WC: 2024 IIHF Division IA, Bolzano

[PanniniClaus]

I will be a party pooper and say it was due. There is no Belarus and Russia which by default allow them more cracks at 1A opposition, and they have slowly but surely adding more naturalized players in their roster that make the difference when it is needed.

No surprise - one thing I noticed in these threads is that if anyone makes a comment, it is immediately followed by more comments as to why a person should not think that way. It is actually the worst in the lower threads... You are not the only one at all so this is not an attack. I was called out for remarking on North Korea being very good despite having no structure to speak of and not playing for years. But our North Korean correspondent called me out for being a typical North American.. which it feels most do in the lower threads as we don't have a horse in the race per say

 

[PanniniClaus]

Hungary up 1-0 in the second, getting outshot 22-8. I was really hoping for more from Italy here.

I would like to know who here had Romania challenging for promotion on their bingo card.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I will be a party pooper and say it was due. There is no Belarus and Russia which by default allow them more cracks at 1A opposition, and they have slowly but surely adding more naturalized players in their roster that make the difference when it is needed.

Having said that, they have been an unimpressive 1B team before this fortunate elevation. And even then I thought they were pretty lucky to beat us last year. I think if anything, their relegation was due.

 

[Albatros]

Will be really tough with the promotion given that they lost to Italy, need Slovenia to beat Hungary and sufficient help from Korea against the Italians.

 

[Fyodorov]

just a thoroughly uninspiring tournament from Italy, and that's being kind

 

[PanniniClaus]

well - the final day will be sensational.

 

[Sanf]

I will be a party pooper and say it was due. There is no Belarus and Russia which by default allow them more cracks at 1A opposition, and they have slowly but surely adding more naturalized players in their roster that make the difference when it is needed.

Has Romania really added that many naturalized players to their team? I have feeling there was roughly as many when they promotod to 1A when Belarus and Russia were still in.

I would say this is one of the best if not the best Romanian result of my lifetime (which narrowly misses the 70´s).

 

[aquaregia]

Haaranen, Skachkov and Zagidullin the only three I notice, with Haaranen being the one new import since last years' championships

 

[SoundAndFury]

Has Romania really added that many naturalized players to their team? I have feeling there was roughly as many when they promotod to 1A when Belarus and Russia were still in.

Yeah, it's like a club with import slots. They use up one on a goalie, one on right-handed D and two on forwards.

The goalie thing fell through this year, for whatever reason just for Toke to have the tournament of his career.

 

[aquaregia]

Pity for Japan though, they did compete well as I anticipated but just have come up a little short when it's really mattered each time.

Romania winning that game tomorrow afternoon would make the subsequent two games that bit more fun, but would be a shame to see them go straight back down.

 

[FrHockeyFan]

Does anyone remember the opening game? The result has aged pretty badly.

 

[Albatros]

Though if Korea somehow takes two points from Italy today after Japan lost to Romania it's fine wine again.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Back to Romania, since I didn't have much time yesterday, that's the funny thing - imports are playing the smallest role for them over the past decade.

The import goalkeeper, a regular feature since 2018, is not there this year (I suppose Polc is going to retire?).

Skachkov, arguably the best player on the team when he first suited up for Romania, is now 39 and barely moves, his Este League stats are middling as well (down to 0,75 PPG compared to almost 2 PPG when he first arrived). 0 points and -5 this tournament, one could have argued beforehand he is a liability but certainly one in hindsight when he isn't scoring.

Matias Haaranen, an important part of the team as clearly the most offensively talented defenseman and almost a direct replacement to Pavlo Borysenko, has 0 points.

So arguably the most effective part of the team is Albert Zagidullin who has a goal and is a useful physical presence but at the same time, the player who even at best of times was fairly on par with the other Romanian top-6 forwards, not an outstanding player even at the level of old D1B. Someone who simply ran out of options to play professionally in Russia after not cutting it in the VHL. Someone who still gets outscored by glacial Skachkov in the Romanian league.

While you can't disregard their contributions completely, imports had very little notable impact for Romania in this campaign and certainly, as opposed to what ozo said, their role is diminishing, the smallest since 2017 I'd say.

So all in all, while Erste Liga has gotten a lot stronger financially and more professional, there isn't a great deal of improvement in Romanian hockey as their junior results clearly show. And this is the NT which before imports started making the difference (which also coincided with more consolidated work from the federation full of in-fighting before) used to be on an elevator from 1B to 2A.

The promotion to 1A was kinda shocking at the time and was considered a gigantic choke by Poles. Then while playing in 1A for the first time in 2022, they lose every game and get overtaken by Lithuania (which, trust me, is no hockey giant) and Korea. Get saved by no teams getting relegated that year. In 2023 they barely managed to beat us 3-2 rescued by, in my opinion, a ridiculous roster selection where we are basically forced to play with 4 defensemen and with no 2nd line, Latvian league's best forward missing for no real reason.

As a Lithuanian, I never considered Romanian NT stronger than us or Romania a stronger hockey nation than us. And results, across the board at all levels, seemed to confirm it. Now there might be some homer bias involved which I'm willing to discuss but at very least, the countries are very close. So seeing a well-informed poster like ozo suggest Romania is due for a shot at promotion to elite, is extremely surprising. To me, finishing 4th in 1A, would be punching way above their weight.

 

[Albatros]

Skačkov responds to criticism with 1+1 in the first. A bit of an unlucky period for both goalies, game very much open.

 

[Sanf]

Though if Korea somehow takes two points from Italy today after Japan lost to Romania it's fine wine again.

Yeah would be shocker. I would say Romania need to play more disciplined the last two periods that I have seen this far. But if they can keep this up it is an real possibility.

Italia has been disapointment and Korea would smell blood. Hungary has been also quite unimpressive and they would be in must win situation.

It is still far but only similar thing I can remember is the Britains rise up to Pool A edit in 1993. But there were quite many naturalized players and the newly independent hockey countries weren´t still there/or just launched from lower pools.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Skačkov responds to criticism with 1+1 in the first. A bit of an unlucky period for both goalies, game very much open.

Indeed. I wonder if it was me who did it

But obviously he is a good player, used to be a great player, so no way he felt good about himself with 0+0.

Although funny enough I just noticed, they still were on the ice for the Japanese goal as well

 

[ozo]

So seeing a well-informed poster like ozo suggest Romania is due for a shot at promotion to elite, is extremely surprising. To me, finishing 4th in 1A, would be punching way above their weight.

I was more thinking about pure math of it because 1/3 of the field get the promotion every year. They just need down year of couple of heavyweights combined with lucky results here or there and it pretty much is the situation we have on our hands today. The longer one team sticks around in 1A the more chances they have seeing all stars align correctly.

By the way, I would call Patrik Imre a pure import too.

 

[SoundAndFury]

By the way, I would call Patrik Imre a pure import too.

Being Hungarian I just assumed he wasn't a "real" import.

 

[Albatros]

Imre got his passport due to family roots in Transylvania, probably the initial idea was just to count as a local player while playing for Gyergyó and not as much swapping the national team.

 

[Albatros]

Not that Romania wouldn't fully deserve what they're achieving here, but it's wild if they go up and Japan down after this game.

 

[SoundAndFury]

One has to admit, great job by Romania in this one. While their situation somewhat reminds of China in 1B, they did have under 20 shots in all of their wins, they probably don't think of themselves as a true promotion contender either. Just a team that worked really hard and got some luck when needed.

 

[Sanf]

Very nice performance for Romania in this tournament. I think Japan failed on the key moments. Had good start, but then allowed goal. After tying the game sloppy play and Romania quickly back in lead. In third Romania took that mandatory bonehead penalty, but Japan played pitiful PP. Goal in there and it would have been rough end for Romania.

Yeah overall I don´t think it is great indicator of Romanian hockey. Junior teams are quite far from top. But decent core intact for some years. New coach brings new winds. But still a coach that knows the players well. And this time everything clicked.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Korea with their backup in the net who allows the goal in the first minute. Interesting.

Edit: and Korea might have equalized in the first minute. Even more interesting. Shocking play by Italy in the D-zone though.

 

[Albatros]

With these results Slovenia is promoted regardless of what happens today, dare I say congratulations already.

 

[Jon Riley]

Could have used some of this goals yesterday, but no they decided to try to see if it was possible to shoot on the goalie so much that you punch a hole through him