The Top Five most unconventional developing hockey nations

[HF Article]

Photo: Hershey Bears forward and Washington Capitals prospect Nathan Walker (#79) is the first player NHL-drafted player from the country of Australia (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Icon Sportswire)


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Hockey is predominantly popular in the colder, northern climates of the world. However, the fastest game on earth knows no bounds. It’s not just played by the kids in Toronto, Minneapolis, or Stockholm anymore–hockey players are coming from all over.

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Some of this growth has been fostered by the NHL itself where we are now seeing an influx of new hockey hotbeds sprouting up in California, Arizona, and Florida – all southern markets that as little as a generation ago were hockey wastelands with no grassroots interest.… read more

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[Slimmy]

André Burakovsky is Swedish. I stopped reading after that..

 

[Exarz]

And Luca Sbisa is Swiss.

 

[whlscowt]

Jus soli.

They were born in Klagenfurt, Austria and Ozieri, Italy.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Jus soli.

They were born in Klagenfurt, Austria and Ozieri, Italy.

They weren't developed there though, which is the topic of your article.

 

[Theokritos]

Jus soli.

They were born in Klagenfurt, Austria and Ozieri, Italy.

So... Taiwan has produced more Norris winners than Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Finland combined?

 

[Exarz]

So... Taiwan has produced more Norris winners than Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Finland combined?

.. And

Mikhail Grabovski (BLR) is German
Leo Komarov (FIN) is Estonian
Alexander Steen (SWE) is Canadian
Tim Erixon (SWE) is American
William Nylander (SWE) is Canadian
Michael Keränen (FIN) is Swedish
Andrey Pedan (RUS) is Lithuanian
David Musil (CZE) is Canadian
Marko Dano (SVK) is Austrian
Danny Heatley (CAN) is German
Thomas Larkin (ITA) is British
Nathan Walker (AUS) is British

 

[Cloned]

Hockey in UK suffers from the same problem as soccer in Canada.

 

[Mickey Marner]

So... Taiwan has produced more Norris winners than Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Finland combined?

Langway was born on a military base, which is America soil.

 

[Theokritos]

Langway was born on a military base, which is America soil.

There is no American soil abroad.

Military Children Born Abroad:
Contrary to popular belief, military bases are not considered "U.S. soil" for citizenship purposes. Therefore, the only way children born abroad can acquire citizenship at birth is through their parents.

 

[TheTwelfth]

Contrary of popular belief, the country of residence for the mother when the baby leaves the womb has little impact on the future hockey playing skills of the child, compared to where the player receives their actual hockey education.

 

[Mickey Marner]

There is no American soil abroad.

I stand corrected. I had assumed otherwise given McCain was eligible to run for president while be born on a military base and American citizens born of other nationalities are not able. Ex. Cruz, Schwarzenegger, brouhaha over Obama's birth certificate.

Apparently natural born citizen is the correct term. So, in any case, he's American enough to run for president.

 

[Theokritos]

Apparently natural born citizen is the correct term. So, in any case, he's American enough to run for president.

Exactly, he's not Taiwanese in spite of his birthplace.

 

[jekoh]

Exactly, he's not Taiwanese in spite of his birthplace.

Robyn Regehr is Brazilian though.

Why isn't he listed in the article instead of Burakovsky? Surely Brazil is more unconventional a hockey country than Austria, and Burakovsky is not even a citizen of Austria.

 

[Theokritos]

Robyn Regehr is Brazilian though.

Is he?

I read that Brazil didn't use to acknowledge double citizenship prior to 1994. And it doesn't sound to me as if Regehr ever applied for reinstatement of Brazil citizenship after 1994:

Interview with Roby Regehr

Q: You are Canadian, but deep inside can you say you at least feel a little bit Brazilian?
A: Yes growing up in Canada mainly I am a Canadian citizen but I do feel that a part of me is still Brazilian having been born there.

Anyway, even if he is Brazilian neither he nor Burakovsky or Sbisa should be listed since the article is supposed to be about developing hockey nations. The birth places of the three players in question is not an indication of hockey development in Brazil, Austria and Italy at all, just like the birthplaces of Rod Langway and Olaf Kölzig don't provide any indications whatsoever of hockey development in Taiwan in the 1950s/1960s or in South Africa in the 1970s/1980s.

 

[Urbanskog]

Is he?

I read that Brazil didn't use to acknowledge double citizenship prior to 1994. And it doesn't sound to me as if Regehr ever applied for reinstatement of Brazil citizenship after 1994:



Anyway, even if he is Brazilian neither he nor Burakovsky or Sbisa should be listed since the article is supposed to be about developing hockey nations. The birth places of the three players in question is not an indication of hockey development in Brazil, Austria and Italy at all, just like the birthplaces of Rod Langway and Olaf Kölzig don't provide any indications whatsoever of hockey development in Taiwan in the 1950s/1960s or in South Africa in the 1970s/1980s.

According to the Eliteprospects, he is: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=8913

 

[jekoh]

Is he?

I read that Brazil didn't use to acknowledge double citizenship prior to 1994. And it doesn't sound to me as if Regehr ever applied for reinstatement of Brazil citizenship after 1994:

He never lost Brazilian citizenship, if only because he never acquired any other one.

 

[ozo]

This probably is the worst article I've read on HFboards. Most of the conclusions are pulled out nowhere, the facts used to predict the future are laughable, the very same fact checking is poor, not to mention already voiced concern about players like Sbisa having nothing to do with hockey development of his birth nation. Though the Kazakhstan piece is so bad, that it kinda is entertaining...

 

[Ub the Bub]

...were born in Klagenfurt, Austria...

Cause his father Robert Burakovsky played for Klagenfurter for one season, that's it though. After that Robert also played in Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and also, of course, Sweden. No idea if André actually followed his father on all his adventures abroad or if he just stayed in Sweden most of the time, but he sure as hell wasn't in Austria atleast.
Really, just acknowledge that you messed up and then fix it.

 

[roboninja]

Yeah, this article has a weak premise. Just because someone is born in a country does not mean that country is developing hockey players. Something I'd expect to see in the dull summer months.