WJC: 2022 IIHF WM U20 D1A in Hörsholm, Denmark ( december 12 - 18)

[Eye of Ra]

Belarus
Denmark
Hungary – Promoted from Division I B
Kazakhstan – Relegated from Top Division
Latvia
Norway

I think Hungary and Kazaksthan will be the bottom teams.

Denmark, Norway, Latvia and Belarus looks even. Could go either way.

Click to read more...

 

[Mathieukferland]

I don’t know anything about this tournament but I’ve been to Hørsholm and it’s absolutely beautiful

 

[Eye of Ra]

Possible team Denmark:

Louis Ingvordsen
Jonas Rathje Skjoldå
Oliver Thestrup Hansen

Magnus Lykke Jonassen - Andreas Nielsson - Marcus Almquist
Jeppe Müller - Victor Sand - Frederik Brændgaard
Lukas Bang - Philip Nolsøe - Jonas Bjerrum
Jacob Møller Jensen - Oscar Fisker Mølgaard - Albert Schioldan
Mads Schlæger, Malte Kej Nielsen

Oliver Villadsen - Anton Stenbakken
Kasper Larsen - Mikkel Rask Nielsen
Jonas Jakobsen - William Back
Jonas Borring Hansen

Top player is Almquist.

Ingvordsen is kind of bigfoot here in Malmö. He have been on the bench many times in SHL but never played.

 

[Pan]

Belarus:

Kolosov
Zhigalov

Kuznetsov - Suvorov - Pinchuk
Klimovich - Yaruta M. - Antonovich
Demchenko - Klavdiyev - Palchik
Chezganov - Sidorov - Spat
Tarasevich/Bourosh

Kuzmin - Parfenyuk
Levshunov - Yaruta K.
Rogach - Yuzlenko
Gavrilov

Top player: Levshunov

 

[Namejs]

It's going to be between Latvia and Belarus. We have about 10 skaters in CHL/USHL, as well as a bunch in top Swedish junior leagues and Switzerland with a few getting ice time in NL.

Belarus has about 10 skaters in CHL and a team in the Belarusian domestic league.

Neither Denmark or Norway is quite at the same level.

 

[kudla]

Denmark isn't gonna be a threat. Belarus probably is the clear favorite

 

[SoundAndFury]

All hopes for Belarus blowing it like they always do. It is a good team though. Then again, they lost the promotion at home to Austria before so..

 

[Eye of Ra]

It's going to be between Latvia and Belarus. We have about 10 skaters in CHL/USHL, as well as a bunch in top Swedish junior leagues and Switzerland with a few getting ice time in NL.

Belarus has about 10 skaters in CHL and a team in the Belarusian domestic league.

Neither Denmark or Norway is quite at the same level.

Norway have 3 skaters in SHL, 7 in the best swedish junior league and 1 in CHL. Add to that a couple of players putting up good number of points in the Norweigan league. This might be Norways best u20 team ever actually.

Martin Johnsen - Mikkel Øby-Olsen - Philip Granath
Calle Spaberg Olsen - Leo Johansen Halmrast - Eskil Wold
Fredrik Bjørndal - Eskild Bakke Olsen - Sander Wold
Lucas Loob Trygg - Isak Saveski - Patrick Rørbu Elvsveen
Lars Petter Eckholm, Kasper Magnussen

Ole Julian Bjørgvik Holm - Sander Vold Engebråten
Tobias Degvold - Tobias Bjercke Larsen
Anders Jonassen - Jonas Slettebø Haughom
Isak Hansen

Sebastian Hagen Aarsund
Markus Røhnebæk Stensrud

 

[Pan]

Belarus has about 10 skaters in CHL and a team in the Belarusian domestic league.

In fact Belarus has 12 teams in the domestic league.

 

[Namejs]

In fact Belarus has 12 teams in the domestic league.

Just 12? Have they dissolved the 2nd division and the junior team?

 

[Pan]

Have they dissolved the 2nd division

Yes, from this season.

and the junior team?

2 years ago, after the home D1 junior championship.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Possible Latvia team?

Ansons - Darzins - Ravinskis
Vilmanis - Lavins - Locmelis
Benislavskis - Ziemins - Purmalis
Gavars - Silkalns - Veinbergs
Karasa

Brants - Hodass
Fenenko - Bergmanis
Ozolins - Ornins
Gorsanovs

Mezsargs
Bruveris
Lazdins

 

[yrmj3]

Belarus:

Kolosov
Zhigalov

Kuznetsov - Suvorov - Pinchuk
Klimovich - Yaruta M. - Antonovich
Demchenko - Klavdiyev - Palchik
Chezganov - Sidorov - Spat
Tarasevich/Bourosh

Kuzmin - Parfenyuk
Levshunov - Yaruta K.
Rogach - Yuzlenko
Gavrilov

Top player: Levshunov

minus Zhigalov at least

 

[ozo]

minus Zhigalov at least

If Kolosov is there, itshould not matter. Unfortunately, I imagine similar bad news will keep trickling in...

 

[A Bundy]

Norway have 3 skaters in SHL, 7 in the best swedish junior league and 1 in CHL. Add to that a couple of players putting up good number of points in the Norweigan league. This might be Norways best u20 team ever actually.

Totally agree, and by looking at the other rosters I think Norway will be a contender and [with all kinds of bias] my favourite in this group. The depth of this generation is kind of illustrated by Calle Spaberg Olsen with ten SHL games likely not even making the cut for the team as he prioritized his club at the last camp this fall. Other mentionable additions not mentioned in your post is GK Fabian Plogås who is having a good season for Narvik, a top team in Norway II, Gabriel Koch allthough young and rather small (but feisty) and playing big minutes for Vålerenga, Andreas Dahl big and hard player for Storhamar playing a lot in the top Norwegian league. Biggest differenciator from previous years is the management side with Tobias Johansson, John Riley and Stephen Wiedler.

The team to the four nations (Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia and Norway) next week-end is:
GK
Fabian Plogås
Magnus Knutsen
Markus Røhnebæk Stensrud*
D
Sander Vold Engebråten (Why he is not drafted is a mystery)*
Isak Hansen
Jonas Slettebø Haughom
Anders Jonassen
Gabriel Koch*
Jesper Martinsen Lilleberg
Johan Selnes
F
Sondre Andreas Ahlsen
Andreas Dahl
Patrick Rørbu Elvsveen*
Philip Granath*
Leo Johansen Halmrast*
Martin Johnsen*
Eskild Bakke Olsen*
Andre Bjelland Strandborg
Lucas Loob Trygg
Filip Wiberg
Eskil Wold*
Sander Wold
Mikkel Øby-Olsen*
David Andreas Aas-Larsen

*Especially interested in watching these players.

Possible additions will be Ole Bjørvik Holm, Mats Bakke Olsen and Calle Spaberg Olsen.
Most if not all of these players are playing good adult minutes in either the Norwegian top league, top Norwegian II clubs, SHL or Sweden U20. I guess i depends where you would rank the top Norwegian League vs other leagues, but from a Norwegian perspective this looks pretty good when looking a the top two / three forward lines and top defenders. The goaltending has maybe been better, but there are new resources on the bench that might make up for some of that. Some players (E.g. Wiberg) are a bit surprising additions and might be included for more physcal roles, but don't know them so hard to tell. Guess we'll get some answers next week-end in the 4 Nations.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Totally agree, and by looking at the other rosters I think Norway will be a contender and [with all kinds of bias] my favourite in this group.

Definitely a pretty competitive team and a great one by Norwegian standards but to see one as a favorite you need to compare it to the other teams. The forward group seems to be pretty deep but I doubt any of these guys stand up in comparison to Suvorov or Klimovich. But it is close. Defensemen seem to be worse, especially so if Holm doesn't come (why wouldn't he though?) and in goal, well Belarus has a KHL starter there so nobody is going to match them there.

So yeah, good enough team to make it interesting (which is great from a neutral spectator's perspective) but objectively definitely not the favorite. At this level, you most often win by your top players truly being head and shoulders above the rest. I don't think Norway can bring that.

 

[A Bundy]

Definitely a pretty competitive team and a great one by Norwegian standards but to see one as a favorite you need to compare it to the other teams. The forward group seems to be pretty deep but I doubt any of these guys stand up in comparison to Suvorov or Klimovich. But it is close. Defensemen seem to be worse, especially so if Holm doesn't come (why wouldn't he though?) and in goal, well Belarus has a KHL starter there so nobody is going to match them there.

So yeah, good enough team to make it interesting (which is great from a neutral spectator's perspective) but objectively definitely not the favorite. At this level, you most often win by your top players truly being head and shoulders above the rest. I don't think Norway can bring that.

Ouch, the goaltending of Belarus was not in contention. That's gonna be a tough one. No reason why Holm would not join, but he is under a contract so. Gonna be fun, and looking forward to the four nations at Lillehammer this week-end. The new rescources and management around Norway is big part of the optimism.

 

[yrmj3]

4 Nations Cup
Belarus - Denmark

 

[ozo]

Belarus outside PP looked unimpressive against Austria yesterday, but oh boy, they are dominating Denmark today. And the more I see Levshunov the more I like him, the way he quarterbacks PP at his age is amazing.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Latvia loses to Austria. Interesting.

 

[Pan]

Well then...
Belarus went through November 4 nations tournament with 4-1 win over Austria, 8-1 over Denmark and 6-1 over Latvia.
Austria was made up mainly of 2004 borns and I believe Denmark and Latvia were missing their key players (?) while Belarus was closer to their optimal lineup.
The top lines are only missing the AHLer Klimovich for whom as far as I'm aware participating in the WM20 D1 was the part of the deal with Vancouver.
Kuzmin will bring first pass in offence and some creativity in PP and Rogach is to bring his size, slapshot and confident play from the mens league.
Not sure if Klavdiyev, Sapelnikov, Sidorov etc are able to come over from the CHL and whether the head coach expects them to come but I don't really believe these kids are huge asset for the bottom six.
Goaltending seemed quite solid even without Kolosov but fingers crossed he is doing well by the WM20. Him and Klimovich are really different makers for this team.

 

[ozo]

Well then...
Belarus went through November 4 nations tournament with 4-1 win over Austria, 8-1 over Denmark and 6-1 over Latvia.
Austria was made up mainly of 2004 borns and I believe Denmark and Latvia were missing their key players (?) while Belarus was closer to their optimal lineup.
The top lines are only missing the AHLer Klimovich for whom as far as I'm aware participating in the WM20 D1 was the part of the deal with Vancouver.
Kuzmin will bring first pass in offence and some creativity in PP and Rogach is to bring his size, slapshot and confident play from the mens league.
Not sure if Klavdiyev, Sapelnikov, Sidorov etc are able to come over from the CHL and whether the head coach expects them to come but I don't really believe these kids are huge asset for the bottom six.
Goaltending seemed quite solid even without Kolosov but fingers crossed he is doing well by the WM20. Him and Klimovich are really different makers for this team.

All things considered this might be the strongest ever Belarus U20 team ever. Makes sense when we look at recent U18 team success, doesn't it.

 

[Pan]

All things considered this might be the strongest ever Belarus U20 team ever. Makes sense when we look at recent U18 team success, doesn't it.

Based on how things are going now for the 2001 class, I'd say that that team, enhanced with the Suvorov-Pinchuk-Kuznetsov line, potentially could be better. But we will never find out

 

[SoundAndFury]

All things considered this might be the strongest ever Belarus U20 team ever. Makes sense when we look at recent U18 team success, doesn't it.

Seems more or less on the same level as the last one, doesn't it?

 

[ozo]

Seems more or less on the same level as the last one, doesn't it?

If we look purely at the "prettiest' last names on the roster - maybe, I'm not gonna split hairs. But I feel the better players all were underagers unlike this time around. Also this year there is no chance that Belarus coaching staff will start the tournament with the wrong goalie in net which is a big deal in short tournaments like this.