Ice Hockey 2015 - 2016 Discussion Thread

[hckošice 14,822]

TEAM PRESENTATIONS

  United States

 

 

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USA medal hunting in Russia

Auston, Americans focus on experience

 

With a squad possessing youth and energy, USA Hockey delivers a team with the opportunity to surprise and compete for another medal.

 

When the Americans won bronze in the Czech Republic at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, it was their second bronze in the last three years. Team USA will once again employ its time-tested formula of carrying eager and talented youngsters, experienced veterans and relying on hot goaltending to make it to the playoff round for a shot at a medal. USA will pin its hopes on chemistry and a singular team focus on head coach John Hynes’ system.

 

Goal

 

Mike Condon took over for an injured Carey Price in net for the Montreal Canadiens and performed admirably. He participated in 55 games as a rookie, which was the most since Ken Dryden’s first season with the club. Keith Kincaid played in 23 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2015-16, backing up Cory Schneider. One of his season highlights include a career high 39 save performance in a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Recently signed Vancouver Canucks prospect Thatcher Demko is the third goaltender. Demko, who starred for Boston College, is seen as a possible future franchise goaltender for the Canucks.

 

Defence

 

Noah Hanifin was one of the youngest players in the NHL at 18. The Boston native played in 80 games for the Carolina Hurricanes and registered 22 points. Jake McCabe and Chris Wideman also earned full time status in the NHL this season with Buffalo and Ottawa respectively. Conor Murphy, son of former NHL player Gord Murphy, is making his second consecutive appearance with the national team. He played for USA at the 2015 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Despite being eliminated from the NHL playoffs, the Rangers caught a glimpse of their blue line future in Brady Skjei. Skjei played so well in the Rangers five game playoff elimination to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he was given additional responsibilities and playing time. He moves the puck well and is an exceptional skater. He will have the chance to build on that here in Russia.

 

Forward

 

Team USA will be without Jack Eichel who decided not to play for the Americans in this tournament. Auston Matthews is the player to watch. In this his draft year, scouts from those NHL teams in the lottery for the first overall pick will undoubtedly be on hand to watch him play. The 18-year-old prospect spent the 2015-16 season playing for the ZSC Lions Zurich in the Swiss League and finished second in scoring. Kyle Connor, J.T. Compher and Tyler Motte formed the CCM line for the University of Michigan and are likely to do the same for Team USA. The college trio is expected to play as a unit and the American side will hope to capitalize on their season long chemistry. Recent additions include Luke Glendening and Miles Wood, son of former Buffalo Sabres forward Randy Wood.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets captain, Foligno slumped to 12 goals this season after scoring 31 in the 2014-15 season. In his breakout season he was named an NHL All Star Game team captain.

 

Coaching

 

John Hynes, long-time USA Hockey coach, will lead the team. Hynes spent six years as head coach of the much-heralded USA National Team Development Program. Previously, he’s coached USA U18 World Championship teams to gold, silver and bronze and was an assistant coach on the 2004 U20 team that won gold. Hynes will be assisted by Todd Richards, whose experience will be a good complement at this level. Richards was head coach of last year’s USA bronze medal winning entry in this tournament. David Quinn, head coach of Boston University, will round out the staff.

 

Projected Results

 

Team USA has an intriguing mix of young players with upside and skill sets that will be fun to watch here. Their opening game against Canada will be an important immediate test coming in and how they respond in that game and after – win or lose – will establish their fortunes in this tournament.

 

[hckošice 14,822]

SCHEDULE

DAY 1

Friday, May 6th, 2016

 

 

16:15 (GMT +3)

PRELIMINARY ROUND - GROUP A

 

Sweden vs Latvia

Referees:  Stefan FONSELIUS (FIN), Maxim SIDORENKO (BLR)

Linesmens:  Fraser McINTYRE (USA), Alexander OTMAKHOV (RUS)

Line Ups Link, Ice Palace, Moscow

 

 

16:15 (GMT +3)

PRELIMINARY ROUND - GROUP B

 

United States vs Canada

Referees:  Tobias BJORK (SWE), Marc WIEGAND (SUI)

Linesmens:  Gleb LAZAREV (RUS), Miroslav LHOTSKÝ (CZE)

Line Ups Link, Yubileiny, St. Petersburg

 

 

 

20:15 (GMT +3)

PRELIMINARY ROUND - GROUP A

 

Czech Republic vs Russia

Referees:  Daniel PIECHACZEK (GER), Tobias WEHRLI (SUI)

Linesmens:  Pasi NIEMINEN (FIN), Henrik PIHLBLAD (SWE)

Line Ups Link, Ice Palace, Moscow

 

 

 

20:15 (GMT +3)

PRELIMINARY ROUND - GROUP B

 

Finland vs Belarus

Referees:  Martin FRANO (CZE), Peter GEBEI (HUN)

Linesmens:  Nicolas FLURI (SUI), Andreas MALMQVIST (SWE)

Line Ups Link, Yubileiny, St. Petersburg

 

 

 

 

 

* The streams will be geo-blocked in some countries.

** Referees and Line-Ups will be announced usually 3-4 hours before the first match, will be added in the schedule later.

 

[ahjfcshfghb 287]

On 5/4/2016 at 02:36, hckosice said:

 

the stupidest movie I´ve seen in my life

Stupid, maybe, but I couldn't stop laughing 

They actually played that song one time to a Kazakhstani shooter who won a tournament in Dubai instead of the national anthem.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2016 by ahjfcshfghb

[hckošice 14,822]

TEAM PRESENTATIONS

  Latvia

 

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New look for Latvia

Veteran coach remodels the roster

 

 

Leonids Berenevs returns to the helm for the Baltic nation and goes for a young roster as Latvia prepares for its 20th consecutive campaign among the elite.

 

Latvia’s progress towards the 2016 World Championship has been bumpier than usual. A long delay in choosing a head coach and a row between senior players and the national federation has dogged the team’s preparations.

 

Now veteran Leonids Beresnevs is back behind the bench for his third spell at the helm of the Baltic nation’s roster and he’s putting together a young team that aims to make a transition from one generation to the next. Can Latvia achieve this while preserving its proud record of unbroken top division hockey since 1997?

 

Goal

 

Latvia’s top goaltending prospect, Kristers Gudlevskis, has seen his progress stall within the Tampa Bay organization and the star of the Sochi Olympics isn’t involved here. That means Edgars Masalskis is once again in line to stand between the piping for his country. He has a wealth of experience in World Championships after first making the roster back in 2001, but his season with Lada Togliatti in the KHL wasn’t his best and his sole international appearance of the year ended with four goals against and a save percentage of just 81%. He is joined by Elvis Merzlikins of HC Lugano, a 22-year-old getting his first Worlds call, and Janis Kalnins, who was the unused third-choice goalie last year and played in Hungary.

 

Defence

 

Ralfs Freibergs gets a shot at redemption after completing the two-year ban handed to him following a failed drug test in Sochi. Moscow will be his first international action since then and the 24-year-old arrives on the back of a productive ECHL campaign with Toledo Walleye. But Oskars Bartulis is out following his role in the conflict that flared during the season when several players criticized the efforts of the country’s hockey federation. Experienced Dinamo Riga trio Guntis Galvins, Oskars Cibulskis and Kristaps Sotnieks add some heft to a blue line that also introduces some novices. Kristians Rubins, 18, makes his senior international debut here. Unusually for a Latvian player, he’s spent most of his career thus far in Sweden with Vasteras. Edgars Siksna, 23, is another World Championship rookie, getting the call after helping Saryarka Karaganda to the semi-final of the Russian VHL.

Forwards

 

Zemgus Girgensons, Latvia’s most prominent active NHLer, is the man on whom most hopes rest – and arguably the Buffalo Sabres man is more important than ever given the absence of the injured Martins Karsums and the unavailable Lauris Darzins and Janis Sprukts. Darzins stepped down for family reasons, while Sprukts was another of the players involved in criticisms of the Latvian Hockey Federation. Team captain Kaspars Daugavins was also critical of the set-up around the national camp but has since apologised and is back on the roster. He performed strongly in Prague last year and is coming off the back of a good season at Torpedo Nizhni Novgorod after he left Dynamo Moscow a few weeks into the KHL campaign.

 

Elsewhere there’s a strong Dinamo Riga contingent among the forwards: Maris Bicevskis, Andris Dzerins, Miks Indrasis, Gints Meija, Vitalijs Pavlovs, Mikelis Redlihs and Gunars Skvorcovs all ply their trade in the capital, as do rookies Maris Bicevskis and Edgars Kulda. Rodrigo Abols could be an intriguing prospect: the 20-year-old is back for his second World Championship after a season in the WHL with Portland Winterhawks where he scored 20+29=49 in 62 games.

 

Coaching

 

Leonids Beresnevs was the coach who took Latvia into the top division back in the 1990s. He then returned for the 2005 Worlds and 2006 Olympics and got the nod once again after the resignation of Alexander Beliavski. He’s already enjoyed World Championship success this season, leading Latvia’s U20 squad to promotion, and his prior experience of the country’s junior programs has clearly shaped his youthful roster here. After securing Latvia’s place among the elite in 1996, he’ll be determined to ensure that this year’s 20th consecutive tournament at the highest level ends with the country’s status secured for another year.

 

Projected results

 

A revitalized squad should bring plenty of energy and enthusiasm to Moscow and that could be crucial in the battles with Kazakhstan, Denmark and Norway. Like each of those nations, Latvia will look first and foremost to preserve its top-flight status, then hope for a chance to compete for a place in the quarter finals. However, with Sweden, Czech Republic and Russia coming up in the first three games, there’s a real danger that the team could be 0-3 and under pressure before it gets into its key encounters. That’s where Beresnevs’ experience in handling young players will be crucial to keep the team confident and competitive throughout the competition.

 

[hckošice 14,822]

TEAM PRESENTATIONS

  Sweden

 

 

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Tre Kronor looks for more

No reason medal haul won’t continue

A medal weekend without Sweden seems odd, but after last year’s poor showing Tre Kronor will push to be back in the medal hunt again.

 

When Sweden lost to Russia, 5-3, in last year’s quarter-finals, it was shocking. Not because one great hockey country defeated another, but because with the loss Sweden finished in fourth place. Indeed, no country has had the consistent and high-level of success in the last half century at the World Championships than the mighty Tre Kronor. Since winning silver in 1967, it has finished off the podium 12 times but has won an incredible 33 medals. Since the playoff format was introduced to the World Championship in 1992, the Swedes have played for a medal every year but four. Why should this year be any different?

 

Goal

 

Jakob Markstrom is pretty much the de facto starter for Sweden. Having played with the Vancouver Canucks this year, the 26-year-old has the most experience of the three goaltenders. He also has a nice little undefeated streak of eight games in WM play (5-0-1) going back to 2010. Behind him are Joel Lassinantti (who played at the 2013 U20 for Sweden) and unheralded Viktor Fasth, who played in the KHL this year after three less-than-sparkling seasons in the NHL.

 

Defence

 

Although only 23 years old, Adam Larsson has just completed his fifth season with the New Jersey Devils. And although he is making his senior debut in Russia, he has plenty of junior experience with his country and will be relied upon to be the stud of the defence. The 31-year-old Johan Fransson, now playing in Switzerland, will be another key element, while newcomers include untested Oscar Fantenberg and Anton Lindholm.

 

Forward

 

No, the Sedins aren’t here, likely saving themselves for the World Cup in September, and that leaves a hole in the team’s offence and its ability to put the puck in the net. Mikael Backlund is playing in his fourth Worlds (2010, 2011, 2014), having won a medal in each of the previous three (two bronze and a silver). Jimmie Ericsson, not a pure scorer by any means, is a veteran at 36 and playing in his sixth WM. Linus Klasen had nine points in ten games two years ago and Gustav Nyquist had four goals in 2014. Linus Omark is playing for the first time since 2010 but should provide a little bit of scoring, but the team has many new faces who have never played for Tre Kronor before or are playing at the senior level for the first time. Patrick Cehlin, Martin Lundberg, Lucas Wallmark, Johan Sundstrom, and Alexander Wennberg have only U20 and U18 experience while John Norman, Mattias Ritola, and Robert Rosen are new to the yellow and blue three crowns sweater altogether.

 

Coaching

 

Par Marts is that comforting, typically Swedish presence. If he’s behind the bench, all is good. The head coach since 2011, he has a gold, two silver, and bronze on the mantlepiece at home, and his tactical style is adaptable to any and all who come to the team in the same way the Czech style was accessible to its players in the late 20th century and early 21st century. There will be no surprises with Marts, and that’s okay.

 

Projected Results

 

Consistency, thy name is Sweden. To have Tre Kronor not qualify for the semi-finals would be only because of a blip or two during the preliminary round in which they’d draw a top team in the quarter-finals, as they did last year. A safe assumption is that that won’t happen in consecutive seasons, so look for Sweden to earn a medal of some colour.

 

[bestmen 2,817]

what's happened to Sweden , they are not strong as i thought

[hckošice 14,822]

Scores after 1st period

 

A

Sweden - Latvia  1-0  (1-0, -, -)

02:52 Jimmie ERICSSON 1-0

 

B

United States - Canada  1-2  (1-2, -, -)

04:54 Patrick MAROON 1-0

05:25 Taylor HALL  1-1

08:48 Brendan GALLAGHER 1-2

 

[bestmen 2,817]

very small scores is it normal 

Latvia seems  strong

Edited May 6, 2016 by bestmen

[hckošice 14,822]

4 minutes ago, bestmen said:

very small scores is it normal 

 

well, this is the top division, the huge score differences aren´t so usual last couple of years. the years when we had high scores are definitely gone also keep in mind that´s the first opener matches, all the so-called "small teams" or underdogs are full of strength and motivations. it´s very usual to see some upsets during the first days and very close results.

[hckošice 14,822]

Scores after 2nd period

 

A

Sweden - Latvia  1-0  (1-0, 0-0, -)

02:52 Jimmie ERICSSON 1-0

 

B

United States - Canada  1-3  (1-2, 0-1, -)

04:54 Patrick MAROON 1-0

05:25 Taylor HALL  1-1

08:48 Brendan GALLAGHER 1-2

31:37 Matt DUCHENE 1-3