Showing Some International Love: 2015 IIHF World Championship Preview - Division I Group B

The Netherlands host this year's tournament, and will want to give the home fans a good showing. South Korea will want to bounce back about being relegated from Group A, while Estonia hopes to stay up after earning a promotion from Division II. Croatia is always a threat for promotion at this level. Great Britain and Lithuania round out the competition.

Note: most information from the fancy version of the IIHF website.

Rosters

Croatia

Goalies:

Name	Team
Mark Dekanich	Medvescak Zagreb
Mate Tomljenovic	Medvescak Zagreb

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Igor Jacmenjak	KHL Zagreb
Bruno Kegalj	KHL Zagreb
Alan Letang	Medvescak Zagreb
Marko Ljubic	Mladost Zagreb
Kenny MacAulay	Innsbruck Haie
Sasa Martinovic	Medvescak Zagreb
Andy Sertich	EC Dornbirn
Borna Silovic	Medvescak Zagreb
Geoff Waugh	VSV Villach

Forwards:

Name	Team
Mislav Blagus	KHL Zagreb
Ivan Brencun	Medvescak Zagreb
Michael Glumac	Medvescak Zagreb
Ivan Jankovic	KHL Zagreb
Dominik Kanaet	HC 07 Detva
Ryan Kinasewich	EC Dornbirn
Dario Kostovic	Medvescak Zagreb
Matija Milicic	KHL Zagreb
Tadija Miric	Mladost Zagreb
Andrew Murray	Medvescak Zagreb
Nathan Perkovich	Medvescak Zagreb

Estonia

Goalies:

Name	Team
Villem-Henrik Koitmaa	Tallinn HC Viking
Roman Shumikhin	Tallinn HC Viking

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Maksim Anohhin	Narva PSK
Michael Mahkwa Auksi	HC Panter Tallinn
Silver Kerna	Jukurit Mikkeli
Lauri Lahesalu	Angers Ducs
Anton Levkovits	Tallinn HC Viking
Filipp Shvarogin	Tallinn HC Viking
Ilja Urushev	Tartu Kalev-Valk

Forwards:

Name	Team
Roman Andrejev	Varberg Hockey
Riho Embrich	Bewe TuusKi
Artur Fedoruk	Tallinn HC Viking
Anton Jastrebov	Tartu Kalev-Valk
Kaspar Karik	HC Panter Tallinn
Aleksandr Kuznetsov	Tallinn HC Viking
Andrei Makrov	Gornyak Rudny
Kevin Parras	TuTo Turku
Robert Rooba	Espoo Blues
Aleksei Sibirtsev	Varberg Hockey
Jaanus Sorokin	HC Panter Tallinn
Vassili Titarenko	Tartu Kalev-Valk
Mihkel Vorang	HC Panter Tallinn

Great Britain

Goalies:

Name	Team
Ben Bowns	Cardiff Devils
Steven Lyle	Swindon Wildcats

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Russell Cowley	Coventry Blaze
Ben O'Connor	Sheffield Steelers
David Phillips	Belfast Giants
Mark Richardson	Cardiff Devils
Paul Swindlehurst	Dundee Stars
Mark Thomas	Sheffield Steelers
Jonathan Weaver	Telford Tigers

Forwards:

Name	Team
Joshua Batch	Cardiff Devils
Chris Blight	Dundee Stars
Jonathan Boxill	Nottingham Panthers
Robert Dowd	Sheffield Steelers
Robert Farmers	Nottingham Panthers
Mark Garside	Belfast Giants
Matthew Haywood	Braehead Clan
Robert Lachowicz	Nottingham Panthers
Matthew Myers	Cardiff Devils
Craig Peacock	Belfast Giants
Jonathan Phillips	Sheffield Steelers
Jack Prince	Alabama-Huntsville
Colin Shields	Belfast Giants

Lithuania

Goalies:

Name	Team
Mantas Armalis	Djurgarden Stockholm
Simas Baltrunas	HASC Jurmala

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Nerijus Alisauskas	HK Almaty
Rolandas Aliukonis	Energija Elektrenai
Jaunius Jasinevicius	Grums IK
Mindaugas Kieras	Energija Elektrenai
Karolis Kubilius	Energija Elektrenai
Justinas Vezelis	Energija Elektrenai

Forwards:

Name	Team
Mauras Baltrukonis	HK MVD Tver
Egidijus Bauba	Bergen IHK
Aivaras Bendzius	Energija Elektrenai
Daniel Bogdziul	HK Riga
Arnoldas Bosoas	Gornyak Rudny
Ugnius Cizas	Zalgiris Vilnius
Paulius Gintautas	IK Comet Halden
Dovydas Kulevicius	Energija Elektrenai
Donatas Kumeliauskas	Peterborough Phantoms
Danielius Nomanovas	Zalgiris Vilnius
Darius Pliskauskas	Peterborough Phantoms
Edgar Rybakov	HK Lida
Arturas Visockas	Energija Elektrenai
Andrejus Zidkovas	Energija Elektrenai

Netherlands

Goalies:

Name	Team
Ian Meierdres	Tilburg Trappers
Martijn Oosterwijk	Heerenveen Flyers

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Nick de Jong	Eindhoven Kemphanen
Erik Tummers	Geleen Smoke Eaters
Dax van de Velden	Heerenveen Flyers
Boet van Gestel	Eindhoven Kemphanen
Jeffrey van Iersel	Eindhoven Kemphanen
Jordy van Oorschot	Tilburg Trappers
Giovanni Vogelaar	Heerenveen Flyers

Forwards:

Name	Team
Maarten Brekelmans	Tilburg Trappers
Kevin Bruijsten	Amiens Gothiques
Mitch Bruijsten	Heerenveen Flyers
Tony Demelinne	Heerenveen Flyers
Diederick Hagemeijer	Tilburg Trappers
Levi Houkes	Heerenveen Flyers
Steve Mason	Tilburg Trappers
Peter van Biezen	Tilburg Trappers
Ivy van den Heuvel	Tilburg Trappers
Julian van Lijden	Eindhoven Kemphanen
Ronald Wurm	Heerenveen Flyers

South Korea

Goalies:

Name	Team
Kye Hoon Park	Korea University
Sungje Park	High1 Chuncheon

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Siyoung Choi	Anyang Halla
Hyeok Kim	Daemyung Sangmu
Hyunsoo Kim	Anyang Halla
Wonjun Kim	Anyang Halla
Yoonhwan Kim	Anyang Halla
Don Ku Lee	National Team
Hyonho Oh	Daemyung Sangmu

Forwards:

Name	Team
Jin Hui Ahn	Anyang Halla
Minho Cho	Daemyung Sangmu
Kisung Kim	Anyang Halla
Sangwook Kim	Anyang Halla
Yong Jun Lee	Anyang Halla
Young Jun Lee	Anyang Halla
Woosang Park	Anyang Halla
Brock Radunske	Anyang Halla
Hyung Yun Shin	Daemyung Sangmu
Sanghoon Shin	Anyang Halla
Wooje Sung	Cranes Kushiro
Michael Owen Swift	High1 Chuncheon
Michael William Testwuide	Anyang Halla

Schedule

April 13
Great Britain - Croatia
Estonia - South Korea
Netherlands - Lithuania

April 14
Estonia - Great Britain
Croatia - Lithuania
South Korea - Netherlands

April 16
Lithuania - Estonia
South Korea - Great Britain
Croatia - Netherlands

April 18
Lithuania - South Korea
Croatia - Estonia
Great Britain - Netherlands

April 19
South Korea - Croatia
Lithuania - Great Britain
Netherlands - Estonia

Notes

• Jim Paek (head coach) and Richard Park (assistant coach) are part of South Korea's staff.
• It's interesting that only one player in this tournament (Jack Prince of Great Britain) plays outside of Europe. Usually there are a couple more non-Euro based players at this level.

Prediction

1 (Promoted) - Croatia
2 - South Korea
3 - Lithuania
4 - Great Britain
5 - Netherlands
6 (Relegated) - Estonia

The battle for gold will be between the Cronucks and the Korean Olympic Movement. I like Croatia's chances more because of their goaltending. Croatia wins gold while South Korea settles for silver. Picking bronze is hard, since it might be a three-team race. Lithuania looks like the stonger team, and may do enough to finish with a medal. Great Britain (fourth) and the Netherlands (fifth) fall short of a medal. Estonia won't be able to fight the odds, and will be relegated to Division II.