WC: 2021 Norway Roster Talk
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Heia Norge
Registered User
Updated team Norway roster prior to the exhibition games versus Denmark 6 – 13 may:
Goalies:
Jonas Arntzen (Örebro - SHL)
Henrik Haukeland (Färjestad - SHL)
Henrik Holm (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Defenders:
Sondre Bjerke (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Christian Bull (Krefeld - DEL)
Jonas Holøs (Linköping - SHL)
Johannes Johannesen (Düsseldorfer - DEL)
Christian Kåsastul (AIK - Allsvenskan)
Emil Lilleberg (Sarpsborg - GET ligaen)
Håkon Nilsen (Manglerud - GET ligaen)
Daniel Bøen Rokseth (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Max Krogdahl (Coventry Blaze - EIHL Series)
Kristian Østby (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Forwards:
Gustav Willman Borvik (Kristianstads - Allsvenskan)
Andreas Heier (Stjernen - GET ligaen)
Magnus Brekke Henriksen (Lørenskog - GET ligaen)
Ludvig Hoff (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Tommy Kristiansen (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Tobias Lindström (Vålerenga - GET ligaen)
Jacob Lundell Noer (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Ken Andre Olimb (Düsseldorfer - DEL)
Thomas Valkvae Olsen (Frisk Asker - GET ligaen)
Martin Rønnild (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Martin Røymark (Vålerenga - GET ligaen)
Eirik Salsten (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Samuel Solem (AIK - Allsvenskan)
Mathias Trettenes (La Chaux-de-Fonds - SL)
Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Stockton Heat - AHL)
Sondre Olden (La Chaux-de-Fonds - SL)
Mats Rosseli Olsen (Frölunda - SHL)
Will most likely join the team within days:
C/RW- Mathis Olimb (Grizzlys Wolfsburg - DEL)
D - Ole Bjørgvik Holm (Cleveland Monsters - AHL)
D- Erlend Lesund (Rögle - SHL)
D - Mattias Nørstebø (Mora IK - Allsvenskan)
D- Stefan Espeland (EC Salzburg - ICEHL)
C/LW - Michael Haga (Djurgården - SHL)
I dont think Zuccarello will be able to play in this tournament due to the fact that Minnesota are going to play in the Stanly cup playoffs.
Goalies:
Jonas Arntzen (Örebro - SHL)
Henrik Haukeland (Färjestad - SHL)
Henrik Holm (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Defenders:
Sondre Bjerke (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Christian Bull (Krefeld - DEL)
Jonas Holøs (Linköping - SHL)
Johannes Johannesen (Düsseldorfer - DEL)
Christian Kåsastul (AIK - Allsvenskan)
Emil Lilleberg (Sarpsborg - GET ligaen)
Håkon Nilsen (Manglerud - GET ligaen)
Daniel Bøen Rokseth (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Max Krogdahl (Coventry Blaze - EIHL Series)
Kristian Østby (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Forwards:
Gustav Willman Borvik (Kristianstads - Allsvenskan)
Andreas Heier (Stjernen - GET ligaen)
Magnus Brekke Henriksen (Lørenskog - GET ligaen)
Ludvig Hoff (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Tommy Kristiansen (Stavanger - GET ligaen)
Tobias Lindström (Vålerenga - GET ligaen)
Jacob Lundell Noer (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Ken Andre Olimb (Düsseldorfer - DEL)
Thomas Valkvae Olsen (Frisk Asker - GET ligaen)
Martin Rønnild (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Martin Røymark (Vålerenga - GET ligaen)
Eirik Salsten (Storhamar - GET ligaen)
Samuel Solem (AIK - Allsvenskan)
Mathias Trettenes (La Chaux-de-Fonds - SL)
Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Stockton Heat - AHL)
Sondre Olden (La Chaux-de-Fonds - SL)
Mats Rosseli Olsen (Frölunda - SHL)
Will most likely join the team within days:
C/RW- Mathis Olimb (Grizzlys Wolfsburg - DEL)
D - Ole Bjørgvik Holm (Cleveland Monsters - AHL)
D- Erlend Lesund (Rögle - SHL)
D - Mattias Nørstebø (Mora IK - Allsvenskan)
D- Stefan Espeland (EC Salzburg - ICEHL)
C/LW - Michael Haga (Djurgården - SHL)
I dont think Zuccarello will be able to play in this tournament due to the fact that Minnesota are going to play in the Stanly cup playoffs.
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PanniniClaus
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- Oct 12, 2006
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Fjorden
Registered User
I think we are coming closer now to a starting lineup. Without Zuccarello and Thoresen the main problem is that we only have one decent playmaker Mathis Olimb. Mathias Emilio Pettersen(Stockton heat) it'll be interesting to see him in his first international senior tournament, he has done ok in his first AHL season so far. Ole Julian Bjørgvik Holm is also interesting a back from Cleveland monsters in AHL, very good size.
Lines:
GK: Arntzen(Ørebro,SHL) 2nd. Haukeland(Färjestad,SHL) 3rd Holm(Stavanger, Norway)
Forwards:
1st.Mathis Olimb(Wolfsburg, DEL)-Lindstrøm(Vålerenga, Norway)-Ken Andre Olimb(Düsseldorf,DEL)
2nd.Michael Haga(Djurgården, SHL)-Mathias Trettenes(La chaux de fonds, SL)-Mats Rosseli Olsen(Frölunda, SHL)
3r.dGustav Borvik(Södertälje, Allsvenskan)-Mathias Emilio Pettersen(Stockton, AHL)-Sondre Olden(La chaux de fonds, SL)
4th.Andreas Heier(Stjernen, Norway)-Martin Røymark(Vålerengs, Norway)-Tommy Kristiansen(Stavanger,Norway)
reserves: Thomas Valkvae Olsen(Fris Asker, norway)-Ludvig Hoff(Stavanger,norway)-Samuel Solem(AIK, Allsvenskan)
Backs:
Jonas Holøs(Linköping, SHL)-Emil Lilleberg(Oskarshamn, SHL)
Erlend Lesund(Rögle, SHL)-Ole Julian Holm(Cleveland, AHL)
Christian Kåsastul(AIK, Allsvenskan)-Johannes Johannesen(Düsseldorf,DEL)
Stefan Espeland(Salzburg, Austria)
reserves: Christian Bull(Krefeld)-Nørstebø(Mora, Allsvenskan)
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Eye of Ra
Grandmaster General of the International boards
Where is Andreas Martinsen?
Anyways, Tobias Lindström, is a swede. Its the only import on the team. Just having 1 or 2 is not end of world. But dont become like Belarus and Kazaksthan, having 5+ imports on the team.
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Fjorden
Registered User
Martinsen will go through knee surgery.
About Lindström. It wasn't a planned import as you se in other countries
. He has just lived in Norway for many years. You've to live here at least seven years to get citizenship so it's not a fast track here as in e.g Kazakhstan.
Fjorden
Registered User
Martinsen will go through knee surgery.
About Lindström: Don't think he was a planned import
He has just lived here for a very long time. You've to live here for at least seven years and pass a test in norwegian langugage to get citizenship so it is not a fast track here as in Kazakhstan.
Heia Norge
Registered User
The main issue here is that we don’t have the offensive sharpness to do anything against Germany or Latvia. We may beat Italy and Kazakhstan (I’m not even sure if we beat the Kazakhs). It may look decent on the goalie and D side, but that’s about it.
The Norwegian development team have failed to replace good offensive players like Per Aage Skroder and Tore Vikingstad. These offensive players where very important to our national team. Pettersen is a great talent and can potentially be our next NHL player, but we need more players to step up. The lack of talents, depth and quality is unbearable.
The Norwegian development team have failed to replace good offensive players like Per Aage Skroder and Tore Vikingstad. These offensive players where very important to our national team. Pettersen is a great talent and can potentially be our next NHL player, but we need more players to step up. The lack of talents, depth and quality is unbearable.
SoundAndFury
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- May 28, 2012
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Yeah Norway is one of the biggest sinkers in hockey over the last decade or so. With the general rise of hockey in post-Soviet countries, Norway is going to fight to stay in the Elite relatively soon. Not gonna lie, Kazakhstan (or to borrow the term aptly applied to them, KanSwedstan) is already looking stronger on paper.
Having said that, I really like the role of Norway in this WC. They will be the team everyone has to beat to have reasonable chances at QF but at the same time, Norway (unlike Italy) still has the strength to play the spoiler.
Having said that, I really like the role of Norway in this WC. They will be the team everyone has to beat to have reasonable chances at QF but at the same time, Norway (unlike Italy) still has the strength to play the spoiler.
Fjorden
Registered User
It hasn't been done a good job when it comes to development of new players. 80s generation was good, but now most of the core players are about to retire or decline soon like Olimb, Holøs, Thoresen. And many have already retired like Holtet, Tollefsen, Vikingstad, Bastiansen, Skrøder, Trygg. 90s generation have been like a lost decade for norwegian icehockey if you look at talent development. However their are some interesting players from 2000s and up generation with good potential. So from 2000s and up it certainly looks better than the 90s generation.
About releagtion I dont fear that as long as Italy and Great Britain are in the elite group. But from 2023 when teams like Austria and France likely are back it may be a fight for survival if not more young players step up. So this covid years gives us as least some extra time to build a new team without the risk of relegation. So there will be big changes in the roster the coming years and big shoes to fill for the next generation.
Fjorden
Registered User
I think the main reason is the lack of ice rinks here. Canada:2860, USA:1550, Sweden:363, Finland:282-------Norway:50 rinks.
Also the domestic league Fjordkraftligaen isn't very strong financially so most teams are semi-proffesional except for Stavanger Oilerrs that are financialy robust. However some new arenas are newly finished and some will be finished soon, that will make it easier to attract sponsors and commercialize the league and clubs will increase their revenue, and hopefully make the league full-proffesional so that the top players can live of their sport without having full time jobs.
With those constraints it's hard to compete without enough rinks and without a full proffesional league.
Friar85
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- Dec 16, 2013
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SoundAndFury
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- May 28, 2012
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Honestly, the whole "number of rinks" thingie is way overblown. It's not really about the number of rinks, it's about how productive the programs being taught in those rinks is. Unless the number is critically low, it hardly matters (countries like Latvia or Belarus being a prime example). Not to mention, that if Norway does indeed have 50 rinks, per capita they are significantly ahead of Switzerland or Russia.
Fjorden
Registered User
Norway is a very widespread country and comparable to Sweden and Finland in size and geography. The distances here are much larger than in those countries you're mentioning(Switzerand, Latvia, Belarus) except for Russia. In eastern Norway around Oslo it is decent coverage of ice rinks. But in other parts of the country icehockey does not excist, because there are no rinks.
Under you can see what happened with the number of active players in Stavanger when they built the new arena in Stavanger plus two new indoor practice rinks. Since 2013 the number of active players have been booming from 73 in 2013 to 1092 in 2018. That gives us a much larger base to pick players from.
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It's not all about the rinks, nor it's all about the number of players.Norway is a very widespread country and comparable to Sweden and Finland in size and geography. The distances here are much larger than in those countries you're mentioning(Switzerand, Latvia, Belarus) except for Russia. In eastern Norway around Oslo it is decent coverage of ice rinks. But in other parts of the country icehockey does not excist, because there are no rinks.
Under you can see what happened with the number of active players in Stavanger when they built the new arena in Stavanger plus two new indoor practice rinks. Since 2013 the number of active players have been booming from 73 in 2013 to 1092 in 2018. That gives us a much larger base to pick players from.
These variables are only prerequisites or filters, if you will, but they do not guarantee any sort of success at the national team level.
Larger countries with a substantial amount of rinks AND players, such as Japan or Poland, are still terrible. You can't grow hockey tradition and expertise out of a gardening pot with some water and sunshine.
Trying to create an autonomous hockey system up until the pro level on your own actually takes a huge toll on the efficiency with which elite level talents are being pumped out.
The most talented Latvian kids after the age of 14-17 are mostly using other hockey systems with way more competitive junior leagues as a platform for continued growth, be it Sweden, the US, Canada or Switzerland.
If they all stayed in Latvia and our focus was on improving the Latvian domestic league, they would all plateau at some point.
So having a thousand kids playing hockey is nice, but when their parents have to decide whether they want to send their kid abroad across an ocean, what matters is the love for hockey and the depth of hockey tradition in your country.
And something tells me it's going to be primarily Sweden and the kids playing in Eastern Norway who are going to move to a more competitive foreign league. Others are mostly going to stay at home and finish their schools.
For Norway it's extremely important to use Sweden and Swedish expertise and get dozens of Swedish coaches in.
A Bundy
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- Mar 3, 2021
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I think there's a lot of good things happening in Norwegain hockey these days, and don't share the glass half-empty sentiments. Stavanger, Vålerenga, Storhamar, Lillehammer, Frisk Asker and soon Stjernen have really nice areanas. Norwegian teams have been doing pretty well in CHL compared to the European experiences in the [Soviet-era] old days when we maybe ranked higher with out national team. Not sure, but I would say that the GET league is closer to Allsvenskan than the Danish Metal-ligaen at this point. Norway lack the top-talent that Denmark by some mircale have managed to produce for the past decade, and they lack a good programme for the national teams like thay have in Austria. The lack of results in U18 and U20 worlds are mostly due to lack of means for the development of these teams IMO. At the U16 level Norway has been quite competetive for a long run, but so far it has not translated well to teh U18 and U 20 performances. Recruitment is on the rise, and the talents are coming from a wider range of clubs than previously. I also think that the Norwegian team is underestimated for this tournament when looking at the predictions on this board, especially when it comes to offencie capabilities. The Olimb brothers seem as good as ever, Rossell Olsen is better than ever playing 2nd line at Frølunda with a recent contract extension. Mattias Emilio Pettersen has offensive potential, while Lilleberg (SHL next year) and Holm (one of the youngest Ds in the AHL playing 1st line for Cleveland) are certainly interesting youth. The team is also among the youngest given the current roster, barring Italy who will likely kick out their juniors well before the event. I also have high offensive hopes for Haga after suffering from Corona + injury, Valkve Olsen, Trettenes who has been playing really well in SL and also NL in Switzerland. If they can (for once) run with the best goaltender (Holm or Arntzen pls) I think they could be a real positive surprise in this tournament. Biggest questionmark is maybe if the coaching team can get the best out of this team.
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Fjorden
Registered User
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These variables are only prerequisites or filters, if you will, but they do not guarantee any sort of success at the national team level.
Larger countries with a substantial amount of rinks AND players, such as Japan or Poland, are still terrible. You can't grow hockey tradition and expertise out of a gardening pot with some water and sunshine.
Well I don't know much about the situation in Japan and Poland. But what I can say that in Stavanger Oilers they've succeeded in attracting a broader audience than just the traditional "hockey geek". E.g trying new things like playing on the small rink, north american size so that the games have more speed, restaurant, cheerleaders, bar, premium boxes, shops in the new arena. Now three additional teams will have this Frisk Asker, Vålerenga and Stjernen will also build new arenas with north american size rink, restaurant, bar, premium boxes, shops inside the arena. People want come and sit inside a dark and cold barn today and watch hcoeky. All this generates a much larger cashflow for the clubs so that they can develop and invest in e.g new coaches, players, practice rinks, development programs and professionalise more.
Trying to create an autonomous hockey system up until the pro level on your own actually takes a huge toll on the efficiency with which elite level talents are being pumped ou
The most talented Latvian kids after the age of 14-17 are mostly using other hockey systems with way more competitive junior leagues as a platform for continued growth, be it Sweden, the US, Canada or Switzerland.
If they all stayed in Latvia and our focus was on improving the Latvian domestic league, they would all plateau at some point.
So having a thousand kids playing hockey is nice, but when their parents have to decide whether they want to send their kid abroad across an ocean, what matters is the love for hockey and the depth of hockey tradition in your country.
Their are other paths than going to North america as 14 year old, for some that's the right thing to do, and that's fine. But their are also examples on players going through the domestic system here first. E.g Zuccarello and Espen Knutsen. Zuccarello started his career in Norway, before he went to Sweden(SHL), then some years in KHL and AHL before he became a regular player in New York Rangers at age 25-26. So we need to offer a path for those kinda players too, that aren't on the NHL radar at the age of 14. We can develop players here too. It's not the point that all players shall stay in Norway their whole career, if they're good they'll get contracts abroad.
And something tells me it's going to be primarily Sweden and the kids playing in Eastern Norway who are going to move to a more competitive foreign league. Others are mostly going to stay at home and finish their schools.
Their are also new players coming from other parts of Norway now like Trettenes and Johannesen from Western Norway who plays in switzerland and germany and on the national team. Quite newly the two first new rinks have been built in Narvik and Tromsø in the northern part of Norway. So I'm sure we in the future will se good players from many parts of the country.
For Norway it's extremely important to use Sweden and Swedish expertise and get dozens of Swedish coaches in.
To do that we have to have clubs with solid economy that's why they are working towards that. The swedes want come here and work for free, at least not the good coaches. Some clubs have foreign coaches. Swedes, canadians, finns, americans and also russian coaches have worked here. The clubs will play a major part in development of new players. We have to work on devolpment here too, and not just rely on other countries developing our players. I see nothing wrong in wanting to improve the quality of our own systems here.
These variables are only prerequisites or filters, if you will, but they do not guarantee any sort of success at the national team level.
Larger countries with a substantial amount of rinks AND players, such as Japan or Poland, are still terrible. You can't grow hockey tradition and expertise out of a gardening pot with some water and sunshine.
Well I don't know much about the situation in Japan and Poland. But what I can say that in Stavanger Oilers they've succeeded in attracting a broader audience than just the traditional "hockey geek". E.g trying new things like playing on the small rink, north american size so that the games have more speed, restaurant, cheerleaders, bar, premium boxes, shops in the new arena. Now three additional teams will have this Frisk Asker, Vålerenga and Stjernen will also build new arenas with north american size rink, restaurant, bar, premium boxes, shops inside the arena. People want come and sit inside a dark and cold barn today and watch hcoeky. All this generates a much larger cashflow for the clubs so that they can develop and invest in e.g new coaches, players, practice rinks, development programs and professionalise more.
Trying to create an autonomous hockey system up until the pro level on your own actually takes a huge toll on the efficiency with which elite level talents are being pumped ou
The most talented Latvian kids after the age of 14-17 are mostly using other hockey systems with way more competitive junior leagues as a platform for continued growth, be it Sweden, the US, Canada or Switzerland.
If they all stayed in Latvia and our focus was on improving the Latvian domestic league, they would all plateau at some point.
So having a thousand kids playing hockey is nice, but when their parents have to decide whether they want to send their kid abroad across an ocean, what matters is the love for hockey and the depth of hockey tradition in your country.
Their are other paths than going to North america as 14 year old, for some that's the right thing to do, and that's fine. But their are also examples on players going through the domestic system here first. E.g Zuccarello and Espen Knutsen. Zuccarello started his career in Norway, before he went to Sweden(SHL), then some years in KHL and AHL before he became a regular player in New York Rangers at age 25-26. So we need to offer a path for those kinda players too, that aren't on the NHL radar at the age of 14. We can develop players here too. It's not the point that all players shall stay in Norway their whole career, if they're good they'll get contracts abroad.
And something tells me it's going to be primarily Sweden and the kids playing in Eastern Norway who are going to move to a more competitive foreign league. Others are mostly going to stay at home and finish their schools.
Their are also new players coming from other parts of Norway now like Trettenes and Johannesen from Western Norway who plays in switzerland and germany and on the national team. Quite newly the two first new rinks have been built in Narvik and Tromsø in the northern part of Norway. So I'm sure we in the future will se good players from many parts of the country.
For Norway it's extremely important to use Sweden and Swedish expertise and get dozens of Swedish coaches in.
To do that we have to have clubs with solid economy that's why they are working towards that. The swedes want come here and work for free, at least not the good coaches. Some clubs have foreign coaches. Swedes, canadians, finns, americans and also russian coaches have worked here. The clubs will play a major part in development of new players. We have to work on devolpment here too, and not just rely on other countries developing our players. I see nothing wrong in wanting to improve the quality of our own systems here.
There is nothing wrong with it, in fact, Norway has the money to pull it off, but there will not be any immediate gains and by going through this route you run the risk of plateauing your entire programme.
It's definitely a good thing for hockey INSIDE Norway, but you might not reap any fruits for a long time in respect to your national team. The UK also has a domestic hockey market, but once you attract spectators and get a decent enough cash flow, it also becomes easier to attract import players... and rely on them.
I guess my bottom line is that there are plenty of caveats and there are no guarantees of great success here.
Name Nameless
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Probably many reasons. All the normal ones, with the big threshold for starting up a hockey team, you need a rink, skates, etc etc. This makes it really hard to practice it at the schools in the physical education or whatever you call it. This unlike playing soccer or handball, which is done a lot. Norway is very individualistic, most sports Norway is good at, are individualistic sports. Of course, everybody plays soccer, which is the big exception. But Norway is bad at basketball too, though. Skis, not skates, are the big thing in the winter in more rural areas.
Hockey grew up as an inner-city labour class sport. It's not so much left of the inner-city labour class, so, it's a miracle hockey is still alive.
It's also a catch-22 here: the lack of stars internationally. I sometimes wonder what had happened if Bjørn "Botta" Skaare hadn't been injured in his first, and only, NHL-game in 1978. So the old guards attitude of hurting new Euros there might have cost Norwegian hockey so much. Yeah, I'm bitter.
Without Espen Knutsen and now in the last years Zuccarello, I think hockey in Norway would have struggled even more mightily.
And now for something completely different. Regarding this roster: luckily, the goalies are good. Norway defeated Denmark in a pre-tournament game, 4-0. After having been outshot 35-20 or something. So, good goalies ATM. Mathias Emilio Pettersen (Flames prospect) got the MVP-award for his two goals for Norway, so you can understand how desperat they are for success in the NHL, he was shaking his head for them not giving it to Haukeland for the shut-out. No pressure, kid. No pressure.
Friar85
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- Dec 16, 2013
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Thank you for the reply. I had never heard the Skaare story, but I am old enough to remember the NHL in those days and the attitude towards European players. Thanks for passing that along.
SoundAndFury
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- May 28, 2012
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Really quite an impressive game against Denmark yesterday and 2/2 wins against them, really makes me quite a bit more optimistic against Norway's chances against Kazakhs/Germany/Latvia. Pettersen has struggled just a little bit in the AHL purely from a stat-watching perspective but he's going to be a fine player and probably even an NHL one.
QF is probably impossible but as I said a few days ago, Norway is in an excellent position and fully capable to ruin someone's tournament.
QF is probably impossible but as I said a few days ago, Norway is in an excellent position and fully capable to ruin someone's tournament.
A Bundy
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- Mar 3, 2021
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Agree! Pettersen was really good, and Trettenes has really taken steps. Wonder who would be shaved off this roster last inning, but I think Olden and Røymark have been a underwhealming these games and would rather see the younger Solem, Brekke, Borvik and Hoff making it. Totally agree that the Norwegian team is one of the most interesting for a while, and gonna be fun to watch. Big game against Germany first out. Quite some interesting alternatives on the defensive side as well, with Lilleberg and Holm as additions to Lesund and Holøs. A well rounded team. If they can produce an upset against Germany, the QF should be well within reach in this group.
fredrikstad
Registered User
"Now three additional teams will have this Frisk Asker, Vålerenga and Stjernen will also build new arenas with north american size rink"
I think it's great that they are building new arenas, and they need at least two rinks one main surface and one for development. But in my opinion, they should stick to IIHF rink sized surfaces. I think the European sized rinks, tends to develop stronger skaters, and more entertaining games for our skill levels. And Stavanger and Vålerenga wouldn't be allowed to arrange any world or Olympic tournaments. In worst case go for the hybrid size like Finland and Czechs with 62 by 28 meters.
I think it's great that they are building new arenas, and they need at least two rinks one main surface and one for development. But in my opinion, they should stick to IIHF rink sized surfaces. I think the European sized rinks, tends to develop stronger skaters, and more entertaining games for our skill levels. And Stavanger and Vålerenga wouldn't be allowed to arrange any world or Olympic tournaments. In worst case go for the hybrid size like Finland and Czechs with 62 by 28 meters.
