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

The newly-promoted Poland host this tournament, which is a level below the main World Championship tournament. Italy and Kazakhstan join this tournament after being relegated from the main one last year, and both want to keep their stay here short. Hungary, Japan, and Ukraine return, and all of them are looking to find their way to a promotion spot.

Note: most information from the (fancy) IIHF website.

Rosters

Hungary

Goalies:

Name	Team
Bence Balizs	Miskolci JJSE
Miklos Rajna	Sapa Fehervar

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Balazs Goz	Miskolci JJSE
Daniel Kiss	Ujpesti TE
Tyler Metcalfe	Miskolci JJSE
Attila Orban	Sapa Fehervar
Tamas Pozsgai	Dunaujvarosi Acelbikak
Bence Sziranyi	Ujpesti TE
Marton Vas	Lowen Frankfurt

Forwards:

Name	Team
Frank Banham	Sapa Fehervar
Andras Benk	Sapa Fehervar
Csanad Erdely	Sapa Fehervar
Janos Hari	MODO Ornskoldsvik
Daniel Koger	Sapa Fehervar
Csaba Kovacs	Sapa Fehervar
Balint Magosi	Sapa Fehervar
Krisztian Nagy	Miskolci JJSE
Andrew Sarauer	Sapa Fehervar
Balazs Sebok	Hokki Kajaani
Istvan Sofron	Krefeld Pinguine
Janos Vas	Slavia Prague
Peter Vincze	Sapa Fehervar

Italy

Goalies:

Name	Team
Andreas Bernard	SaiPa Lappeenranta
Thomas Tragust	HC Neumarkt

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Alexander Egger	HC Bolzano 2000
Armin Helfer	Pustertal Bruneck
Armin Hofer	Pustertal Bruneck
Stefano Marchetti	Asiago Hockey
Daniel Sullivan	Asiago Hockey
Alex Trivellato	Eisbaren Berlin
Luca Zanatta	Red Ice Martigny
Michael Angelo Zanatta	Red Ice Martigny

Forwards:

Name	Team
Raphael Andergassen	Pustertal Bruneck
Anton Bernard	Bolzano Foxes
Nathan di Casmirro	HC Valpellice
Luca Felicetti	Ritten Sport
Alex Frei	Milano Rossoblu
Luca Frigo	HC Valpellice
Markus Gander	Bolzano Foxes
Brian Ihnacak	Valerenga Oslo
Marco Insam	Bolzano Foxes
Diego Kostner	HC Lugano
Giovanni Morini	HC Lugano
Joachim Ramoser	Red Bull Salzburg

Japan

Goalies:

Name	Team
Yutaka Fukufuji	Esbjerg Energy
Yuto Ito	Tohoku Free Blades

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Ryo Hashiba	Oji Eagles
Goshi Kumagai	Tohoku Free Blades
Keigo Minoshima	Chuo University
Kazumasa Sasaki	Oji Eagles
Mei Ushu	Nippon Paper Cranes
Kotaro Yamada	Oji Eagles
Shinya Yanadori	Esbjerg Energy

Forwards:

Name	Team
Yushiroh Hirano	Tingsryds AIF
Shuhei Kuji	Oji Eagles
Kohei Mitamura	Oji Eagles
Masahito Nishiwaki	Nippon Paper Cranes
Daisuke Obara	Oji Eagles
Yuto Osawa	Oji Eagles
Sho Sato	Oji Eagles
Kenta Takagi	Nippon Paper Cranes
Seiji Takahashi	Oji Eagles
Go Tanaka	Tohoku Free Blades
Ryo Tanaka	Tohoku Free Blades
Hiroki Ueno	Nikko Ice Bucks
Takuro Yamashita	Tohoku Free Blades

Kazakhstan

Goalies:

Name	Team
Dmitri Malgin	Barys Astana
Pavel Poluektov	Barys Astana

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Kevin Dallman	Barys Astana
Artemi Lakiza	Barys Astana
Alexander Lipin	Yertis Pavlodar
Alexei Litvinenko	Barys Astana
Leonid Metalnikov	Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk
Roman Savchenko	Barys Astana
Maxim Semyonov	Barys Astana
Vyacheslav Tryasunov	Yertis Pavlodar

Forwards:

Name	Team
Maxim Khudyakov	Yertis Pavlodar
Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev	Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod
Mikhail Panshin	Sary-Arka Karaganda
Fyodor Polishuk	Barys Astana
Konstantin Pushkaryov	Barys Astana
Konstantin Rudenko	Barys Astana
Yevgeni Rymarev	Sary-Arka Karaganda
Konstantin Savenkov	Sary-Arka Karaganda
Andrei Spiridonov	Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk
Roman Starchenko	Barys Astana
Alexei Vorontsov	Yertis Pavlodar
Talgat Zhailauov	Barys Astana

Poland

Goalies:

Name	Team
Przemyslaw Odrobny	GKS Jastrzebie
Rafal Radziszewski	Cracovia Krakow

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Mateusz Bryk	GKS Jastrzebie
Rafal Dutka	KH Sanok
Michal Kotlorz	GKS Tychy
Maciej Kruczek	Cracovia Krakow
Bartlomiej Pociecha	GKS Tychy
Mateusz Rompkowski	GKS Jastrzebie
Patryk Wajda	Cracovia Krakow
Jakub Wanacki	GKS Tychy

Forwards:

Name	Team
Adam Baginski	GKS Tychy
Aron Chmielewski	Ocelari Trinec
Krystian Dziubinski	Podhale Nowy Targ
Radoslaw Galant	GKS Tychy
Kamil Kalinowski	Unia Oswiecim
Marcin Kolusz	GKS Tychy
Sebastian Kowalowka	Cracovia Krakow
Leszek Laszkiewicz	GKS Jastrzebie
Tomasz Malasinski	Swindon Wildcats
Grzegorz Pasiut	Cracovia Krakow
Maciej Urbanowicz	GKS Jastrzebie
Krzysztof Zapala	KH Sanok

Ukraine

Goalies:

Name	Team
Yevgen Napnenko	Naprzod Janow
Eduard Zakharchenko	HK Kremenchug

Defensemen:

Name	Team
Volodymyr Aleksyuk	GKS Jastrzebie
Igor Kugut	Zauralie Kurgan
Mykola Ladygin	Beibarys Atyrau
Yuri Navarenko	HK Gomel
Kostyantyn Ryabenko	Dunarea Galati
Danylo Skrypets	Khimik Voskresensk

Forwards:

Name	Team
Roman Blagy	Yermak Angarsk
Artem Bondaryev	GKS Jastrzebie
Vitali Donika	Dunarea Galati
Vladyslav Gavryk	Berkshire Battalion
Artem Gnidenko	HK Vitebsk
Sergi Kuzmik	HK Kremenchug
Vitali Lyalka	Kristall Berdsk
Andri Mikhnov	Metallurg Zholbin
Dmytro Nimenko	Dunarea Galati
Yuri Petrangovsky	Yunost Minsk
Sergi Varlamov	Donbass Donetsk
Denys Zabludovsky	Steaua Bucharest

Schedule

April 19
Hungary - Japan
Ukraine - Kazakhstan
Poland - Italy

April 20
Kazakhstan - Hungary
Italy - Ukraine
Japan - Poland

April 22
Kazakhstan - Japan
Italy - Hungary
Poland - Ukraine

April 23
Japan - Italy
Ukraine - Hungary
Kazakhstan - Poland

April 25
Japan - Ukraine
Italy - Kazakhstan
Hungary - Poland

Prediction

1 (Promoted) - Kazakhstan
2 (Promoted) - Japan
3 - Italy
4 - Hungary
5 - Poland
6 (Relegated) - Ukraine

Kazakhstan seems poised to win it all and move back up to the main tournament. The second spot could be a three-way battle. Japan was oh-so-close to finishing second last year, and could do enough just year to capture it. Italy is a threat, but they are looking to make their national team more homegrown, which should diminish the skill they have on their rosters for a few years while that talent makes its way up. Hungary has firepower, but also questionable defense and inexperienced goaltending. It should be close, but I say Japan manages to eek by Italy and Hungary for a promotion spot. That leaves Poland and Ukraine to fight to avoid relegation. The home ice advantage may help Poland in this case. Ukraine, for it's part, seems to be the favourite to get relegated. Poland stays, Ukraine gets bumped down to Group B.