2006 U18 Jr World Cup: Canada Wins Gold

CAN | CZE | FIN

| RUS

| SVK

| SWE

| SUI | USA

2006 U18 Jr World Cup: Canada Wins Gold (posted 9.20.06)

Canada

Top Performers

Thomas Hickey (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: presented a very appealing mix of grit, positional play and offensive support during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. patrolled the defensive zone with precision and read developing plays quickly .. an above average factor in the second contest against Sweden .. dished out accurate passes and exhibited solid two-way smarts .. hustled back for timely defense .. played a feisty style along the

boards .. maintained solid level of play all tournament long .. a definite factor during the gold medal contest against USA .. slight step back in his offensive support but played a steady and diligent game .. upgraded his draft stock after this good showing .. one of the best defensemen in the tournament.

Scouting: an above-average skater .. solid straightaway speed and agility .. uses an effective and quick stride .. solid while turning .. good lateral movement .. decent backward speed .. has good balance and lower-body strength .. an offense-minded blueliner .. solid stick-handler .. uses both sides of his stick and maneuvers with the puck

in traffic .. likes to jump into developing plays and generate offense .. good passing skills .. makes hard and accurate passes all over the ice .. a smart player who can surprise the opposition with his offensive imagination .. reads the plays well and reacts appropriately .. powerplay quarterback and top penalty killer .. calm under pressure .. good forehand and backhand wrist shot .. quick release slap shot .. never takes a shift off .. takes advantage of his mobility to play well enough in his own end .. tough to beat one-on-one .. no glaring errors but prone to the odd positional mistake .. recovers quickly thanks to solid composure .. good toughness .. throws a solid hit despite average size .. clears the crease if need be .. plays with poise .. blocks shots .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Drew Doughty (2008),, D

Tournament wrap-up: most productive Canadian defenseman .. best Canadian passer .. .. impressed offensive effort in the first contest against Switzerland .. took advantage of smooth puckhandling skills to win consecutive one-on-one situations .. regularly supported the offense with short and long outlet passes .. played a smart game in the defensive zone .. continued offensive savvy in the second game against Sweden .. a factor on the powerplay .. made use of slick skating to sneak into the offensive zone .. pulled off an above average showing in the gold-medal game against USA .. avoided mistakes when moving the puck and played a smart game in all three zones .. delighted with his performance and established himself as a blue-chipper for the 2008 draft.

Scouting: a solid skater with a fluid stride and smooth acceleration .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. above average lateral movement and pivots well.. good backward speed .. has above average top-end speed .. makes use of his mobility to rush pucks with precision .. hangs back in his own end when asked to play defensively, but is frequently willing to support the offense .. can move the puck out of his own end and make passes that quicken the pace of a game .. good stick-handling skills and hand-eye coordination .. smooth in one-on-one situations .. can distribute crisp and accurate passes .. good offensive vision .. patient with the puck .. plays with his head up and reads the play well

.. aware of teammates' positioning at all times .. utilized in all game situations .. a good asset on the powerplay with his fast and accurate passes .. impresses with a hard and

accurate slap shot but could shoot more .. skates into position to shoot precisely .. solid powerplay pointman .. progressed in his ability to run the powerplay and is making more precise feeds on the offensive blue line .. shows solid poise in all game situations .. decent positional play .. breaks up the opposing passing lanes with his stick .. stays with his man and is tough to beat one-on-one but .. could slightly upgrade his decision- making in the defensive zone .. needs to add some pounds to his frame .. throws an occasional hit and shows some toughness .. a late '89 born defenseman .. shoots right.

Angelo Esposito (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: Team Canada's captain .. tied with Brett Sonne and Bryan Cameron for points lead .. third-best Canadian goal scorer .. the best forward in the opening game against Switzerland .. impressed with his array of offensive weapons .. thought the play a few steps ahead of the opposition .. scored on a beautiful backhand wrist shot .. a major factor on the powerplay .. stepped up his physical assertiveness to match the more Swedes in the second contest .. didn't quite repeat his excellent offensive performance but still served as a dangerous weapon with his smarts and skill .. a solid factor in the gold-medal game against USA .. difficult to contain with his agility and smooth puck-handling ability .. a strong playmaker .. provided offense when it was needed most .. a key performer .. one of the very best forwards in the tournament contributing to his bid to became the first overall pick in 2007.

Scouting: a good skater .. propelled by a quick and powerful stride .. reaches top speed in just a few strides .. possesses excellent agility which is one of the most dangerous parts of his offensive array .. beats opponents wide .. shows an explosive first-step which enables him to gain extra inches .. utilizes multiple gears .. solid top-end speed .. a very smooth puck-handler who likes to challenge opponents one-on-one

.. smooth with the puck in tight spaces .. covers the puck well .. capable of sharp dekes .. corrals pucks and makes passes from both sides of his stick .. blessed with solid understanding of developing plays .. a quality playmaker who doesn't panic with the puck

.. a frequent passer .. aware of his linemates .. very solid vision and hockey sense .. capable of smooth surprise moves especially on the powerplay .. a crafty passer from the half-board area .. tricky in-close finishing skills .. a regular threat in the offensive zone ..

confident in his offensive ability .. fires a quick and accurate forehand and backhand wrist shots .. has an above average accurate snap shot .. quick release slap shot could be harder .. handles himself in traffic and doesn't back down from physical challenges but

isn't an intimidating physical factor .. uses his propulsion to forecheck aggressively .. hustles back on defense and backchecks aggressively albeit on an inconsistent basis .. a diligent player but seldom digs for the pucks along the boards .. only adequate at

closing opposing passing lanes .. must improve his faceoff ability.

Kyle Turris (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: delighted with his spirited and gritty performance in

the tournament opener against Switzerland .. drove the net hard and

battled in traffic often despite the fact that he still needs to bulk up to

be fully effective .. dangerous in one-on-one situations .. showed a

mix of quickness, tenacity and smooth stickhandling skills during the

second matchup against Sweden .. pulled off the same performance in terms

of offensive spirit and intensity .. prone to occassional off-shifts in

his defensive awareness .. an above-average factor in the gold-medal

game against USA .. took advantage of his acceleration and crafty

stickhandling to execute in the offensive zone .. didn't back down from

showing up in traffic regularly .. registered a good tournament showing as

one of the most dangerous Canadian forwards.

Scouting: blessed with slick skating skills .. possesses strong

footspeed .. above-average acceleration .. takes advantage of a strong agility

.. dsolid top-end speed .. solid explosiveness .. can outskate the

defenders smoothly, but should develop a better balance and upgrade on his

lower-body strength .. possesses above-average skill set .. nifty

puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. handles difficult passes

smoothly .. can corrall pucks even while turning .. succeeds in

one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. an above-average

asset to powerplay units .. his quick moves open up holes in the opposing

box .. a determined forechecker .. an okay passer .. solid passing

accuracy .. okay patience with the puck .. willing to shoot the puck, using

primarily his quick accurate wrist shot or snap shot .. strong accuracy

on his snap shot .. slap shot should be fired more harder .. above-average in-close finishing skills .. needs to bulk up but won't back down from battling stronger opponents .. drives the net hard and visits the slot .. battles for the loose pucks in the corners .. tenacious in the faceoff circle .. will be a decent physical factor once he physically

matures .. needs to improve on his defensive play despite his willingness

to occassionally backcheck .. returns back to start the offensive raids

from the rear end, but should mark his man more quickly .. a

right-shooting forward.

Brett Sonne (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: tied with Bryan Cameron and Angelo Esposito for

leading Team Canada in points (4 points) .. ranked second among Canadian

goalscorers (3 goals) .. didn't come into the tournament with such a

glowing reputation as some of his teammates but turned out to be the most

impressive Canadian forward after Angelo Esposito in the tournament

opener against Switzerland .. took advantage of his skating and strength

.. unpredictable for the opponents in the second contest against Sweden

.. dangerous on the powerplay units .. showed a solid grit and

belligerence .. a strong factor during the gold-medal game against USA ..

played a hit-and-go style and became a dangerous factor in the offensive

zone .. could score and pass equally well .. returned back to help out the

defense .. the gold-medal game MVP .. crowned his performance by

scoring key goals .. flourished into one of the most dangerous Canadian

weapons and the best all-round player.

Scouting: a solid skater .. okay first-step quickness .. possesses

solid acceleration .. okay agility on his skates .. decent balance and

lower-body strength .. doesn't get knocked off his skates too often ..

okay top-end speed for a player of his size .. tough to keep under

control for the opponents .. a decent puckhandler .. can maneuver with the

puck in tight space without losing possession .. covers the puck

precisely .. a solid factor in one-on-one situations .. once in the offensive

zone he can score and pass equally well .. aware of his linemates ..

decent passing skills and creativity .. can make a surprising pass from

both sides of the stick .. a solid passer on the powerplay units ..

returns back to his own zone for the pucks and starts the offensive raids

.. possesses a fast release on his wrist and snap shot .. fires a hard

slap shot but could upgrade on accuracy .. battles in the opposing slot

and looks for the loose rebounds .. screens the goaltender .. smart at

gaining possession of the puck from a scrum .. positions himself into

scoring positions well .. drives the net hard .. an aggressive

forechecker .. a solid asset along the boards with his belligerence .. shows

above-average tenacity and feistiness .. a solid hitter along the boards

.. shows a regular mean streak .. returns to help out the defense ..

could upgrade on spotting his man but can close passing lanes well .. a

diligent factor on the penalty killing units.

Bryan Cameron (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: best Canadian goalscorer (4 goals) .. tied with

Brett Sonne and Angelo Esposito for leading Team Canada in points (4

points) .. scored twice during the tournament opener against Switzerland to

secure the Canadian win .. played a flashy offensive style and was

dangerous near the goal area .. should step up with his defensive awareness

but his offensive prowess helped to particularly overlook his defensive

shortcomings .. impressed with his acceleration and an ability to drive

the net hard in the second contest against Sweden .. a solid factor on

the powerplay units .. showed okay strength in the corner battles ..

played a solid gold-medal game against USA .. took advantage of his

offensive instincts and above-average skill set .. difficult to keep under

control .. fired accurate wrist and snap shots .. inconsistent on the

defensive side .. a regular offensive threat played an above-average

tournament.

Scouting: an above-average skater with a fast change of pace and

deceptive quickness .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with

okay acceleration and flashiness .. okay top-end speed .. keeps his feet

moving could add more bulk to his lower-body but already possesses a

decent balance .. can split the defense well with his bursts of speed ..

difficult to keep under control .. emerges as a swift puckhandler ..

maintains possession in tight spaces thanks to an above-average hand-eye

coordination .. protects the puck well .. aggressive in puck-pursuit ..

blessed with decent offensive instincts .. capable of okay tape-on-tape

passes on a short distance but is more of a finisher than playmaker ..

unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. snap shot can

surprise goaltenders with release and hardness .. could use his slap

shot more often .. solid sniper instincts and in-close finishing skills ..

anticipates the deflections of the puck in the offensive zone well to

sneak into scoring positions .. often looks for the loose rebounds ..

dangerous in the opposing slot .. decent in-close finishing skills ..

willing to return to his own end to help out the defense with fire, but

needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. average quickness of

marking his man .. should improve on defensive positioning .. strong

intensity level .. drives the net hard .. an aggressive forechecker ..

possesses above-average strength .. performs in traffic with determination ..

shoots right.

Other Players

Brandon Sutter (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: played a gritty two-way style in the first game of the tournament against Switzerland .. battled for pucks along the boards with above average effectiveness .. his finishing skills were hampered by a stiff demeanor and an inability to create smart plays on a regular basis .. the best Canadian face-off man in the second contest against Sweden .. showed above average determination and tenacity .. hustled back on defense with regularity .. a limited factor in the offensive zone as he was unable to fulfill a playmaking role effectively .. useful with his traditional strong assets - diligence and determination in the gold medal game against USA .. a valuable team player with significant pro potential as a two-way forward.

Scouting: a deceptively quick skater .. possesses decent balance but needs to add some bulk .. first step lacks elite crispness but acceleration is still above average .. slightly bent over when skating and has a fluid stride .. could use improvement in his overall speed with the puck .. decent agility for a big man with adequate top-end speed .. could improve on his lateral movement .. a combative forward who plays a belligerent style with intensity and determination .. a solid hitter who uses his size as an advantage when battling in the trenches .. drives the net hard and is willing to go after pucks in the corners and battle for position in the slot .. must improve his stick-handling .. covers the puck well with his body .. needs to be a little smoother in one-on-one situations .. adept at handling difficult passes .. a solid tape-to-tape passer over shorter distances but his creativity doesn't necessarily stand out .. good hockey sense .. reads the play well .. possesses a variety of shots .. shoots right .. fast release on his hard wrist shot and a heavy slap shot with moderate accuracy .. tends to stiffen up when finishing a scoring chance from in close .. shows a regular commitment on defense .. spots his man quickly and blocks passing lanes well .. can play on both special teams units .. solid face-off man.

Colton Gillies (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: second-most penalized Canadian in the tournament ..

impressed with his skating ability and belligerence along the boards but largely ineffective in the offensive zone .. failed to create quality plays with the puck and wasn't a lethal shooter despite a willingness to fire hard wrist shots .. noticeable for a number of hard hits delivered in the second game against Sweden but his overall game was lacking

.. looked a bit overwhelmed trying to create offense .. prone to losing position and pucks didn't seem to follow him .. an average factor against USA in the gold medal game which should've suited his physical style well .. snake-bitten even on the powerplay failed to live up to his reputation in the tournament .. a big disappointment despite his obvious pro potential.

Scouting: a good skater for a player his size .. takes advantage of a crisp smooth stride .. solid bursts of speed .. good first-step quickness .. very agile when turning .. above average top-end speed for a big man .. decent stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. doesn't make many nifty dekes in traffic but covers the puck well .. good vision and hockey sense but doesn't make full use of those assets on every shift .. an adequate passer who can make accurate feeds but should upgrade on timing .. needs to improve the smoothness of his in-close finishing skills .. willing to score a garbage goal because he's often screening the opposing goaltender ..goaltender .. hard wrist shot above average and accurate .. also fires a hard slap shot .. defensively aware .. quick in tight when checking his man but needs upgrade overall defensive positioning .. drives the net hard .. a solid hitter who can throw bone-crunching checks .. drives the net hard .. mucks for the pucks in the corners .. happily ventures into rougher areas of the ice .. prone to undisciplined penalties .. should play all his shifts at full intensity and determination .. hampered by inconsistency.

Zack Torquato (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: didn't catch fire during any of the tournament games .. prone to sleepwalking on his shifts during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. showed a tendency to lose position on fast-paced shifts .. skated better during the second game against Sweden .. better effort than during the first game but lacked offensive polish .. needs to be more patient on scoring chances .. never made up for his lack of offense with any other asset .. no major factor during the final game against USA .. displayed adequate stick handling skills but failed to create .. overall, he had a disappointing tournament that did not help his draft stock.

Scouting: a decent skater with above average first-step quickness .. can dance around opponents thanks to his agility but expends significant effort when accelerating .. should fully coordinate his movement and upgrade on the smoothness of his stride .. decent top-end speed still could improve slightly .. has to add bulk to his lower body and keep his feet moving at all times .. smooth stick handling skills but has occasional trouble corralling hard passes .. smart passer especially accurate over short distances .. can deke opposing players but lacks strength to run them over in one-on-one situations.. prefers passing to shooting .. good one-time passer .. aware of his linemates .. patient with the puck but doesn't possess top-notch vision and hockey sense .. boasts a decent array of shots .. releases a fast wrist shot .. snap shot could be harder .. should use the slapper more often .. never plays afraid but could drive the net a littleharder .. doesn't back down from occassionally mucking for the pucks .. should hit more often and throw harder hits .. hustles back quickly but is no defensive specialist .. checks his man effectively but stops working in his own end from time to time .. needs to work on consistency .. shoots right.

Logan MacMillan (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: wasn't flashy or quick but useful with his strength and all around style during the whole tournament .. ran opponents over during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. didn't turn heads but emerged as a competent factor on special teams .. competed hard during the second game against Sweden .. needs to step up his creativity in the offensive zone to play a more complete game .. hustled back on defense .. filled a two-way role during the gold medal game against USA .. diligent backchecker and handled the quick game pace without trouble .. wins a number of puck battles .. could rank among the best Canadian players if he added productivity to his gritty style.

Scouting: decent skater for a big man .. possesses good balance and

Lower body strength but adding some top-end speed would make him even

more dangerous .. decent first-step quickness .. above average acceleration .. good agility for a big man .. hard to knock off his feet .. adequate puck handler .. can occasionally maneuver with the puck in tight spaces without loosing possession but doesn't use this

asset enough .. can often corral hard passes .. covers the puck well with his body .. fends off opposing players well with his strong hands .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. a gritty forward who passes and shoots the puck equally well .. can be a force when

executing plays from the corner on the powerplay .. accurate passing skills and creativity but doesn't have top-notch playmaking ability .. aware of his linemates .. fast release on his wrist and slap shots .. fires a hard and accurate slap shot .. blessed with size .. often battles in the opposing slot and along the boards .. throws solid hits along the boards .. can overpower most opponents in puck battles .. hustles back to help out the defense regularly .. adept at shutting down the passing lanes of the opposition but should upgrade on defensive positioning .. never takes a shift off.

Olivier Fortier (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: performed role as an alternate captain .. pulled off a solid showing in the opening game against Switzerland .. filled his role well and regularly wreaked havoc among the Swiss defensemen with his spirited play .. approached opponents quickly and forced them to make mistakes .. played a diligent game against Sweden in the second contest but failed to be dangerous in the offensive zone .. stuck to his disturbing role in the gold medal game against USA .. took advantage of his quickness and is aware in traffic .. needs to add some scoring to his game .. pulled off an above average tournament in terms of intensity and tenacity but lacked offensive prowess to be ranked among the top performers.

Scouting: an above average skater with solid foot speed and acceleration .. possesses a fluid stride .. very agile when turning .. has decent balance and lower-body strength .. never quits moving his feet .. can burn opposing defensemen with his quickness but should use that asset more effectively .. satisfactory stick-handling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can dangle with the puck and is solid with the puck in traffic .. successful in one-on-one situations thanks to his quick moves .. a decent passer who can dish out accurate short passes .. adequate creativity does not enable him to be a quality playmaking force .. prone to predictability .. shows only adequate hockey sense .. displays decent in-close finishing skills .. possesses a decent variety of shots .. quick release on his snap shot but needs to upgrade accuracy .. quick wrist shot .. fires a hard

slap shot with average accuracy .. an above average energy player .. useful as a disturber .. thrives in traffic and plays bigger than his size .. willing to hit the bigger opponents .. a tenacious forechecker .. backcheckes diligently but needs to work on defensive 'wildness' .. should stay with his check all the way .. eager pass blocker .. decent face-off man.

Trevor Cann (2007), G

Tournament wrap-up: best GAA in the tournament .. finished second among goalies in save percentage .. served as backup during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. Canadian starter in the second game against Sweden .. performed adequately .. controlled the easy shots but allowed too many rebounds .. didn't anticipate developing plays too well .. played better in the gold medal contest against USA .. shutout USA shooters with an above average performance .. good reflexes helped him make smooth glove-hand saves .. saved himself a bit with a solid final game but didn't rank among the best goalies in the tournament.

Scouting: plays a butterfly style .. a quick goalie with developing athleticism and dexterity .. solid lateral movement .. has some decent leg quickness .. tough to beat on initial shots .. doesn't leave many holes in his stance when moving side-to-side .. okay lateral movement .. solid down low .. quick to recover when he drops to the butterfly ..

must learn how to stand up for an extra second to be less vulnerable in the top corners of the net .. possesses solid reflexes .. above average glove hand .. needs to square up to shooters more .. decent on the blocker side .. no significant trouble handling pressure .. needs work on anticipating plays .. slight trouble getting oriented in heavy traffic ..

can be prone to allowing rebounds .. shows decent focus and mental toughness .. needs to upgrade his puck handling skills and he wanders from the net at times.

Luke Schenn (2008), D

Tournament wrap-up: impressed with defensive savvy during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. took no prisoners along the boards and was difficult to beat in one-on-one situations .. hard to out-skate .. didn't repeat similar performances in any of the other tournament games .. had an off-game in the second contest against Sweden .. didn't resemble the gritty defenseman from the first game .. he didn't take advantage of his size and was prone to occasional fuzzy plays in the defensive zone .. an adequate factor in the gold medal game against USA .. didn't take a chance on quick outlet passes but avoided glaring mistakes in the defensive zone .. has pro potential but this tournament wasn't his best.

Scouting: blessed with above average size .. a solid skater for a player his size .. possesses solid balance .. utilizes a powerful and fluid stride .. possesses above average lateral movement and first-step quickness .. decent top-end speed .. passable backward speed .. strong lower body enables him to absorb checks .. works hard

down low effectively .. a strong force when he keeps things simple .. above average strength and tenacity .. throws surprising checks .. takes his man out of the play and is willing to clear the crease with focused determination .. solid toughness .. has an underappreciated offensive upside .. has some hockey sense .. a decent stick handler but must improve when trying to corral hard passes .. distributes the puck safely .. regularly makes hard and accurate passes to clear the zone but isn't a lethal two-way force .. doesn't panic under pressure .. plays a safe style on the offensive blue line .. solid positional play .. a definite factor in one-on-one situations .. doesn't have trouble keeping the play in front of him .. unleashes a booming shot from the point .. fires accurate snap shots which are easily deflected .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. has a long reach .. a late '89 born defenseman .. shoots right.

John Negrin (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: most penalized Canadian player .. an alternate captain .. an average factor during the tournament opener against Switzerland .. didn't support the offense overly well or show a consistent mean streak in the defensive zone .. played with an more reliability and conscientiousness in the second game against Sweden .. occasionally hesitant to dish out long outlet passes .. faster top-end speed would make him more effective .. played a decent gold medal game against USA .. stuck to a defensive style and avoided glaring mistakes .. useful defensively but didn't really stand out in the tournament.

Scouting: a decent skater .. stride could be more polished .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. decent balance but he needs to strengthen his lower body .. solid turns .. decent first-step quickness .. has good acceleration but needs to improve his top-end speed .. should keep his feet moving in order to avoid obstruction penalties .. tries to support the offense with quick accurate passes but doesn't have the top-notch offensive vision to recognize long passing lanes quickly .. decent powerplay quarterback .. doesn't

force opposing players to move when quarterbacking the powerplay .. decent hockey sense .. somewhat accurate slap shot needs to get harder .. spots his man quickly and works hard in the defensive zone .. decent defensive stick-handling .. not bad in one-on-one situations .. plays with a bit of an edge but needs to bulk up in order to be more effective .. adequate aggressiveness .. has to be meaner when clearing the crease .. tends to loose position when making a hit on occasion .. puts in a solid effort and doesn't tend to shifts off .. shows some determination .. must take at least one of his assets to a 'very

good' level to be more effective.

Alex Grant (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: only an average factor during the first tournament

match versus Switzerland .. focused on playing a defensive style but occasionally flat-footed when failing to read plays .. lacked a top gear in the second game against Sweden that hurt him on faster paced shifts .. had more confidence creating plays with the puck .. started to join the rush more as the tournament wore on .. a bit of a factor on defense in the gold medal game against USA .. kept opponents under control and distributed accurate short passes .. needs work on his skating .. proved that he has the raw tools

but will need to be patient while he puts it all together .. likely to be more effective on a smaller, NHL-sized ice surface.

Scouting: blessed with above average size .. a decent skater for a player of his size .. could use a more explosive first step and faster acceleration .. decent agility .. good backward skating and lateral movement but still needs to progress in those areas ..

has good balance but needs to strengthen his lower body .. should further upgrade on his top-end speed .. not beautiful when moving the puck but he shows an ability to corral passes and distribute the puck .. uses a long stick and doesn't make many smooth

moves with the puck .. knows when to pinch in from the point .. decent defensive stick handler .. not a pure two-way defenseman but willing to join the rush .. tends to fall behind the play when focusing on offense .. reads developing plays well but usually chooses the most obvious play when moving the puck .. willing to venture into the opposing slot .. possesses decent vision and hockey sense .. unleashes a hard shot from the point but should upgrade accuracy .. displays aggressiveness in his own end .. works hard down low .. throws good hits and makes use of his size and strength .. solid at

clearing the crease .. safe positional player .. a reliable force in the defensive zone .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Mark Katic (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: started the tournament with a solid two-way performance in the opening game against Switzerland .. burned opposing players with his speed .. pinched in aggressively and distributed hard and accurate passes .. a factor in the second game against Sweden with his skating but didn't create quality plays .. lacked a steady enough defensive effort to be considered a reliable factor in his own end .. joined the rush regularly in the gold medal game against USA .. made quick passes but wasn't a lethal enough offensive force to offset the odd defensive gaffe .. the best-skating defenseman in the tournament .. pulled off an above average performance but should be more effective in a two-way role in order to be ranked a top performer.

Scouting: an exceptional skater with very smooth acceleration .. blessed with excellent speed and a quick fluid stride .. solid lateral movement and pivoting ability .. above average backward speed .. doesn't get beaten by speedy opponents .. good agility and turns .. solid top-end speed .. makes use of his mobility in the defensive zone .. an offense-minded defenseman .. frequently willing to jump into the play and support the

offense .. effective when paired with a stay-at-home partner .. can move the puck out of his own end under pressure thanks to good stick handling skills but occasionally overplays the puck .. good hand-eye coordination .. capable of pulling off a surprising move .. good and accurate passer .. uses both sides of the stick blade when passing .. plays with his head up .. uses above average offensive vision to spot possible passing lanes quickly .. aware of the positioning of his teammates on the ice .. an asset on the powerplay .. aggressively pinches in from the point .. could shoot the puck a little more

often .. fires a hard and accurate snap shot .. his slap shot could be harder .. must improve on his positional play and stay with his man all the way .. needs to add some mass to a

smallish frame to avoid being overpowered but shows above average tenacity .. plays a diligent game in his own end .. throws the odd hit .. willing to clear the crease .. a versatile defenseman who doesn't mind playing on the left or right side.

Nick Ross (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: a dependable defensive factor during the opening match against Switzerland .. went unnoticed on a number of shifts but handled the pace of the game well .. read plays quickly enough to react appropriately .. a limited offensive factor .. still limited in the second game against Sweden but was more confident joining the rush and distributed passes on a more frequent basis .. stuck to a defensive role in the gold medal game against USA .. took advantage of his defensive poise and a long reach .. always passed the puck to the nearest teammate .. a solid factor defensively side with offensive potential but didn't fully show an offensive flair.

Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. has an okay stride but should upgrade acceleration .. passable backward skater .. decent lateral movement .. smooth on turns .. adequate lower body strength and balance .. decent top-end speed must still improve .. first step is somewhat explosive .. has decent puck handling skills and hand-eye coordination .. must learn to corral difficult passes more less effort .. primarily a dependable defensive defenseman .. takes pride in his reliability and lugs the puck out of his own end when needed .. has an offensive upside but prefers to make safe

decisions with the puck .. occasionally leads the offense with a smart outlet pass that quickens the pace of the game .. doesn't try to do too much and can be effective when performing at the offensive blue line .. handles pressure without significant problems .. unleashes a big, low point shot .. positionally sound .. stays with his man and is determined in his own zone .. spots his man quickly and takes him out of the play .. clears the crease adequately .. possesses solid strength .. works hard in the corners .. solid along the boards with a bit of a mean streak .. doesn't loose position when delivering a hit.

Dwight King (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: a sleepwalking giant during many shifts in the tournament opener against Switzerland .. displayed above average strength and an ability to make an accurate pass but on an inconsistent basis .. a bit reluctant to shoot the puck ..played the dump-and-chase style often during the second contest against Sweden .. didn't improve his overall performance and didn't show enough hustle .. returned back on defense and limited the options of his opponents diligently .. didn't see much ice time in the gold medal game against USA .. overpowered opponents in the corners but wasn't a quality offensive factor .. failed to live up to his reputation and played a disappointing tournament.

Scouting: blessed with good size .. a decent skater with a good stride .. could use more foot speed and improve explosiveness .. accelerates fairly well and displays decent agility .. solid balance and lower body strength .. has to find another gear to improve top-end speed .. has decent puck handling skills .. likes to carry the puck but tends to slow down on occasion when making moves .. troubles opposing defensemen with his belligerence .. possesses decent vision and solid passing skills .. more of a playmaker than a sniper .. has some creativity .. dishes out quick and accurate passes after winning battles for the puck .. reads plays quickly .. a diligent player who isn't afraid of fighting through traffic or entering the slot .. should make use of his size and strength on a more regular basis .. can throw a decent hit when the play gets physical .. plays the dump-and-chase .. could stand to shoot more often .. has a hard snap shot .. doesn't use the slap shot very often .. looks for loose pucks around the net .. decent defensive awareness but tends to lose position in his own end .. emerges as a factor in his own end with his wingspan .. limits the options of the puck carrier .. an adequate factor on faceoffs.

Zach Boychuk (2008), LW

Tournament wrap-up: displayed a high octane and energetic style in the tournament opener against Switzerland .. showed above average skill and an ability to play bigger than his size in tight traffic areas .. executed at top speed .. continued to exhibit intensity and finesse during the second contest against Sweden .. difficult to control with his agility .. should be more responsible on the defensive side .. played a flashy game on the powerplay .. played a decent gold medal game against USA .. took advantage with his quickness but need more productive results .. overpowered by bigger players but never quit battling .. a player who could survive under the new NHL rules .. pulled off an above average performance.

Scouting: a diminutive waterbug .. an above-average skater with solid foot speed and acceleration .. possesses a fluid stride .. shows consistent hustle .. sharp agility and turns .. decent balance and lower body strength for a smaller player .. has above average top-end speed .. solid stick handling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can dangle the puck in traffic .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to quick moves .. executes in full flight .. capable of surprising moves that gain him extra inches .. a decent passer who can find the open man .. hides his intentions well .. shows decent hockey sense .. displays in-close finishing skills .. possesses a solid variety of shots including an accurate wrist shot .. slap shot has to get more accurate .. sticks his nose into traffic regularly and plays bigger than his size .. willing to take a hit and to hit bigger opponents .. drives hard to the net .. willing to get involved in the corners to gain control of the puck .. a tenacious forechecker .. backchecks diligently with good propulsion but needs to pick up his overall defensive game .. should stay with his player all the way .. still raw in closing the passing lanes of an opponent .. impresses with his determination .. never gives up battling on his shifts .. a late '89 born forward.

2006 U18 Jr World Cup: Smith Shuts Door (posted 9.13.06)

USA

Top Performers

Jeremy Smith (2007), G

Tournament wrap-up: finished fourth among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.9352) .. ranked sixth among tournament goaltenders in GAA (2.33) .. stood between the pipes for a half of the exhibition game against Slovakia .. registered a solid showing but was not tested by many quality chances .. played a very good game in the second tournament matchup against Russia .. a key factor in the USA win as he could frustrate the Russian shooters with key saves .. registered solid showings in both the third game against Czech Republic and the gold-medal game against Canada .. took advantage of his quickness and strong footspeed .. angled the shots into the corners well .. was not guilty of the goals he allowed .. handled pressure without problems .. established himself as an upper-echelon goaltending prospect after a good tournament showing.

Scouting: shows a solid basic stance .. plays a butterfly style .. an above-average skater .. quick side-to-side movement .. moves fast in the crease .. okay lateral movement .. quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. does not cover lots of the net with his size .. solid footspeed .. angles shots into the corners well .. tough to beat down low .. above-average dexterity .. relies on his quickness and athleticism .. an acrobatic goaltender .. possesses solid reflexes .. goes down early .. could learn how to stay up for an extra moment to cover the upper shelf more effectively .. challenges the shooter .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. does not allow unnecessary rebounds as he turns the shots into the corners .. okay handling of rebounds .. could further work on his fundamentals .. okay anticipation of the developing plays .. solid fast glove hand .. decent on the blocker side .. a decent stickhandler .. willing to play the puck often .. should upgrade on passing accuracy in order to avoid adventures with the puck.

Jonathan Blum (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: most productive USA defenseman (3 points) .. tied with Tommy Cross for the best passer among USA defensemen (2 assists) .. registered a solid gritty two-way game in the exhibition game against Slovakia before pulling off an excellent dominating performance in the tournament opener against Finland .. kept his play mistake-free and led the offensive rushes with precise and imagination .. a punishing

physical presence in his own end .. very good on the powerplays .. the best defenseman of the third matchup against Czech Republic .. played a smart two-way game with surprise plays .. prone to some risky passes .. threw hard hits .. a solid powerplay factor .. revealed a lack of top-end speed in the fast-paced gold-medal game against Canada but still played a solid game .. one of the very best defensemen on the tournament pulled off a very good tournament showing.

Scouting: an above-average skater .. solid agility .. uses a quick stride and multiple gears .. solid turns .. possesses an okay lateral movement .. okay explosiveness and backwards speed .. lack of top-end speed is the only shortcoming in his skating .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. solid stickhandling skills .. uses both sides of the blade and can maneuver with the puck in traffic .. active play and tricky moves enable him to avoid giveaways .. likes to jump into developing plays and generate offense .. good passing skills .. patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to develop .. hard and accurate passes on both short and long distance .. distributes hard passes for deflections .. a smart player who can surprise the opposition with his offensive imagination but is prone to the odd risky pass.. over-offensive at times .. very useful as a powerplay quarterback .. stays calm under pressure .. possesses okay smarts and hockey sense .. fires a decent accurate slap shot .. quick release on the hard snap shot .. does not tend to take odd shifts off .. does not make glaring mistakes but is prone to the odd positional mistake .. shows solid toughness and tenacity .. can throw a hard hit, which knocks most opponents off their skates .. often physically involved .. okay crease-clearing ability .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Tommy Cross (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: second-most productive USA defenseman (2 points) .. tied with Jonathon Blum for the best passer among USA defensemen (2 assists) .. the USA captain .. turned heads with his good two-way showing in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. patient with the puck and dangerous on powerplays .. played a gritty game in his own end .. kept the opponents in front of him .. never repeated this showing but still ranked among the best USA defensemen also in the tournament games .. revealed a lack of offensive imagination on powerplay units when asked to create quickly under pressure .. pulled off solid showings in the games against Finland and Czech Republic but was overshadowed by Jonathon Blum .. left a bigger gap between himself and the Canadian opponents in the gold-medal game to avoid getting out skated, which hurt his offensive support but helped him to not to fall behind the plays on turnovers .. established himself as a solid prospect after an above-average tournament showing.

Scouting: an okay skater .. still could use further polishing of his stride .. shows a solid balance .. okay lateral movement but is not fully coordinated when making quick turns .. decent top-end speed could be improved .. okay backwards speed .. leaves a bigger gap between himself and the opposing players to compensate for his not top-notch skating does not join the rush on every shift but shows a regular offensive flair .. an okay stickhandler .. possesses solid defensive stickhandling .. okay puck-distributor who prefers the smart safe plays but does not really stand out with his creativity .. solid patience and a low panic point with the puck .. takes a chance on long outlet passes when the obvious passing lane is present .. possesses the hand-eye coordination to maneuver himself out of tight spaces without losing the puck .. reads the developing plays quickly and reacts properly to the situation without glaring mistakes .. only an adequate powerplay quarterback .. works hard down low and shows okay reliability .. shows solid effectiveness when he keeps things simple .. plays an above-average play positionally .. takes his man out of the play .. plays a safe game in one-on-one situations .. solid intensity and determination .. an above-average physical presence .. mucks in the corners .. a solid crease-clearer .. can avoid big hits with his smarts .. unleashes a hard slap shot but could improve on accuracy .. quick accurate snap shot is his most dangerous one .. can be used as a powerplay pointman well .. solid leadership skills and competitiveness .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Jimmy Hayes (2008), RW

Tournament wrap-up: finished third in tournament scoring (5 points) .. most productive USA player .. best USA goalscorer (4 goals) .. most frequent USA shooter (18 shots) ..best USA player in +/- (+4) .. the tallest player of the tournament .. pulled off an okay performance in the exhibition game against Slovakia but was not a consistent factor .. showed strong raw tools but lacked smooth puckhandling in this game .. an above-average factor in the first tournament contest against Finland .. prolific on the powerplay units .. returned back often and drove the net hard .. registered a good performance in the third game against Czech Republic .. dished out hard passes and was useful at both ends of the ice .. handled the pace of the game well with his solid skating .. played an intense gold-medal game against Canada .. battled in the trenches and in the opposing slot .. generated offensive chances .. showed a good potential but will need some patience before he will fully put all the pieces together .. registered a good tournament performance.

Scouting: blessed with a tall frame .. a solid skater for a big man who uses a fluid stride .. okay first-step quickness .. decent acceleration .. above-average agility for a big man .. decent balance .. does not get knocked off his skates too often but still should improve on lower-body strength .. okay turns .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. a decent puckhandler who could still improve on the quickness of his stick moves .. can maneuver with the puck in tight space but tends to loose possession .. okay corralling of difficult passes and deflections .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. a playmaking forward .. dishes out hard accurate passes .. an effective force when executing from the

half-board area on the powerplay units .. solid passing skills and creativity .. aware of his linemates .. patient on a scoring chance .. solid hockey sense .. possesses a solid release on his accurate wrist and slap shot .. blessed with a big body but still should get stronger .. often battles in the opposing slot and looks for rebounds .. throws decent hits along the boards but is not an all-time physical presence .. drives the net hard .. works hard in the neutral zone .. limits the options of the puck carrier in the neutral zone well .. returns to help out the defense regularly .. starts the offensive raids from deep .. adept at shutting down the passing lanes of the opposition .. okay defensive positioning .. possesses impressive raw tools .. shoots right .. a late '89 born forward.

Nico Sacchetti (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: best USA face-off man (.5854) .. emerged as the most dangerous and creative USA forward in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. displayed strong patience and imagination with the puck .. dangerous on the powerplay units .. took a step back in his play during the first tournament matchup against Finland .. couldn't find his playmaking ability and was not a nasty physical presence .. took a number of off-shifts .. upgraded on his performance in the third game against Czech Republic .. took advantage of his slick moves the undress the opposition but was not a quality playmaking factor .. registered a solid showing in the gold-medal game against Canada .. distributed plays from both sides of the stick and displayed above-average smarts and agility .. stepped up with his physical play .. a regular threat .. pulled off a solid showing but lacked consistency to get the 'great' mark.

Scouting: a solid skater with a fluid stride .. above-average acceleration .. possesses a sharp agility .. changes direction in quick sharp turns .. okay top-end speed .. possesses adequate lower-body strength and balance, but still gets knocked off his skates by bigger opponents .. strong puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. tricky

stickhandler in tight spaces, which enables him to maintain possession of the puck .. corrals difficult passes smoothly .. often challenges the opponents in one-on-one situations with a solid success rate .. very solid vision and hockey sense .. able to control the play of the line with his creativity .. prefers setting up plays rather than shooting the puck .. a good asset to the powerplay units .. hides his intentions well .. a smart accurate passer from the corners or when setting up plays from behind the net .. accurate backhand passes .. cycles the puck well .. fast-released wrist shot .. uses opposing defensemen as a screen well .. decent accuracy of the snap shot .. okay timing of shots .. slap shot should be more hard and accurate .. returns to his own end, but his intensity wanders in his own end .. uses his quickness to limit the options of the opposing players as he approaches them quickly .. not small, but bulking up is needed .. battles on the forecheck .. does not play an all-time gritty style but does not get rattled when the opponents play his body and works hard .. prone to occasional inconsistent showings .. a right shooting forward.

Cam Atkinson (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: immediately could draw interest with a hi-octane style in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. impressed with his skill level and an ability to play bigger than his size .. played a sneaky game in traffic .. maintained the same level of intensity and finesse also during the tournament contests .. a solid factor during the first game against Finland .. played a strong game in the third matchup against Czech Republic .. difficult to keep under control with his flashiness .. could take advantage of the unimpressive play of most of the Czech defensemen .. played a solid gold-medal game against Canada .. showed strong balance for a smallish player .. a player who could survive under the new NHL rules .. pulled off an above-average performance as one of the best diminutive forwards of the tournament.

Scouting: a smallish water bug with a strong skill level .. a solid skater with a good acceleration .. uses a quick stride, which enables him to reach top speed in a short time .. possesses above-average agility .. solid top-end speed .. keeps his feet moving .. good balance and lower-body strength for a smallish player .. likes to look for breakaway

chances .. plays a hi-octane style with lots of energy, filling the role of a diligent water bug .. wreaks havoc among the opponents with his forechecking .. an okay puckhandler .. distributes passes from both sides of the stick .. decent vision and hockey sense .. patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to open up but will not ever be one of the smartest players on the team .. holds the offensive blue line in an aggressive way .. smooth when challenging the opponent in one-on-one situations .. possesses okay in-close finishing skills .. willing to fire the pucks often .. fires a hard accurate slap shot .. unleashes a quick wrist shot with decent accuracy even while turning .. returns back to his own zone .. shows decent defensive awareness but should upgrade on defensive positioning .. approaches the opponents quickly .. drives the net hard .. likes to split the defense .. plays bigger than his size .. willing to finish his checks despite not being blessed with giant frame .. can abuse his body in the trench battles .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners .. hammers the opposing defensemen in full flight .. looks for rebounds in the slot .. shoots right.

Brett Bruneteau (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: best USA passer (3 assists) .. finished second on Team USA scoring (4 points) .. an alternate captain .. spent the exhibition game against Slovakia with adjusting to the larger international surface and could generate quality offensive chances for his wingers on a regular basis .. looked snake-bitten in the first matchup against Finland despite his explosiveness and a fearless approach .. picked up on his performance from now on and became a solid factor in the third matchup against Czech Republic .. wreaked havoc with his speed and grit but occasionally lacked quality playmaking .. arguably the most creative USA forward in the gold-medal game against Canada .. a strong factor in the final game .. controlled the play of the first line and took advantage of his slick skating .. impressive tournament finish saved his overall rating to solid.

Scouting: a solid skater with an okay acceleration .. possesses an effortless stride and an above-average agility .. above-average footspeed and first-step quickness .. okay balance for a smallish player .. solid top-end speed .. deceptive puckhandling skills .. can dangle his way out of tight spaces and maintains puck-possession in traffic .. able to

succeed in one-on-one situations with his quick stick moves .. covers the puck well .. corrals difficult passes smoothly .. possesses okay vision and hockey sense .. capable of accurate passes from both sides of the stick .. aware of his linemates .. patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to develop .. above-average hockey sense .. an effective

player in open space who can play a bullish style in traffic .. battles for the loose pucks in the corners .. uses a fast-released wrist shot .. unleashes a quick snap shot with solid hardness .. slap shot is of an okay release and accuracy .. possesses tricky in-close finishing skills .. plays a feisty game in the opposing slot .. an offensive forward who

plays with lots of energy and is less effective on the backcheck .. a tight forechecker .. shows defensive awareness but could be more responsible when returning back .. should improve on defensive positioning and back checking ability .. a good asset to the powerplay units .. shows above-average tenaciousness .. drives the net hard .. likes to finish his checks despite average height .. blocks the opposing shots with his body.

Tyler Johnson (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: second-best USA face-off man (.5789) .. looked snake-bitten late during the exhibition game against Slovakia but still displayed glimpses of strong skating and playmaking prowess .. picked up on his game in the first matchup against Finland and could maintain his level of play all game long .. flourished during the third game against Czech Republic .. barreled through the Czech defense with his explosiveness and could generate quality-scoring chances on both five-on-five and powerplays .. played a diligent game without the puck .. a solid factor in the final matchup against Canada .. difficult to keep under control for the Canadian defensemen .. sneaky in traffic .. gave his best efforts on every shift but could not score a goal when it was needed most .. steadily progressed into one of the best USA forwards after a good showing but should put up more points.

Scouting: an effortless skater with a solid acceleration and footspeed .. reaches top-speed quickly .. okay explosiveness .. possesses above-average first-step quickness and solid agility .. okay top-end speed .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. possesses a solid hand-eye coordination .. a tricky puckhandler with soft hands .. uses his skates well when corralling a difficult pass .. can maintain possession of the puck in traffic but still should get stronger .. an okay force in one-on-one situations .. sneaks elusively around the opponents in traffic .. a tenacious forechecker .. okay vision and hockey sense .. an accurate passer who finds the open man effectively .. distributes accurate passes from both sides of the stick .. jumpstarts the counterattacks quickly with a fast pass after gaining possession of the puck .. starts the offensive raids from deep .. plays bigger than his size and can get along with the rough going without significant problems .. decent in traffic but still should bulk up .. a threat in the offensive zone of the opponent .. smooth in-close finishing skills .. fires an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. decent hard slap shot could be more accurate .. okay on the powerplay units .. possesses decent defensive awareness but still should mark his man faster .. possesses okay defensive positioning .. blocks the passing lanes conscientiously .. plays a diligent game off the puck ..approaches opponents quickly .. an okay factor in the face-off circle .. a right shooting forward.

Other Players

Vincent Loverde (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: most penalized USA player (18 PIM) .. caught the eye with his smooth skating, positional savvy and offensive instincts during the exhibition game against Slovakia .. did not have the offensive prowess of Jonathon Blum or the mean streak of Nick Petrecki but played an effective two-way game without much ado .. kept his play free from glaring mistakes in the games against Finland and Czech Republic .. could not recognize long passing lanes quickly enough to make the proper reaction in the game against Czech Republic .. moved the puck out of his own end often .. reduced his offensive support in the gold-medal game against Canada and passed the puck usually to the nearest opponent .. spotted his man quickly .. registered an okay tournament showing but was a slight step behind Jonathon Blum and Tommy Cross in terms of two-way prowess.

Scouting: an okay skater for a player of his size .. above-average acceleration and first-step quickness .. could pick up a bit, on his backwards skating .. solid stride effectiveness and lateral movement .. above-average turns and agility .. okay top-end speed .. possesses decent lower-body strength and balance .. possesses above-average stickhandling skills .. capable of a quick fooling move .. moves the puck out of his own end often and gains offensive zone possession .. a poised puckhandler who distributes passes from both sides of the stick .. distributes quick accurate passes short-distance passes which can fasten the pace of the play .. displays a decent poise when jumping into the rush .. decent offensive creativity but tends to be hesitant on dishing out a long outlet pass .. prone to falling back behind the plays occasionally when focusing on offense too much .. willing to use his slap shot with a solid hardness but should unleash it more quickly .. fires an accurate snap shot .. plays an active game on the powerplay units with okay positioning .. prone to occasional slower reactions in the neutral zone .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. breaks up opposing passes with his above average defensive positioning .. does not make glaring mistakes when solving a one-on-one situation .. shows decent aggressiveness in his own zone, but could be more aggressive when clearing the crease .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Ryan McDonagh (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: stuck to a defensive role during the exhibition game against Slovakia and filled the demands well .. took his man out of the play .. was not hard-pressed in the defensive zone, as the Slovaks could not generate longer minutes of pressure .. showed a lack of offensive vision and passing prowess in the first tournament game against Finland .. overwhelmed when asked to create under pressure .. picked up on his performance in the third game against Czech Republic and the final game against Canada .. could win one-on-one situations .. used his mobility in the defensive zone well .. played a tenacious game in his own end and upgraded on his offensive support in the late tournament stages .. started the tournament on an average note but bounced back with a solid finish to earn a decent rating.

Scouting: an okay skater for a player of his size .. above-average agility and lateral movement .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. okay smoothness of stride and explosiveness .. decent backwards speed .. does not fall behind the plays .. inconsistent in his offensive support .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. challenges opponents to one-on-one situations often, taking advantage of his quick elusive moves to succeed .. corrals the pucks adequately well using both sides of the stick .. supports the offense with quick passes .. does not make long outlet passes very often and prefers to pass the puck to the nearby teammate but recognizes short and middle-distance passing lanes quickly .. only adequate offensive vision .. occasionally battles in the slot and looks for rebounds when playing on the on powerplay units .. willing to let his accurate slap shot go .. unleashes an okay snap shot .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. does not have the needed vision to quarterback a powerplay .. a reliable player in his own zone .. shows okay composure .. does not panic under pressure and avoids glaring mistakes .. stays with his man and spots him quickly .. does not make many positional mistakes .. okay defensive stickhandling .. plays with a solid edge .. can be effective along the boards and when clearing the crease .. throws surprising hip checks .. sacrifices his body to block the opposing shots .. okay intensity and determination.

Nick Petrecki (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: finished second on Team USA in penalties (16 PIM) .. played as a man among boys during the exhibition game against Slovakia .. a dominating factor in the defensive zone with his hard-nosed approach and bone-crunching hits .. dropped the gloves with Slovak Martin Baca .. played a steady reliable defensive game .. offensive support became an issue with him in this game and carried over also to the tournament games .. took a number of obstruction penalties against the flashier Russian opponents in the second tournament game and made a number of positional mistakes .. showed reserves in his hockey sense during the game against Czech Republic but was useful as a mean warrior .. limited on the offensive side also in the final game against Canada .. arguably the strongest and nastiest tournament player .. did not live up to the hype as a prolific two-way defenseman but showed that he possesses solid pro potential as a gritty reliable defensive defenseman despite the average tournament showing.

Scouting: blessed with a massive frame and excellent strength .. a decent skater for a player of his size .. surprisingly mobile .. solid stride smoothness .. could use a more explosive first step and a faster acceleration but those assets are acceptable for a big man .. decent agility .. okay backwards skating and lateral movement .. very good balance and lower-body strength .. possesses decent top-end speed .. okay stickhandling skills .. uses a long stick and can be an effective pincher .. smooth fooling moves before gaining possession of the puck along the boards .. a steady defenseman .. reads the developing plays well but mostly chooses the most obvious play when moving the puck .. plays with decent smarts but dumps the puck under heavy pressure .. could use more creativity in his play and upgrade on offensive vision .. hockey sense does not really stand out .. willing to use his shot from the point with a solid hardness but should pick up on accuracy .. fires a hard wrist and snap shot .. plays a simple game in his own end .. shows very good aggressiveness .. willing to drop the gloves .. works hard down low .. likes to throw his body around .. menacing physical presence but regularly tends to loose position when going for the big hit .. solid at clearing the crease .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. prone to undisciplined obstruction penalties, which hurt his effectiveness .. solid intensity and determination.

Joe Diamond (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: played bigger than his size and showed a tricky play in traffic in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. caught the eye with his skill level .. hit the bigger players .. creativity and hockey sense was an issue with him in the tournament opener against Finland .. an okay factor as an intense water bug but passing prowess was missing .. played an adequate game in the third contest against Czech Republic but lacked productivity .. difficult to keep under control with his wheels .. played an average gold-medal game against Canada .. displayed solid intensity and skating but was not very dangerous in close .. met the expectations as an energetic water bug but would need a bigger productivity to get a better rating.

Scouting: an above-average skater with solid footspeed and acceleration .. possesses a fluid stride .. okay agility and turns .. a decent balance for a diminutive player but still could improve on lower-body strength .. can carry the puck without having to slow down significantly .. solid stickhandling skills .. corrals difficult passes well using both sides of the stick .. okay with the puck in open space and can play a tricky game with the puck in heavy traffic .. able to succeed in consecutive one-on-one situations thanks to his quick moves .. a decent passer who can find the open man but should be more patient with the puck .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. possesses the offensive tools but toolbox is an issue .. displays decent in-close finishing skills .. possesses a solid variety of shots including an accurate snap shot with a fast release .. solid quick wrist shot .. slap shot should be more accurate .. sticks his nose into traffic and plays bigger than his size .. hits the bigger opponents often .. mucks in the opposing slot .. willing to drive the net hard .. a tenacious forechecker who takes advantage of his quickness .. does not take off-shifts and plays with above-average energy .. a solid asset to the special units .. backchecks diligently but still needs to pick up his defensive game .. should stay with his player all the way .. still raw in closing the passing lanes of the opponent.

Shane Harper (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: hampered by inconsistency in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. could show his slick skating and smooth puckhandling but was not effective with the puck in the offensive zone .. upgraded on his game in the first tournament matchup against USA .. could beat the slower Finnish defensemen in a number of ways and subsequently create plays .. repeated his showing also in the second game against Russia .. was not a regular factor during the third contest against Czech Republic .. worked hard and showed solid explosiveness but lacked passing prowess .. limited by occasional downs during the gold-medal game against Canada .. was not dangerous in close .. left a decent impression but did not stand out on the USA team.

Scouting: an above-average skater with solid explosiveness.. possesses a solid agility and acceleration .. keeps his feet moving .. possesses decent lower-body strength .. okay top-end speed .. eager to gain possession of the puck .. shows solid puckhandling skills .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create, but over handles it on occasions .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. uses both sides of the stick while passing .. capable of accurate tape-on-tape passes but does not have elite playmaking vision and misses the odd passing lane .. can dish out a surprising pass .. blessed with decent finishing skills .. uses primarily the wrist or snap shot .. could use a better accuracy of his slap shots .. decent patience on the scoring chances .. does not tend to take the odd shift off and battles in traffic regularly despite mediocre size tools .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. willing to perform in the opposing slot .. an agile forechecker .. approaches the opponents quickly .. is willing to use his body and is an okay hitter .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. possesses okay defensive awareness .. works hard on penalty killing units .. uses an active stick while playing on the penalty kill .. blocks the opposing shots with his body .. a right shooting forward.

Mike Hoeffel (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: impressed with his explosiveness and skating ability during the exhibition game against Slovakia but failed to create smart plays after beating the slower Slovak defense with his speed .. repeated the same performance also in the first game against Finland .. played a feisty style against the Czech Republic and was effective with the pucks in the corners and on the powerplay .. tried to create in five-on-five but was overshadowed by linemates Jimmy Hayes and Brett Bruneteau in terms of creativity .. played a decent gold-medal game against Canada but could not show productivity .. impressed with his speed but could be neutralized by the fast Canadian defensemen .. proved his undisputable offensive tools but the tournament did not belong to his best especially in terms of creativity.

Scouting: a very good skater for a player of his size .. blessed with a fast change of pace and crisp smooth stride .. possesses deceptive quickness .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with above-average acceleration and flashiness .. strong top-end speed .. possesses okay lower-body strength and balance .. can split the defense well with his bursts of speed .. emerges as a swift puckhandler .. maintains possession in tight spaces thanks to above-average hand-eye coordination .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. covers the puck well .. okay in one-on-one situations .. blessed with decent offensive instincts but is prone to moments where his head doesn't catch up to the speed of his legs and gets overwhelmed .. capable of okay tape-on-tape short-distance passes .. can cycle the puck .. dangerous behind the goal area when playing on powerplay units .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. snap shot can surprise goaltenders with release and hardness .. fires a fast-released slap shot .. anticipates the deflections of the puck in the offensive zone adequately well .. drives the net hard .. looks for breakaway chances .. often executes in the opposing slot .. decent in-close finishing skills .. willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. average quickness of marking his man .. should improve on

defensive positioning .. a solid physical force .. okay effectiveness in heavy traffic .. can throw a hard hit.

Matt Thurber (2008), C

Tournament wrap-up: a thorn in the butt of the Slovak opponents during the exhibition game .. agitated often and took advantage of his explosiveness to wreak havoc in the offensive zone .. only needed more playmaking prowess and productivity .. stuck to his checking role also during the tournament games .. won a good share of corner battles during the games against Finland and Czech Republic .. forechecked tenaciously ..

would be more dangerous offensively if he would share the puck more often in both contests .. was not so effective in his role during the gold-medal contest against Canada .. was matched physically by the Canadian players and did not generate quality offense for his wingers despite the spirited efforts .. a quality role play would get a better rating if he

would create better plays.

Scouting: a solid skater with strong acceleration .. okay top-end speed .. solid change of pace and explosiveness .. sharp turns .. possesses above-average lower-body strength and balance .. tough to get knocked off the puck .. possesses above-average stickhandling skills .. an adequate playmaker but occasionally prone to selfish plays .. blessed with a decent vision but is not a crafty passer .. prone to some boneheaded plays when trying to find the perfect passing lane .. confident in his shooting skills .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. okay hard snap shot .. fires a hard slap shot .. could use more hockey sense in his play .. makes up for his drawback with his competitiveness and a fearless approach .. plays way bigger than his size and often hammers opponents along the boards .. often agitates .. can get under the skin of the opposing players with his play .. willing to fight .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners and moves them out of his own zone .. drives the net hard .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but is inconsistent

in this asset .. adequately fast at marking his man .. should improve on defensive positioning .. an active force on the penalty killing units .. a belligerent player but prone to inconsistent shifts .. sacrifices his body to block the opposing shots .. shoots right .. a late '89 born forward.

Patrick White (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: pulled off an okay showing in the exhibition game against Slovakia .. displayed smooth skating and stickhandling but was benched for longer periods of time .. played a solid first game against Finland .. created quality plays and did the little things in both offensive and defensive zone .. registered a number of above-average shifts in the games against Czech Republic and the gold-medal game against Canada but wasn't provided with quality ice time which forced him to shake off rust after being sent into the action .. displayed solid pro potential on the tournament but kept longing for more after sitting long minutes on the bench in every game .. could be judged better if he would play a more regular shift.

Scouting: a solid skater for a player of his size .. stride of okay effectiveness .. solid bursts of speed and explosiveness .. displays an above-average agility .. decent balance on his skates .. above-average top-end speed for a big man .. solid stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. capable of making nifty dekes in traffic but is prone to

odd overhandling of the puck .. tricky in one-on-one situations .. can cover the puck in traffic well .. above-average vision and hockey sense .. a crafty passer who can make hard and accurate feeds but could slightly upgrade on timing .. reads the developing plays quickly .. possesses decent in-close finishing skills .. unleashes a hard accurate wrist

shot .. fires a hard slap shot .. fits the mold of a smart two-way forward .. blessed with a decent defensive awareness .. fast when marking his man but still could improve on defensive positioning .. drives the net hard .. does the little things in all three zones .. would be a bigger force if he would take advantage of his size tools on every shift but regularly pays the physical price to succeed .. willing to battle for the pucks and perform in the opposing slot, but is inconsistent in this asset .. a right shooting forward.

2006 U18 Junior World Cup: Stoop, Cunti Boost Swiss (posted 9.11.06)

Switzerland

Preliminary Games

CAN 5 - SUI 3 Piestany, SVK

SVK 1 - SUI 2 Piestany, SVK

SUI 3 - SWE 5 Piestany, SVK

Fifth-Place Game

CZE 3 - SUI 1 Breclav, CZE

Top Performers

Lukas Stoop (2008), D

Tournament wrap-up: the best Swiss defenseman in the tournament opener against Canada .. regularly supported the offense and rushed the pucks but was occasionally prone to all-by-himself plays .. handled the pace of the game well .. showed a solid confidence .. a solid factor in the second game against Slovakia .. didn't make many defensive mistakes and was a quality powerplay quarterback .. played an okay final game against Czech Republic .. made plays from both sides of the stick .. read the developing plays quickly .. was prone to occasional off-shifts in terms of physical awareness .. clearly proved most pro potential among the Swiss blueliners after an above-average showing.

Scouting: a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. uses a fluid stride .. okay speed both straightaway and backwards .. possesses an okay agility .. progressed in his first-step quickness but still could use a better acceleration .. solid on his turns .. decent balance .. okay lateral movement .. decent top-end speed .. works hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. could upgrade on his composure. an adequate force along the boards, but isn't a physically intimidating player .. decent positional play .. doesn't tend to make glaring mistakes in his own end .. should improve on his play in one-on-one situations .. an aggressive pincher .. a two-way defenseman .. willing to join the rush and move the puck .. solid vision and hockey sense .. decent puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. confident in his offensive ability .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a regular basis .. prone to occasional mistakes when moving the puck .. can make a surprise move .. fires quick shots from the point, but his attempts need to get through more regularly .. capable of playing both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. prone to the odd mistake when trying to do too much .. shoots right .. a '90 born defenseman ..

Luca Cunti (2007), C/LW

Tournament wrap-up: needed the first two periods of the tournament opener against Canada to get going as he looked awkward and couldn't create quality plays .. wasn't physically very assertive .. improved on his game late in the game and could distribute accurate passes .. caught fire in the second game against Slovakia as the unanimous game MVP after a very good offensive showing .. was beating opponents in many ways and subsequently passed accurately .. a solid factor in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. a lethal threat in one-on-one situations .. created quality plays both on powerplay and five-on-five .. clearly the best Swiss forward at the tournament gets a solid tournament rating despite the slower start but should put up more points.

Scouting: a deceptively quick skater with a fluid stride .. very smooth .. solid acceleration and first-step quickness .. decent balance on his skates .. possesses an okay agility .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. deceptive stickhandling skills .. hides his intentions well .. capable of surprising passes through holes unseen by most of the opposing players .. possesses above-average hockey sense .. dangerous passer from behind the goal area .. can play the puck in traffic and even go end-to-end when the possibility rises .. picks his spots well .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations regularly and then dish out a pin-point pass .. can split the defense .. above-average playmaking skills .. can make crisp accurate passes .. needs to upgrade on his finishing skills and shoot the puck more often .. okay hard wrist shot .. decent snap shot .. doesn't use the slap shot often .. drives the net but still should bulk up in order to be more effective .. can get outmuscled by bigger opponents .. battles for the pucks in the corners occasionally .. shows a mean streak but isn't physical on every shift .. adequate defensive awareness .. returns to his own end quickly, but is still raw in defensive positioning .. prone to taking off-shifts .. possesses the tools to develop into a solid player once he physically matures and gains experience .. could be more effective in the faceoff circle.

Adam Hasani (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: tied with Gregory Sciaroni, Reto Suri, Roman Schlagenhauf and Tobias Bucher for leading Team Switzerland in points (2 points) .. pulled off an acceptable showing in the first game against Canada in terms of speed and grit but couldn't create quality chances for his wingers .. wasn't rattled by performing in traffic despite modest size tools .. gained the offensive zone for his team and fired the puck but wasn't effective with his play .. stepped up on his play in the second matchup against Slovakia .. wreaked havoc among the Slovak defense with his intensity and explosiveness .. would be more effective if he would have a better playmaking vision .. played an okay fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. mucked in the corners and played a team-orientated game mixed with quickness .. ranked among the best Swiss forwards despite the obvious knock in his average hockey sense.

Scouting: an okay skater with decent explosiveness .. possesses a solid agility and acceleration .. decent first-step quickness .. possesses decent lower-body strength .. top-end speed still could be improved .. prone to stopping moving his feet when performing in the defensive end .. shows decent puckhandling skills .. should cover the puck more effectively .. overhandles the puck on occasions .. capable of gaining the offensive zone for his team .. capable of accurate tape-on-tape short-distance passes but doesn't have elite playmaking vision and misses the odd passing lane .. starts the offensive raids from deep .. blessed with decent finishing skills .. uses primarily the quick wrist or snap shot .. could use a better accuracy of his slap shots .. decent patience on the scoring chances .. doesn't tend to take the odd shift off and battles in traffic regularly despite mediocre size tools .. should bulk up more .. sacrifices his body to block the shots .. willing to muck in the corners and in the opposing slot to score a garbage goal .. is willing to use his body and is an okay hitter .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. should further develop on his average defensive awareness as his effectiveness in his own zone drops off .. should spot his man more quickly .. more effective on powerplay units than on penalty killing units .. should step up with his play more when his team needs it.

Roman Schlagenhauf (2007), C/LW

Tournament wrap-up: best Swiss passer (2 assists) .. tied with Gregory Sciaroni, Reto Suri, Adam Hasani and Tobias Bucher for leading Team Switzerland in points (2 points) .. an alternate captain .. caught the eye on a number of shifts in the first matchup against Canada with his agility and smooth stickhandling skills .. could create a handful of smart plays but wasn't a consistent factor .. repeated his performance also in the second contest against Slovakia .. could drive the net adequately hard and orientated himself well in the opposing slot .. performed as a left winger in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. showed an ability to maintain puck-possession in traffic with quick dekes .. a decent playmaking factor .. wasn't a physical menace but was willing to perform in traffic .. proved the tools in creativity and stickhandling to get a decent tournament rating.

Scouting: an okay skater .. possesses a decent first-step quickness .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with okay acceleration .. okay top-end speed .. should add more bulk to his lower-body .. emerges as a swift puckhandler with soft hands .. makes quick smooth moves .. likes to penetrate into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and subsequently create plays .. solid at gaining offensive zone possession for his team .. doesn't loose puck-possession when deking his way out of the corners .. can play a sneaky game with the puck in traffic .. willing to perform in the opposing slot .. blessed with decent smarts and offensive instincts .. capable of quick tape-on-tape passes .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. accurate snap shot could be harder .. doesn't use his slap shot very often .. capable of surprise moves when finishing in-close .. is willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to upgrade his defensive awareness .. average quickness of marking his man .. should improve on defensive positioning .. doesn't play afraid but isn't a significant physical force .. doesn't dish out many hard hits and relies more on his finesse skills .. prone to occasional off-shifts where he floats on the perimeter .. a versatile player who plays both center and left wing.

Other Players

Damiano Ciaccio (2007), G

Tournament wrap-up: faced the biggest workload from all tournament goaltenders (179:15 minutes) .. finished ninth among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.8461) .. the Swiss starter at the tournament .. registered an average performance in the tournament opener against Canada .. looked shaky during the first half of the game and allowed two soft goals before finding his game at least for the third period .. played an okay game against Slovakia .. benched for the game against Czech Republic .. didn't pull off a spectacular showing and proved that he isn't a legitimate NHL prospect.

Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but could still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. adequately quick when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. decent resilience and athleticism .. should improve on his basic stance to leave lesser holes .. adequate anticipation of developing plays .. shows a penchant to allow the odd soft goal but can shake off a bad goal thanks to an okay mental toughness .. average on his five-hole .. should try to outwait the shooter and not go down too early .. decent down low .. possesses okay footspeed .. acceptable rebound control but is vulnerable to allowing unnecessary rebounds .. only adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals .. could improve on his positional play in the crease .. okay fast glove hand .. should challenge the shooter more aggressively .. possesses a solid focus .. only adequate stickhandling skills .. occasionally willing to go behind the net to move the puck but isn't a prolific passer.

Robert Mayer (2008), G

Tournament wrap-up: looked better than Damiano Ciaccio but was slotted for the backup role due to his low previous international experience .. saw playing action in the game against Czech Republic .. showed above-average reactions and solid reflexes .. held the Swiss chances on a success in this game .. made a solid use of the chance he got and is worth another look after an okay tournament.

Scouting: possesses decent size tools .. an okay skater .. decent lateral movement .. stays square to the shooter .. possesses above-average footspeed for a player of his size .. tough to beat down low .. decent reflexes and flexibility .. solid anticipation of plays .. reacts calmly and properly to the situation .. relies more on his fundamentals and poise rather than on acrobatic saves .. handles pressure without noticeable problems .. doesn't go down too early and waits for the opponent to make the first move .. hard to beat down low .. gets back up quickly .. doesn't allow many rebounds .. angles the shots well .. okay orientation in the crease .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. plays an active game even if lying on his back .. willing to go out of the crease to limit the options of the shooter .. decent handling of the rebounds .. a decent glove hand .. doesn't show trouble with shots aiming at his blocker .. a decent stickhandler .. uses the stick well to pinch the puck from the opposing players.

Roman Josi (2008), D

Tournament wrap-up: best Swiss player in +/- (+2) .. wasn't a significant factor in the tournament opener against Canada .. wasn't as offensive as usual and looked particularly overwhelmed by the quicker Canadian forwards .. didn't play an overly aggressive game .. picked up on his play in the second game against Slovakia .. distributed the passes accurately and showed a solid ability to join the rush at the right moment .. couldn't maintain the same level of play during the remaining games .. an average factor in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. filled a more conservative role .. overshadowed by Lukas Stoop in the hunt for the best underager but showed some potential.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. should improve on his first-step quickness and explosiveness .. okay lateral movement .. should improve on agility .. still could use further improvement on his backwards speed and top-end speed .. shows an okay balance thanks to a strong lower-body .. a two-way defenseman .. possesses solid stickhandling skills for a defenseman .. doesn't join the rush on every shift but shows a regular offensive flair .. above-average puck-distributor who prefers the smart safe plays .. decent patience and a low panic point with the puck .. doesn't try to create too complicated plays and reads the plays well .. distributes hard passes which can find their way through traffic .. moves the puck out of his own end .. works hard down low .. shows decent reliability .. goes unnoticed defensively on a number of shifts but doesn't do glaring mistakes .. adequately tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. shows solid effectiveness when he keeps things simple on the defensive side .. takes his man out of the play but should bulk up to be more effective .. decent intensity and determination .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes but is prone to lose position when going for a hit .. unleashes a hard shot from the point but could improve on accuracy and make it less telegraphed .. possesses decent defensive stickhandling .. a '90 born defenseman.

Sandro Gartmann (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: registered an off-game in the tournament opener against Canada .. looked overwhelmed by the pace and couldn't avoid positional mistakes which gave the Canadian forwards extra inches to maneuver .. hampered by limited skating skills .. a better factor in the second game against Slovakia but couldn't support the offense well .. played a diligent game in the final game against Czech Republic, aware of his limits .. showed an acceptable determination .. the tournament helped to reveal his limits.

Scouting: possesses average skating skills .. could use a better acceleration and first-step quickness .. average top-end speed .. doesn't impress with his agility .. okay lateral movement .. decent turns .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. tries to jump into the plays to support the offense but should have a better offensive vision to avoid occasional opposing turnovers .. adequate stickhandling skills .. handles the puck adequately well but should cover the puck better against the opposing players .. shows difficulties when handling backhand passes .. doesn't make backhand passes .. overlooks long passing lanes, but is an okay passer when distributing the pucks on a short distance .. prone to wrong timing of his offensive rushes .. doesn't fire booming slap shots and should learn how to get them through more often .. can be an adequate force in the corner battles and in front of the crease when physically involved but still should bulk up .. lacks a regular mean streak .. positional play is an issue as he tends to occasionally play fuzzy in his own end .. plays a diligent game and doesn't take off-shifts but limited talent makes from him only a limited factor .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Desta Kebede (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: a player of African origin .. pulled off an average game in the first contest of the tournament against Canada .. tried to support the offense but was prone to wrong-timed passes .. fell back behind the plays when focusing on offense too much .. didn't improve on his game significantly in the second matchup against Slovakia .. top-end speed was an issue .. registered an adequate performance in the final game against Czech Republic .. would be more effective if he would play with his head up .. played a diligent game in the defensive zone .. was prone to the odd positional mistake .. an ordinary member of the Swiss defensive corps didn't show pro potential in this tournament.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. could use a better acceleration .. possesses okay footspeed .. adequate first-step quickness .. shows occasional trouble with players who can make him moving laterally .. doesn't get knocked off his skates very often thanks to a decent balance .. should further improve on his turns and top-end speed .. a player who is at his best when playing a defensive style of play despite his willingness to support the offense .. is conscientious in his own end but lack of speed hurts him .. prone to falling behind the plays when focusing on offensive support too much .. moves the puck out of his own end but doesn't possess offensive vision to contribute on the attack effectively .. prone to playing with his head down .. adequate stickhandling ability .. needs to take extra time to read the plays when distributing the puck which limits his effectiveness .. adequate hockey sense .. works hard down low .. possesses okay strength but still should bulk up .. decent crease-clearer .. gets physically involved but isn't a real menace .. fires a solid hard shot from the point, but needs to learn how to get it through and upgrade on accuracy .. should further improve on his positional play.

Yves Muller (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: an alternate captain .. played a spirited game in the tournament opener against Canada .. worked hard in the defensive zone but failed to generate quality offense for his forwards .. could keep the slower opponents under control but showed trouble with quick waterbugs .. played an acceptable game in the second contest against Canada .. kept the Slovak forwards off quality scoring chances .. played tenaciously in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. gave his best on every shift but lack of hockey sense prevented him from supporting the offense effectively .. a honest dependable player but didn't stand out on the tournament.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. only adequately effective stride .. should pick up on his first-step quickness .. displays a decent acceleration .. okay footspeed helps him not to fall back too often .. okay balance on his skates .. decent agility and lateral movement .. adequately fast when turning .. only average top-end speed .. plays more of a conservative defensive style, but is willing to occasionally join the rush .. needs to learn when to jump into plays to avoid possible turnovers .. shows a slower reaction time when generating offense .. average hockey sense .. adequate stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many dekes when moving the puck out of his own end .. should corral the difficult passes more smoothly .. tends to pass the puck to the nearby teammate to make the safe play thanks to a limited creativity .. could use a better timing of his passes .. fires a quick hard slap shot .. a better powerplay pointman than quarterback .. okay defensive positioning .. solid reliability in his own end .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. doesn't play afraid and throws decent hits .. an okay hitter along the boards .. adequate crease-clearer .. doesn't take off-shifts and plays with an okay intensity and determination.

Nicolas Villa (2007), D

Tournament wrap-up: stuck to a defensive style in the tournament opener against Canada as the game pace didn't allow him to contribute in both ways .. showed an okay effort but average skating skills prevented him from being a noticeable factor .. performed in the defensive role also in the second game against Slovakia .. wasn't playing under constant pressure and looked more composed .. an average factor in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. passing accuracy was an issue .. showed an okay conscientiousness but the rest of his game was missing on the tournament.

Scouting: an average skater .. slower first-step quickness negatively affects his acceleration .. adequate agility .. a bigger footspeed and a more fluid stride would make him more effective .. adequate balance but still could work on lower-body strength .. okay turns .. average top-end speed .. an adequate stickhandler .. can't dangle his way out of the corner .. at his best when playing a simple style .. occasionally tends to do too much with the puck and doesn't have the ability of a good two-way defenseman .. is prone to the odd mistake when rushing the puck .. should upgrade on passing accuracy .. passes the puck mostly to the nearby linemate .. doesn't possess the offensive vision for long outlet passes .. a decent accurate shooter from the point but his attempts are too telegraphed .. could use a harder snap shot .. a decent player on the powerplay units as a pointman .. should work more effectively on the offensive blue line .. should upgrade on his play in one-on-one situations .. plays a diligent game in his own end .. lack of mobility hurts him against flashier opponents .. can lay a solid hit on the opponents, but still needs to use his frame to a bigger extent .. prone to odd positional mistakes when going for the hit .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Etienne Froidevaux (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: the returnee from last year's edition of the tournament was largely invisible in the opening game against Canada .. couldn't generate quality offense and couldn't compete with the Canadian opponents in traffic .. upgraded on his play in the second contest against Slovakia but was overshadowed by Luca Cunti in the playmaking role .. was willing to help out the defense .. played a decent game in the fifth-place matchup against Czech Republic .. played a two-way game and could succeed in one-on-one situations .. proved that he needs to get stronger to be effective .. played an average tournament.

Scouting: an okay skater with solid agility .. possesses decent footspeed .. only adequate first-step quickness .. should be more explosive .. prone to fouls when not keeping his feet moving .. decent acceleration .. should upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. can maneuver with the puck relatively well in open space but shows trouble with corralling of difficult passes .. should improve on his stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a limited factor in one-on-one situations .. shows trouble when heading with the puck in traffic .. a determined player who works hard for the team's success .. willing to sacrifice the body to block shots .. unleashes a fast accurate wrist shot, but his slap shot needs to be more hard .. doesn't use the slapper very often .. more of a playmaker shows decent passing skills .. adept at finding his linemates but hockey sense doesn't stand out .. should play with his head up more often .. anticipates the deflections of the puck from scrums relatively well .. isn't much of a physical force and can get outmuscled in the corner battles .. needs to get stronger .. could further upgrade on his defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him .. willing to do the little things when performing in the defensive zone but is inconsistent in this asset .. an average faceoff factor.

Pascal Berger (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: the Swiss captain .. didn't take off-shifts in the tournament opener against Canada and tirelessly tried to take advantage of his solid passing skills to generate offense but was limited by his lackluster skating skills .. returned back to his own end and fired accurate wrist shots but failed to score .. an okay factor against the weaker Slovak opponents in the second game .. battled in the trenches and served as the set-up man of his line in the final game against Czech Republic .. displayed okay playmaking ability but would be more effective if he would be faster.

Scouting: a decent skater but a player of his smallish size needs better wheels .. uses a short stride which should be more effective .. okay agility and footspeed .. adequate top-end speed should be upgraded .. should be more explosive .. lacks an extra gear .. possesses a decent lower-body strength and balance .. an okay puckhandler .. one-times passes precisely .. shows okay dealing with difficult passes .. should cover the puck more efficiently .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. more of a playmaker with solid smarts .. solid awareness of the position of his linemates .. doesn't panic under pressure .. distributes passes from both sides of the stick .. tends to pass the puck instead of firing it .. okay vision .. distributes accurate passes on both short and long distance .. plays with his head up .. fires a quick accurate wrist shot .. fires a decent accurate slap shot but should use the slapper more often .. decent in-close finishing skills .. isn't a defensive specialist, but returns back to help out the defense .. works hard on the penalty killing units .. blocks the opposing shots with his body .. willing to get involved in traffic .. battles for the loose pucks in the trenches .. picks his spots adequately well .. a right-shooting forward.

Tobias Bucher (2007), C

Tournament wrap-up: tied with Gregory Sciaroni, Reto Suri, Roman Schlagenhauf and Adam Hasani for leading Team Switzerland in points (2 points) .. played a two-way game in the tournament opener against Canada .. tried to generate offense but was prone to overhandling the puck .. wasn't a noticeable factor in the offensive zone .. got involved in the corner battles .. played a diligent game in the second contest against Slovakia but hockey sense turned out to be an issue .. pulled off a gritty showing in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. won a number of pucks for his linemates but slower acceleration hurt his effectiveness in this game .. showed too many limits to be considered a quality tournament factor.

Scouting: an average skater who should upgrade on his acceleration .. possesses only adequate first-step quickness and top-end speed .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. possesses an adequate agility .. limited puckhandling skills .. doesn't have the softest hands and tends to loose possession of the puck when making a quick deke .. average corralling of difficult passes .. should cover the puck more effectively .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. aware of his linemates but prone to overhandling the puck and steering himself into nowhere .. average hockey sense .. adequate variety of shots .. unleashes primarily a quick wrist shot .. fires a snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be more hard and accurate .. a diligent forward .. willing to dig for the pucks in the corners .. is willing to perform in traffic despite average size tools .. a decent hitter who can play bigger than his size but is inconsistent in his willingness to hit .. filling out for him left to do .. shows a solid commitment to the defensive duties and fits the mold of a two-way forward .. decent defensive positioning .. spots his man quickly .. a better factor on the penalty killing units than on the powerplay units .. a decent force on the powerplay units .. okay in the faceoff circle.

Gianni Donati (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: could draw attention with his skill set on a number of shifts in the first game against Canada but wasn't a regular offensive factor .. could keep up with the game pace well .. would be more effective if he would play more gritty .. played a solid game in the second game against Slovakia against a less tight defense .. could take advantage of his skating and puckhandling .. limited on the defensive side .. an average factor in the final matchup against Canada .. couldn't take proper advantage of his skating and took regular off-shifts .. would need a bigger productivity to get a better tournament rating.

Scouting: a solid skater with a fluid stride .. okay acceleration and top-end speed .. above-average agility .. capable of sharp turns without losing possession of the puck .. okay footspeed .. adequate balance could still be improved .. won't jump at you with the smoothness of his puckhandling skills, but does his moves effectively .. should deal with difficult passes more effortlessly .. decent in one-on-one situations .. an offensive-minded forward .. likes to have the puck on his stick but doesn't have elite playmaking vision .. should hold on the puck for the extra second for the plays to open up .. overlooks the odd passing lanes .. only adequate vision and hockey sense .. willing to shoot the puck .. solid variety of shots .. slap shot with an adequately fast release should be more harder .. his snap shot could be released more quickly .. okay wrist shot .. needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. returns occasionally to his own end to help out the defense but is raw in this ability .. too slow at marking his man .. needs to develop a more regular mean streak .. isn't playing afraid but could initiate physical contact more often .. willing to go into traffic and perform in the opposing slot.

Gregory Sciaroni (2007), RW

Tournament wrap-up: most penalized Swiss player (12 PIM) .. tied with Adam Hasani, Reto Suri, Roman Schlagenhauf and Tobias Bucher for leading Team Switzerland in points (2 points) .. an average factor in the tournament opener against Canada .. played an one-dimensional game and was prone to erratic passes which hurt his playmaking ability .. played better on the powerplay units than on the penalty killing units .. picked up on his game in the second matchup against Slovakia but wasn't a regular offensive threat .. inconsistent in his defensive awareness .. didn't stand out in the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. could take advantage of his okay agility .. prone to moments where he wasn't ready to receive the puck .. displayed a number of offensive tools but inconsistency hurt his tournament rating.

Scouting: a smallish player .. an okay skater with a fluid stride .. decent acceleration and top-end speed .. okay turns .. adequate balance could still be improved .. takes advantage of his quickness and mobility .. an okay puckhandler .. doesn't loose puck-possession when making a quick deke but should be more effective in tight space .. moves the puck out of the corners .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. only adequate passing skills .. prone to 'blind' passes when not reading the plays properly .. accurate when passing the puck on a short distance .. overlooks the odd passing lane .. average powerplay passer .. decent variety of shots .. fires a quick wrist shot with a decent accuracy .. an okay hard slap shot with a fast release could be more accurate .. his snap shot could be more harder .. average defensive awareness .. returns to his own end to help out the defense but is still raw in this ability .. should spot his man more quickly .. average defensive positioning .. uses an active stick on the penalty killing units .. shows some problems in traffic despite modest size tools .. doesn't play afraid but gets outmuscled by the bigger opponents when the play gets physical .. a right-shooting forward.

Reto Suri (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: tied with Gregory Sciaroni, Adam Hasani, Roman Schlagenhauf and Tobias Bucher for leading Team Switzerland in points (2 points) .. revealed skating limits in the tournament opener against Canada .. filled the role of a sniper and fired the puck relatively often .. returned back quickly to help out on the backcheck .. got involved in the corner battles .. played a two-way game in the second matchup against Slovakia but wasn't effective with his passes .. clearly prefers shooting to passing .. pulled off an average showing in the fifth-place contest against home Czech Republic .. couldn't contribute on transitional plays .. revealed reserves in his offensive instincts when finishing the chances in-close .. didn't show quality assets to earn a good tournament rating.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. capable of moving his feet fast, but lacks the needed stride effectiveness to emerge as a good skater .. doesn't look overly flashy and quick .. should upgrade on first-step quickness and top-end speed .. adequate acceleration .. decent agility on his skates .. possesses okay lower-body strength and balance .. thick lower-body .. okay stickhandling skills .. decent at controlling the puck and dealing with passes but doesn't dangle the puck in traffic .. prefers shooting to passing .. a decent short-distance passer but in general his hockey sense doesn't stand out .. possesses an okay bigger variety of shots .. fires an accurate quick wrist or snap shot .. hard slap shot with a slower release .. not a significant force in traffic but doesn't play afraid .. needs more lethal scoring instincts .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. performs in the opposing slot and pays the physical price to succeed .. shows a regular commitment to the defensive play .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. a tenacious backchecker .. can read the developing plays in his own end adequately well, but is still raw in his defensive positioning .. a decent factor on the penalty killing units.

Dino Wieser (2007), LW

Tournament wrap-up: played a belligerent game in the first contest against Canada but creativity turned out to be an issue .. performed in the opposing slot and battled for the loose pucks .. would be more dangerous if he would have a bigger hockey sense .. repeated his showing also in the second game against Slovakia .. could win a number of puck battles .. an average factor during the fifth-place game against Czech Republic .. didn't generate offense and wasn't so intense as during the previous viewings .. filled his gritty role well but failed to show noticeable talent.

Scouting: a decent skater with a solid balance .. should work on his footspeed .. possesses decent first-step quickness .. okay top-end speed and agility .. a hard worker in all three zones .. adequate stickhandling skills .. should improve on his hand-eye coordination and upgrade on passing accuracy .. doesn't dish out many accurate tape-on-tape passes .. should improve on his play in one-on-one situations .. hockey sense is an issue with him .. doesn't fire the puck very often, looking for a pass instead .. uses primarily his hard wrist shot .. hard slap shot should be more accurate .. average in-close finishing skills .. willing to perform in the slot in order to score a garbage goal .. generates problems to the opposition with his ability to forecheck tenaciously .. sticks his nose into traffic and doesn't play afraid .. doesn't dish out many hard hits but knows how to lay a decent hit when the play gets physical .. could improve on the timing of his passes .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. screens the opposing goaltender often .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end and limits the options of the opposition with adequate effectiveness .. needs to show up in the offensive zone more often to be more effective.