WC: 2018 IIHF World Championship

[pled]

As a first for Denmark, they will host next year tournament. They are probably the only top tier nation that never hosted it. The game are proposed to be played in Copenhagen (group A) and Herning (Group B). Both ice rink are less than 10 years old so it should be nice.

Dates: 4–20 May
Tickets are already on sale.

[table="head,width=300px"]Group A|Group B
Russia|Canada
Sweden|Finland
Czech Republic|United States
Switzerland|Germany
Belarus|Norway
Slovakia|Latvia
France|Denmark
Austria|South Korea
[/table]


Interesting to see South Korea join Austria as new qualified team from D1A as it is South Korea first appearance in the WC same year that they are hosting the Olympics. They Qualified with only 5 out of 22 foreign players with new South Korean Nationality so There's still a lot a real South Korean talent.

Slovenia and Italy are returning to D1A to join Kazakhstan, Poland, the host Hungary and newcomer Great Britain.

Click to read more...

 

[Eye of Ra]

we will play against south korea! cool. i guess many swedes will be in copenhagen...it will be like playing at home.

 

[Zamuz]

South Korea is in a group where they might have a slim chance of surviving in top division. Unless France is playing similarly as in this tournament.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

South Korea!

 

[pled]

we will play against south korea! cool. i guess many swedes will be in copenhagen...it will be like playing at home.

Former Espoo Blues captain Mikko Kukkonen could get citizenship from Korea since he play there so Finland-Sweden rivalry will still be there

South Korea is in a group where they might have a slim chance of surviving in top division. Unless France is playing similarly as in this tournament.

Denmark may Switch with France if the Sweden win versus Canada this year and take number 3 spot in the ranking(They would switch with Finland which currently hold number 3).

 

[KurtSloan]

As a first for Denmark, they will host next year tournament. They are probably the only top tier nation that never hosted it. The game are proposed to be played in Copenhagen (Sweden's group) and Herning (Denmark's Group)

Dates: 4–20 May

[table="head,width=300px"]Group A|Group B
Russia|Canada
Finland|Sweden
Czech Republic|United States
Switzerland|Germany
Belarus|Norway
Slovakia|Latvia
Denmark|France
Austria|South Korea
[/table]

Interesting to see South Korea join Austria as new qualified team from D1 as it is South Korea first appearance in the WC same year that they are hosting the Olympics. Slovenia and Italy are returning to D1.

Seeding can still change as the 2017 tournament Top 4 isn't decided and Denmark will not play in Sweden group.

I understand a reason why Sweden will play in Copenhagen, but why Denmark not? It is quite weird that home team won't play at main venue.

 

[Zamuz]

I understand a reason why Sweden will play in Copenhagen, but why Denmark not? It is quite weird that home team won't play in main venue.

This actually is pretty weird

 

[pled]

I understand a reason why Sweden will play in Copenhagen, but why Denmark not? It is quite weird that home team won't play at main venue.

This actually is pretty weird

Herning is on the continent and more central in Denmark so it having Denmark play there might promote local tourism since the local fan will be there the international fan (mostly Swedish I guess) will be in Copenhagen.

Need to wait to see which city Canada plays in.

We will know tomorrow.

 

[Urbanskog]

Really looking forward to seeing what is Team Denmark going to look like in their home tournament. They might have one of the strongest teams in the tournament if most of the talent will be available.

 

[pled]

Really looking forward to seeing what is Team Denmark going to look like in their home tournament. They might have one of the strongest teams in the tournament if most of the talent will be available.

Andersen, Henriksen, Larsen, Lassen, Nielsen, Bjorkstrand, Bodker, Jensen, Jensen, Nielsen, From, Hansen and Eller were a lot of missing talent

 

[admire]

When South Korea got the 2018 olympics, and started investing in their program, they invited representives from the danish icehockey federation to talk about how we developed from the low tiers to the top tier because of the clear similarities(small program and not very popular sport in the country at the time, and going from pool c to the top tier...).
That developed some kind of relationship so the south korean teams have been in denmark several times during the last few tears for camps and friendly tournaments vs denmark and other teams.

So i have seen them play quite a bit and there are two things that really shines...The development has really been impressive, and the playstyle is extremely unsual and will really create the opportunity for some early upsets..
there is just no other team in the top tier that will play like south korea will. Very little size but every body skates fast, and every body play like one unit, and everybody play aggresive. Not intimidating so much with hard hits but with a constant wave forechecking..
After teams will get used to them, they will have problems but i would not be surprised with them doing something suprising in the beginning, and they will be a major story of the tournament and be a fan favourite..they are fun to watch

The sweden in copenhagen thing makes perfect sence because there is a bridge+tunnel for both cars and t to malmô to copenhagen so it really fast and easy for swedens to go copenhagen.

And herning is in jutland were alot of the big tradional hockey clubs reside in denmark.(including herning it self which is denmarks #1 hockey city )

 

[pled]

When South Korea got the 2018 olympics, and started investing in their program, they invited representives from the danish icehockey federation to talk about how we developed from the low tiers to the top tier because of the clear similarities(small program and not very popular sport in the country at the time). That developed some kind of relationship so the south korean teams have been in denmark several times during the last few tears for camps and friendly tournaments vs denmark and other teams.
So i have seen them play quite a bit and there are two things that really shines...The development has really been impressive, and the playstyle is extremely unsual and will really create the opportunity for some early upsets..there is just no other team in the top tier that will play like south korea will. Very little size but every body skates fast, and every body play like one unit, and everybody play aggresive. Not intimidating so much with hard hits but with a constant wave forechecking..After teams will get used to them, they will have problems but i would not be surprised with them doing something suprising in the beginning, and they will be a major story of the tournament and be a fan favourite..they are fun to watch

wasn't it finland? because 5 played in Vantaa in 13-14 but thats a bit after they got the Olympics so maybe both.

W1A team that qualified was 5'11 and 185 lbs average it's not too small but smaller than most I guess

 

[admire]

wasn't it finland? because 5 played in Vantaa in 13-14 but thats a bit after they got the Olympics so maybe both.

W1A team that qualified was 5'11 and 185 lbs average it's not too small but smaller than most I guess

Both...They have a hockey crazy rich business man who was the head of their federation and owner of the best club in south korea. He bought a club in finland (third tier in finland at the time maybe? but 2nd tier now) and placed some koreans there. The guy owns Anyang Halla in the Asia League Ice Hockey and Kiekko-Vantaa in the Finnish Mestis.
So think the relationship was earlier, but it was also more on a club level...Here its almost all national level..makes sense to look at a smaller program and they got to play 1 other top tier team in norway..they were here in 2015 and 2016 and the danish team was in south korea in 2017...fun fact...denmark played south korea in the 1991 c tier world championship that was played in denmark. so they played a championship here once before

They might not be the absolute smallest team but they just play differently than in either america or europe.
Remember watching them play denmarks full squad in 2016 and while we clearly had better players all around, we just could never get anything set up...

but they are getting less chaotic the better they get.
less entertaining but probably better in the long run.

 

[pled]

Both...They have a hockey crazy rich business man who was the head of their federation and owner of the best club in south korea. He bought a club in finland (third tier in finland at the time maybe? but 2nd tier now) and placed some koreans there. The guy owns Anyang Halla in the Asia League Ice Hockey and Kiekko-Vantaa in the Finnish Mestis.

oh yes Vantaa is own by a korea guy thats why they played there they were tier 2 for 20 years so I think he bought them tier 2 I don't know if he's still around that team.

Also I listed 13 players I would replace on this year team to make it better. As a Dane do you think its possible ?

 

[admire]

oh yes Vantaa is own by a korea guy thats why they played there they were tier 2 for 20 years so I think he bought them tier 2 I don't know if he's still around that team.

Also I listed 12 players I would replace on this year team to make it better. As a Dane do you think its possible ?

Do i think its possible to get them all to come or what you mean? i think that everybody who are free and can skate on at least one leg will come. if they dont, they will be dead to me

 

[Rob]

So we have to wait until the new IIHF rankings are released to know the groups for the 2018 World Championships?

 

[pled]

So we have to wait until the new IIHF rankings are released to know the groups for the 2018 World Championships?

we already know, it's the same points format. I indicated what team may change group if Sweden win the final.

 

[pled]

Do i think its possible to get them all to come or what you mean? i think that everybody who are free and can skate on at least one leg will come. if they dont, they will be dead to me

I just mean how much do you think your team can improve from this year because I think a lot of their top player weren't there and Andersen would make such a difference if he was there.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

South Korea is in a group where they might have a slim chance of surviving in top division. Unless France is playing similarly as in this tournament.

To me they don't stand a chance. They were extremely lucky at the Div I WC and while they won it all, thus they deserve credit for that, I think that in a playoff round they wouldn't have had a chance at all against Kazakhstan and Austria.

 

[admire]

I just mean how much do you think your team can improve from this year because I think a lot of their top player weren't there and Andersen would make such a difference if he was there.

Depends on who we face in the QF...we will be a lot better but we had everybody except eller in september and we still didnt qualify for the olympics

 

[Urbanskog]

South Korea won't be any worse than Italy this year. In fact, they just started an 11-week training program after which they will travel to Europe to play against professional teams from Russia and the Czech Republic. Then there's of course the Olympic tournament, a good preparation tournament for the WC.

 

[pled]

Depends on who we face in the QF...we will be a lot better but we had everybody except eller in september and we still didnt qualify for the olympics

I guess that's on Kopitar carrying Slovenia

 

[tony d]

Will be interesting to see South Korea in the main tournament for next year. Canada may have to play them as well.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

South Korea won't be any worse than Italy this year.

I'd say that most of the Div. 1 teams were better than Italy. Before the tournament they played two games against Austria and one against Kazakhstan - they lost all three.

 

[Urbanskog]

I'd say that most of the Div. 1 teams were better than Italy. Before the tournament they played two games against Austria and one against Kazakhstan - they lost all three.

They had their moments too, though. They were just a minute away from sending Slovakia down.