WJC all star team

[Unkki]

I think Aho was even more important than Pulju or Laine.

Agree. Aho and Rantanen were our best forwards in the last two games. They both have some experience of winning championships, so I wasn't too surprised. Great leadership, and they earned their captaincys. Hintz wasn't as good, but he worked hard and earned his scoring chances with his nice skating and reading. Unfortunately he wasn't able to score from his many chances at the final game (Rantanen set him up many times), but at least his semi final goal was big and important.

Although Puljujärvi was named as the MVP, I was a bit more impressed with Laine. He was more visible at the end than Puljujärvi, whose points included many secondary assists. But they both are very intriguing players, and hard to guess, who'll be picked earlier.

Werenski was the only player who I'd change from that roster. Provorov was better.

 

[NyQuil]

Werenski? Wow. Don't think I agree there. But IIHF always makes strange picks for all-star teams and top honors.

I only saw him in the Russia game but apparently he was very good in the previous games.

 

[MardyBum]

Damn, 4 draft eligible players voted to allstar team. That ever happen? Hell have 3 even happened before?

 

[Joe MacMillan]

I think Aho was even more important than Pulju or Laine.

Really tough to single out the best/most valuable player on that line as they all contributed as a unison. The MVP had to be someone and Puljujärvi led the tournament in scoring, so he got it by default.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Kamanev was a quality player throughout the tournament but he was never going to beat out the Finnish 3 or Matthews for the all star team imo.

I agree but I'm also a fool because I misread. Provorov was certainly a better bet to make the All Star team as a D, than Kamenev was as an F.

 

[KlichkoBro*]

Damn, 4 draft eligible players voted to allstar team. That ever happen? Hell have 3 even happened before?

And Werenski was barely eligible for the last year's draft. Actually he was 17 the day he was drafted.

 

[tade]

How would look your All-Star team combined from 23 players? 13 forwards, 7 defenseman, 3 goalies.

Laine - Aho - Puljujarvi
Tkachuk - Matthews - Marner
A. Nylander - Kamenev - Kempe
Rantanen - Strome - Pastrnak
Saarela / Korshkov

Provorov - Juolevi
Werenski - Carlo
Forsling - Englund
Masin

Nedeljkovic
Soderstrom
Samsonov

 

[TheTwelfth]

A lot of people are forgetting what allowed the draft eligible players to dominate, was that the top-heavy -97 and -96 groups were not playing in this tournament. I think that William Nylander would have dominated had he not been injured, McDavid, Eichel, Hanifin, Larkin and Ekblad didn't even get released (albeit, the nr 1 picks rarely, if ever, gets released to play), and Pasternak played for a pedestrian Czech team that could not advance to the semis (which has been a requirement to make the All-Star team the past few years).

Loved the players, but at the same time, their competition was watered down as compared to other years.

As a team Sweden fan, I am glad others recognise Englund's performance. I agree, he and the team went down in a tail spin which eliminated him from All-Star consideration, but the future looks much brighter for him than I thought after last year's tournament.

 

[Canada4Gold]

How would look your All-Star team combined from 23 players? 13 forwards, 7 defenseman, 3 goalies.

Laine - Aho - Puljujarvi
Tkachuk - Matthews - Marner
A. Nylander - Kamenev - Kempe
Rantanen - Strome - Pastrnak
Saarela / Korshkov

Provorov - Juolevi
Werenski - Carlo
Forsling - Englund
Masin

Nedeljkovic
Soderstrom
Samsonov

I was thinking Timshov should be on there but man it's difficult to take one of those forwards off.

A lot of people are forgetting what allowed the draft eligible players to dominate, was that the top-heavy -97 and -96 groups were not playing in this tournament. I think that William Nylander would have dominated had he not been injured, McDavid, Eichel, Hanifin, Larkin and Ekblad didn't even get released (albeit, the nr 1 picks rarely, if ever, gets released to play), and Pasternak played for a pedestrian Czech team that could not advance to the semis (which has been a requirement to make the All-Star team the past few years).

Loved the players, but at the same time, their competition was watered down as compared to other years.

As a team Sweden fan, I am glad others recognise Englund's performance. I agree, he and the team went down in a tail spin which eliminated him from All-Star consideration, but the future looks much brighter for him than I thought after last year's tournament.

There's a lot of players missing every year though. This year there was 9, last year 8, they year before that 10. The year before that was the lockout, the year before that there were 10. This year isn't some outlier.

A lot of the teams were younger this year than normal. If players were drafted it was mostly the 2015 draft. Not much representation from the 2014 draft at all. I mean the late birthdays in that draft wouldn't be eligible but still, most of the best players were either undrafted or 2015 draft.

I'm not sure why though, 2014 wasn't considered bad, it wasn't great but still, 2016 isn't supposed to be some incredible draft. I guess the wingers are pretty good and highly skilled and physically mature so they could dominate at such a young age I guess

 

[Mestaruus]

Laine should have been the MVP and it should have been very close race between Aho. Pulju should've been #3 MVP, but I guess doing most points earned him that award. Where would we be without those many amazing goals of Laine? He always scored when we most needed it.

But I guess who cares. I know that in 2014 Saros wasn't chosen to be the best goalie of the tournament if I remember right, so there's a lot of mistakes when it comes to that.

 

[kooma 13]

Laine does so many great things on the ice that majority of people doesnt seem to see.

 

[llwyd]

Laine does so many great things on the ice that majority of people doesnt seem to see.

Well, I was absolutely amazed by his hockey IQ - I thought that he was a goal scorer by the grace of god and thus a slightly selfish and in that sense bit one dimensional player, but bloody hell, how great chances he provided to his line mates and then back checked like mad against Sweden. As great as Puljujärvi is I think Laine's ceiling is still bit higher...