Development Programs. Belarus U17/18 vs Slovakia U18. Belarus is superior?

[Antiillafire]

The main question: Is Belarus doing a better job of developing players in their “national team projects” in comparison to Slovakia?

This past year’s draft, Belarus had 3 players drafted. All 3 spent significant amount of time with the Belarus national development program. Levshunov, taken second overall by Chicago played 2 full seasons with the Belarus U18 team. He then had a smooth transition to the USHL and into college hockey. Ilya Protas, 75th overall, also went to the USHL after playing with Belarus U17 and U18. Pavel Moysevich, played with Belarus U18 before playing in Russian junior leagues.

Slovakia in the 2024 draft, including in consideration the weak 2006 class, had 1 player drafted. Satan Jr was taken just a few picks before the completion of the draft, spent time with the U18 project this past season. Now let’s look back at the handful years of before this.

From 2018 to 2023, Belarus had these players (currently) affiliated with NHL clubs come through their program: Alexei Kolosov, Alexei Protas, Dmitri Kuzmin, Danila Klimovich, Andrei Loshko, Yegor Sidorov, Vadim Moroz, Artyom Levshunov, Daniil Karpovich, Pavel Moysevich, Ilya Protas.

From 2019 to 2023, Slovakia’s players from the program currently affiliated with NHL teams: Jakub Demek, Simon Nemec, Martin Chromiak (1 game), Adam Sykora, Martin Misiak, Adam Zlnka, Samuel Honzek, Adam Gajan, Juraj Pekarcik, Miroslav Satan Jr.

The thing with the Slovak NT, is that most of these players are from the great 2004 generation. The influence of the project on them is minimal as many were playing significant games with their clubs, Nitra, Trencin, etc. Of course, the prominent Slovaks are playing with their club teams or outside of Slovakia. However the concern has surfaced especially in the past 2 seasons with few Slovaks being drafted, who developed in this team. Yet Slovakia has made the semi’s the past 2 U18 WC’s (yes I know Russia isn’t playing).

Has belarus established a better training format and schedule or are they playing more suitable competition? Again looking at the 2025 draft, Belarus is producing strong players through their U18 program while the best Slovak has developed via Sweden mostly. Yaroslavl Bryzgalov looks like he could be a very strong prospect, developed via the Belarus national program.

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[Pavel Buchnevich]

It can be both. Belarus is getting better and Slovakia has had some bad drafts in between the 1 or 2 very good drafts. Slovakia has higher potential than what they are showing, but a problem they run into is that they have too many unacceptable drafts to reach a higher level with their hockey.

 

[Pazucha]

I think the problem of the Slovak U18 Program is that the rosters are not good enough to play 24 games a season in the SHL (2nd tier senior league).

I think maybe a U17 Project playing only U20 junior league would make more sense.

For example currently M. Stankoven (2008) is playing for the U18 Project, most likely because all the big names from 2007 age group declined invitation or play abroad.

This is a player who played U18 last season and now he jumps straight into SHL? Yes I know the project also plays 12 games in the U20 league but to me this is not the right way to develop a player.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Belarus kids (U16 and younger) now play at the Russia's Federal Districts Cup for according age groups and other Russian junior best vs best tournaments i.e. Belarus has basically joined Russian developing program given they have an MHL team as well. And they can always increase the number of MHL teams if one isn't enough.

 

[kudla]

I think the problem of the Slovak U18 Program is that the rosters are not good enough to play 24 games a season in the SHL (2nd tier senior league).

I think maybe a U17 Project playing only U20 junior league would make more sense.

For example currently M. Stankoven (2008) is playing for the U18 Project, most likely because all the big names from 2007 age group declined invitation or play abroad.

This is a player who played U18 last season and now he jumps straight into SHL? Yes I know the project also plays 12 games in the U20 league but to me this is not the right way to develop a player.

Exactly.

 

[Pan]

Belarus kids (U16 and younger) now play at the Russia's Federal Districts Cup for according age groups and other Russian junior best vs best tournaments i.e. Belarus has basically joined Russian developing program given they have an MHL team as well. And they can always increase the number of MHL teams if one isn't enough.

No. Russian tournaments/leagues are a part of the program but it's not just them.
Belarus has a complex youth competition system where teams of 1 or 2 year age difference play against each other which give them 20/60/20 ratio of easy/equal/difficult opponents. They have their own districts cup. They have U17 and U18 programs.

 

[Pan]

Btw, what is Russian developing program? Getting kids from all over the country to CSKA and putting them into survival game?

 

[Kshahdoo]

No. Russian tournaments/leagues are a part of the program but it's not just them.
Belarus has a complex youth competition system where teams of 1 or 2 year age difference play against each other which give them 20/60/20 ratio of easy/equal/difficult opponents. They have their own districts cup. They have U17 and U18 programs.

Given Team Belarus can't beat Russian federal district teams its own program is obviously dwarfed by Russian one. Of course they can use their own tournaments as regional ones (lower tier ones), but Belarussian tournaments are obviously not even close to Russian U16 level of competition.

 

[Pan]

Given Team Belarus can't beat Russian federal district teams its own program is obviously dwarfed by Russian one. Of course they can use their own tournaments as regional ones (lower tier ones), but Belarussian tournaments are obviously not even close to Russian U16 level of competition.

Are results in tournaments somehow supposed to prove your statement that "Belarus has basically joined Russian developing program"?
Because in that case it proves that a Russian youth team beating, say, a Swedish youth team at World Selects means that Sweden joins Russian developing program. Is that what you mean?
When a Kazakh youth team participates in All-Russian Club finals and loses to Russian teams, does it mean that Kazakhstan joined Russian developing program?
When Belarus wins over Russian district teams at Districts Cup, does that mean that those teams join Belarusian program?
Do you understand meaning of "developing program"?

 

[Kshahdoo]

Are results in tournaments somehow supposed to prove your statement that "Belarus has basically joined Russian developing program"?
Because in that case it proves that a Russian youth team beating, say, a Swedish youth team at World Selects means that Sweden joins Russian developing program. Is that what you mean?
When a Kazakh youth team participates in All-Russian Club finals and loses to Russian teams, does it mean that Kazakhstan joined Russian developing program?
When Belarus wins over Russian district teams at Districts Cup, does that mean that those teams join Belarusian program?
Do you understand meaning of "developing program"?

Team Belarus plays at Federal Districts Cup and Sirius tournaments... Or it's rather Teams Belarus because there are a few age groups. I don't say from what age it starts. As far as I remember there are U14, U15 and U16 tournaments. Then there are junior tournaments for the best club systems. I.e. top Russian teams from regional U14, U15, and U16 leagues play in the superfinal to get the supreme champion. And Belarus teams play in these superfinals as well. That's a lot of domestic Russian championships Belarus teams have recently joined.

So If Russian teams played in Sweden domestic junior tournaments, they would obviously join Sweden program at least partly, and the same can be said about Belarus. Playing vs top Russian teams obviously helps Belarussian kids to become better. Btw you can watch videos about Sirius tournaments, what they are and what kids do there.

 

[Namejs]

I think Belarus and Slovakia are in many ways similar, also in hockey