2024 IIHF U20 World Championship, Division IIA

[SoundAndFury]

Since the Grandmaster General of the International boards Eye of Ra insisted we have separate threads this year, here is one for those few GB fans and the usual lower-tier hockey enjoyers. You know who you are. This year, it's:

China
Great Britain
Lithuania
Netherlands
South Korea
Spain

For a change, Lithuania is probably the favorite with by far the most talent, having said that almost half of the team is still eligible for the U18s. The leaders should still be the 19-year-olds (Seniuta, Dumčius, Dėdinas) which means the blend of guys who will soon graduate and the teenage boys is just about right to call them favorites with reasonable certainty.

GB is the home team of course they probably think of themselves as favorites and will try to prove it, they have a much older team with solid 19-year-olds (Hazeldine, Hopkins, Endicott) as well. For comparison's sake, there are 2 U18s on the final GB roster and ~10 on the Lithuanian one (it will most likely be announced tomorrow).

Other teams are a bit of a mystery as usual since there is either nothing known or nothing to know about them. Korea will certainly have a strong team as well as they are at the D1B level in U18s and demolished nations like Estonia or Poland there last year. That is, however, more or less all we know. But a legitimate dark horse, based on the past results alone they may very well be the strongest team, just that the fog of war makes it very hard to determine it.

If somebody has insights to share, please do. Games start next week, on December 11th.

Click to read more...

 

[SoundAndFury]

Korean roster is baffling, none of their 10 leading U18 scorers are there. I struggle to find any semi-reasonable explanation for it.

 

[ozo]

GB brings the least talent in a while and Grubb is still "coaching" so things look bleak for them. Ben Norton will have to stand on his head for this team.

 

[hockey20000]

korea vs lithunia has started 0-0 half way thru the first

 

[SoundAndFury]

Korean goalie the main difference in the game but well, those are a part of the team. It just sucks to be almost out of contention after game 1 of the tournament.

 

[JimXVX]

GB brings the least talent in a while and Grubb is still "coaching" so things look bleak for them. Ben Norton will have to stand on his head for this team.

He must have some fairly incriminating photos of the IHUK executive; not sure how else to explain the job for life.

 

[SoundAndFury]

GB were beaten 5-1 by Korea in a pre-tournament friendly by the way, so Koreans are very much in the driver's seat of the division.

 

[aquaregia]

https://www.youtube.com/@DumfriesIceBowl

Assuming people from outside the UK can watch, but games being streamed on this channel

Nice result for China btw, assuming their picking of heritage players based in NA is a relatively new development at youth level for them?

 

[aquaregia]

Korean goalie the main difference in the game but well, those are a part of the team. It just sucks to be almost out of contention after game 1 of the tournament.

And well, don't lose too much heart!
It would be a very 'team GB' thing for us to lose 7-0 to Lithuania and then scrape a 3-2 win against the Koreans when there's nothing left to play for!

 

[MeHateHe]

https://www.youtube.com/@DumfriesIceBowl

Assuming people from outside the UK can watch, but games being streamed on this channel

Nice result for China btw, assuming their picking of heritage players based in NA is a relatively new development at youth level for them?

Looks like the broadcast team is working from a bomb shelter. If they blink three times rapidly in succession, does that mean they need help?

 

[aquaregia]

bomb shelter, provincial British venue, what's the difference?

 

[FourQuarters]

https://www.youtube.com/@DumfriesIceBowl

Assuming people from outside the UK can watch, but games being streamed on this channel

Nice result for China btw, assuming their picking of heritage players based in NA is a relatively new development at youth level for them?

The vast majority of the team's players were born and trained in China.

 

[wetcoast]

Korean roster is baffling, none of their 10 leading U18 scorers are there. I struggle to find any semi-reasonable explanation for it.

I hope we get some kind of answer here because I'm tired of sleepless nights wondering about the U20 South Korean team.

 

[TomB]

Korean roster is baffling, none of their 10 leading U18 scorers are there. I struggle to find any semi-reasonable explanation for it.

Just spitballing, but if they're now over 18 they may be doing their compulsory military service? It's a minimum of 18 months in South Korea.

 

[FastEddie]

Eye of Ra had a point and that's why he's Grandmaster General. It's nice for there to be a devoted thread to the lower tiers. Makes me more interested.

 

[aquaregia]

The vast majority of the team's players were born and trained in China.

Yeah, was just a bit surprised that there were any 'outsiders' at all, didn't mean to imply they were the majority.

 

[FourQuarters]

Yeah, was just a bit surprised that there were any 'outsiders' at all, didn't mean to imply they were the majority.

In Beijing, for example, Beijing Hockey Association registers talented players who have played overseas when they form U15 or even U12 teams. So they're not "outsiders".
It's no different than Eu players going to the CHL. the players' families can afford for them to go overseas and NA hockey is better.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Eye of Ra had a point and that's why he's Grandmaster General. It's nice for there to be a devoted thread to the lower tiers. Makes me more interested.

Nice to see you have 2 accounts Ra

 

[SoundAndFury]

Just spitballing, but if they're now over 18 they may be doing their compulsory military service? It's a minimum of 18 months in South Korea.

Surely a better explanation than the ones I could come up with.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Also Korea's win today sheds new light on the fact that China's goalie, who has committed to NCAA and might be the best Chinese-born prospect ever, had to make 50 saves against Spain. So it's both impressive that he only allowed one goal at this level behind seemingly non-existent defense and that the Chinese were legitimately outplayed by the Spanish.

 

[hockey20000]

Also Korea's win today sheds new light on the fact that China's goalie, who has committed to NCAA and might be the best Chinese-born prospect ever, had to make 50 saves against Spain. So it's both impressive that he only allowed one goal at this level behind seemingly non-existent defense and that the Chinese were legitimately outplayed by the Spanish.

china beat the dutch today you think?

 

[Namejs]

Looks like the Chinese are well coached - a Latvian duo with Macijevskis taking the lead. His son will play in the U18 Worlds for Latvia.

The Dutch are pretty good as well, as they are coached by another Latvian Gints Bikars, who actually coached Macijevskis when he played for Prizma in the Latvian league.

 

[SoundAndFury]

china beat the dutch today you think?

Chinese are slight favorites but definitely not as big as they are made out to be by the bookmakers.

The Dutch are pretty good as well

In what way exactly?

Regarding China, Latvians are their hockey godfathers, Sejejs and Pilsetnieks being there at the birth of Kunlun and their Olympic program. That connection is definitely still there.

 

[MeHateHe]

This China/Netherlands match is getting testy. Chinese players throwing some big hitand the Dutch are not happy about it, no sir.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Feels to me like China got a very easy 3 points in the game where they should have had a much tougher time and left with nothing in one they were the better team. Even steven in the end, I guess.