Draft Update: The Rest Review

Last, but not least, we take a look at some of the important players on Countries that are a little farther down the rung of the top tier.

Roman TomanekClick Key Player notes:Here to view this Link., LW, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Performed on Slovakia’s second line, anchoring their most successful unit .. A smooth skating winger with good lateral movement and a quick stick .. a polished stickhandler with very soft hands .. has a good scoring touch near the net and positions himself smartly in the offensive zone .. very creative and effective at finding open space for himself with his quick feet and vision .. on the downside, he tends to get outworked physically against tougher opposition .. additional upper body bulk is essential.

Peter ReginClick U18 WJC Total (6-7-1-8-6 +6)Here to view this Link., C (Herning), Denmark

Led the Danish top line who were instrumental in giving both Canada and Sweden fits, despite coming just short .. he, Madsen and Hansen played exceptionally and surprisingly well against physical opposition, but it was Regin who showed off the most skill .. excellent vision .. an anchor on the powerplay due to strong puck skills and nifty stickhandling abilities .. has a good, crisp wrist shot .. possesses a fluid stride and elusive speed .. must add upper body strength.

Morten MadsenClick U18 WC Totals (6-4-5-9-0 +6)Here to view this Link., LW (Frolunda), Denmark

A savvy decision-maker on the line with tons of creative flair .. dumbfounds opposing defenses with excellent stickhandling skills and a big reach .. has a good frame, but isn’t very strong and plays pretty soft .. doesn’t use the body at all .. very good vision and anticipation of puck location .. must improve his shot; wrister is accurate, but lacks explosiveness .. a consistent, compact player who limits his turnovers by playing an economical, but nonetheless crafty style .. we did not see a single off-shift, but we’d like to see him turn up the jets a bit as well.

Jannik HansenClick U18 WC Totals (6-3-5-8-2 +5)Here to view this Link., RW (Rodovre), Denmark

Wonderful skater; moves quickly with powerful strides .. nifty stickhandler with a snappy goalscorer’s shot .. used consistently as a quarterback on the powerplay due to shooting abilities and his vision .. scored highlight-reel breakaway goals against USA and Belarus; both times nicely finding the top corner with his wrister .. physical game is fairly nonexistent .. unwillingness to stick his nose into traffic areas is keeping his stock down somewhat.

Mathis OlimbClick U18 WC Totals (6-3-4-7-32 +3)Here to view this Link., C, (Manglerud), Norway

Delivers plenty of skill and finesse .. used as a set-up man to the undersized Mathias Trygg .. the only Norwegian player that impressed us with above-average hockey sense .. lacks a high-caliber shot to compliment his excellent propensity for feeds .. largely outmuscled physically .. missed a key penalty shot against Russia, which would have tied the match at three.

Sergei KostitsynClick U18 WC Totals (6-0-6-6-14 -11)Here to view this Link., C, (Gomel), Belarus

‘87-born sniper was nonetheless his country’s best player .. has soft hands and the brains to orchestrate the power play .. an above-average playmaker with excellent vision, but struggled to amass many assists as his teammates consistently failed to capitalize on his feeds .. a smooth, elusive skater .. still raw in making himself open in the offensive end .. needs to bulk up physically and improve defensive maturity.

U18 WC Totals (6-1-3-4-8 -4)