Australia won the tournament on a goal in just over a minute to go in its finale against Mexico
A wild set of events made the final day of the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championships Division III Group A one to be remembered.
A year ago Australia was relegated from Division II Group B and the history shows that every time this happens, the Kangaroos were right back with promotion next year (2005, 2009, 2011, 2014).
They did it again, but in the most dramatic fashion by far. After a big upset win by Bulgaria over Turkey which gave them the chance to advance, the Aussies found themselves in a fight against bottom-ranked Mexico.
In a wild third period that saw both teams pull their goalies and a 3-1 Mexico lead evaporate in a four-goal comeback from the Australians, Ellesse Carini scored the game winner with just over a minute left, winning the final game 5-4 and earning promotion for his team back to Division II.
It was a promotion that seemed lost to Australia only hours before. Turkey, the surprise of the tournament, overwhelmed Australia 9-6 in a match of undefeated teams two days earlier and was just one point from getting its second straight promotion in this age group.
Considering the Turks came into the tournament as the bottom seed, it was a shocking loss for Australia.
“We took the game against Turkey too lightly. We obviously underestimated them and our defence let us down in this game. Our number one goalie (Alex Tetreault) is the best one we have in Australia and you’ll never see him having another bad game like that one,” said Australia’s head coach Stephen Laforet.
“But we don’t want to take anything from Turkey. I’m impressed the way they competed in the whole tournament. They played against our system, shut us down and that was the key.”
In 2015 Turkey won the Division III Group B in Auckland (New Zealand) and went up for the first time since 2011. They have never been in U18 or U20 Division II. The last opponent for the Turkish squad was the host Bulgaria, another chapter in the fierce rivalry between these two junior teams.
Bulgaria ended up winning the bronze after Chinese Taipei prevented Israel to win in regulation time in the first game on Sunday. Israel was leading 3-1 late in the third period and was so close to the 3rd place in the tournament, but Chen-Wei Chang tied the score in the 56th minute.
The winner was decided in a penalty shot shootout after Dani Boudnikov beated the Chinese Taipei’s goalie Sheng-Chun Huang and completed a hat trick. This way Israel finished the journey in the Winter Palace with 8 points (wins against Mexico 3-1 and Bulgaria 4-3 as well).
Bulgaria had six points before the game with Turkey, which for the first time had four wins in an IIHF U18 World Championship (the previous record was two) and needed a regulation tie to secure its debut in Division II. But in front of a passionate crowd of 2,000 in the Winter Palace in Sofia the hosts played their best game of the week in a 1-0 shutout win.
The top scorer in the event Ferhat Bakal (4+4 in the game versus Australia, 9+6 overall) missed a couple of scoring chances and was shut down by the Bulgarians. The only goal was scored by Aleksandar Gatsev who snapped the puck after a beautiful pass from behind the net by Tareq Abdi at 34:22.
“It was a great game. My concerns were only how we will play in the first 10 minutes. That cost us in the games against Australia and Israel. Overall I’m happy with the way we played in the tournament, despite losing two games that we should not lose, but that’s hockey. Today the kids played solid defense and stuck to the tactical plan”, explained Bulgaria’s head coach Daniel Cuomo.
“I said to my players that I’m proud of their achievements and they have to look at the overall picture. Nobody expected us to win so many games. In the last one there were more nerves and it seems that Bulgarians have the way to get under our player’s skin,” said Keith McAdams, the American coach of Turkey. “Bulgaria played a very good game, had a great goaltending and it was entertaining match-up.”
The result of the Bulgaria-Turkey game opened up an unexpected chance for Australia to top the group. In the last game of the tournament the Kangaroos had to take three points (regulation win) against the already relegated Mexico, who lost their previous four games with a goal difference of 6:15.
But it wasn’t going to be easy, the underdogs’ day continued with Mexico scoring in the 24th second and leading 2-0 and 3-1 in the third period. The Kangaroos kicked back with two goals in 1:23 to tie the game and Thomas Steven tallied another one at 53:26 to make it 4-3.
But the real drama started in the last two minutes of the game. A tripping penalty to Evan Connard gave Mexico a power play. After a time-out the goalie Sebastian de la Vega was taken out for an extra attacker and the Aztecas scored just 8 seconds later at 58:29.
Now was Australia’s turn to take their goalie out and the magic worked again in no time. The captain Ellesse Carini found the opponent’s net at 58:54 for the final score 5:4. This way Australia finished in the first place, followed by Turkey and Bulgaria.
“The dominos had fallen for us. Again it was up for us to go out and do something for the gold medals. Our problem is that in our summer time we don’t play hockey, so I have to bring the players here earlier to have some kind of preparation before the Championships. We are playing against teams that are in their winter time and this is a real disadvantage for us” said Laforet.
On Australia’s roster there were six players (Steven Thomas, Lachlan Fahmy, Nicholas Weiland, Jakob Ruck, Andrew Chen and Findlay Wood) and a back-up goalie (James Downie), who are training in hockey academies in Canada and USA.
“It’s very hard to scout these kids, but all of them were outstanding in the tournament. I’m Canadian and I went back home to pick them for this event."
"I think the level in Division III is improving every year and we can see also in other teams very good players who are developing in North America. Bulgarian captain Veselin Dikov was absolutely amazing and he is somebody to watch in the future. Ferhat Bakal from Turkey showed very good hands, speed. The guys from our team – Ellesse Carini and Liam Manwarring they also stood up”, said Laforet.
Chinese Taipei captain Yen-Chin Shen accepts the winners’ trophy
Chinese Taipei defended its Challenge Cup of Asia title. It again came to a winner-takes-it-all game with the United Arab Emirates, this time the host of the 2016 edition in Abu Dhabi, and Chinese Taipei claimed the trophy with a 6-1 win.
The players from the island of Taiwan steamrolled through the tournament. Before the final game on Friday evening they had already beaten Thailand (8-1), Singapore (14-2) and Mongolia (18-2).
The United Arab Emirates entered the last day with a clean record as well defeating Thailand (6-1), Singapore (5-2) and Mongolia (5-1).
The final game started as a tight clash but although Chinese Taipei outshot the UAE with a narrow margin (29-28), the team from Far East did much better in capitalizing on its chances. To Weng, who led the tournament in scoring with 14 goals and five assists in four games, opened the scoring on a lengthy power play at 8:33 and Ping-En Lu made it 2-0 with 71 seconds left in the opening frame.
The Emirati outshot their opponent in the middle frame but late in the period captain Yen-Chin Shen and Yen-Chih Chen scored for Chinese Taipei to make it a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes.
Early in the third period Lin and Weng both scored their second marker of the night and UAE captain Juma Al Dhaheri scored his team’s only goal on a power play for the final score of 6-1. Yu-Cheng Liao had a strong night in Chinese Taipei’s net with 27 saves on 28 shots.
For Chinese Taipei it’s the sixth Challenge Cup of Asia win after 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The United Arab Emirates won in 2009 and 2012, Hong Kong in 2011.
Mongolia finished the event in third place after an 11-0 blanking of Singapore and a 7-3 win for third place on the final day against Thailand. Thailand was fourth getting its only victory against winless Singapore.
On 9th April the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia Division I will be played in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek to determine the team to be promoted. Beside the host country also Macau, Malaysia, India and for the first time Qatar participate in the event.
Prior to that the Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia Division I will start in Chinese Taipei on Tuesday with the hosts, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India. For the women’s national teams from Malaysia and India it will be the first tournament ever.
Chinese Taipei and the United Arab Emirates played for the tournament win at last year’s Challenge Cup of Asia.
Challenge Cup of Asia begins on Saturday
Three tournaments of the IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia will be played in the upcoming weeks. The 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, will make the start and will be played from 12 to 18 March.
The Challenge Cup of Asia was created eight years ago to give Asian countries that are not in the World Championship program, or that play in the lowest division, a chance to compete amongst each other and help develop ice hockey in more Asian countries.
One year ago Chinese Taipei won the tournament on home ice thanks to a tight 5-4 victory against the United Arab Emirates. This year the Emirati are looking for revenge on home ice against the defending champion. The other teams in the round-robin tournament are Mongolia, Thailand and Singapore.
Thanks to the growing number of participants, the Challenge Cup of Asia will again be played with two tiers with the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia Division I taking place in Bishkek from 9 to 14 April. Macau, host country Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, India and for the first time Qatar will play for promotion in the five-team tournament.
Also the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s Challenge Cup of Asia Division I will be played for the third time with the aim at giving women’s national teams from countries not already competing in the Women’s World Championship program a chance to play.
The event will take place in Taipei City from 21 to 26 March with host Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and India. For Malaysia and India it will be the first time a women’s hockey national team will compete internationally.
Tournament scoring leader Alivia del Basso with a scoring chance for Australia on Spanish goaltender Alba Gonzalo.
Women’s team wins Division II Group B
Australia barely avoided relegation one year ago, but on Sunday the team with the kangaroo on the jersey won the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division II Group B that was held in Jaca in northern Spain.
Thanks to the win the Australians will be back in the Division II Group A with the nations ranked 21st-26th, the range the ladies from Down Under have been playing from their first participation in 2001 until 2014 when they were relegated.
The Australians took over first place from Spain on Day 4 after winning 4-1 against the host nation. This after a bad start into the tournament with a 2-1 loss in shootout against Mexico despite a 46-13 shot-on-goal advantage. Australia continued with a 12-0 blanking of Turkey and a 12-1 against New Zealand. At the tournament Australia was ranked better than their neighbouring country for the first time in since 2013.
In front of 1,600 spectators Spain had the better start in the game that eventually decided the tournament as Ainhoa Merino opened the scoring against Australia after six minutes of play but goals from Kate Tihema nine minutes later and from Shona Powell with 42 seconds left gave Australia the lead before the first intermission.
Australia dominated the game and had 38-16 shots on goal. After a scoreless middle frame Alivia del Basso made it 3-1 early in the third period and Tihema scored her second goal into the empty net with 106 seconds left in regulation time.
The Australians still needed another win on the last day again Iceland to defend first place. Although goals from del Basso and Sari Lehmann built a two-goal cushion, the game remained tight. Flosrun Johannesdottir cut the lead one minute later and when in the third period Sharna Godfrey scored Australia’s third goal, Johannesdottir reacted with her second marker with 110 seconds left in the game. Iceland pulled the goalie but Australia’s 3-2 lead remained.
Spain had a flawless tournament until the loss to Australia and had to settle for silver with 12 points, one less than the team from Down Under. With the silver medal the Spaniards tied their best-ever placing they also reached in 2012 and 2013.
Iceland suffered two 3-2 losses to both Australia and Spain but won the other three games to earn the bronze medals ahead of Mexico and New Zealand.
Turkey, which was promoted to the Division II Group B after winning the qualification tournament last year, lost all games and will be relegated. New Zealand had its only win against the Turks, a 7-4 decision with hat tricks by Anjali Thakker for the New Zealanders and by Seda Demir for Turkey.
Australia’s Alivia del Basso led the tournament in goal scoring with eight markers and in scoring with 19 points ahead of New Zealand’s Anjali Thakker (7+3=10) and Iceland’s Flosrun Johannesdottir (6+3=9) and was named Best Forward of the tournament. Two other individual awards went to players from the host country as Alba Gonzalo was named Best Goaltender and Vanesa Abrisqueta Best Defenceman.
Last weekend saw the final regular season action in Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia...
In the Slovak Republic HC Kosice was the expected king of the RS, leading the final table with a 9-point margin over HK Nitra...the play-offs are set to start on march, 11th with the quarterfinal ronud (best-of-7 series)...
But the most notable fact of the year is for sure the sad story of Skalica, thrown off the competition with just few weeks still to go because of heavy financial troubles...
Meanwhile, in Germany it was the EHC Red Bull Munich to win the regular season of the local DEL ahead of the usual suspects Eisbären Berlin...
the main surprise is maybe the elimination from the play-offs of the Hamburg Freezers, while Adler Mannheim at least could make it into the top 10 despite an underperforming season...
the preliminary round of the PO in the DEL is going to start on Wednesday, with the best 6 teams from the RS already waiting for their opponents in the quarterfinal round, set to start next week...
the end of the RS also designated 4 of the 6 Champions League qualifiers (Berlin, Krefeld, Ingoldstadt and Mannheim), with the last 2 spots up for grabs in the upcoming play-offs...
finally, in the Czech Republic Bily Tigry Liberec and Sparta Prague had a run on their own in the Extraliga 2015/2016 regular season (3rd ranked Mountfield Hradec Kralove ended up 30 points behind Liberec in the final standings)...
today start the prelimnary round of the play-offs...and if we don't get to a Liberec vs Sparta showdown in the final series is definitely going to be a huge surprise...
but the outstanding upset of the year is for sure the forelast place in the standings achieved by the current champions Verva Litvinov, which now have to play in a very dangerous relegation tournament to avoid the unbelievable descent to the Hell of the second division...
last quick news:
- PSK Narva won the Estonian title 2016
- Ritten Sport won the regular season of the Italian league
- KHL Conference Semifinals start today with the Western Conference match-ups (CSKA Moscow vs Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod and Dynamo Moscow vs SKA St.Petersburg), meanwhile the Eastern Conference Semis will start tomorrow (Avangard Omsk vs Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs Sibir Novosibirsk are the match-ups)
True, The situation of Skalica is disastrous and sad it´s absolutely not understandable for me that a club with such lets tell decent history and results in our championships and known thanks producing one of the best player of world hockey "Žiggy" Palffy bankrupted this way.
btw thanks for your help and updates from the local hockey world. I have not so many times to care about everything, so I´m extremely thankful for your help.
New Zealand won over Turkey 7-4 today in Jaca during the 4th round of the womens Division II B world championships, which means that Turkey is relegated to the womens division III WCh next year.
before tomorrows last round still 3 teams are fighting for the promotion to division II A. Australia, Spain and Iceland. Especially to mention how Australia kept their chances alive, after tonights impressive win over the host Spain 4-1.
you can follow all results and stats of this competition here
Also a special mention to Ľubomír Višňovský. officially retired another our legend gone
Visnovsky retires
Slovak World Champion played in four Olympics
Slovak defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky announced the end of his career after his team Slovan Bratislava had lost in the first playoff round of the Kontinental Hockey League against CSKA Moscow.
The 39-year-old played in the NHL from 2000 to 2015 for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and the New York Islanders but had to battle with back problems recently. He signed with Slovan Bratislava for this season and played 13 games notching ten points.
The 39-year-old became World Champion with Slovakia in 2002, represented his country in four Olympic Winter Games and ten World Championships.
In the NHL Visnovsky appeared in 883 NHL games registering 128 goals and 495 points. During the 2010/11 season he led all NHL defencemen in scoring with 68 points.
Visnovsky had his debut in professional ice hockey where his career ended, at Slovak Bratislava where he played in the top Slovak league as an 18-year-old six years before moving to the NHL.
During his junior years he also managed to play at U20 World Championships at three levels right after the country’s independence from the C-Pool in 1994 to the top-level World Juniors in Boston in 1996.
The United States named its first 16 players for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey tournament.
The 1996 World Cup champions will bring 12 Olympians to the tournament in Toronto. The players represent 12 different National Hockey League Teams, and all players but Dustin Byfuglien have represented the U.S. in previous international competitions.
"We're excited about our team and this first group of players that we named tonight," said Dean Lombardi, general manager of Team USA and also the GM of the NHL's L.A. Kings.
"It's a challenge naming only 16 players, as an important part of our team is yet to be selected. We're confident this is the start of a group that will compliment each other really well and assume team roles that will lead to team success. These 16 players all excel in their compete level, overall skill and selflessness, which will be key components of our team."
The U.S. will reveal the remaining seven players of its 23-man roster (20 forwards/defencemen, 3 goaltenders) by June 1 as per the guidelines set forth by the NHL and NHLPA.
Goaltenders:
Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings, USA, NHL
Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils, USA, NHL
Defencemen:
Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets, CAN, NHL
John Carlson, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers, USA, NHL
Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild, USA, NHL
Forward:
Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks, USA, NHL
T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens, CAN, NHL
Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild, USA, NHL
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks, USA, NHL
Derek Stepan, New York Rangers, USA, NHL
Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets, CAN, NHL
The defending Olympic and World Champions took their first step to adding another title to the trophy case, as Team Canada announced the first 16 names to its 2016 World Cup of Hockey roster.
“This has been a very extensive process which involved multiple face-to-face meetings and conference calls,” said general manager Doug Armstrong. “Some very difficult decisions had to be made to narrow down our selection to only 16 players, which is a testament to the depth of player talent in Canada."
"Our management group wanted to balance respecting the contributors to past Team Canada successes, as well as respecting the players that have emerged as top players in the NHL. We will use the NHL playoffs and the upcoming World Championship to make the final roster decisions in early June.”
There’s no lack of success among the first 16 players selected; in addition to 12 players who won gold at the Olympic Winter Games, and 11 who won gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship, the team boasts seven NHL team captains and eight Stanley Cup champions, five of whom are multi-time champions.
Four names that were not part of the past two Olympic teams include goaltenders Corey Crawford and Braden Holtby, and forwards Tyler Seguin and Steven Stamkos, who both have competed in past world championships.
Goaltenders:
Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens, CAN, NHL
Defencemen:
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings, USA, NHL
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks, USA, NHL
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators, USA, NHL
Forwards:
Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars, USA, NHL
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins, USA, NHL
Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings, USA, NHL
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, CAN, NHL
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks, USA, NHL
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars, USA, NHL
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
John Tavares, NY Islanders, USA, NHL
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
The world found out who will make up the majority of the Team North America roster. Comprised of Under-23 players from Canada and the United States, the “Young Guns“ will feature some obvious names, including the No.1 and 2 draft picks from 2015, Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
“This might be the only time we ever get to play with each other,“ said McDavid. “I think that’s pretty cool.”
"A lot of people don't expect too much from us, but we have the talent to surprise everyone."
Other notable names include Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, and goaltenders John Gibson and Connor Hellebuyck, both USA veterans from the IIHF U18 and World Junior championships.
Goaltenders: John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks, USA, NHL Connor Hellebuyck, Manitoba Moose – Winnipeg Jets hold NHL rights Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins, USA, NHL
Defencemen Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers, USA, NHL Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets, USA, NHL Ryan Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets, USA, NHL Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs, CAN, NHL
Forwards: Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers, USA, NHL Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres, USA, NHL Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames, CAN, NHL Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche, USA, NHL Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, CAN, NHL J.T. Miller, New York Rangers, USA, NHL Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames, CAN, NHL Brandon Saad, Columbus Blue Jackets, USA, NHL
1 minute ago, Agger said:Really makes me happy to see this many danes on team Europe. But it will be hard for them. Barely any from the same teams and only Slovakia and Denmark have a decent numbers of players.I was sure to see at least 4-5 Danes in the team, There were absolutely no doubts about Andersen, he will be the goalie number 1 for sure, also Hansen and Boedker were a certitude
who know this team can do something in this tournament, but still it´s a bit weird to see this team europe instead of normal national teams. IMO some countries could be allowed to play at least such qualification tournament or something. it would be a better solution, but well ...NHL and their money...
The initial 16 names for the roster of Team Europe, comprised of players from outside the other European nations competing in the World Cup, was released.
“It’s exciting to be a part of it,” said Swiss defenceman Roman Josi. “It’s a special situation with Team Europe…I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and I think we’re going to have a good team.”
Team Europe will not only be a mix of nations but also young and old. Along with experienced veterans like blueliners Zdeno Chara and Mark Streit, the team also named up and coming superstars including Swiss defenceman Roman Josi and talented German forward Leon Draisatl.
As last of the four European countries Sweden made the announcement – far away from home in New York, the city of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
With the naming of the first 16 players, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association put emphasis on defence with two goaltenders and six defencemen named while there is more room left on offence for the final roster with eight forwards who were selected today.
With over 80 players who appeared in NHL games this season, the choice was more difficult than for any other European nation for the Swedes with depth for any position. Lundqvist is the netminder with fourth-most wins, third-most ice time and one of the best save percentages among starting goalies in the league. The Senators’ Erik Karlsson is the top scorer among defencemen, third overall in the league and first in time on ice, the Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom is ninth in scoring among forwards and Nashville’s Filip Forsberg is tenth in goal scoring with fellow countryman Daniel Sedin close behind.
Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers, USA, NHL
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks, CAN, NHL
Defencemen:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes, USA, NHL
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators, CAN, NHL
Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL
Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Forwards:
Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins, USA, NHL
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators, USA, NHL
Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche, USA, NHL
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks, CAN, NHL
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks, CAN, NHL
Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues, USA, NHL
Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL
hckosice you consider Denmark the favorite in group D. What can you tell me about the other two groups?
Well, the other groups are much more balanced, especially the last one with Norway, Kazakhstan and France.and Italy also shown some very optimistic moments during the last qualifier round with a "new" and fresh team, they have chance to do something for sure, Norway has a good team and play a very physical and for each opponent a very unpleasant hockey. The whole Kazakhstan team is composed by experienced players of one kazakhstans KHL club Barys Astana, but I´ll put France, because the Hockey is improving incredibly in France during last couple of years, I have a lot of respect for this french team and the way how their federation is going and working since they left the corrupt and incompetent french Ice sports federation (which included also speed skating, figure skating etc..) coach Dave Henderson has an amazing sense of coaching and don´t forget that they play in fact always with the same squad, this is also a great advantage.
for the Latvian group, it´s almost sure that the quota will be played between Latvia and Germany. Germany has a strong generation of players and want return to the olympics after the flop in the Sochi qualification tournament, but Latvia usually over perform at home, so because of it I´ll bet on Latvia.
so for me the last 3 quotas will be for FRA, LAT and DEN.
Three goaltenders, four defencemen and nine forwards were named as first players to the Czech national team for the World Cup of Hockey. The Czechs were also the first to name European-based players with defenceman Michal Kempny and forward Vladimir Sobotka, who both play in Russia for Avangard Omsk.
Not on the list is the most experienced Czech NHL player. Jaromir Jagr retired from the national team on home ice in Prague at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship although there are still some spots open before the roster will be finalized on 1st June. “Give him time and space,” head coach Josef Jandac commented earlier.
Even without Jagr the Czechs boost some top offensive players such as Bruins forward David Krejci or Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec.
Goaltenders:
Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL
Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers, USA, NHL
Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets, CAN, NHL
Defencemen:
Radko Gudas, Philadelphia Flyers, USA, NHL
Michal Kempny, Avangard Omsk, RUS, KHL
Roman Polak, San Jose Sharks, USA, NHL
Andrej Sustr, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Forwards:
Michael Frolik, Calgary Flames, CAN, NHL
Martin Hanzal, Arizona Coyotes, USA, NHL
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks, USA, NHL
David Krejci, Boston Bruins, USA, NHL
Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins, USA, NHL
Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens, CAN, NHL
Vladimir Sobotka, Avangard Omsk, RUS, KHL
Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers, USA, NHL
Thanks I watched only last 10 minutes and not over time and penalty shots because I doesn't want jinx this team (this always happen when I watch something) We must wait for September and then we will see what can happen, as you said, maybe will some upstes
PS. About upsets, there was too much upsets in February in tennis, especially in WTA
Group D (in Belarus): Belarus, Slovenia, Denmark, Poland
Group E (in Latvia): Latvia, Germany, Austria, Japan
Group F (in Norway): Norway, France, Kazakhstan, Italy
I will happy if we will win one match here in this group, it's all, I think
Well, At first, Huge Congrats for the qualification for the final round This last match against Hungary was a incredible thriller until the very last action of the match.
Who know, everything is open, I think POL have chances to upset Belarus even in Minsk Slovenia too (ofc I´ll never never never underestimate Slovenian Ice hockey team again after Sochi) but the most difficult will be the match against DEnmark. For me DEN is the absolute fav for the olympic ticket, and honnestly I wish them to go to pyeongchang, the hockey in Denmark fully deserve it.
General Manager Jere Lehtinen together with head coach Lauri Marjamaki announced the 16 first players of the Finnish national team for the World Cup of Hockey.
The Finns nominated two goaltenders with Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne. Esa Lindell, Olli Maatta, Rasmus Ristolainen and Sami Vatanen are the four first defencemen who have been selected.
The Finnish forwards who have secured their place in the World Cup are Aleksander Barkov, Joonas Donskoi, Valtteri Filppula, Mikael Granlund, Jussi Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, Leo Komarov, Lauri Korpikoski, Jori Lehtera and Teuvo Teravainen.
“These 16 players form a strong core to the team. They are a great mixture of experience, talent and open-mindedness,” says Marjamaki about the first nominations. “For the players the World Cup is a huge thing. Their motivation is high and they all want to be part of the team.”
The Finnish team will convene early September and play pre-tournament games against Sweden, first on home ice at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on 8 September, then two days later in Gothenburg.
Goaltenders:
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins, USA, NHL
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators, USA, NHL
Defencemen:
Esa Lindell, Texas Stars, USA, AHL
Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins, USA, NHL
Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres, USA, NHL
Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks, USA, NHL
Forwards:
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers, USA, NHL
Joonas Donskoi, San Jose Sharks, USA, NHL
Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild, USA, NHL
Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers, USA, NHL
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild, USA, NHL
Leo Komarov, Toronto Maple Leafs, CAN, NHL
Lauri Korpikoski, Edmonton Oilers, CAN, NHL
Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues, USA, NHL
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia made the start on Wednesday morning by naming its three NHL goaltenders as well as three defencemen and 10 forwards.
Although players from the KHL can also be named, the Russians decided to nominate an all-NHL preliminary roster for now while leaving sports open – especially on defence – on the roster that will eventually grow to 23 names.
The Russians are loaded with talent up front with veteran stars such as Alexander Ovechkin, Yevgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk but also up and coming forwards such as Artemi Panarin and Yevgeni Kuznetsov.
All players have represented Russia before although for young forwards Nikita Kucherov and Vladislav Namestnikov it will be the first time the play for the senior national team.
Goaltenders:
Sergei Bobrovski, Columbus Blue Jackets, USA, NHL
Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche, USA, NHL
Andrei Vasilevski, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Defencemen:
Dmitri Kulikov, Florida Panthers, USA, NHL
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens, CAN, NHL
Dmitri Orlov, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Forwards:
Artyom Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings, USA, NHL
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Nikolai Kulyomin, New York Islanders, USA, NHL
Yevgeni Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Yevgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins, USA, NHL
Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA, NHL
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, USA, NHL
Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks, USA, NHL
Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues, USA, NHL
On 2 March is the deadline to announce the first 16 players for each team participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey that will take place in September in Toronto.
The World Cup of Hockey will be played from 17 September to 1 October at Air Canada Centre.
The eight teams will start a preliminary round in two groups. Group A includes Canada, the Czech Republic, USA and Team Europe with players from other than the four already competing countries. Group B consists of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Team North America with top under-23 players born in Canada and the United States.
Gangneung (KOR) - 14 February 2018 - 25 February 2018 
it´s absolutely not understandable for me that a club with such lets tell decent history and results in our championships and known thanks producing one of the best player of world hockey "Žiggy" Palffy bankrupted this way.
another our legend gone 
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who know this team can do something in this tournament, but still it´s a bit weird to see this team europe instead of normal national teams. IMO some countries could be allowed to play at least such qualification tournament or something. it would be a better solution, but well ...NHL and their money...
and Italy also shown some very optimistic moments during the last qualifier round with a "new" and fresh team, they have chance to do something for sure, Norway has a good team and play a very physical and for each opponent a very unpleasant hockey. The whole Kazakhstan team is composed by experienced players of one kazakhstans KHL club Barys Astana, but I´ll put France, because the Hockey is improving incredibly in France during last couple of years, I have a lot of respect for this french team and the way how their federation is going and working since they left the corrupt and incompetent french Ice sports federation (which included also speed skating, figure skating etc..) coach Dave Henderson has an amazing sense of coaching and don´t forget that they play in fact always with the same squad, this is also a great advantage.
This last match against Hungary was a incredible thriller until the very last action of the match.
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Qualified Nations:
Total Nations: 12
Total Athletes: 300
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