Saturday, December 12, 2015

Showing Some International Love: 2016 World Junior Championship - Division I Group B Preview

The World Junior tournaments kick off later today in France, as they host the Division I Group B tournament. Slovenia joins this group after finishing last in Group A last year. Great Britain is back in this group after winning Division II last year (they were there after being sent down due to disqualification). Poland and Ukraine round out the group of five teams. Japan was scheduled to play in this tournament but pulled out due to the semi-recent events in France. They have been relegated to Division II.

Note: most information from the IIHF website.

Rosters

France

Goalies:
Name
Team
Raphael Garnier
HC Fribourg-Gotteron
Quentin Papillon
Rouen Dragons

Defensemen:
Name
Team
Loic Chapelier
Gap Rapaces
Hugo Gallet
Minnesota Magicians
Brieuc Houeix
Rouen Dragons
Vincent Melin
Dijon Ducs
Arthur Montenoise-Oudot
Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups
Tom Pajonkowski
Lionel Groulx College Nordiques
Thomas Thiry
Geneve-Servette HC

Forwards:
Name
Team
Justin Addamo
Rouen Dragons
Robin Colomban
Briancon Diables Rouges
Fabien Colotti
Rouen Dragons
Loic Coulaud
Amiens Gothiques
Jeremy Delbaere
Rouen Dragons
Julian Guillaume
Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups
Guillaume Leclerc
Madison Capitols
Bastien Maia
IFK Helsinki
Kevin Marion
Geneve-Servette HC
Rudy Matima
Amiens Gothiques
Vincent Nesa
Rouen Dragons
Antoine Torres
Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups
Gabin Ville
Northwood School


Great Britain

Goalies:
Name
Team
Ben Churchfield
Portland Jr. Pirates
Jordan Hedley
Swindon Wildcats

Defensemen:
Name
Team
Callum Buglass
Swindon Wildcats
Joshua Grieveson
Middlesex
Jay King
Edinburgh Capitals
Edward Knaggs
Milton Keynes Lightning
Cameron McGriffin
Peterborough Phantoms
Harvey Stead
Swindon Wildcats
Oliver Stone
Okanagan Academy UK

Forwards:
Name
Team
Ivan Antonov
Bracknell Bees
Oliver Betteridge
Nottingham Lions
Glenn Billing
Milton Keynes Lightning
Lee Bonner
Hull Pirates
Alexander Forbes
Ogden Mustangs
Connor Glossop
Nottingham Lions
Owen Griffiths
Swindon Wildcats
Macaulay Heywood
Telford Tigers
Lewis Hook
Milton Keynes Lightning
Luc Johnson
Milton Keynes Lightning
Toms Rutkis
Swindon Wildcats
Duncan Speirs
Solway Sharks
Michael Stratford
Swindon Wildcats


Poland

Goalies:
Name
Team
Michal Czernik
UKS Sosnowiec
Mateusz Studzinski
SMS Sosnowiec

Defensemen:
Name
Team
Kordian Chorazyczewski
SMS Sosnowiec
Kamil Falkenhagen
Polonia Bytom
Marcin Horzelski
Zaglebie Sosnowiec
Oskar Jaskiewicz
MMKS Nowy Targ
Jakub Michalowski
SMS Sosnowiec
Tomasz Skoken
KH Sanok
Patryk Wsol
SMS Sosnowiec

Forwards:
Name
Team
Kamil Filip
SMS Sosnowiec
Mateusz Goscinski
SMS Sosnowiec
Dominik Jarosz
SMS Sosnowiec
Jakub Jaworski
GKS Jastrzebie
Bartlomiej Jeziorski
GKS Tychy
Lukasz Krzemien
Polonia Bytom
Jaroslaw Lorek
Ocelari Trinec
Patryk Matusik
GKS Jastrzebie
Piotr Naparlo
KH Sanok
Kamil Paszek
Unia Oswiecim
Kamil Sikora
Zaglebie Sosnowiec
Szymon Skrodziuk
SMS Sosnowiec
Kamil Wrobel
Vitkovice Ostrava


Slovenia

Goalies:
Name
Team
Urban Avsenik
VSV Villach
Mark Vlahovic
Red Bull Salzburg

Defensemen:
Name
Team
Mark Cepon
Red Bull Salzburg
Nik Grahut
HK Celje
Zan Kuzman
HK Maribor
Miha Mercina
HK Celje
Martin Rus
Olimpija Ljubljana
Marko Tarman
Acroni Jesenice

Forwards:
Name
Team
Rok Avsenek
KAC Klagenfurt
Aljaz Chvatal
Olimpija Ljubljana
Gasper Glavic
Acroni Jesenice
Matic Jeklic
HC Olomouc
Zan Jezovsek
HK Celje
Rok Macuh
HC Olomouc
Nejc Masic
Olimpija Ljubljana
Luka Maver
Topeka Roadrunners
Janez Orehek
HK Slavija Ljubljana
Nik Simsic
Sodertalje SK
Matjaz Subic
Okanagan Academy UK
Blaz Tomazevic
VSV Villach
Nik Unuk
Amals SK
Miha Zajc
Austin Bruins


Ukraine

Goalies:
Name
Team
Bogdan Dyachenko
Donbass Donetsk
Yuri Krasnopolskiy
Bily Bars Brovary

Defensemen:
Name
Team
Olexander Aleksandrov
Dukla Michalovce
Vitali Andreikiv
Polonia Bytom
Andri Grygoryev
Red Bull Salzburg
Vitali Mul
HK Kremenchuk
Yurii Shpak
General Kiev
Olexander Vlad
Sparta Prague
Kyrylo Zhovnir
HK Kremenchuk

Forwards:
Name
Team
Ilya Generalov
Bily Bars Brovary
Mykhaylo Gevorkian
Slovan Bratislava
Tymur Hrytsenko
HK Kremenchuk
Oleksandr Liulchuk
Bily Bars Brovary
Vadym Mazur
Dush Rostov
Renat Nigmatullin
Concordia University
Maksym Odnovorchenko
HK Kharkiv
Ivan Radetsky
HK Mladez Michalovce
Dmytro Shcherbakov
Stoczniowiec Gdansk
Yaroslav Svyshev
Donbass Donetsk
Artur Terchiev
Toronto Jr. Canadiens
Yevgen Tymchenko
Generals Kiev
Olexi Vorona
Dukla Michalovce


Schedule

December 12
Great Britain - Slovenia
France - Ukraine

December 13
Poland - Great Britain
Slovenia - France

December 15
Ukraine - Poland
Great Britain - France

December 16
Ukraine - Great Britain
Poland - Slovenia

December 18
Slovenia - Ukraine
Poland - France

Prediction

1 (Promoted) - Slovenia
2 - France
3 - Great Britain
4 - Ukraine
5 - Poland

This is a hard group to judge, as the Most of the teams are around the same level. Slovenia seems like the strongest out of the group, and will keep there stay in Group B a short one. The rest of the group seems like a crapshoot. I'm guessing France's home-rink advantage helps them a bit, placing them in second. Great Britain, Ukraine, and Poland probably finish third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

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