade), Nikola Kerezovic (Beostar Belgrade), Nikola Lazarevic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Lazar Lestaric (Tas Belgrade), Petar Novakovic (Lower Austria Stars St. Polten), Petar Ogrizovic (Beostar Belgrade), Sinisa Pajic (MAC Budapest), Dominik Plavsic (MAC Budapest), Relja Radosavljevic (Ujpest Budapest), Andrej Zwick (Ujpest Budapest)
South Korea
Goalies: Kweonyoung Kim (Sun Duck HS), Yeonseung Lee (Kyung Bok HS)
Defensemen: Seok Jun Cho (Korea University), Woo Tae Hwang (Hanyang University), Jae Ho Kim (Korea University), Taegyum Kim (Yonsei University), Ho Sung Lee (Yonsei University), Jaegyu Lee (Korea University), Kangmo Lee (Kyunghee University), Seung Woo Lee (Korea University)
Forwards: Hansoo Ban (Kwangwoon University), Jinmin Choi (Korea University), Jae Jun Ha (Yonsei University), Mingu Kang (Hanyang University), Junehee Kim (Korea University), Soon Gi Kwon (Yonsei University), Doung Gun Lee (Yonsei University), Kiseon Park (Korea University), Junghyun Park (Yonsei University), Sanghoon Shin (Yonsei University), Sang Won Yoon (Yonsei University), Shinchul Yu (Korea University)
Schedule
January 12
Iceland vs. Belgium
Estonia vs. Australia
Serbia vs. South Korea
January 13
Australia vs. Iceland
South Korea vs. Belgium
Estonia vs. Serbia
January 15
South Korea vs. Australia
Estonia vs. Iceland
Serbia vs. Belgium
January 17
Belgium vs. Estonia
Iceland vs. South Korea
Australia vs. Serbia
January 18
South Korea vs. Estonia
Belgium vs. Australia
Serbia vs. Iceland
Notables
- Australia seems to be building a good defense. Get it? Carpenter, Woodman...I'll show myself out now.
- It's a pure guess, but it seems like Belgium has a brother pairing on defense.
- Sun Duck is probably the best name for a high school...ever.
1 (Promoted) - Estonia
2 - Serbia
3 - South Korea
4 - Belgium
5 - Australia
6 (Relegated) - Iceland
I say Estonia (who finished second last year) does enough to earn a promotion. Serbia (third last place year) does push for the promotion spot but gets edged out. Newly relegated South Korea might have the skaters to do well, but their goaltending is a bit young, which might hinder them. Belgium and Australia remain status quo from last year. A newly promoted Iceland will need to do something big in order to remain in Division II.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Burke Fired; Owners Ratify CBA
Burke Fired
I can still hear Leaf fans parading over this move. As TSN's Bob McKenzie first reported, the Leafs decided this was the day Brian Burke would no longer be their GM.
Obviously, this is viewed as a good thing. Burke's failure to put together a good roster and make the playoffs is the reason he is no longer GM (he is still there as an "advisor"). The fact he didn't want to trade for Luongo is irrelevant. The Kessel trade has been what his tenure has been defined by. So why not fired him now and start over now? A (semi-) new season to get started and assess what to do, get the players to gel into Carlyle's system, and hopefully get new personnel aboard.
On the other hand, firing Burke now doesn't make sense. This isn't a "real" season, so why expect anything? New ownership (officially) took over in August, so why didn't they pull the trigger then? Granted, the lockout took away time that could have been used to assess this situation. What the Leafs probably should have done is this: Keep Burke and the crew around for this season, then during the offseason fire him and his crew and bring in new people. It was surprising how he was the only one relieved of his job but no one else.
To recycle a joke I made earlier (and terribly misspelled it): The Burke firing is the first known instance of Bell and Rogers satisfying ~99% of their customers.
Owners Ratify CBA
So the owners held up their end and and approved the CBA 30-0. So of course there would be a press conference for it. There was just two things I took away from it.
I can still hear Leaf fans parading over this move. As TSN's Bob McKenzie first reported, the Leafs decided this was the day Brian Burke would no longer be their GM.
Obviously, this is viewed as a good thing. Burke's failure to put together a good roster and make the playoffs is the reason he is no longer GM (he is still there as an "advisor"). The fact he didn't want to trade for Luongo is irrelevant. The Kessel trade has been what his tenure has been defined by. So why not fired him now and start over now? A (semi-) new season to get started and assess what to do, get the players to gel into Carlyle's system, and hopefully get new personnel aboard.
On the other hand, firing Burke now doesn't make sense. This isn't a "real" season, so why expect anything? New ownership (officially) took over in August, so why didn't they pull the trigger then? Granted, the lockout took away time that could have been used to assess this situation. What the Leafs probably should have done is this: Keep Burke and the crew around for this season, then during the offseason fire him and his crew and bring in new people. It was surprising how he was the only one relieved of his job but no one else.
To recycle a joke I made earlier (and terribly misspelled it): The Burke firing is the first known instance of Bell and Rogers satisfying ~99% of their customers.
Owners Ratify CBA
So the owners held up their end and and approved the CBA 30-0. So of course there would be a press conference for it. There was just two things I took away from it.
- Jeremy Jacobs spoke. I am disappointed at everyone in the room for not going "guy who threw shoes at Bush" mode. If someone had done that, they would probably never have to pay for a beer again.
- Outside of the usual Bettman-esque presser, he issued an apology. Just listening to it, he had me for a second. The reason why is that this wasn't the "we're sorry to..." kind of PR stuff you usually here. This one sounded well written and thought out.
Monday, January 7, 2013
World Junior Championship Recap
Note: Most data from the IIHF's fancy new World Junior website.
Group A
The defending champs didn't have too much trouble ending up first (and this was a team missing 3 of it's top 4 defensemen). They started with a win against the Czechs but then hit a Swiss wall. Sweden was pushed to a shootout against Switzerland, which they eventually won. After that, it was smooth sailing for the Swedes, as a win against Latvia and Finland cemented their first place finish in the group and a bye in the playoffs.
Czech Republic started with a loss against Sweden, but that was the low point for them in the group stage. Back-to-back 2 goal wins against Latvia and Finland helped them get into the playoffs. An overtime against the Swiss ended their group games.
Switzerland did just enough to get through to the playoffs. They started off with a win against Latvia. The rest of the tournament, the Swiss kept it close against the other three teams, pushing Sweden and Finland to a shootout (both times they lost) and a lost against Czech Republic in overtime. The Swiss squeezed into the playoffs with a help of a Finnish lost to Sweden. And speaking of Fins...
What the hell was with Finland? The pre-tournament favourites started with a win against Latvia but a lost in scoring power, as Miro Aaltonen went down with what could be considered the most gruesome injury of the tournament. After that, a lost against the Czech Republic and a shootout win against Switzerland put Finland in a win-and-get-in situation against Sweden. Unfortunately, Finland came up short, losing 7-4 and being sent to the Relegation Round.
Latvia was...um....Latvia? They made little noise against the other four teams, finishing last in the group and an easy pass to the relegation round.
Group B
Canada ended up first, but it was more trouble than necessary for them.They stated out slow in games against Germany and Slovakia and had trouble hanging on against USA. Canada's game against Russia might have been the only game this tournament were Canada seemed to find a comfort zone.
Russia had trouble too, as they started the tournament with two very close wins against Slovakia and USA. In both games, Russia took a stupid penalty near the end, and escape with just Slovakia capitalizing on that. They had an easy time beating Germany, and finished the tournament with a lost against Canada.
The USA's results where basically what you would expect from the eventual winner. An easy win against the lower teams (Slovakia and Germany), and two losses that could have easily been wins (Russia and Canada). In this tournament, the third place group finished seemed more like an anomaly than the norm.
Slovakia fought a good fight, pushing Russia to overtime before losing and having a one period lead against Canada before losing. But it went all downhill from there. A closer-than-it-needed-to-be win against Germany set them up for an important match against USA. The wheels fell off the Slovakian bandwagon, as a 9-3 lost sent them to the Relegation Round.
Germany went as expected in this group. The thing that should give them something to build on is that they ended up with one point in the standings.
Relegation
Finland, for how disappointing this tournament was for them, easily got pass this round. Slovakia did suffer a bad loss against Finland, but still had no problem here. It came down to the Germany-Latvia game, were the Germans ended up winning 5-2. Latvia moves down to Division I, making way for Norway to take their place in next year's tournament.
Playoffs
Quarter-Finals
Russia 4 - Switzerland 3 (SO)
Czech Republic 0 - USA 7
Semi-Finals
Sweden 3 - Russia 2 (SO)
Canada 1 - USA 5
5th Place
Czech Republic 4 - Switzerland 3
Bronze Medal
Canada 5 - Russia 6 (OT)
Gold Medal
Sweden 1 - USA 3
Final Ranking
1 (Gold) - USA
2 (Silver) - Sweden
3 (Bronze) - Russia
4 - Canada
5 - Czech Republic
6 - Switzerland
7 - Finland
8 - Slovakia
9 - Germany
10 (Relegated) - Latvia
Group A
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Differential
|
Sweden
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
11
|
+11
|
Czech Republic
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
+2
|
Switzerland
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
+2
|
Finland
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
Latvia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
-15
|
The defending champs didn't have too much trouble ending up first (and this was a team missing 3 of it's top 4 defensemen). They started with a win against the Czechs but then hit a Swiss wall. Sweden was pushed to a shootout against Switzerland, which they eventually won. After that, it was smooth sailing for the Swedes, as a win against Latvia and Finland cemented their first place finish in the group and a bye in the playoffs.
Czech Republic started with a loss against Sweden, but that was the low point for them in the group stage. Back-to-back 2 goal wins against Latvia and Finland helped them get into the playoffs. An overtime against the Swiss ended their group games.
Switzerland did just enough to get through to the playoffs. They started off with a win against Latvia. The rest of the tournament, the Swiss kept it close against the other three teams, pushing Sweden and Finland to a shootout (both times they lost) and a lost against Czech Republic in overtime. The Swiss squeezed into the playoffs with a help of a Finnish lost to Sweden. And speaking of Fins...
What the hell was with Finland? The pre-tournament favourites started with a win against Latvia but a lost in scoring power, as Miro Aaltonen went down with what could be considered the most gruesome injury of the tournament. After that, a lost against the Czech Republic and a shootout win against Switzerland put Finland in a win-and-get-in situation against Sweden. Unfortunately, Finland came up short, losing 7-4 and being sent to the Relegation Round.
Latvia was...um....Latvia? They made little noise against the other four teams, finishing last in the group and an easy pass to the relegation round.
Group B
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Differential
|
Canada
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
12
|
+13
|
Russia
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
8
|
+6
|
USA
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
+12
|
Slovakia
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
-9
|
Germany
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
-22
|
Canada ended up first, but it was more trouble than necessary for them.They stated out slow in games against Germany and Slovakia and had trouble hanging on against USA. Canada's game against Russia might have been the only game this tournament were Canada seemed to find a comfort zone.
Russia had trouble too, as they started the tournament with two very close wins against Slovakia and USA. In both games, Russia took a stupid penalty near the end, and escape with just Slovakia capitalizing on that. They had an easy time beating Germany, and finished the tournament with a lost against Canada.
The USA's results where basically what you would expect from the eventual winner. An easy win against the lower teams (Slovakia and Germany), and two losses that could have easily been wins (Russia and Canada). In this tournament, the third place group finished seemed more like an anomaly than the norm.
Slovakia fought a good fight, pushing Russia to overtime before losing and having a one period lead against Canada before losing. But it went all downhill from there. A closer-than-it-needed-to-be win against Germany set them up for an important match against USA. The wheels fell off the Slovakian bandwagon, as a 9-3 lost sent them to the Relegation Round.
Germany went as expected in this group. The thing that should give them something to build on is that they ended up with one point in the standings.
Relegation
Team
|
Win
|
OT/SO Win
|
OT/SO Loss
|
Loss
|
Points
|
Goal Differential
|
Finland
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
9
|
+19
|
Slovakia
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
-4
|
Germany
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
-6
|
Latvia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
-9
|
Finland, for how disappointing this tournament was for them, easily got pass this round. Slovakia did suffer a bad loss against Finland, but still had no problem here. It came down to the Germany-Latvia game, were the Germans ended up winning 5-2. Latvia moves down to Division I, making way for Norway to take their place in next year's tournament.
Playoffs
Quarter-Finals
Russia 4 - Switzerland 3 (SO)
Czech Republic 0 - USA 7
Semi-Finals
Sweden 3 - Russia 2 (SO)
Canada 1 - USA 5
5th Place
Czech Republic 4 - Switzerland 3
Bronze Medal
Canada 5 - Russia 6 (OT)
Gold Medal
Sweden 1 - USA 3
Final Ranking
1 (Gold) - USA
2 (Silver) - Sweden
3 (Bronze) - Russia
4 - Canada
5 - Czech Republic
6 - Switzerland
7 - Finland
8 - Slovakia
9 - Germany
10 (Relegated) - Latvia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)