Saturday Night Hockey: Canadian Team Roundup

Fire Therrien

As a Habs fan this team is frustrating at times, and lately frustration is pretty high. They just squandered a 9 point lead on the top wildcard spot in the past few weeks and are now looking to miss the playoffs. Price’s play has dropped off (although hard to blame him when the team is playing like they are now), Markov is starting to drop off (that Malkin goal on Wednesday was bad) and Douglas Murray keeps getting into the lineup. Andrew Berkshire at EOTP has a great piece on the Habs current struggles. Not to overly sum it up but Therrien basically changed a system that was working in October and now the Habs are feeling the full effect of it (Price’s play eased the pain early on). Since Therrien is pretty stubborn, these woes are surely to continue. Things are getting bleak in Habs land.

Toronto Still Has Carlyle

I’d be laughing at that if it wasn’t for the fact they are back in playoff contention. 

CSI Ottawa is Back

Probably the best news that came out of the Torterella hearing was the Eugene Melynk was in the building to see Commissioner Bettman, and it wasn’t for the usually owner-commish reasons. Melynk (along with GM Bryan Murray) was there to present evidence from his forensic investigation of the Cooke-Karlsson incident.  Not much is known about what the evidence is or what the NHL will decide to do with it, but no matter what, one thing is for sure: This thing is ridiculous/hilarious.

Lowe Times in Edmonton

Times are so desperate in Edmonton that owner Daryl Katz has released a letter to the fans ensuring them that he believes in the current group and good times are ahead (or something like that).  Of course, it wasn’t received well by fans. Edmonton could be a case study in what happens when you hire the past to run the current team. I'm not saying all former players are bad at executive positions (Colorado has been good so far), but some are just not cut out for it. Lowe may be helpful with picking Canada's team for international competition, but that might be because of all the star power to chose from. In the NHL it's different, you either draft and develop it or luck out signing/trading for one.  

Hartley Pays; Stajan Gets Paid

The consequences for the Flames after last week’s line brawl was a $25,000 fine to Head Coach Bob Hartley. This, like Rolston’s fine this preseason, is dumb. As Friedman pointed out in his 30 Thoughts column, Hartley wasn’t the first coach this season to start his fourth line. If the NHL is fining teams for player selections then shouldn’t Pittsburgh be fined every game for dressing the best player in the league? But I digress, after all, the "Canucks started it".

As for the good Flames news, they re-upped Matt Stajan for 4 more years at $12.5 million. This is a good deal, Stajan is one of Calgary’s best players and he’s taking a discount to stay (4y $14M was his last contract).  Especially with Backlund and Monahan still developing, Calgary does need a centre that can play the top minutes while the other centres keep progressing. The only issue I have with the deal is that he’s signed for 4 more years at age 30. The Flames probably could have taken a year off the contract.

Torts Suspended

On the Vancouver side of the brawl, Canucks Head Coach John Tortorella was suspended for 15 days (http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=701556) and will miss six Canucks games.  The suspension seems fair, as he

a)  Did have a role in the brawl and,

b)  Tried to confront Hartley during the first intermission by going over to the Flames dressing room area

Glen Gulutzan and Mike Sullivan are going to share Head Coaching duties while Torts is serving his suspension.  In fairness to Torts, at least he didn’t punch Hartley.

So What About Winnipeg?

I covered them on Sunday.

Any Good News About a Canadian Team?

Hayley Wickenheiser was named Canada's Olympic flag-bearer for the opening ceremony in Sochi. So that's something good.

Lineup Notables

Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Ottawa: Mark Stone (arm) is out. Robin Lehner starts this afternoon.
Carolina: Patrick Dwyer (upper body), Joni Pitkanen (heel) and Cam Ward (lower body) is out. Anton Khudobin will be in net.

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens

Washington: Jack Hillen is out while Alexander Ovechkin (lower body) and Mikhail Grabovski (lower body) are doubtful. Braden Holtby is expected to start.
Montreal: Alex Galchenyuk (hand), Ryan White (upper body) and Drew Drewiske (shoulder) are out. Carey Price might get shellacked again tonight.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Winnipeg Jets

Toronto: Dave Bolland (ankle), David Clarkson (elbow), Fraser McLaren (shoulder) and Trevor Smith (hand) are out. James Reimer will be in net.
Winnipeg: Jim Slater (groin), Matt Halischuk (upper body), Paul Postma (leg) and Grant Clitsome (illness) are out. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to start.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings (Stadium Series - Dodgers Stadium)

Anaheim: Sheldon Souray (wrist), Luca Sbisa (wrist) and Viktor Fasth (lower body) are out. Jonas Hiller is expect to start.
Los Angeles: Matt Greene (concussion) is out. Jonathan Quick is in net.

Showing Some International Love: 2014 World Junior Championship - Division III Review

The secret to success is chocolate, the host were middle-of-the-road, and apparently the last place team does get relegated in this tournament (hello qualifying round next year). This is the U20 Division III recap.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OT/SOW	OT/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
Belgium	5	0	0	0	15	+34
New Zealand	4	0	0	1	12	+23
Mexico	2	1	0	2	8	+5
Turkey	2	0	1	2	7	-14
South Africa	0	1	0	4	2	-19
Bulgaria	0	0	1	4	1	-29

Results

January 12
Mexico 0 - Belgium 4
South Africa 0 - New Zealand 6
Bulgaria 2 - Turkey 3

January 13
Belgium 4 - New Zealand 1
Bulgaria 0 - Mexico 6
Turkey 4 - South Africa 1

January 15
Bulgaria 2 - South Africa 3 (OT)
Mexico 0 - New Zealand 5
Belgium 9 - Turkey 0

January 16
New Zealand 7 - Bulgaria 0
South Africa 2 - Belgium 6
Turkey 1 - Mexico 2 (SO)

January 18
Mexico 8 - South Africa 1
New Zealand 10 - Turkey 2
Belgium 14 - Bulgaria 0

Team Recap

Belgium: Belgium could have slept through the second and third period of all their games and still have won. They started the tournament with a 54-shot 4-0 shutout against Mexico. Against New Zealand, Belgium did let in the first goal, but ended the first period up a goal. They added two more powerplay goals in the 4-1 win. Belgium beat Turkey 9-0 in a game were 4 Belgium players earned misconduct penalties in the first. Belgium did the unthinkable and gave up two goals against South Africa, but they still won the game 6-2. Belgium had no trouble against Bulgaria, beating them 14-0 (and outshooting them 26-1 in the first). Belgium easily finished in first, earning a promotion to Division II Group B.

New Zealand: The Ice Blacks started off with a 6-0 win against South Africa. New Zealand opened the scoring against Belgium, but couldn't keep them in check. New Zealand would lose 4-1 to Belgium. The Kiwis steamrolled the rest of the way, starting off with a 5-0 win against Mexico. New Zealand got another shutout against Bulgaria, beating them 7-0. The Ice Blacks beat Turkey 10-2 in their last game. New Zealand finished second in the group.

Mexico: Mexico didn't start the tournament well, getting shut out 4-0 by Belgium. Mexico would get a shutout of their own against Bulgaria, putting up 50-shots in the 6-0 win. Against New Zealand, Mexico failed to score, getting shutout 5-0. Mexico was down to Turkey after the first, but scored a late goal in the third period to tie the game. Both Mexican shooters scored in the shootout, giving Mexico the 2-1 win. Against South Africa, Mexico would finish the first tied one-all with them before pouring it on in the second. A 5-goal second period by Mexico propelled them to the 8-1 win. Mexico ended the tournament in third place.

Turkey: The host would start the tournament with a 3-2 win against Bulgaria, in a game that saw an altercation in the third lead to six game misconducts and numerous roughing penalties (only was called for fighting/fisticuffs). Turkey would continue to win, beating South Africa 4-1. That was the last win for Turkey, as a 9-0 lost against Belgium started their downfall. The host started off good against Mexico, opening the scoring late in the first. They held the lead until late in the third, when Mexico tied the game with the goalie pulled. Turkey was unable to score in overtime and the shootout, losing the game 2-1. Turkey got beat 10-2 by New Zealand in their last game, with both their goals coming on 5-on-3 powerplays. Turkey finished the tournament in fourth place.

South Africa: South Africa started the tournament keeping New Zealand in check for the first period, but gave up three goals in both the second and third periods in the 6-0 loss. South Africa did manage to score in their next game against Turkey, but couldn't do much else, as they lost 4-1. South Africa's powerplay helped them against Bulgaria, as they scored early in the third to tie the game and the game winner in overtime in the 3-2 win. To South Africa's credit, they did respond immediately after Belgium scored, but they couldn't do much afterwards. South Africa would go on to lose 6-2 to Belgium. Against Mexico, South Africa kept the game tied after the first, but was blown out after that. South Africa lost their last game 8-1 to Mexico. South Africa ended up in fifth place.

Bulgaria: Bulgaria did start the tournament leading Turkey after one period, but gave up the lead in the second. Bulgaria would lose the penalty-filled game 3-2. Things weren't getting better for Bulgaria, as they lost 6-0 to Mexico. Against South Africa, Bulgaria tied them in the first and took the lead in the second. Bulgaria would then run into penalty trouble, and that would cost them the game, as they lost 3-2 in overtime. Bulgaria would fail to score in their remaining two games, losing to New Zealand (7-0) and Belgium (14-0). Bulgaria would finish in sixth place, and will now need to qualify for next year's Division III tournament.

Showing Some International Love: 2014 World Junior Championship - Division II Group B Review

The Asian teams had the best and worst tournament, the host came close to moving up, and Australia won the battle of the islands. This is the U20 Division II Group B recap.

Note: most information from the IIHF website.

Standings

Team	Wins	OT/SOW	OT/SOL	Losses	Points	Goal Diff.
South Korea	5	0	0	0	15	+29
Spain	4	0	0	1	12	+8
Serbia	3	0	0	2	9	0
Australia	1	1	0	3	5	-7
Iceland	1	0	1	3	4	+1
China	0	0	0	5	0	-31

Results

January 11
South Korea 6 - Iceland 4
China 3 - Australia 5
Serbia 1 - Spain 2

January 12
Iceland 8 - China 1
South Korea 6 - Serbia 2
Spain 4 - Australia 1

January 14
Serbia 3 - Australia 2
South Korea 17 - China 2
Spain 6 - Iceland 4

January 15
Australia 2 - South Korea 8
Iceland 3 - Serbia 4
China 1 - Spain 5

January 17
Serbia 5 - China 2
Australia 2 - Iceland 1 (SO)
Spain 2 - South Korea 4

Team Recap

South Korea: South Korea blew out the competition for most of the tournament. They started off slow against Iceland, getting matched goal-for-goal early in the second. South Korea's special teams took over later in the second, scoring three goals in the last two minutes (one shorthanded, two on the powerplay). South Korea would win the game 6-4. Against Serbia, South Korea didn't pour it on until the third period, were they (once again) needed just over two minutes to score four times. They would beat Serbia 6-2. South Korea would get all the goals against China, winning 17-2 in a penalty-filled game. South Korea kept it going against Australia, scoring five times in the first in the 8-2 win. South Korea would finish the tournament beating Spain 4-2 in the eventual promotion game. South Korea finished the tournament in first, and will be playing in Group A next year.

Spain: The host began the tournament with a 2-1 win against Serbia. Against Australia, Spain doubled up from last game, winning 4-1. Spain started off good against Iceland, scoring four goals in the first. Iceland did make it close in the second, but Spain was able to keep the lead and win the game 6-4. The host fell behind China early on, but they didn't take long to got a lead of their own. Spain added a few more insurance goals in the second and third to win 5-1. Spain's last game was against South Korea. Both teams swapped powerplay goals in the first, but it was South Korea who were able to score in the other two periods. Spain lost their last game 4-2. With loss, Spain finished in second.

Serbia: Serbia started off falling behind two goals to Spain. They did get one back, but still lost the game 2-1. It wasn't better against South Korea, as Serbia was scored on four times in the third to lose 6-2. Serbia finally got a win, beating Australia 3-2. Serbia fell behind against Iceland, but were able to end the second period ahead. After Iceland tied it up, Serbia responded two minutes later, winning the game 4-3. Serbia finished the tournament against China, needing a 5-goal third period to win the game 5-2. Serbia ended up in third place.

Australia: Australia started the tournament with a win against China, winning 5-3. Things started going south for the Aussies afterwards, as they lost to Spain 4-1, scoring their lone goal in the last minute of the game. Against Serbia, Australia ended the first period tied at one-all, but gave up two in the second and failed to come back. Australia lost 3-2 to Serbia. Australia could have packed it in half through the first against South Korea. They couldn't come back from a 5-goal first period by South Korea, eventually losing the game 8-2. Australia ended the tournament with a 2-1 shootout win against Iceland. Australia finished the tournament in fourth place.

Iceland: Iceland started off with a loss against South Korea, losing 6-4 after failing to pull off the comeback. They did get in the win column against China, as two 3-goal periods propelled them to an 8-1 win. Iceland fell behind against Spain, getting outscored 4-1 in the first period. They did come back in the second, getting to with one of Spain. Iceland couldn't complete the comeback, falling 6-4 to the host. Iceland scored first against Serbia, but fell behind in the second period. Iceland did end up tying the game in the third, but gave up the winner minutes later. Iceland lost 4-3 to Serbia. Against Australia, Iceland opened the scoring in the first before Australia tied it up in the second. This game needed a shootout, were Iceland couldn't find the back of the net. Iceland would lose 2-1. Iceland ended up in fifth, and surprisingly finishes with a plus goal differential.

China: China didn't have a good tournament. They started off fine against Australia, coming back from two goals down in the second period, but Australia proved to be too much. China would lose their opening game 5-3. China were outmatched against Iceland, giving up 55 shots in the 8-1 loss. It got worst for China, as South Korea put up double-digits on their Asian counterpart. China would lose the game 17-2, scoring both their goals in the third. China kind of bounced back against Spain, opening the scoring three minutes into the game. The lead didn't last long, as Spain would score minutes later. China would go on to lose the game 5-1. It looked like China would finally get a win against Serbia, as they scored three minutes into the first and third periods. That 2-goal lead ended up not being enough as China would eventually lose 5-2. China goes winless in the tournament, finishing sixth and getting relegated to Division III.

Sunday Night Hockey: Hirings, Firings, and Trades

Note: I'm not adding anything about the Flames-Canucks fiasco. If you want outrage about it, there are many other people willing to write about it.

Buffalo Hires A Murray

Tim Murray. He goes from a team with little money to a team with all the money. The Sabres become Murray's first GM gig, having spent time with Senators as an Assistant GM and a Director of Player Personal before that (with the Ducks and Assistant DoPP with the Rangers). One of the big things about Murray was his ability to evaluate and draft players, which will help a Sabres team entering a rebuilding period. This is also a great chance for Tim to get out of his uncle's (Ottawa GM Bryan Murray) shadow. Time will tell how good he will be as a GM.

Noel Out, Maurice In

The Jets finally make a bold move, and it's not for a player. Claude Noel is fired as Head Coach and is replaced by Paul Maurice (in reality, it might be a trade knowing that Noel is a good quote and TSM lost Maurice in the deal). Was a coaching change needed? Maybe, but it wasn't the main problem. The Jets problem is that they are now in a tougher division and have a bad goalie.* The division problem is unfixable, and they had a chance to start fresh in goal but decide to extend Pavelec instead. Pavelec hasn't proven to be a starting goalie yet he's there most nights. His best season, he posted a 0.915 SV%,  and hasn't been close to that since. The only time I have seen him be a 0.920+ SV% guy is when he plays internationally.

Not everything is Pavelec's fault though, as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff hasn't done much to actually improve the roster. This is still a Thrasher-esque roster, just with couple of names changed. Until a fundamental change in the roster happens (either bringing in a high-profiled player or selling off players for a rebuild) then they will stay mediocre.

Assistant Coach Perry Pearn was also fired. Poor Perry, gets blamed for everything.

*As an aside: for the amount Pavelec and Marc-Andre Fleury get crapped on, can I say the Screaming Eagles are bad at developing goalies? I need this for Junior rivalry purposes.

(Edmon)Trades

Last time I did this was for the Smid trade. Since then there have been 12. This is going to be shorter than usual (note to self: remember to change font to sarcastic).

To Chicago: Kris Versteeg, Phillippe Lefebrve
To Florida: Jimmy Hayes, Dylan Olsen
Trade Analysis: I know it's been a while, but it seem like Tallon makes one-to-many trades with the 'Hawks? Anyway Versteeg goes back to Chicago, and has 17 points in 31 games for them. For Florida, Olsen has been a nice piece for them, getting 9 points in 17 games. On the other hand, Hayes hasn't been, with 5 points in 25 games.

To Toronto: Peter Holland, Brad Staubitz
To Anaheim: Jesse Blacker, 3rd round pick (2014), 7th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Toronto getting more truculent? Who would have thought. Actually the centre piece (get it? centre) of the deal was Holland, who has been good for the Leafs when he wasn't getting bounced between the Leafs and Marlies.

To Anaheim: Tim Jackman
To Calgary: 6th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Not much here, Jackman goes to a better team and the Flames get a low pick.

To Calgary: Lane MacDermid
To Dallas: 6th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: The Flames had to replace Jackman somehow.

To New York R: Kyle Beach
To Chicago: Brandon Mashinter
Trade Analysis: Minor league deal, nothing here really.

To Buffalo: Linus Omark
To Edmonton: Conditional 6th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Ah the first Edmonton trade on this list. It was obvious Omark wasn't in the Oilers plans and in the end needed to get moved or he'd be back in Europe. Buffalo, while not exactly the best place to end up, would guarantee him a roster spot at the least.

To Calgary: Kevin Westgarth
To Carolina: Greg Nemisz
Trade Analysis: BURKE! That is all.

To Toronto: Tim Gleason
To Carolina: John-Michael Liles, Dennis Robertson
Trade Analysis: Doghouse swap. So far, Liles only has one goal (against the Leafs!) but his advance numbers have improved a bit since the move. Gleason has just one assist and has been, well, on par as far as the advance stuff go. Robertson is a throw-in prospect.

To New York R: Dan Carcillo
To Los Angeles: 7th round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: Carcillo goes from being in the lineup half the time in LA to being in the lineup half the time in New York.

To Edmonton: Matt Hendricks
To Nashville: Devan Dubnyk
Trade Analysis: AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHA(deep breathe)AHAHAHAHHAHHAAHAA. I'm sorry, this is ridiculous. I get that the Oilers need to add toughness (in the checking sense) to compliment the young skill they have, but Hendricks is still under contract for a few more years and has seen his production slipped since leaving Washington. Shipping Dubnyk (the better of the two goalies) for him wasn't the smartest thing MacTavish has done.

To Edmonton: Ben Scrivens
To Los Angeles: 3rd round pick (2014)
Trade Analysis: RIP Ben Scrivens' save percentage. A third rounder though? I thought LA would be able to command more, especially since Dubnyk was traded minutes before.

To Edmonton: Steve Pinizzotto, Jack Combs
To Florida: Ryan Martindale, Derek Nesbitt
Trade Analysis: Go home Edmonton, you're drunk.

Saturday Night Hockey: Hockey Day In Canada

Alright, it's Hockey Day in Canada! Time to sit back and be glued to CBC for the next 12+ hours.

Lineup Notables

New York Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators

Hey, New York isn't in Canada: Derek Dorsett (fibula) is out. Cam Talbot starts this afternoon.
Canada's Capital: Sens are healthy. Craig Anderson will start.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets

Constant Rebuilders: Ales Hemsky (foot), Nail Yakupov (head), Corey Potter (groin) and Philip Larsen (illness) are out. Ilya Bryzgalov will be in net.
Thrashers: Evander Kane (hand), Jim Slater (groin), Matt Halischuk (upper body), Paul Postma (leg) and Grant Clitsome (illness) are out. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to start.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

French Canada: Alex Galchenyuk (hand), Ryan White (upper body) and Drew Drewiske (shoulder) are out while Rapheal Diaz (illness) is questionable. Carey Price starts.
English Canada: Dave Bolland (ankle), David Clarkson (elbow), Fraser McLaren (shoulder) and Trevor Smith (hand) are out. Jonathan Bernier will be in net.

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks

Team that can't score: Mike Camellari (concussion), Curtis Glencross (high ankle sprain), David Jones (eye) and Kris Russell (MCL sprain) are out. Karri Ramo will start tonight.
Team that gets scored on a ton: Mike Santorelli (shoulder), Jordan Schroeder (ankle), Andrew Alberts (concussion) and Ryan Stanton (high ankle sprain) are out while Henrik Sedin (ribs)is questionable. Roberto Luongo will be in net.

Showing Some International Love: 2014 World Junior Championship - Division III Preview

Belgium look to get back into Division II. Bulgaria, Mexico, and New Zealand want to improve form last year and steal the promotion spot. The host Turkey hope to do better than last year's fifth place finish. And South Africa wants to show off it's newly-formed U20 team.

Note: Most information from the IIHF website.

Roster

Belgium
Goalies:

Name	Club
Neil Bruyninckx	White Caps Turnhout
Keanu Evers	IHC Leuven

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Jentl Buelens	Olympia Heist op den Berg
Erik Mondelaers	IHC Leuven
Frank Neven	Liege Bulldogs
Mathias van den Bosch	Phantoms Deurne
Arne van Espen	Olympia Heist op den Berg

Forwards:

Name	Club
Quintin Bollue	IHC Leuven
Paul Cornelis	Liege Bulldogs
Yoren de Smet	Liege Bulldogs
Emiel Goris	HYC Herentals
Bryan Henry	Karhu-Kissat Helsinki
Andy Kolodziejczyk	Geleen Smoke Eaters
Randhall Michaux	Liege Bulldogs
Axl Milpas	Liege Bulldogs
Anton Op de Beeck	HYC Herentals
Jenne van der Velde	HYC Herentals
Michael van Egdom	IHC Leuven
Patrick van Noten	Kolner Haie
Bryan Verhaegen	Phantoms Deurne
Ruben Vertessen	Phantoms Deurne

Bulgaria
Goalies:

Name	Club
Nikolay Nikolov	CSKA Sofia
Dimitar Videnov	Slavia Sofia

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Nikolay Bozhanov	CSKA Sofia
Georgi Dimitrov	Levski Sofia
Bogdan Ivanov	Slavia Sofia
Reymand Mladenov	Slavia Sofia
Aleksandar Vasilev	Slavia Sofia

Forwards:

Name	Club
Georgi Blagoev	CSKA Sofia
Valentin Botsev	Slavia Sofia
Kostadin Davidov	Slavia Sofia
Veselin Dikov	Slavia Sofia
Maksim Eftimov	Ice Devils Sofia
Yanaki Gachev	CSKA Sofia
Atanas Genkov	Slavia Sofia
Tomislav Georgiev	Slavia Sofia
Aleksandar Panev	CSKA Sofia
Kristian Semkov	Levski Sofia
Martin Talev	Slavia Sofia
Vasil Videnov	Slavia Sofia

Mexico
Goalies:

Name	Club
Richard Albrecht	Halcones Lomas Verdes
Jaime Perez	Osos San Jeronimo

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Raul Bonilla	Osos San Jeronimo
Miguel Colas	Borregos Monterrey
Jorge Duenas	Lerma Estado Ice Sharks
Kaleb Flores	Osos San Jeronimo
Gustavo Martinez	Tigres Metepec
Miguel Rivacoba	Aztec Eagle Warriors

Forwards:

Name	Club
Fabian Alva	Osos San Jeronimo
Bruno Arjona	Toros Monterrey
Cuauhtemoc Balcarcel	Pumas Distrito Federal
David Barron	Tigres Metepec
Augusto Bolanos	Tigres Metepec
Jean Cobo	Osos San Jeronimo
Salvador Diaz	Tigres Metepec
Ricardo Fernandez	Osos San Jeronimo
Arturo Garcia	Agaves Jalisco
Mauricio Gutierrez	Tigres Metepec
Nestor Ibarra	Borregos Monterrey
Jorge Perez	Osos San Jeronimo

New Zealand
Goalies:

Name	Club
Richard Bigsby	Canterbury
Jakeb Dix	Botany Swarm

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Monty Brown	Southern
George Coslett	Dunedin Thunder
Quinn Drake	Southern Stampede
Lachlan Frear	Southern Stampede
Thomas Heather	Botany Swarm
Logan Leishman	Auckland
Blake McCombe	Botany Swarm
Thomas Richards	Canterbury Red Devils
Evan Terlesk	Auckland
Josh Williams	Canterbury

Forwards:

Name	Club
Callum Burns	Southern Stampede
Tristan Darling	Dunedin Thunder
Blake Fraser	Botany Swarm
Shaun Harrison	Dunedin Thunder
Aaron Henderson	Botany Swarm
Kevin Jagau	Canterbury Red Devils
Tayler Kennedy	Canterbury
Benedict Roth	Dunedin Thunder

South Africa
Goalies:

Name	Club
Charl Pretorius	Northwood School
Marcello Strydom	Kempton Park Sabres

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Callum Bremner	Johannesburg Wildcats
Bradley Crouch	Durban Knights
Daniel Fisher	Johannesburg Vipers
Brandon Husselman	Pretoria Captials
Reelan Malgas	Pretoria Ice Hawks
Denzil Verwey	Pretoria Capitals
Luwandre Visser	Pretoria Capitals
Ruebin Young	Cape Town Penguins

Forwards:

Name	Club
Kai Austin	Kempton Park Scorpions
Xander Botha	Pretoria Capitals
Dylan Compton	Kempton Park Scorpions
Spencer du Preez	Pretoria Capitals
Ryan Fourie	Cape Town Penguins
Philip Kotze	Pretoria Capitals
Wesley Krotz	Cape Town Penguins
Alex Obery	Cape Town Penguins
Keegan Thornton	Pretoria Capitals
Darion Whitford	Pretoria Ice Hawks

Turkey
Goalies:

Name	Club
Berk Akin	BB Ankara
Tolga Bayburtlu	Erzurum GSK

Defensemen:

Name	Club
Batuhan Akay	Izmit Kagit
Alihan Demirer	Izmit Kagit
Eren Doru	Izmit Kagit
Firat Erdem	Baskent Yildizlari Ankara
Emre Faner	Erzurum GSK
Fatih Faner	Erzurum GSK
Emrah Savas	Erzurum GSK
Huseyin Secar	Erzurum GSK

Forwards:

Name	Club
Mustafa Bahce	BB Ankara
Ferhat Bakal	Izmit Kagit
Ahmet Hars	Erzurum GSK
Abdullkadir Inanc	Erzurum GSK
Doruk Kamis	Izmit Kagit
Sefa Kavaz	Erzurum GSK
Mertcan Ozdemir	BB Ankara
Gokalp Solak	Baskent Yildizlari Ankara
Sefa Takar	Erzurum GSK
Ogun Uzunali	Izmit Kagit

Schedule

January 12
Mexico - Belgium
South Africa - New Zealand
Bulgaria - Turkey

January 13
Belgium - New Zealand
Bulgaria - Mexico
Turkey - South Africa

January 15
Bulgaria - South Africa
Mexico - New Zealand
Belgium - Turkey

January 16
New Zealand - Bulgaria
South Africa - Belgium
Turkey - Mexico

January 18
Mexico - South Africa
New Zealand - Turkey
Belgium - Bulgaria

Predictions

1 (Promotion) - Belgium
2 - Mexico
3 - New Zealand
4 - Bulgaria
5 - Turkey
6 - South Africa

After getting relegated last year, Belgium will earn a promotion back to Division II. I see Mexico ending up just short of the top spot, finishing second. New Zealand takes third place. A weaker Bulgaria squad ends up in fourth. Turkey again ends up in fifth. Newly-formed South Africa will have a rough tournament, finishing in last.