International: German Junior National Teams
- Thread starter Maverick41
- Start date
I am watching the pre-tournament game vs. Switzerland on delay (I am about to start the 3rd period).
So far I like Oswald (goalie), Lewandowski, Bicker, Späth and R.Griva.
I'll give a more detailed write-up when I am done.
The boys are working hard on giving up a 3-0 lead. It's 3-2 now after two.
Damn. Not quite half way through the 3rd period I lost the stream, probably because the live stream finished and I was still half a period behind. Hopefully I can watch the rest on demand later. At the point my stream ended Germany had 4-2 lead and in the end they won 5-2.
I have no idea if this is supposed to be a good or a bad crop of players for Switzerland, so I am not sure what this win really says about our boys.
And for now my recap is only based on a little less than 50 minutes of play.
My three stars of the game:
1st Star: Bartholomäus Oswald (G)
2nd Star: David Lewandowski (C)
3rd Star: Maxim Schäfer (LW)
I am not going through every single player, but here are my thoughts on some of the more notable ones (in alphabetical order and the positions are the ones they played tonight, some are probably playing different positions in their club teams):
LD - Albert Bicker:
In some ways he was simultaneously the best and worst player on the team. Love his skating and his stickhandling is just insane for a defensemen. He had many amazing plays, taking on multiple opponents and coming out on top, also a couple of great, but risky passes. When things went well he looked like a star, but some of the risks he took made me incredibly nervous. He looked like the kind of player that can give a coach ulcers or a heart attack.
LD - Max Bleicher:
Kind of the polar opposite of Bicker. Defensively more repsonsible and also more capable and calm and collected with the puck. Not sure if there is enough skill there for him to become a legit NHL prospect, but his fundamentals look pretty good and no glaring weaknesses were exposed.
C - Tobin Brandt:
He was a bit of a surprise. Didn't really have him on the radar, but he played a solid two-way game and was definitely a plus player for the team. Nothing special, but looked like a good depth guy.
LW - Gustavs Griva:
He was the less noticeable of the twins, but still had a pretty good game. Good skater, good motor and pretty smart player. Also some good shifts on the penalty kill. Great chemistry with his twin, and as the game went on they both started to develop some serious chemistry with Lewandowski as well. Those three had some nice passing plays between them.
RW - Rihards Griva:
More involved in the game than Gustavs, especially offensively. Pretty much the same attributes apply to him. Scored a beauty goal on a nice give and go with his brother, also very effective on the penalty kill, but with one obscenely bad giveaway, that would probably have seen him benched by a lot of coaches.
LW - Nikita Kessler:
Relative to my expectations, which were pretty hight, he was maybe the worst player on the team, or more accurately the most disappointing player. He didn't really get that much done and was looking sort of lost out there. He seemed to have very little chemistry with his linemates Elias Schneider and Sebastian Zwickl. He did show the occasional glimpse of skill that indicates that he can play much, much better, and he did score the first goal.
C - David Lewandowski:
Really impressed with his game. Looked very mature out there. Calm and poised with the puck, many very smart and skilled passing plays. He utilized his linemates better than anyone else on the team. For the most part he also showed a strong two-way game. His line with the Griva twins was the best one out there and he played a big role in that.
G - Bartholomäus Oswald:
The MVP. Up until the first Swiss goal any shot on his goal ended up in one of three ways. 1) Oswald steered it safely into a corner using his pads or his blocker. 2) He made a glove save. 3) He swallowed up the puck with his body, pretty much never giving up a rebound. On both goals against the team played bad/no defense in front of him, but I thought he may have had a shot at saving it, but it is difficult to criticize the kid given his overall play. A real standout performance in my eyes. Though I should point out that I still struggle with the evaluation of goalies.
LW - Maxim Schäfer:
Another one I had not on my radar. Schäfer was also playing a bit under the radar, but he made some very strong plays, and basically no mistakes. And while he is clearly an inferior talent to Späth, he ultimately outperformed him, but playing a very smart and solid all around game. Definitely looking forward to seeing more from him.
C - Mateu Späth:
At times a bit frustrating to watch, but when it comes to pure skill and talent he looked like he's in a league of his own on this team. What I did not like about his game was that he tried to do too much by himself and played like a puck hog out there at times, not utilizing his linemates properly. But again his skill and talent were evident right away, and his assist on the 2nd goal was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately it happened in a corner that is a blind spot for the camera setup they used, so I could not see the board battle and the beginning of the pass.
Overall there were some bad and some good stretches in this game. At times it was really only Oswald keeping the boys in the game, but they also had stretches where they really dominated the play. While I would say the Swiss were a little better, both teams seemed evenly matched to me, but we had the much better goalie.
I am looking forward to the game tomorrow, when the tournament officially starts.
I have no idea if this is supposed to be a good or a bad crop of players for Switzerland, so I am not sure what this win really says about our boys.
And for now my recap is only based on a little less than 50 minutes of play.
My three stars of the game:
1st Star: Bartholomäus Oswald (G)
2nd Star: David Lewandowski (C)
3rd Star: Maxim Schäfer (LW)
I am not going through every single player, but here are my thoughts on some of the more notable ones (in alphabetical order and the positions are the ones they played tonight, some are probably playing different positions in their club teams):
LD - Albert Bicker:
In some ways he was simultaneously the best and worst player on the team. Love his skating and his stickhandling is just insane for a defensemen. He had many amazing plays, taking on multiple opponents and coming out on top, also a couple of great, but risky passes. When things went well he looked like a star, but some of the risks he took made me incredibly nervous. He looked like the kind of player that can give a coach ulcers or a heart attack.
LD - Max Bleicher:
Kind of the polar opposite of Bicker. Defensively more repsonsible and also more capable and calm and collected with the puck. Not sure if there is enough skill there for him to become a legit NHL prospect, but his fundamentals look pretty good and no glaring weaknesses were exposed.
C - Tobin Brandt:
He was a bit of a surprise. Didn't really have him on the radar, but he played a solid two-way game and was definitely a plus player for the team. Nothing special, but looked like a good depth guy.
LW - Gustavs Griva:
He was the less noticeable of the twins, but still had a pretty good game. Good skater, good motor and pretty smart player. Also some good shifts on the penalty kill. Great chemistry with his twin, and as the game went on they both started to develop some serious chemistry with Lewandowski as well. Those three had some nice passing plays between them.
RW - Rihards Griva:
More involved in the game than Gustavs, especially offensively. Pretty much the same attributes apply to him. Scored a beauty goal on a nice give and go with his brother, also very effective on the penalty kill, but with one obscenely bad giveaway, that would probably have seen him benched by a lot of coaches.
LW - Nikita Kessler:
Relative to my expectations, which were pretty hight, he was maybe the worst player on the team, or more accurately the most disappointing player. He didn't really get that much done and was looking sort of lost out there. He seemed to have very little chemistry with his linemates Elias Schneider and Sebastian Zwickl. He did show the occasional glimpse of skill that indicates that he can play much, much better, and he did score the first goal.
C - David Lewandowski:
Really impressed with his game. Looked very mature out there. Calm and poised with the puck, many very smart and skilled passing plays. He utilized his linemates better than anyone else on the team. For the most part he also showed a strong two-way game. His line with the Griva twins was the best one out there and he played a big role in that.
G - Bartholomäus Oswald:
The MVP. Up until the first Swiss goal any shot on his goal ended up in one of three ways. 1) Oswald steered it safely into a corner using his pads or his blocker. 2) He made a glove save. 3) He swallowed up the puck with his body, pretty much never giving up a rebound. On both goals against the team played bad/no defense in front of him, but I thought he may have had a shot at saving it, but it is difficult to criticize the kid given his overall play. A real standout performance in my eyes. Though I should point out that I still struggle with the evaluation of goalies.
LW - Maxim Schäfer:
Another one I had not on my radar. Schäfer was also playing a bit under the radar, but he made some very strong plays, and basically no mistakes. And while he is clearly an inferior talent to Späth, he ultimately outperformed him, but playing a very smart and solid all around game. Definitely looking forward to seeing more from him.
C - Mateu Späth:
At times a bit frustrating to watch, but when it comes to pure skill and talent he looked like he's in a league of his own on this team. What I did not like about his game was that he tried to do too much by himself and played like a puck hog out there at times, not utilizing his linemates properly. But again his skill and talent were evident right away, and his assist on the 2nd goal was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately it happened in a corner that is a blind spot for the camera setup they used, so I could not see the board battle and the beginning of the pass.
Overall there were some bad and some good stretches in this game. At times it was really only Oswald keeping the boys in the game, but they also had stretches where they really dominated the play. While I would say the Swiss were a little better, both teams seemed evenly matched to me, but we had the much better goalie.
I am looking forward to the game tomorrow, when the tournament officially starts.
I will probably not be able to give a detailed recap of today's game vs. Switzerland, due to work.
But after the first period Germany is up 2-0, but they took two minor penalties at the same time in the final minute and will start the second period 3-on-5 shorthanded. They have already killed 47 seconds of the 2 minute 3-on-5 and outshot the Swiss doing so, but I doubt they can keep that up.
I really like what I have seen from this team so far, but until I know what level of competition this Swiss team is, I'll be cautious and refrain from annointing this crop the next big year for Germany.
Maybe tomorrow's game between Switzerland and Austria will give me a better idea on how good these teams are.
But after the first period Germany is up 2-0, but they took two minor penalties at the same time in the final minute and will start the second period 3-on-5 shorthanded. They have already killed 47 seconds of the 2 minute 3-on-5 and outshot the Swiss doing so, but I doubt they can keep that up.
I really like what I have seen from this team so far, but until I know what level of competition this Swiss team is, I'll be cautious and refrain from annointing this crop the next big year for Germany.
Maybe tomorrow's game between Switzerland and Austria will give me a better idea on how good these teams are.
Germany is holding on to a 3-1 lead after the second period. I really wish I had the time to share my thoughts on the game so far. Lots of good stuff, and some pretty bad stuff. Pretty wild game, as you would expect in U16 hockey.
Now back to work before the 3rd period starts.
EDIT:
They won 5-1 in the end and it was a well deserved win. I am trying not to get too excited, but that was some intriguing stuff there.
Now back to work before the 3rd period starts.
EDIT:
They won 5-1 in the end and it was a well deserved win. I am trying not to get too excited, but that was some intriguing stuff there.
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I don’t have the time for a full recap of my observations, but there are couple of things I just really wanted to share. These are things not just specifically about today’s game, but yesterday’s game as well.
Let’s start with the negative:
It is probably to be expected with U16 players, but the defensive structure on both sides was pretty much non-existent. Only two of our defensemen (Bleicher and Hausfelder) have somewhat consistently showed actual defensive awareness. Adding Händel, who played with the U17 team would be huge for this group.
It has been mindboggling in both games how many terrible changes and just boneheaded plays I’ve seen. One example from today’s game was a stupid play by David Lewandowski that led to the goal against, when, at the end of a long shift he tried to toe-drag around/through a defender at the Swiss blue line while the other 4 players went for a change. Instead of playing it smart and safe and getting the puck deep, he turned it over and the Swiss had basically a 4-on-0. Even though a couple of players made their way back quick and stopped the Swiss from fully exploiting their numbers it was still enough for them to score.
Now for the fun part, the positives:
Watching the Griva – Lewandowski – Griva line is just so much fun (despite Lewandowski’s mistake mentioned above). He in particular had some crazy plays. One thing I noticed multiple times over both games was him sort of selling a pass to one teammate and then at the very last moment changing the angle of his stick blade to hit another teammate with the pass instead catching the defenders off guard. He also likes to do what Leon Draisaitl does so well. He sticks his butt out to ward off defenders and give himself time to make a play. And it’s not like he is that much bigger than his opponents. He can do it successfully even against bigger players, so I have hope this is not something that will go away as the opponents get bigger and stronger.
And the passing plays between the twins are just mesmerizing at times. They should have scored at least two more goals, but unfortunately their finishing lacked a little today.
I wish we had a couple of more high skill players to play with Späth and Kessler respectively (maybe try playing those two together would be interesting), because Kessler in particular seems to suffer a little from the lack of talent on his line, even though the line as a whole and every member of it did improve.
I still think Späth is the best player on the team, but his line cannot match my favorite line. Not surprising when you have 3 of the top 5 forwards on the team on one line and they have instant chemistry.
I guess Willhöft could help with that.
Oh, and in today's game Noah Pfab played in goal. He was pretty good, but I felt a little more nervous with him in net than I did with Oswald yesterday.
Let’s start with the negative:
It is probably to be expected with U16 players, but the defensive structure on both sides was pretty much non-existent. Only two of our defensemen (Bleicher and Hausfelder) have somewhat consistently showed actual defensive awareness. Adding Händel, who played with the U17 team would be huge for this group.
It has been mindboggling in both games how many terrible changes and just boneheaded plays I’ve seen. One example from today’s game was a stupid play by David Lewandowski that led to the goal against, when, at the end of a long shift he tried to toe-drag around/through a defender at the Swiss blue line while the other 4 players went for a change. Instead of playing it smart and safe and getting the puck deep, he turned it over and the Swiss had basically a 4-on-0. Even though a couple of players made their way back quick and stopped the Swiss from fully exploiting their numbers it was still enough for them to score.
Now for the fun part, the positives:
Watching the Griva – Lewandowski – Griva line is just so much fun (despite Lewandowski’s mistake mentioned above). He in particular had some crazy plays. One thing I noticed multiple times over both games was him sort of selling a pass to one teammate and then at the very last moment changing the angle of his stick blade to hit another teammate with the pass instead catching the defenders off guard. He also likes to do what Leon Draisaitl does so well. He sticks his butt out to ward off defenders and give himself time to make a play. And it’s not like he is that much bigger than his opponents. He can do it successfully even against bigger players, so I have hope this is not something that will go away as the opponents get bigger and stronger.
And the passing plays between the twins are just mesmerizing at times. They should have scored at least two more goals, but unfortunately their finishing lacked a little today.
I wish we had a couple of more high skill players to play with Späth and Kessler respectively (maybe try playing those two together would be interesting), because Kessler in particular seems to suffer a little from the lack of talent on his line, even though the line as a whole and every member of it did improve.
I still think Späth is the best player on the team, but his line cannot match my favorite line. Not surprising when you have 3 of the top 5 forwards on the team on one line and they have instant chemistry.
I guess Willhöft could help with that.
Oh, and in today's game Noah Pfab played in goal. He was pretty good, but I felt a little more nervous with him in net than I did with Oswald yesterday.
I just finished watching the final game in the tournament vs. Austria.
And honestly when it was over I had no idea what the exact score was. I mean I knew Germany had won, but I was almost a little shocked when I checked the score and it was 7-0.
The pre-tournament game vs. Switzerland (5-2) was good. The tournament game vs. Switzerland (5-1) was very good maybe even great. But the game vs. Austria was pretty bad.
It looked like they could not be bothered to play hard. They gave up way too many high danger scoring chances considering how much weaker the Austrian team is. Half of those the Austrians screwed up themselves and the other half were stopped by Anton Brandt, who got the start in this game.
Halfway through the 2nd period the game was decided, and by the start of the 3rd period many of the German players looked like they were playing for themselves. Lots of unnecessary dangling, and tough angle shots when they had teammates wide open in scoring positions, and a ton of cheating for offense.
After the games against Switzerland I thought this team might be able to hang with Slovakia or Czech Republic (if those countries have an average crop not one of their good ones), but after this game I will have to pump the breaks on that. At least Nikita Kessler showed some more improvement, and is definitely one to look out for.
To me these are the players to watch going forward:
Forwards:
David Lewandowski, Mateu Späth, Rihards Griva, Gustavs Griva and Nikita Kessler
Dark horse: Maxim Schäfer
Defensemen:
Max Bleicher, Albert Bicker
Dark horse: Timo Hausfelder
Goalies:
Hard to say since all three goalies played only one game and the games were very different.
Bartholomäus Oswald impressed me the most, but he was also tested the most, while Noah Pfab did a solid job, but the team in front of him defende much better than they did before, and while Brandt also face some difficult challanges, he did so against a weaker opponent, still if you get a shutout there is little to criticize.
Tomorrow I will try to start editing some highlight clips from these games.
If it works I will post the links here within the next few days.
And honestly when it was over I had no idea what the exact score was. I mean I knew Germany had won, but I was almost a little shocked when I checked the score and it was 7-0.
The pre-tournament game vs. Switzerland (5-2) was good. The tournament game vs. Switzerland (5-1) was very good maybe even great. But the game vs. Austria was pretty bad.
It looked like they could not be bothered to play hard. They gave up way too many high danger scoring chances considering how much weaker the Austrian team is. Half of those the Austrians screwed up themselves and the other half were stopped by Anton Brandt, who got the start in this game.
Halfway through the 2nd period the game was decided, and by the start of the 3rd period many of the German players looked like they were playing for themselves. Lots of unnecessary dangling, and tough angle shots when they had teammates wide open in scoring positions, and a ton of cheating for offense.
After the games against Switzerland I thought this team might be able to hang with Slovakia or Czech Republic (if those countries have an average crop not one of their good ones), but after this game I will have to pump the breaks on that. At least Nikita Kessler showed some more improvement, and is definitely one to look out for.
To me these are the players to watch going forward:
Forwards:
David Lewandowski, Mateu Späth, Rihards Griva, Gustavs Griva and Nikita Kessler
Dark horse: Maxim Schäfer
Defensemen:
Max Bleicher, Albert Bicker
Dark horse: Timo Hausfelder
Goalies:
Hard to say since all three goalies played only one game and the games were very different.
Bartholomäus Oswald impressed me the most, but he was also tested the most, while Noah Pfab did a solid job, but the team in front of him defende much better than they did before, and while Brandt also face some difficult challanges, he did so against a weaker opponent, still if you get a shutout there is little to criticize.
Tomorrow I will try to start editing some highlight clips from these games.
If it works I will post the links here within the next few days.
GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
Very promising that the Germans held their own plus some against two teams that we are always competing against internationally. Shows maybe we’re making progress at younger levels.
I’m going to try to watch the games tonight - I want so see how not only the Germans did but also Florian Schenk
I’m going to try to watch the games tonight - I want so see how not only the Germans did but also Florian Schenk
I finished my first highlight clip, but for some reason the upload to youtube failed.
I also have a problem, that for some reason the last part of each video file I recorded is pretty much unusable.
I'll have to look into the whole thing again tomorrow.
I also have a problem, that for some reason the last part of each video file I recorded is pretty much unusable.
I'll have to look into the whole thing again tomorrow.
Liked it all, but really loved seeing this.
He used to play in Hamburg and he'll be suiting up for Rögle's program this winter. I'm not sure exactly, but I think he's half Danish as well.
In any case, definitely the player from this class who I'm most interested in seeing moving forward.
There are actually a bunch of very interesting players in his class. It's difficult to compare since Willhöft as well as Händel played for the U17 and the others Späth, Lewandowski, Griva (x2) Kessler and Bleicher played for the U16, but I am really curious how they all develop.
I think Späth and Lewandowski are slightly safer bets (none of them are anywhere near a sure thing at this age), but Willhöft has likely the highest ceiling. However, he needs to get taller, bigger and stronger, otherwise his NHL upside is pretty much non existent. He could still become a top player in Europe, though, which wouldn't be too shabby.
I found it very easy to get excited over his play. He is the type of player where you can feel the joy when you watch him play.
And I believe you are correct that he is half (or part) Danish, though I am not sure either.
Will definitly be keeping an eye on all of these kids after your write-ups, but I admit to having already had Lewandowski in my sites.
Naturally, I had first noticed him due to his very familiar name...
But particularly Späth is new to me.
Did you guys notice the rooster of the U16 Team against Finnland: U16-Nationalmannschaft | Deutscher Eishockey-Bund e.V.
I'm just wondering why Tim Kose isn't nominated. Just based on Stats he looks pretty promising. Does anybody know why he didn't make the team
I'm just wondering why Tim Kose isn't nominated. Just based on Stats he looks pretty promising. Does anybody know why he didn't make the team
I can only guess, that it has to do with playing style or something like that. Or the coaches actually feel the others are better.
This is a very deep and fairly strong forward group, so it is not as easy to get a roster spot as it has been in some of the other recent years.
Of course it could also be an injury, but I haven't heard anything about that.
Interesting to see another Latvian on the team with Kohans. Along with the Griva twins that makes three.
Shades of 2002 where it was kids from Poland (Szuber, Dziambor, Rutkowski and Borzecki).
Lookting forward to what this group will look like with Willhöft and Händel in the mix.
Usually the results are mostly blowout losses (sometimes double digits). I wonder if this group can offer a bit more of a challenge to the Finns.
Cannot watch the game but after what I can only assume was a terrible 1st period (down 0-6), the German U16 has now scored two goals halfway through the second period to make it 2-6.
EDIT1: 2-7
According to the boxscore Carlos Händel, Rihards Griva and Gustavs Griva have 2 points each.
After 2 periods the score is 3-8.
EDIT2: It's 4-9 now. They are still giving up as many goals as usual, but they are also scoring more. So, there is that.
EDIT3: Final score 6-10. Shots on goal were 39-36 in favor of Germany.
I really wish I could have watched this game. But based on the result, it seems like this group is clearly better than the teams in recent years. At least the forward group seems very strong. Very excited to see how they develop further.
EDIT1: 2-7
According to the boxscore Carlos Händel, Rihards Griva and Gustavs Griva have 2 points each.
After 2 periods the score is 3-8.
EDIT2: It's 4-9 now. They are still giving up as many goals as usual, but they are also scoring more. So, there is that.
EDIT3: Final score 6-10. Shots on goal were 39-36 in favor of Germany.
| Score | Time | Goalscorer | Assists |
| 1-0 | 02:26 | 21 WESTERGÅRD Max | (17 MENSONEN Jasu, 3 JUSSILA Elias) |
| 2-0 | 05:14 | 21 WESTERGÅRD Max | (11 GRANDELL Niklas, 17 MENSONEN Jasu) |
| 3-0 | 06:26 | 13 HEIKKINEN Onni | (19 VANNINEN Aapo, 5 KOTAJÄRVI Jesper) |
| 4-0 | 11:56 | 12 JOKI Atte | (20 VIRTANEN Jeremi, 4 KOSTIAINEN Tarmo) |
| 5-0 | 14:47 | 20 VIRTANEN Jeremi | (12 JOKI Atte) |
| 6-0 | 16:00 | 19 VANNINEN Aapo | (unassisted) – SHG |
| 6-1 | 21:33 | 27 GRIVA Rihards | (28 GRIVA Gustavs, 5 HÄNDEL Carlos) |
| 6-2 | 28:40 | 5 HÄNDEL Carlos | (27 GRIVA Rihards, 28 GRIVA Gustavs) – PPG |
| 7-2 | 30:18 | 4 KOSTIAINEN Tarmo | (unassisted) |
| 8-2 | 35:32 | 11 GRANDELL Niklas | (21 WESTERGÅRD Max, 4 KOSTIAINEN Tarmo) – PPG |
| 8-3 | 36:47 | 23 KESSLER Nikita | (20 ZIERGIEBEL Max, 8 ZWICKL Sebastian) |
| 8-4 | 41:21 | 23 KESSLER Nikita | (8 ZWICKL Sebastian, 20 ZIERGIEBEL Max) |
| 9-4 | 41:29 | 19 VANNINEN Aapo | (14 KILPELÄINEN Aleksi) |
| 10-4 | 49:03 | 12 JOKI Atte | (4 KOSTIAINEN Tarmo, 15 KOSKI Luukas) – PPG |
| 10-5 | 50:25 | 28 GRIVA Gustavs | (8 ZWICKL Sebastian, 23 KESSLER Nikita) |
| 10-6 | 54:11 | 7 WILLHÖFT Dustin | (4 KOSE Fabio, 18 KRONHARDT Stanislav) |
I really wish I could have watched this game. But based on the result, it seems like this group is clearly better than the teams in recent years. At least the forward group seems very strong. Very excited to see how they develop further.
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This was second game. Yesterday score was 5:2 Finland, german goals scored by Schneider and R. Griva. Shots 30-25 Finland. German goaltender was Oswald. Regarding today's game it was nightmare first period by German goalie Pfab - 6 goals allowed on 8 shots. After that it was Stuhrmann and pretty even game.
Thanks, appreciate the info. For some reason I had thought today was the first game. Have now found the boxscore for yesterday, too.
I think Pfab allowed 6 goals on 14 shots (not that much better). If I read the boxscore correctly it was 6 goals against and 8 saves.
With the three game series of our U16 vs. Finland over. I thought it was a good time to give the OPs on the first page a long overdue update.
There are likely some "mistakes" in the stats, because I used the official scoring summaries, and I remember there were definitely some mistakes with the assists in a couple of tournaments. If I find the time, I will go back to the videos, where I have them available and double check, but for now this is what I got.
There are likely some "mistakes" in the stats, because I used the official scoring summaries, and I remember there were definitely some mistakes with the assists in a couple of tournaments. If I find the time, I will go back to the videos, where I have them available and double check, but for now this is what I got.
As of now this is the current U20 roster for the tournament in Switzerland in two weeks:
| Pos. | Nachname | Vorname | Geb.-Dat. | Verein 2022/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Dietl | Philipp | 02.07.2004 | Straubing Tiger/EV Landshut |
| GK | Wolf | Simon | 23.07.2004 | Red Bull Hockey Juniors |
| GK | Babulis | Rihards | 19.03.2003 | EC Bad Nauheim |
| DF | Bidoul | Philipp | 22.05.2003 | ESV Kaufbeuren |
| DF | Elten | Nils | 12.06.2003 | Iserlohn Roosters/Herner EV |
| DF | Zernikel | Kai | 24.10.2003 | Schwenninger Wild Wings/EHC Freiburg |
| DF | Wäser | Julian | 27.01.2003 | Lausitzer Füchse/Crocodiles Hamburg |
| DF | Klein | Adrian | 19.09.2003 | Straubing Tiger/EV Landshut |
| DF | van der Linde | Leon | 13.03.2003 | Red Bull München/ESV Kaufbeuren |
| DF | Freis | Markus | 06.07.2003 | Löwen Frankfurt/Krefeld EV 81 |
| DF | Rausch | Maxim | 19.02.2003 | Eispiraten Crimmitschau |
| FW | Krymskiy | Nikita | 23.05.2004 | Krefeld Pinguine |
| FW | van Calster | Robin | 18.03.2003 | Kölner Haie/EC Bad Nauheim |
| FW | Roßmy | Bennet | 01.08.2003 | Eisbären Berlin/Lausitzer Füchse |
| FW | Proske | Yannick | 10.06.2003 | Iserlohn Roosters |
| FW | Oswald | Veit | 31.08.2004 | EHC Red Bull München/SC Riessersee |
| FW | Krening | Philipp | 25.04.2004 | EHC Red Bull München/RB Hockey Juniors |
| FW | Cimmerman | Sebastian | 14.02.2003 | EHC Red Bull München/SC Riessersee |
| FW | Bader | Quirin | 01.05.2003 | Red Bull Hockey Juniors |
| FW | Kechter | Roman | 16.02.2004 | Nürnberg Ice Tigers |
| FW | Hördler | Eric | 10.08.2004 | Eisbären Berlin/Lausitzer Füchse |
| FW | Heigl | Thomas | 20.01.2003 | Red Bull Hockey Juniors |
| FW | Heigl | Nikolaus | 20.01.2003 | Red Bull Hockey Juniors |
| FW | Lutz | Julian | 29.02.2004 | EHC Red Bull München |
| FW | Feist | Philip | 04.08.2003 | Schwenninger Wild Wings/EHC Freiburg |
The current roster for the U18-tournament in Füssen two weeks from now:
| Pos. | Nachname | Vorname | Geb.-Dat. | Verein 2022/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Hümer | Leon | 18.03.2005 | Düsseldorfer EG |
| GK | Scherer | Sebastian | 22.09.2005 | ESC Dresden |
| GK | Ankirchner | Valentin | 10.08.2005 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| DF | Tropmann | Edwin | 05.10.2005 | Kölner EC |
| DF | Vladelchtchikov | Alexander | 18.01.2005 | Kölner EC |
| DF | Kukuk | Moritz | 27.05.2005 | Düsseldorfer EG |
| DF | Niehus | Lua | 26.03.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Kölsch | Tjark | 10.02.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Seidel | Philipp | 06.01.2005 | Düsseldorfer EG |
| DF | Panocha | Norwin | 24.02.2005 | Eisbären Juniors Berlin |
| DF | Mayer | Paul | 25.09.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Peukert | Jakob | 27.11.2005 | ESV Kaufbeuren |
| FW | Münzenberger | Marco | 02.09.2005 | Kölner EC |
| FW | Bicker | Kevin | 29.01.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Brandl | Linus | 01.04.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Fischer | Jonas | 05.01.2005 | ESV Kaufbeuren |
| FW | Jakovlev | Raphael | 21.12.2005 | EV Landshut |
| FW | Renner | Florian | 26.05.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Kopietz | Lukas Benedikt | 18.06.2005 | Kölner EC |
| FW | Rieke | Robin | 03.05.2005 | South Kent School |
| FW | Ruckdäschel | Timo | 01.04.2005 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| FW | Samanski | Noah | 12.05.2005 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| FW | Schreiner | Vadim | 25.08.2005 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| FW | Hildebrand | Maurice | 16.07.2005 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Schwarz | Tobias | 05.04.2006 | EV Landshut |
And here the current U17-roster for the tournament in Slovakia in two weeks. Very intrigued by this roster with a bunch of U16 players.
| Pos. | Nachname | Vorname | Geb.-Dat. | Verein 2022/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Elagin | Michail | 08.01.2006 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| GK | Kurrer | Johannes | 07.06.2006 | EV Landshut |
| GK | Vieillard | Linus | 15.02.2006 | Eisbären Juniors Berlin |
| DF | Henße | Max | 01.03.2006 | Krefelder EV 81 |
| DF | Händel | Carlos | 31.03.2007 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Hahn | Noah | 04.10.2006 | Iserlohner EC |
| DF | Ficenec | Jacob | 20.02.2006 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Schams | Manuel | 26.01.2006 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| DF | Bleicher | Max | 14.02.2007 | EV Füssen |
| DF | Pape | Matthias | 06.05.2006 | Krefelder EV 81 |
| DF | Merkl | Maximilian | 27.06.2006 | EHC 80 Nürnberg |
| FW | Oswald | Maximilian | 31.03.2006 | EV Landshut |
| FW | Seidl | Simon | 04.07.2006 | EV Landshut |
| FW | Lewandowski | David | 20.02.2007 | Düsseldorfer EG |
| FW | Späth Mariscal | Mateu | 20.02.2007 | EC Bad Tölz |
| FW | Sager | Clemens | 10.02.2006 | Eisbären Juniors Berlin |
| FW | Pul | Elias | 15.05.2006 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| FW | Bußmann | Leon | 24.03.2006 | Iserlohner EC |
| FW | Brunner | Maximilian | 12.01.2006 | EV Landshut |
| FW | Herzog | Max | 27.04.2006 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Biggins | Nikolas | 02.06.2006 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Kerbel | Felix | 08.05.2006 | Red Bull Hockey Akademie |
| FW | Hofverberg | Eden | 07.02.2006 | ETC Crimmitschau |
| FW | Griva | Rihards | 08.06.2007 | Jungadler Mannheim |
| FW | Griva | Gustavs | 08.06.2007 | Jungadler Mannheim |
As lacking as that blueline is, much of the line-up is not a surprise.
Quapp and Hübner are injured. Bettahar, Hauf, and Hänelt are in North America.
Still, the following players are a bit of a surprise to me in light of the seasons they're having:
Freis, Wäser, Feist, van Calster, and Cimmerman, even if they aren't a surprise in the grand scheme of things.
On the blueline, I'm disappointed that Kauhanen isn't there and had hoped Hafenrichter would have made himself into a topic for this team by now, whatever it is that's been holding him back since heading over to North America.
Don't mind seeing Babulis there, but he seems to be there based solely on what he did in Berlin last season, where he didn't play a whole lot. He simply does not have the experience this year to be much of a help, but we all know that Quapp is on this team if/when healthy.
As for Krymskiy, he started hot with 6 points in 6 games, but has gone scoreless in six games since. Looks like he had one of those bright little moments for a coach who has since departed.
HIGHLIGHT:
Glad to see Bader there to play with the Heigl brothers.
Some real nice potential here. Looking forward to the LGG line, Späth, and Herzog.
Nice to see that Ficenec is taking after his dad on the blueline.
If I end up seeing some games, will be curious to see what Hofverberg and the younger Oswald can do.
Vinzenz has missed part of the season. I suppose that's the reason for his absence here. And I didn't think this group could go without Lemke at this juncture.
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The blueline is getting me all giddy, and it doesn't even include Bosecker, who has been great in the AlpHL, all things considered.
Speaking of the AlpsHL, I wonder what the reason is for Sumpf's absence? Thought he'd be a lock (like Bosecker, for that matter). Hope it's not an injury.
At the moment, I see Tropmann and Brandl as options for the WJC, so a strong showing in Füssen could push them in that direction.
Overall this is my favourite roster of any team in a while. It could still change a bit before the tournament, but if this ends up being the roster these are my thoughts:
The goalies are the least interesting for me. I have seen a little of Vieillard and he was ok, but not that special. I know I have watched at least one game of Elagin, but I can absolutely not recall anything about how he looked, since I was really only paying attention to the skaters.
Kurrer is a complete unknown for me.
I love this group of defensemen. Ficenec is the one I have not really seen before, and if the games are streamed I am looking forward to watching him.
In recent years we had teams where guys like Schams and Hahn would be a bit higher on my list of players to watch, but here they are the least interesting ones for me. Hense, Pape, Merkl, Händel and Bleicher are all guys I really like. This is seriously an unusually deep blue line.
Not only the blueline is pretty deep, the forward group is also quite special and there are even some guys missing (Maul, Seeger, Otten) that are not exactly bad. Obviously the 07s (Griva, Griva, Späth and Lewandowski) are at the top of my list to watch. At the U16 level they've been outstanding so far, same with Bleicher on defense, so I am really looking forward to see how they do with the U17. Händel I have already seen at this level and he was good.
But there are also several intriguing players among the 06s that have impressed me in the past. First and foremost Max Herzog, but Oswald, Seidl, Brunner, Hofverberg and Kerbel have all shown some promise.
Sager is the one I have seen the least of, so I am very interested to see how he does.
This has the makings of a really strong group especially if Tobias Schwarz (with the U18) and Tim Schütz (playing in the CSSHL U18) were to join the team.
I am so looking forward to the U18 WJC in 2024, where we will likely see many of these kids.
Vinzens is a late 05 if anything he would have been a candidate for the U18. I am really confused about what's going on with him. In the last couple of tournaments he was barely used and what little he got to play looked nowhere near as good as he did the years before. I hope he gets back on track, because I still like his potential.
