TOURNAMENTS [Feb-06]: Jacquemet Leads U18
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Team Switzerland: U18 4-Nations Recap (posted 2.26.06)
by Robert Neuhauser
Scouting & reviews for Team Switzerland at the U18 4-Nations Tournament in Slovakia
Top Performers
Arnaud Jacquemet (2006), RW
Notes: an alternate captain .. played a belligerent game on the second offensive unit in the opener against USA, but proved that the smoothness still didn't come to him .. looked for loose rebounds in the slot .. mucked in the corners regularly .. scored a lucky goal which earned him the Swiss 'Player of the game' honors .. played an inconsistent showing in the second game against Slovakia ..when inspired provided a solid all-round game but wasn't able to create a sufficient number of offensive chances .. was hidden for a number of his shifts .. his aggressiveness registered ups and downs .. proved that he lacks smoothness on both his skates and hands .. lack of elite first-step quickness was further exposed during the third contest against Germany .. drove the net hard .. looked for the loose rebounds around the net .. returned back to help out the defense .. took home the trophy for the best goalscorer of the tournament .. proved that he doesn't have the needed skills to emerge as a scorer at the NHL level despite the solid numbers from this tournament.
Scouting: an average skater .. doesn't show a very effective stride .. could use a faster acceleration and a bigger top-end speed in order to outskate the opposition more effortlessly .. average footspeed .. should upgrade on his first-step quickness .. okay balance on his skates thanks to a solid lower-body strength .. adequate stickhandling skills, but gets into trouble when having to corral a bad pass .. isn't a smooth dangler and is stiffer when pressed .. should find a way how to set himself into scoring positions regularly and not get blocked .. performs adequately well in the slot .. decent passing accuracy .. adequately aware of his linemates .. willing to fire the pucks .. uses primarily the snap shot .. decent slap shot should be upgraded in terms of accuracy .. an intense forechecker .. a solid worker down low but doesn't use his size fully to his advantage .. battles for the loose pucks in the corners .. often works in the slot and looks for the loose rebounds .. drives the net hard .. should hit the opposing players more often .. a solid asset to the penalty killing units .. returns to his own zone, but needs to pick up on his defensive positional play .. adequate when limiting the options of the opponent .. a right-shooting forward.
Lukas Stoop, D (2008)
Notes: proved his undisputable potential in the opener against USA .. showed a progress in his offensive awareness .. confident to make plays but couldn't avoid odd mistakes with the puck .. if it wasn't for one bad one-on-one situation his defensive rating would be good .. the second-best Swiss blueliner in the opening game after Yannick Weber .. played only an average game in the second matchup against Slovakia .. failed to be useful when supporting the offense .. didn't recognize passing lanes as quick as it would be needed but still made several accurate passes .. used his stick instead of his body and didn't play a physically intimidating style .. played with a decent defensive reliability but in this game his positioning was only average .. focused on playing a defensive style in the third matchup against Germany .. didn't make many defensive mistakes but was a complete non-factor when asked to support the offense .. was prone to wrong-timed passes and wrong reading of offensive plays .. played more of a finesse style .. was beaten easily in one one-on-one situation .. prone to odd fuzzy reactions .. started the tournament on a solid note but spoiled his rating a bit with the unimpressive finish.
Scouting: a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. 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, but should upgrade on lateral movement .. decent top-end speed .. works hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. willing to drop the gloves .. 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 .. willing to join the rush occasionally and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. decent puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. 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, but is still raw in these assets .. prone to the odd off-shift .. shoots right .. a '90 born defenseman .. youngest player of the tournament.
Marco Maurer (2006), D
Notes: started the tournament on a decent note with an okay showing in the first contest against USA .. withstood the physical challenge well but failed to generate quality plays with the puck .. could skate with the faster USA forwards without problems thanks to his acceleration on the skates .. pulled off his usual feisty showing with solid skating skills during the second game against Slovakia .. stuck to a defensive role .. swept the crease with a strong determination and punished the opponents along the boards .. was tough to get knocked off his feet .. revealed existing holes in his hockey sense .. played an adequate game on powerplay units .. stuck to his defensive style also in the third game against Germany .. received a game misconduct penalty for boarding at the end of the first period which made an end to his tournament showing .. could impress with his tenacity and defensive play, but proved that he needs further progress in his offensive flair.
Scouting: a solid skater for a player of his size .. uses a smooth stride which enables him to accelerate quickly .. okay lateral movement and pivots .. decent agility .. okay lateral movement and straightaway speed .. decent lateral agility ..decent balance but still could upgrade on lower-body strength .. okay top-end speed .. average stickhandling skills .. should upgrade on his ability to corral difficult passes .. doesn't use the backhand side of his stick often .. can't move the puck out of tight spaces .. isn't very creative with the puck and tends to pass it to the nearby teammate .. prone to fuzzy decisions with the puck when pressed .. doesn't stand out with his offensive vision and hockey sense .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. works hard in his own end .. decent positional play .. is willing to use his body when punishing the opponents along the boards, but tends to loose position when making a hit .. a determined hitter who plays a nasty game in his own end .. a determined crease-clearer .. plays a feisty game in the slot .. unleashes a hard slap shot, but accuracy is an issue .. a decent asset to the penalty killing units but isn't effective on the powerplay units with his limited offensive ability.
Aurelio Lemm (2006), LW
Notes: an alternate captain .. inconsistent on his shifts in the tournament opener against USA .. registered a decent growth during the season and needs to fully coordinate his body first and newly upgrade on top-end speed .. smooth stick moves helped him to fool the USA defense, but took too many off-shifts to be a valuable force .. picked up on his play in the second game against Slovakia but failed to become an outstanding factor .. showed above-average finishing skills thanks to his elusive stick moves .. scored a goal off an accurate wrist shot into the upper shelf .. created plays just like finished them but floated in the defensive zone and took occasional off-shifts .. named Swiss 'Player of the game' against Slovakia .. could stickhandle in a phonebooth during the third game against Germany but failed to create offensive chances for his linemates and was pushed out of the scoring lanes by the bigger German defensemen .. was inconsistent during his shifts .. unimpressive in the defensive end .. should score more goals to make up for his lack of traffic play .. emerged as one of the better Swiss forwards, but wasn't a tournament standout.
Scouting: a solid skater with solid footspeed .. grown during the previous months which negatively influenced the smoothness of his skating but still remains decent in this asset .. could use more explosiveness .. decent first-step quickness .. possesses an above-average agility .. adequate top-end speed still could be upgraded .. could work on his balance and lower-body strength .. gets knocked off his feet by bigger opponents .. a smooth stickhandler with deceptive puckhandling skills .. can dangle his way out of tight spaces even when almost standing still .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. uses both sides of the stick .. picks his spots well .. knows how to get into a scoring chance, but should be more willing to execute in traffic .. dishes out solid passes .. decent offensive instincts and imagination .. a fast-released wrist shot which often aims at the upper shelf .. okay accurate slap shot could use more pep .. okay in-close finishing skills .. patient on the scoring chance .. average defensive awareness .. isn't very effective on the backcheck .. a tenacious forechecker .. a good asset to the powerplay units .. should be more physically assertive .. isn't a good hitter and relies on his skills more than on toughness .. inconsistency regularly spoils his showings.
Ivan Mantegazzi (2006), G
Notes: started the first game against USA .. showed adequate quickness .. willing to go behind the net to play the puck .. allowed some unnecessary rebounds but controlled them without significant trouble .. wasn't at his best when the USA players played an aggressive game in the slot but showed a decent orientation in the crease .. none of the goals he allowed was really his fault .. served as the backup during the second game against Slovakia .. found himself between the pipes again for the third contest against Germany .. showed a strong confidence in his stickhandling ability .. often passed the puck to the defensemen .. showed a decent glove hand .. was prone to going down too early sometimes thus leaving the upper shelf uncovered but the German shooters couldn't take advantage of this drawback .. received the Swiss 'Player of the game' honors for his play .. played a decent tournament, but proved that his pro potential isn't sufficient for a selection in the draft.
Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent skating skills for a player of his size .. okay when moving side-to-side but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. still should improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. should focus on upgrading of his footspeed .. .. okay resilience .. adequate anticipation of developing plays still could be improved .. doesn't let in soft goals on the initial shot .. should upgrade on his five-hole .. goes down sometimes too early, which leaves the upper shelf uncovered .. decent rebound control .. capable of catching numerous rebounds .. plays an active game even when lying on his back .. adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals and improve on his positional play in the crease .. okay glove hand .. could improve on the blocker side .. possesses decent focus .. shows confidence in his adequate stickhandling skills .. goes often behind the net to play the puck but still should upgrade on passing accuracy.
Other Players
Yannick Weber (2007), D
Notes: the Swiss captain .. was expected to turn out as one of the Swiss defensive anchors with all his international experience and met the expectations in the opener against USA .. registered progress in his first-step quickness .. served as a two-way blueliner and regularly took a chance on long outlet passes but hockey sense remains an issue with him .. took an off-game in the second contest against Slovakia .. failed to generate offense and most of his passes weren't accurate .. fired the puck twice but both attempts were far from accurate .. showed quick stick moves but a lack of vision was hurting him .. a better play in his own end would make him more effective .. unimpressive during the third game against Germany .. prone to erratic passing as a result of wrong reading of plays .. failed to fire accurate shots from the point .. occasionally provoked the German players .. tried to do too much with the puck .. his over-offensive play hurt him on the defensive side as he couldn't return back in time to be effective .. failed to impress with his play on the tournament.
Scouting: a decent skater .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. needs to further develop his lateral movement .. solid first-step quickness and acceleration .. top-end speed average .. adequate agility .. can get beaten by agile opposition .. plays with his head up .. tries to support the offense occasionally but is limited in his offensive support thanks to an unimpressive hockey sense .. is most effective when he keeps things simple fills the role of a stay-at-home defenseman but is always eager to create plays .. decent passing accuracy .. prone to mistakes when passing the puck on a longer distance .. is progressing in his ability to quarterback a powerplay .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. works hard down low .. the opposing players can still force him to make a positional mistake .. unleashes a powerful shot from the from the point but accuracy is an issue .. needs to be more patient on the offensive blue line to avoid hitting the opposing players with his shots .. above-average snap shot .. decent powerplay pointman .. solid toughness along the boards despite smallish frame size .. finishes his checks .. willing to clear the crease with adequate determination .. a right-shooting defenseman .. a late '88 born player.
Sven Berger (2006), D
Notes: failed to impress significantly during the first game against USA .. slower first step limited his effectiveness against some of the waterbugs on the USA forward line .. fired a hard shot from the point but was prone to mistakes when moving the puck .. served as the two-way player to the more defensive-minded Jeremie Kamerzin .. reacted properly to the plays of the Slovak opponents and didn't fall back on his shifts .. proved that he adds more offensive flair to his game but his offensive vision isn't top-notch .. stiff when asked to corral a difficult pass .. an adequate powerplay quarterback .. could pick his game up in the contest against USA, but in general wasn't more than an ordinary Swiss blueliner .. was prone to positional mistakes during the third game against Germany .. occasionally fell back behind the plays as he couldn't compensate for the positional lapses with his average first-step quickness .. didn't show any asset which would bring him pro consideration .. wasn't a noticeable factor on the tournament.
Scouting: an adequate skater .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't look slow, but still needs to develop a smoother stride and bigger bursts of speed .. average first-step quickness .. adequate agility .. decent turns and lateral movement .. adequate backwards speed .. should upgrade on top-end speed .. decent puckhandling skills .. shows occasional problems when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. accurate passer on a short distance .. average powerplay quarterback .. should learn when to jump into the plays as he tends to fall back behind plays at times .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force .. unleashes a solid hard slap shot with average accuracy but should learn how to get them through regularly .. decent snap shot .. needs to learn how to make his size to his advantage .. isn't very willing to throw the occasional good hit .. average crease-clearer .. should be more feisty in the slot .. an okay force in his own zone with decent positional play but is prone to the odd positional mistake when pressed.
Jeremie Kamerzin (2006), D
Notes: filled his role on the third defensive pairing conscientiously .. stood for his teammates and could make a solid presence along the boards, but is too slow and lacks the needed mobility for NHL consideration .. the international pace could burn him on a considerable number of times .. repeated the same unspectacular defensive showing also in the second game against Slovakia .. didn't make glaring mistakes in the defensive end but would get into a bigger trouble against a stronger opponent .. wasn't patient in puck-possession and dumped the pucks too quickly .. should take a bigger advantage of his impressive size tools and hit more often .. was hesitant to shoot the puck .. didn't see much playing time on the special units .. played an average game in the third contest against Germany .. showed that he upgraded a bit on his first step and acceleration but failed to become a noticeable factor either in his defensive or offensive work .. should be more physical .. didn't stand out among the rest of his teammates.
Scouting: an unimpressive skater .. slow acceleration and first-step quickness emerges as a major area of concern despite the adequate progress registered during the last months .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. average top-end speed .. should upgrade on his turns and lateral agility .. shows trouble with opponents who can make him moving fast .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. more of a stay-at-home defenseman .. keeps his play simple and doesn't panic with the puck .. adequate stickhandling skills .. is stiff when asked to corral the pucks on the backhand side of the stick .. isn't very imaginative with the puck, dishing it off rather than trying to create plays .. average vision and hockey sense .. prone to fuzzy plays when pressed .. sometimes has trouble with keeping the play in front of him and tends to fall back .. fires a decent heavy slap shot, but needs to keep it lower on the ice .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. can make his size to his advantage when executing along the boards .. works down low and is willing to drop the gloves .. tends to loose position when hitting .. average crease-clearer .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Daniele Marghitola (2006), D
Notes: played a tenacious game in the opener against USA .. threw hits on the opponents and swept the crease .. the faster USA forwards gave him a tough time when asked to skate backwards quickly .. tried to quarterback powerplays but wasn't very effective .. missed the second game against Slovakia .. returned back to the lineup for the third game against Germany .. kept his passes on a short distance where he could be effective but lacked the ability to dish out a long outlet pass .. challenged Constantin Braun to a fight but the linesmen broke it up even before it could eventually begin .. the game further exposed his lack of first-step quickness .. worked hard but lacked the skills and smarts to be an effective factor.
Scouting: an adequate skater .. could use a smoother stride and a better acceleration .. average first-step quickness .. decent agility and lateral movement .. doesn't get knocked off his skates very often thanks to a decent balance .. would be more effective if he would upgrade on his backwards speed .. a player who is at his best when playing a defensive style of play .. needs to slow down when gaining possession of the puck .. doesn't possess offensive vision to contribute on the attack effectively .. okay passing accuracy when passing on a short distance .. average stickhandling ability .. should corral difficult passes more smoothly and upgrade on backhand passes .. keeps the plays simple and doesn't panic too much under pressure .. average powerplay quarterback .. is adequately reliable in his own end and doesn't make many positional mistakes .. works hard down low .. gets run over by bigger opponents but doesn't quit battling and throws okay checks .. solid at breaking up the opposing passes with his stick .. decent crease-clearer .. willing to drop the gloves .. an adequate hitter .. fires a solid hard shot from the point, but needs to learn how to get it through and upgrade on accuracy .. fires a decent snap shot.
Patrick Schommer (2007), D/RW
Notes: the most offensively-minded defenseman in the first game against USA .. regularly took the role of a forward and lead the attacks .. caught the eye with his propulsion and agility .. could skate with the opponents but should be more lethal in the offensive zone .. showed tricky puckhandling .. switched to center for the second contest against Slovakia .. cooperated well with Aurelio Lemm and was useful at adding spirit to the play of the line, but lacked elite smarts to be more effective past his propulsion .. could dance his way around the slower Slovak defensemen thanks to his quick stick moves .. hampered by a lack of effectiveness on the defensive side .. didn't stick his nose into traffic during the third game against Germany .. focused on playing a finesse style and looked for open space .. could outskate the German opponents but wasn't using his speed in a smart way .. couldn't avoid off-shifts .. occasionally failed to keep his feet moving which enabled the German defensemen to keep him under control .. played a slightly above-average tournament.
Scouting: blessed with a smallish frame .. a solid skater with decent bursts of speed and an okay agility .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. his skating skills particularly make up for his lack of size .. doesn't slow down significantly when moving the puck .. possesses an okay agility .. thick lower-body .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick but his backhand passes are less accurate .. possesses an okay offensive vision .. shows an above-average offensive upside .. can make an accurate pass .. prone to the odd mistake when distributing the puck .. plays a solid game at the offensive blue line .. decent powerplay quarterback .. willing to shoot the puck .. a decent variety of shots but needs to keep his slap shot lower on the ice .. suffers from the occasional positional breakdowns .. should not try to be 'everywhere' ..spots his man adequately fast .. needs to stay with his man all the way .. isn't really soft, but should be more prepared for contact .. doesn't thrive in tight space .. an average crease-clearer .. needs to get stronger as he shows trouble with handling big opponents .. gets outmuscled by bigger opponents .. an '89 born.
Jeremy Gailland (2006), C
Notes: the most creative Swiss player in the first game against USA .. his skill set him apart from most of his teammates .. regularly generated offense and was dangerous in the offensive zone .. took advantage of his smooth stick moves to sneak through .. his lack of aggressiveness was evident against the more physical USA opponents .. invisible for most of the second contest against Slovakia .. was prone to erratic passing .. was hiding from tight traffic areas .. didn't battle himself into the final position to shoot .. didn't find a way how to be effective with his play .. floated in the defensive end and left the dirty work up to the linemates .. lacked fire and determination .. didn't bounce back in the third game against Germany and was rather close to the unimpressive performance from the second game .. was hiding from performing in traffic .. distributed occasional accurate passes but failed to become a regular playmaking force .. didn't shoot the puck as often as needed .. average in the defensive end .. more was expected from one of the leaders of the Swiss offense.
Scouting: an okay skater .. shows decent acceleration and footspeed .. adequate agility on his skates, but still should be improved .. should be more balanced on his skates and upgrade on lower-body strength .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a swift stickhandler who won't undress the opposition with his moves but can make plays from both sides of the stick .. often leads the attack .. can get outmuscled by bigger defensemen, who can bring him out of scoring lanes .. needs to rely on sneaking through open space .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. solid at finding the open man with an accurate pass .. okay smarts and hockey sense .. needs to upgrade on his in-close finishing skills .. possesses decent wrist shot which he can effectively fire through a screen .. unleashes a quick hard snap shot which can surprise goaltenders .. performs on special units .. should work with his stick more when on penalty killing units .. willing to return back to help out the defense, but is raw in his defensive positioning .. isn't a physically intimidating player even if he gets involved in corner battles .. prone to occasional cheap shots .. needs to bulk up.
Simon Bodenmann (2006), RW
Notes: did nothing to stand out in the first game against USA .. faded in both the offensive and defensive zone and didn't meet the expectations .. the agile waterbug was inconsistent during the second game against Slovakia .. could sneak into the scoring chances occasionally with a quick move but was too predictable to be effective .. occasionally forechecked but should force the opposition to make more mistakes .. didn't get many quality feeds from his center Joel Genazzi .. failed to play a physically assertive style and didn't visit tight spaces often .. was prone to odd off-shifts .. willing to fire the pucks just like passing them but lack of pep behind his shots hurt his effectiveness .. occasionally finished his checks but his hits were 'mild' .. should upgrade on passing accuracy to be a bigger factor .. took off-shifts where he floated on the periphery .. didn't stand out with any asset of his play.
Scouting: blessed with okay skating skills .. utilizes on his adequately effective stride and possesses an above-average acceleration .. shows decent balance and lower-body strength .. decent agility and first-step quickness .. flies around with energy .. decent puckhandling skills, but isn't totally tricky once in puck-possession despite the recent progress .. capable of a quick move but still could use a better hand-eye coordination .. an adequate passer, but doesn't have the vision of a good playmaker .. should upgrade on passing accuracy .. limited hockey sense .. average in-close finishing skills .. should fire harder wrist shots .. heavy snap shot with a quick release .. doesn't back down when asked to execute in heavy traffic and takes position in front of the opposing net .. emerges as a decent hitter willing to finish his checks but is inconsistent in his traffic awareness .. a decent force along the boards .. tends to loose position .. occasionally drives the net .. prone to odd undisciplined foul .. displays a decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids occasionally, but should do that on a regular basis .. raw in his defensive positioning .. prone to taking off-shifts where he floats on the perimeter.
Raffael Tischhauser (2006), LW
Notes: was limited by his lack of elite skating skills in the tournament opener against USA .. was ineffective in first matchup .. took advantage of his improved lower-body strength to battle in the corners during the second game against Slovakia .. moved the puck out of tight spaces but subsequently failed to create quality plays .. his average hockey sense was further exposed .. raw in defensive positioning for most of the game .. didn't battle himself into the final position to shoot very often .. tried to create offensive chances for his linemates but a lack of elite hockey sense was exposed during the third matchup against Germany .. proved that he improved on his acceleration as he could skate with the opponents more effortlessly than at the previous tournaments .. mostly a non-factor in tight traffic areas .. inconsistent in his defensive awareness .. would need more productivity to make up for the holes in the remaining assets.
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 .. adequate acceleration .. okay agility on his skates .. progressed on his lower-body strength and balance .. thick lower-body .. okay stickhandling skills .. decent at controlling the puck and dealing with passes .. can maneuver the puck out of tight space .. prefers passing to shooting .. a solid passer on powerplay units but in general his hockey sense doesn't stand out .. needs to develop a bigger variety of shots .. uses primarily his quick wrist or snap shot .. average slap shot with a slow release .. not a significant force in traffic because of his lack of size but doesn't play afraid .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. can get outmuscled by bigger opponents .. performs in the opposing slot and pays the physical price to succeed .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but is hampered by occasional downs in this asset .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. can read the developing plays in his own end adequately well, but is raw in his defensive positioning.
Luca Cunti (2007), C
Notes: asked to emerge as one of the offensive leaders of his team given all his experience .. could find his game right from the beginning of the first game against USA and create a number of quality plays, but couldn't avoid off-shifts .. the potential in his creative playmaking and smooth skating and stickhandling was evident .. delighted with a few bright moments during the second game against Germany but took too many off-shifts to label this game a good one .. demoted to the fourth line for this game .. proved that he can hide his intentions well and that he can utilize on his strong peripheral vision .. showed smooth stick moves but was hampered by inconsistency during his shifts .. registered an off-game during the third matchup against Germany .. failed to generate so many offensive chances as usual and the German defensemen could keep him under control .. inconsistent in his traffic awareness .. didn't make proper use of his fluid stride and failed to keep his feet moving .. will need to learn to reduce the number of off-shifts to be able to lead the team in the next season .. gets only an average tournament rating.
Scouting: a decent skater with a fluid stride .. 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 .. 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 .. 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 .. drives the net but still should bulk up in order to be more effective .. can get outmsucled by bigger opponents .. battles for the pucks in the corners tenaciously and isn't afraid to hit despite modest frame .. 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 very good player once he physically matures and gains experience .. an '89 born forward.
Flurin Randegger (2006), LW
Notes: could catch the eye on some shifts with his two-way ability despite toiling on the fourth line .. his bursts of speed enabled him to gain offensive zone .. could battle traffic .. hampered by inconsistency on his shifts during the second game against Slovakia .. failed to generate valuable offense and didn't battle himself into the final position to shoot .. didn't show a diligent effort along the boards .. was only so-so in the defensive zone but returned back quickly given his two-way role .. should step up with more assets .. improved on his defensive awareness during the third game against Germany .. an inability to corral difficult passes properly limited him on the offensive side .. showed an okay footspeed which helped him to penetrate into the German zone .. became a lesser factor as the game went on .. looked tired in the late stages and occasionally reacted too slowly on the plays of the Germans .. filled his role adequately well but failed to show a noticeable pro potential.
Scouting: a decent skater with an okay stride .. possesses decent footspeed .. uses multiple gears including a decent top-end speed .. possesses solid agility .. needs to further upgrade on lower-body strength and balance .. possesses decent puckhandling skills .. gets into trouble when having to corral a bad pass .. can be sneaky with the puck in traffic .. should be more aware of his linemates in order to be more effective in the offensive zone .. average vision and hockey sense .. could further work on his variety of shots .. uses mostly his wrist or snap shot .. snap shot with a quick release .. slap shot needs to be harder .. plays a two-way game .. shows an adequate defensive play .. spots his man quickly .. is willing to return back, but needs to read the plays in his own zone better .. should mark his man faster and upgrade on defensive positioning .. doesn't have the strength yet to be physically effective .. doesn't drive the net hard .. should throw his body around more often and hit with a bigger authority .. should be more feisty on the opposing slot which would earn him more garbage goals.
Nino Fehr (2006), C
Notes: the agile centerman could wreak havoc among the opposition with his diligence and an energy style in the opening game against USA .. regularly fired hard shots at the USA goaltender but should be less bullish on the scoring chances to be more effective .. took a step back during the second game against Switzerland .. performed as the left winger occasionally .. started the first period on a solid note but subsequently took off-shifts and was knocked off his feet by the bigger opponents .. showed his decent acceleration and turns but failed to read the unfolding plays properly which limited his effectiveness .. was less willing to play where it hurts than in the first game .. registered an off-game during the third contest against Germany .. had problems with keeping his temper under control which led to undisciplined fouls .. fatigue caught him as he couldn't skate with the German opponents on fast-paced shifts .. didn't loose the stiffness when asked to finish a scoring chance .. caught the eye early in the tournament but his overall rating went down after an unimpressive play in the final contest.
Scouting: an okay skater with an above-average footspeed .. uses a short stride and would gain a bigger top-end speed if he would be able to upgrade on his stride effectiveness .. decent first-step quickness .. displays an above-average agility .. decent on his turns .. needs to further upgrade on lower-body strength and balance .. plays an active game and covers lots of ground with his conditioning .. possesses okay puckhandling skills even if he doesn't make many nifty dekes with the puck .. more of a playmaker .. capable of accurate passes .. should be more patient in puck-possession and wait for the plays to develop and then make the decision .. adequate portion of vision and hockey sense .. could further upgrade on his variety of shots in terms of accuracy .. uses mostly his hard wrist or snap shot .. hard slap shot needs to be more accurate .. should upgrade on his in-close finishing skills and be more patient once on a scoring chance .. average defensive play .. is willing to return back, but needs to read the plays in his own zone better .. should mark his man faster and upgrade on defensive positioning .. plays in the slot .. doesn't have the strength yet to be physically effective .. willing to drive the net hard but gets outmuscled by bigger opponents .. shows trouble with handling heavy traffic despite his lack of fear .. his hot temper can occasionally hurt his team with an undisciplined foul .. shoots right.
Joel Genazzi (2006), C
Notes: filled the role of a penalty-killing specialist in the opening game against USA .. didn't stand out with any other factors of his game .. should improve on his passing skills .. filled a defensive role in the second game against Slovakia .. mucked for the pucks in the corners but lacks the physical tools to be fully effective .. returned back as the first from the forward trio but was limited on the offensive side all game long despite being promoted to first-line duty and getting a solid share of playing time .. demoted from first-line duty for the third matchup against Germany .. the one wrist shot he fired at the German goalie was his only noticeable offensive moment in the game .. played with above-average conscientiousness on the penalty killing units .. hardly battled himself into the final position to shoot and wasn't a noticeable factor in the offensive zone .. didn't really impress with his play on the tournament.
Scouting: an adequate skater with a solid balance .. should work on his footspeed and first-step quickness .. adequate 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 .. doesn't fire the puck very often, looking for a pass instead .. uses primarily his hard wrist shot .. slap shot should be more hard and more accurate .. average in-close finishing skills .. generates problems to the opposition with his ability to block passing lanes .. 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 .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end quickly .. limits the options of the opposition with adequate effectiveness .. solid on the penalty killing units as a penalty-killing specialist .. shows a good attitude .. needs to show up in the offensive zone more often to be more effective.
Team Germany: U18 4-Nations Recap (posted 2.21.06)
by Robert Neuhauser
Scouting & reviews for Team Germany at the U18 4-Nations Tournament in Slovakia
Top Performers
Thorsten Ankert (2006), D
Notes: an alternate captain .. showed his usual defensive prowess in the opening game against Slovakia .. was less offensive than during the previous tournaments and rushed the puck only a handful of times .. played a dependable game in his own end and was useful on powerplays as a hard-shooting pointman .. proved that he still needs to pick up on his mobility as he displayed a tendency to slow down once gaining possession of the puck .. registered an okay showing in the second game against USA .. hampered by a slower first step but could make use of his solid strength .. rushed the puck when free space opened up and gained offensive zone for his team .. showed a longer reaction time when quarterbacking a powerplay .. held his own well also in the final matchup against Switzerland .. played with a decent offensive responsibility and could occasionally support the offense with feeds on both short and middle-long distance .. handled most of the opposing players well in the physical battles .. skating was the only significant issue with him in the game .. emerged as the most impressive German blueliner after a solid tournament showing.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size .. solid balance and lower-body strength, but could use a smoother stride .. doesn't impress with his first-step quickness but is progressing in his acceleration .. isn't overly fast on his skates .. should improve on his top-end speed .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner but is steadily progressing in his offensive flair .. willing to occasionally rush the puck .. progresses in his stickhandling and is more confident to move the puck .. can make a quick deke against one opponent, but isn't able to maintain possession of the puck in heavy traffic or when asked to dangle through more than one opponent .. adequate puckhandling skills and dealing with passes .. makes precise accurate hard passes on a short distance .. needs to shorten his reaction time when quarterbacking a powerplay .. a heavy slap shot with adequate accuracy .. likes to shoot the puck .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. solid presence in his own zone .. a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can make his body to his advantage but should hit more often .. keeps the player with the puck on the outside .. a steady player in one-on-one situations .. plays a reliable style .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Max Brandl (2006), C
Notes: the German captain pulled off a solid gritty showing in the opening game against Slovakia .. was effective with his smart passes and a belligerent approach but couldn't show this play on every shift .. willing to shoot the puck .. a deserving recipient of the German 'Player of the game' honors ..a consistent factor in the second game against USA .. didn't display so much shooting as in the previous game but was effective as a set-up player who cooperated well especially with his right winger Frank Mauer .. could create solid plays from both sides of the stick .. didn't manage to return to the shape from the previous two games in the third game against Switzerland .. unlike in the previous contests he didn't initiate physical contact and was inconsistent on his shifts .. showed occasional shifts where he could control the play of the line but didn't create quality scoring chances .. didn't make significant use of his special units time .. turned out to be the best German offensive player, but should step up with his play when it was needed most to get a better rating.
Scouting: a solid skater with decent acceleration .. possesses okay top-end speed .. looks flashy and quick .. possesses above-average agility .. improved on his lower-body strength but still could use more balance .. good stickhandling skills .. a smart playmaker with a decent vision and awareness of his linemates .. possesses above-average creativity .. prefers passing to shooting .. needs to develop a bigger variety of shots .. fires a hard wrist shot .. decent snap shot .. average slap shot with a slow release .. possesses okay in-close finishing skills .. waits for the goaltender to make the first move and is adequately patient with the puck .. reads the plays well to sneak into positions to shoot .. not a big force in traffic but doesn't play afraid and works hard along the boards .. mucks for the loose pucks along the boards .. throws the occasional hit, but is relying more on finesse than on toughness .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but hampered by occasional downs .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. fast at marking his man .. an active force on the penalty killing units .. takes key draws .. solid at winning the faceoffs .. okay intensity and determination .. possesses decent leadership skills .. a diligent player but prone to inconsistent shifts.
Constantin Braun (2006), RW
Notes: an alternate captain .. filled an all-round role on the first German line during the opener against Slovakia .. executed in the offensive zone just like he returned back to the backcheck but a lack of elite skating skills hurt his effectiveness .. a number of passes bounced off his stick .. battled his way into the scoring chances but was hit by hard luck when finishing .. lack of crispness in his first step was exposed during the second game against USA .. willing to shoot the puck often but didn't score .. reacted angrily when the game situations weren't judged right in his opinion .. separated himself from the rest of the German forwards in the third game against Switzerland, where he was the most dangerous German by a fair margin .. drove the net hard and showed a bullish demeanor .. fired the pucks often and picked the spots for puck deflections well .. showed that he should be more smoother in one-on-one .. a deserving recipient of the German 'Player of the game' honors .. finished the tournament on a solid note, but a lack of elite skills hurt him in the first two games and downgraded his else solid tournament rating.
Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. bent over when skating .. uses a shorter stride .. possesses an okay acceleration .. should upgrade on his average first-step quickness .. shows decent balance and agility .. decent top-end speed still could be improved .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. only an average factor in one-on-one situations .. a decent passer, but doesn't have the vision of an elite playmaker and tends to make quality passes on a short distance .. more of a sniper than passer .. likes to fire the puck often .. okay in-close finishing skills .. fires a quick wrist shot .. snap shot with okay accuracy .. heavy snap shot with a slower release .. possesses decent sniper smarts as he anticipates the deflections of the puck in the offensive zone well to sneak into scoring positions .. isn't afraid of executing in heavy traffic and takes position in front of the opposing net .. looks for the loose rebounds .. drives the net hard .. works hard and is willing to finish his checks but his mean streak tends to have downs .. a decent force along the boards when inspired .. tends to loose position .. displays a decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids, but needs to do that on a regular basis .. shows a hot temper .. willing to drop the gloves.
Frank Mauer (2006), RW
Notes: caught the eye on a handful of his shifts during the opening game against Slovakia but wasn't a consistent factor .. showed a belligerent drive to the net and a hard slap shot but a lack of top-end speed hurt his effectiveness .. cooperated well with Max Brandl as the finisher of his accurate passes .. drove the net hard as usual and looked to battle himself into the final position to shoot .. used an above-average variety of shots .. named the German 'Player of the game' after the end of the matchup .. repeated the average showing from the first game also in the third game against Switzerland, raising concerns whether the good play from the second game wasn't a fluke .. dipsy-doodled the puck through the neutral zone but was prone to takeaways as he didn't cover the puck well with his body .. was prone to 'blind' passes without raising his head to read the play properly .. willing to finish the scoring chances but in this game he didn't receive many saucer passes which he could turn into goals and buried the few chances he got .. wasn't a tournament standout, but his play couldn't go unnoticed.
Scouting: an adequate skater .. keeps his feet moving but is severely limited in his effectiveness by an average top-end speed .. decent acceleration and agility .. adequate balance but still should improve on lower-body strength .. likes to sneak into breakaway chances .. crafty stickhandler with an above-average puck-control .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. dipsy-doodles the puck but is prone to costly giveaways .. should cover the puck more effectively .. can succeed in one-on-one situations .. more of a sniper than passer .. adequate vision, but tends to take downs in his creativity .. prone to occasional erratic passes .. confident enough to make passes from both sides of the stick .. a solid asset to a playmaking forward .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a quick release .. solid snap shot .. unleashes a hard slap shot with a decent accuracy .. isn't a significant force in heavy traffic thanks to his modest frame but doesn't play afraid .. drives the net hard .. willing to head into the slot and pay the physical price to succeed .. his speed enables him to return to his own zone in time, but needs to play in position better .. should limit the options of the opponent more conscientiously .. a right-shooting forward.
Other Players
Timo Pielmeier (2007), G
Notes: started the first game against Slovakia .. played a decent game .. was tough to beat on low-aimed shots .. showed precise butterfly .. was prone to going down too early on occasions which made him vulnerable in the upper shelf .. displayed only an average glove hand .. served as the backup in the second game against USA, but saw action after the shaky starter Andreas Tanzer was pulled .. managed to stop the USA offensive raids but the USA attacks weren't so vicious as during the first two periods .. played the starter in the third game against Switzerland .. showed a lesser penchant to drop down which boosted his effectiveness .. made one acrobatic save .. repeated his prowess against low-aimed shots but could upgrade on his five-hole .. showed a decent effort, but didn't impress with his pro potential.
Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. decent when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. decent resilience and athleticism .. capable of acrobatic saves .. adequate anticipation of developing plays .. doesn't let in soft goals on the initial shot .. safe on his five-hole .. doesn't go down too early and tries to outwait the shooter .. solid down low .. possesses okay footspeed .. adequate rebound control but is vulnerable to allowing unnecessary rebounds .. 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 .. prone to allow softer goals on his glove hand .. average in the upper half .. should challenge the shooter more aggressively .. possesses a solid focus .. decent stickhandling skills .. willing to go behind the net to move the puck .. an '89 born goaltender.
Hans Pienitz (2006), D
Notes: registered an okay start into the tournament in the opener against Slovakia .. showed quick puck moves and a solid offensive flair .. regularly rushed the puck and was confident enough to even lead the attacks .. recognized the passing lanes quickly and made use of his solid stickhandling skills .. played solid on the powerplay units .. played with his usual two-way prowess in the second game against USA but was limited when performing in the defensive zone .. couldn't keep the bigger opponents under control .. didn't play afraid but occasionally used his stick instead of his body .. regularly jumped into the plays .. showed solid skating skills and mobility .. a solid factor on the powerplay units .. went down with his performance in the third contest against Switzerland .. registered his most impressive moment with an end-to-end rush but was hidden on the other shifts .. occasionally showed a tenacious style before fading physically on other shifts as a result of fatigue .. took on a more defensive role than in the previous contests .. focused on passing the puck to the nearby opponent which hurt his offensive effectiveness .. overall a decent showing for the smallish blueliner.
Scouting: a decent skater with an okay stride .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. okay turns and agility .. average acceleration hurts him on transitional plays .. bigger top-end speed would make him more effective, but the top gear can be found .. needs to strengthen his lower-body and upgrade on balance .. takes advantage of his mobility to support the offense .. okay puckhandling skills .. capable of quick dekes to avoid giveaways .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. displays a solid poise when jumping into the rush .. confident enough to lead attacks and gain offensive zone for his team .. distributes quick passes .. decent offensive creativity but his offensive smarts tends to be particularly inconsistent .. okay vision when quarterbacking a powerplay .. sometimes careless when moving the puck .. willing to se his accurate fast-released slap shot, but needs to work on hardness .. doesn't show much aggressiveness in his own zone, where he relies on his above-average smarts and vision .. doesn't play afraid but can get outmuscled by the bigger opponents .. isn't an intimidating hitter .. average at clearing the crease .. should upgrade on his positional reliability .. thinks about offense too much which negatively affects his reliability .. prone to mistakes when solving an one-on-one situation and focusing on the puck instead of the player .. shoots right.
Benedikt Kohl (2006), D
Notes: focused on playing a defensive style of play in the opener against Slovakia but was more offensive than during the previous viewings .. didn't progress in his skating significantly but controlled the Slovak forwards relatively well .. played a diligent style and marked the Slovak forwards quickly .. slower thinking of the developing plays hurt him when joining the rush in the second game against USA .. the flashier USA forwards could give him tough times during the second game .. prone to glaring positional mistakes .. fell often behind plays and often forced his partner Thorsten Ankert to make up for his mistakes .. made adequate use of his size tools and could throw a few decent hits .. quality offensive support turned out to be a regular issue with him in the third game against Switzerland .. reduced the number of the wrong-timed offensive raids and stayed back more often .. hardly stood out with his play in this game .. was reluctant to play a physical game .. should clear the crease with a bigger determination .. performed as one of the less impressive German defensemen.
Scouting: an adequate skater .. decent first-step quickness .. adequate acceleration .. should upgrade on top-end speed .. should keep his feet moving to be more effective .. decent lower-body strength and balance .. adequate turns and lateral movement .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner but progresses in the number of attempts when he joins the rush .. adequate stickhandling skills .. prone to odd costly giveaways .. isn't capable of quick dekes .. needs to corral the pucks more smoothly at a high tempo .. shows a limited offensive upside thanks to an average offensive vision .. is over-confident in his limited offensive abilities and shows a wrong timing of his offensive raids .. falls back behind the developing plays .. precipitous when distributing the puck in the offensive zone .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. fires a quick snap shot with sub-par accuracy .. decent presence in his own zone but his costly mistakes hurt his reliability .. should become more of a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can make his body to his advantage but should hit more often and get stronger .. should become a more determined crease-clearer .. an adequate performer on the penalty killing units .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Florian Kirschbauer (2006), D
Notes: played more of a defensively-minded performance in the opening game against Slovakia .. proved that skating limits him as a two-way player but was willing to jump into the plays when the occasion took place .. wasn't guilty of many defensive gaffes and held his own adequately well .. had a tough time with the quicker USA forwards in the second game .. a defensively conscientious player but made clear that his talent isn't at a level where he would be effective against a strong opponent .. was willing to rush the puck occasionally but dumped it too quickly under pressure .. wasn't a regular physical menace .. showed a lack of offensive vision and timing of his offensive raids in the third game against Switzerland .. prone to odd dirty fouls .. prone to inconsistent shifts where he wasn't a factor .. kept his shot from the point hidden and wasn't a factor on the powerplay units .. should upgrade on mobility as he needed a longer time for his turns and acceleration after a stop .. an average member of the German defensive corps.
Scouting: an adequate skater .. could use a smoother stride and a better acceleration .. average agility .. slower first-step quickness limits him on transitional plays .. decent straightaway speed .. shows trouble with players who can make him moving .. doesn't get knocked off his skates very often thanks to a decent balance .. adequate lateral movement .. decent stickhandling ability .. keeps the plays simple and makes regular accurate passes on a short distance .. a player who is at his best when playing a defensive style of play .. prone to mistakes when rushing the puck .. dumps the puck too quickly when pressed .. possesses only an average hockey sense .. is adequately reliable in his own end and doesn't make many positional mistakes but lack of mobility limits him .. works hard down low .. decent crease-clearer .. doesn't possess offensive vision to contribute on the attack strongly .. gets physically involved but is no physical menace .. an adequate hitter .. prone to occasional dirty fouls .. fires a solid hard shot from the point, but needs to learn how to get it through and upgrade on accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Korbinian Holzer (2006), D
Notes: asked to complement the rusher Hans Pienitz with a stay-at-home style in the opener against Slovakia .. lack of lateral agility and top-end speed was exposed but the game wasn't so fast-placed that the drawbacks would be glaring .. made use of his reach .. fired blasts from the point as a powerplay pointman .. was adequately effective when he kept things simple and proved that he lacks quality offensive prowess .. upgraded on his offensive output in the second game against USA .. prone to occasional wrong-timed passes .. should take a bigger advantage of his tall frame .. served as the most effective German blueliner on the powerplay units in the third game against Switzerland .. was confident with the puck and rushed it often but forgot to return back quickly on some shifts .. showed holes in his game as he lacked the elite skating skills to keep opponents who made him moving under effective control .. wasn't keeping his feet moving as fast as needed and was caught flat-footed on occasions .. played an adequate game on the penalty killing units .. the third game turned out to be his best but didn't save his rating from anything more than average on a weak team.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size .. uses a shorter stride .. progressed on his stride effectiveness but still needs better acceleration .. adequate lateral movement .. gets beaten wide by quick forwards .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't impress with his first-step quickness .. isn't explosive on his skates .. could improve on his lateral agility .. adequate top-end speed .. fills the two-way role but isn't overly effective on the offensive side thanks to a limited offensive vision and smarts .. is at his best when passing the puck to a nearby teammate .. fills the role of both powerplay quarterback and pointman with average effectiveness .. adequate reaction time .. changes spots on powerplays and executes in front of the opposing net .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. can be caught flat-footed .. occasionally falls back behind developing plays .. average presence in his own zone .. possesses a massive wingspan .. should emerge as a more mean grinder along the boards and in front of his own crease .. needs to make his big frame to a bigger advantage .. should bulk up and upgrade on strength .. tries to avoid mistakes when playing the puck, but can be forced to a gaffe when pressed .. average puckhandling skills and dealing with difficult feeds .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Dennis Reul (2008), D
Notes: the gigantic blueliner filled a defensive role on the third defensive pairing in the opener against Slovakia .. played a 'survival style' with a minimum of possible risks .. proved that his skating isn't at the international level yet as he was outskated by the quicker Slovaks .. tried to quarterback powerplays but wasn't very effective .. lack of elite skating skills hurt him in the second game against USA .. filled his role adequately well and didn't make glaring mistakes but proved that he gets into hot water when asked to change direction rapidly and accelerate fast .. used his body on a few shifts but often lost position after going for the hit .. promoted to third-line duty for the third game against Switzerland .. broke down due to fatigue and failed to become a noticeable factor .. wasn't as physical as in the previous two games and his lack of skating skills was further exposed .. was withdrawn from the powerplay units as the game went on .. focused solely on a defensive style .. possesses enough time for improvement but the tournament showed that he is extremely raw and has a way to go to a NHL prospects.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size but picking up on his skating is essential .. possesses most of the bulk in upper-body .. skinny lower-body .. average balance and lower-body strength .. adequate lateral movement .. stiff on his turns .. average backwards speed .. doesn't look slow when switching to the extra gear, but still needs to develop bigger bursts of speed and better first-step quickness .. can be caught flat-footed when he fails to react in time on the opposing plays .. adequate stickhandling skills but his backhand passes are of sub-par accuracy .. shows occasional problems when having to deal with difficult passes .. okay pinching .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. decent strength .. needs to learn how to make his size to his advantage more often but is willing to throw the occasional good hit .. tends to loose position when hitting .. a decent force in his own zone with his reach .. quick waterbugs can give him a tough time as he reacts slowly against them and subsequently switches to clutch-and-grab .. prone to the odd positional mistake .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them despite trying hard .. lacks quality hockey sense .. unleashes primarily a quick snap shot .. possesses a decent hard slap shot with average accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman .. a late '89 born.
Marcel Muller (2006), LW
Notes: the hulking winger played a two-way game with the focus on defense in the tournament opener against Slovakia .. the game exposed the limits in his explosiveness and finishing touch .. threw two hard hits on the Slovak players .. returned back conscientiously .. made occasional use of his size tools during the second game against USA but failed to fill the role of a grinding two-way forward which was asked from him .. was stiff in the offensive zone when asked to finish the scoring chances .. should upgrade on his play in one-on-one situations as the USA defensemen controlled him easily .. proved that he needs to upgrade on his offensive vision .. repeated the same areas of concern also in the third game against Switzerland .. filled the role of a dependable defensive forward .. would be more effective if he would play tougher .. very limited effectiveness when asked to create plays under pressure of the Swiss defensemen .. occasionally dumped the puck instead of creating plays .. unusually soft and usually limited on the offensive side - those assets won't get him a good rating.
Scouting: an average skater .. needs to upgrade on his first-step quickness and acceleration .. adequate agility .. average top-end speed hurts his effectiveness .. average turns .. possesses above-average balance and lower-body strength .. tough to get knocked off his feet .. should keep his feet moving to be more effective .. a diligent gritty two-way forward .. willing to drive the net hard .. plays with an edge and is a good hitter along the boards but his physical awareness is inconsistent .. resembles a 'friendly giant' when off his game .. can throw a surprising hit on the opponents .. average puckhandling skills .. should make more nifty moves with his stick .. willing to play dump-and-chase .. average hockey sense .. doesn't have the needed creativity to be an effective passer in the offensive zone .. occasionally flat-footed .. fires a hard wrist shot .. hard slap shot should be less telegraphed .. should be more patient once on the scoring chance .. solid defensive awareness .. shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition precisely and stays with his man .. effective on the backcheck .. limits the options of the opponent adequately well .. versatile player who can play both center and left wing .. a good asset on penalty killing units .. solid at picking his spots and finding open space .. decent wrist shot could use a faster release .. heavy slap shot with solid accuracy .. should develop smoother in-close finishing skills.
Robert Bote (2006), RW
Notes: missed the first game against Slovakia .. found himself in the lineup for the second game against USA .. tried hard to impress during this game and shot the puck often .. showed a serious reluctance to drive the net hard .. proved that bulking up is essential for him .. needs to pick up significantly on his traffic awareness .. corralled even difficult passes adequately well and was visible with his play, but not very effective .. was too fragile to be a factor against the USA players .. out of the lineup again for the third game against Switzerland .. limited to just one game but proved that he isn't suited well for North American game.
Scouting: a lanky forward .. a decent skater for a big man .. okay effectiveness of his stride .. progressed on his top-end speed which is okay now .. decent first-step quickness .. okay acceleration .. decent agility .. needs to upgrade on his balance and lower-body strength .. could use more speed when moving the puck .. an okay stickhandler with a decent hand-eye coordination .. uses a long stick .. corrals the pucks adequately well .. doesn't dangle the puck in traffic and tends to avoid tight space areas .. can find the open man but should work on the passing accuracy .. average timing of passes .. okay hard wrist shot with a fast release .. hard snap shot with average accuracy .. needs to upgrade on accuracy and hardness of his slap shot .. doesn't show much of a mean streak .. refuses to drive the net hard and ends up in the corners .. isn't willing to initiate physical contact .. often on the receiving side of the hits .. gets knocked off his feet .. prone to occasional positional mistakes .. digs for pucks along the boards but isn't a gritty worker .. average defensive awareness .. should progress at limiting the options of the opposing forward .. still should spot his man faster .. a decent forechecker .. should crash the net more often .. shoots right.
Alexander Oblinger (2007), LW
Notes: played a defensive showing in the opening game against Slovakia .. showed limited skating skills .. couldn't keep up with the faster Slovak players but played a belligerent style all game long .. drove the net hard and looked for rebounds just like he swept his own crease from the Slovak forwards .. filled a gritty role and was willing to initiate physical contact often .. showed up in the defensive zone regularly but failed to create quality plays during the second game against USA .. took off-shifts and wasn't so nasty as during the first game .. proved that he needs to pick up on his acceleration as he couldn't keep up with the fastest players .. occasionally unleashed shots using both snap and slap shots but the slappers were too telegraphed .. a limited factor in the third game against Switzerland .. tried to prepare scoring chances for his linemates .. distributed accurate passes on a short distance but didn't recognize long passing lanes quickly enough to make use of them .. occasionally fuzzy in the offensive end .. played a decent game on the penalty killing units .. filled his role adequately well but his upside remains limited.
Scouting: blessed with average wheels .. should upgrade on his acceleration and footspeed .. average stride effectiveness .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. could use softer hands and better puckhandling skills .. needs to corral difficult passes more smoothly .. doesn't stand out in one-on-one situations .. limited creativity .. tends to overlooks odd passing lanes thanks to a low patience with the puck .. average vision and hockey sense .. unleashes a hard accurate snap shot .. okay variety of shots .. unleashes his wrist shot with a fast release .. slap shot is too telegraphed .. decent finishing skills .. a tenacious player who doesn't shy away from the physical contact .. battles in all three zones with diligence but lack of smarts limit him .. often performs in the slot .. looks for the loose rebounds to score garbage goals .. can finish his checks and throw open-ice hits .. okay nastiness along the boards .. doesn't perform as a two-way forward but is adequately responsible in his own zone .. spots his man quickly but could upgrade on defensive positioning and get rid of the occasional defensive floating .. plays a tenacious game when sweeping the crease from the opposing forwards .. prone to occasional off-shifts .. an '89 born forward .. shoots right.
Marius Garten (2006), RW
Notes: the quick waterbug could burn the Slovak defensemen with his speed in the first game against Slovakia .. played a finesse style and didn't show up in traffic very often but was a decent factor on open space .. was hesitant to dig for the rebounds in the slot .. dangled his way around stiffer defensemen .. couldn't take advantage of his speed to penetrate into the offensive zone in the second game against USA .. was hiding from performing in puck battles in the corners .. showed only a few shifts where he wouldn't float on the perimeter .. registered a few shifts where he picked up a loose rebound in the opposing slot but didn't score .. defensive play was a regular issue with him in this game .. didn't upgrade on his performance and registered an off-game in the third contest against Switzerland .. could burst into scoring chances with his speed but ended up as too predictable and easy to push out of the scoring lanes for the Swiss defensemen .. lack of traffic play was evident in his performance .. played soft on most of his shifts and left the dirty work up to his linemates .. lack of consistency and productivity cost him a better tournament rating.
Scouting: an above-average skater with a fast change of pace and deceptive quickness .. shows a decent agility on his skates .. blessed with okay acceleration and flashiness .. adequate top-end speed .. should add more bulk to his lower-body and upgrade on balance .. emerges as a swift puckhandler .. prone to occasional overhandling of the puck .. blessed with decent offensive instincts .. capable of solid tape-on-tape passes but should make a bigger use of his linemates .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. snap and slap shots should be more accurate .. doesn't use his slap shot very often .. should develop more precise 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 .. isn't a physical force thanks to his diminutive frame .. not effective in heavy traffic .. traffic awareness is inconsistent .. willing to look for the loose rebounds but looks occasionally scared of performing in the opposing slot .. doesn't dish out hits and relies more on his finesse skills .. an adequate performer on the powerplay units .. prone to occasional off-shifts .. shoots right.
Adrian Albanese (2006), C/LW
Notes: showed a decent ability to fasten the pace of the game with a quick pass in the tournament opener against Slovakia .. put on display a solid acceleration but showed that he needs to pick up on the extra gear .. drove the net with a solid determination .. lacked elite finishing skills .. was used as a left winger in the second game against USA .. refused to crash the net with authority .. could distribute accurate passes on a short distance and filled a two-way role .. occasionally battled himself into the final position to shoot .. physical play was an issue with him in the third contest against Switzerland and proved that he is no crash-banger .. wasn't very effective when performing in the offensive zone .. failed to create quality scoring chances .. would be more dangerous if he would fire harder shots .. showed occasional glimpse but overall didn't stand out among the rest of the team.
Scouting: an adequate skater with a short stride .. a player of his mediocre size still could use better wheels .. possesses an okay footspeed but his stride lacks crispness .. okay acceleration .. limited top-end speed .. shows okay agility .. should further upgrade on his balance and lower-body strength .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a decent passer, but doesn't have the vision of an elite playmaker and tends to make passes on a short distance .. can fasten the pace of the play with a quick one-timed pass when the obvious passing lane is present .. lacks quality hockey sense .. average in-close finishing skills .. looks for the rebounds in the slot and is willing to pay the physical price but isn't a traffic force with his modest size but is willing to battle his way through traffic .. takes position in front of the opposing net .. fires a quick wrist shot but should upgrade on hardness of the wrister .. adequately hard slap shot with a slower release and average accuracy .. displays a decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids, but needs to do that on a regular basis .. adequate positional play in the defensive zone .. a versatile player who can play both center and left wing.
Elia Ostwald (2006), C
Notes: served as the playmaker of the most dangerous German offensive unit in the opener against Slovakia .. showed that he is capable of quick accurate passes but occasionally needs to take the extra second to read the unfolding plays .. needs to be more smooth on his skates as he would be considerably more effective if he could outskate the opponents .. played a decent game on powerplay units .. registered a sub-par performance in the second matchup against USA .. couldn't fill the playmaking role effectively and was a step behind the developing plays thanks to his lack of first step and acceleration .. was used as a defenseman on the powerplay units but wasn't a very effective powerplay quarterback .. tried to bounce back with a better showing in the third game against Switzerland but failed to improve on his showing .. faded for much of his shifts .. defenseman Korbinian Holzer did a better job than him in feeding the sniper Constantin Braun with passes .. reluctant to fire the puck .. hurt his draft stock with his unimpressive play and an inability to be effective in the role given to him.
Scouting: blessed with a lanky frame .. an awkward skater who tends to skate like with sandbags on his shoulders .. limited by a sub-par acceleration .. average first-step quickness .. possesses only limited top-end speed .. needs to make sharper turns .. his balance will be okay once he physically matures, but at this point is average .. lacks the smooth coordination of his skating .. willing to split the defense and hustle when the puck is near .. solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't impress with many nifty dekes, but can handle the puck adequately effectively in traffic .. a decent passer, but should work on his vision and decision-making in the offensive zone .. prone to taking the extra second to read the offensive plays properly .. plays as a defenseman on the powerplay units with the role of a quarterback .. adequate when distributing the passes from behind the net .. should fire the pucks more often .. needs to develop better in-close finishing skills .. uses primarily his average snap shot .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. willing to return back to help out the defense, but is raw in his defensive awareness .. needs to stay with his man all the way and work on his defensive positioning .. possesses a massive wingspan .. willing to work hard but is inconsistent in his diligence.
Andre Huebscher (2007), RW
Notes: kept his feet moving and played an energy style in the opening game against Germany .. skated a lot and showed a solid agility but should be more effective on the forecheck .. was hesitant to shoot the puck and didn't battle traffic on a regular basis .. was outpowered by the big Slovak defensemen .. missed the second game against USA .. returned to the lineup for the third game against Switzerland .. caught the eye on a few shifts but failed to become a consistent factor .. occasionally failed to keep his feet moving which enabled the Swiss defensemen to bring him out of the play .. distributed passes from both sides of the stick but wasn't a regular playmaking threat .. found himself in one promising scoring situation but was too surprised with the situation that his finishing was too stiff .. didn't stand out with any assets and played an average tournament.
Scouting: blessed with a smallish frame .. an okay skater with a smooth stride .. above-average agility and footspeed .. reaches top speed in a few strides but still should upgrade on his separation gear .. likes to beat opposition wide .. looks for breakaway chances .. should upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. gets knocked off his feet by bigger opponents .. a decent passer with okay tape-on-tape feeds when passing on a short distance .. possesses adequate vision and hockey sense but doesn't have the creativity to control the play of the line .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals passes smoothly .. distributes passes from both sides of the stick .. prefers passing to shooting .. sneaky in heavy traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to succeed in one-on-one situations regularly .. average in-close finishing skills .. should be more patient when challenging the goaltender in-close .. an adequate array of shots but should fire the pucks more often .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously .. lacks consistency .. prone to odd off-shifts .. an '89 born forward.
Christoph Fischhaber (2006), C
Notes: played a two-way style in the tournament opener against Slovakia .. filled the playmaking role on the third line and also served as a defensive forward .. returned back conscientiously .. wasn't very effective when finishing the scoring chances and should wait for the goaltender to make the extra move .. didn't impress with any other asset than his okay defensive awareness in the second contest against USA .. took off-shifts .. proved that he needs better reading of plays which would help him to upgrade on his playmaking ability .. hampered by a lack of first-step quickness which enabled the USA defensemen to keep him under control .. filled his defensive role also in the third matchup against Switzerland .. hardly battled himself into the final position to shoot and focused on passing the pucks to his linemates .. played an adequate game on the powerplay units but in general his creativity didn't stand out .. wasn't a regular force in heavy traffic .. didn't impress with his play on the tournament.
Scouting: an adequate skater who should improve on his propulsion .. limited by an average first-step quickness .. possesses adequate acceleration .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. explosiveness and agility still needs upgrading .. should make sharper curves .. adequate top-end speed .. decent stickhandling skills but could make more nifty dekes when challenging an opponent in one-on-one .. a playmaking forward who primarily looks for a passing opportunity .. boasts a decent vision .. possesses adequate smarts and timing of his passes .. plays a solid game on the powerplay units as the set-up man from the corner .. can use his linemates well, but should fire the puck more often .. performs on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. fires a decent snap shot but should be more accurate .. slap shot is too telegraphed .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back quickly .. can block the passing lanes of the opposition .. a diligent player who is willing to battle for the loose pucks .. plays with adequate toughness, but his mean streak tends to be inconsistent .. looks unprepared for physical contact on some shifts .. should crash the net with more determination .. an average factor in the faceoff circle.
U18 4-Nations Recap From Slovakia (posted 2.20.06)
by Robert Neuhauser
The last tournament in Slovakia before the opening of the pre-Under-18 WJC camps showed little surprises as far as draft-eligible prospects were concerned.
The Four Nations Tournament, played at the rink in Piestany, Slovakia had its deserving and rather clear winners in the USA Under-17 NTDP team. Despite having the vast majority of the players on the roster underaged, the young Americans defeated the Swiss team in the opener and then walked through games against Germany and Slovakia.
The most impressive player on their roster, forward Carter Camper, a regular 1988 born, earned 'Top Forward' honors for his impressively creative showing and boosted his draft stock in the process. Captain Teddy Ruth provided a stabilizing force on the back rows while lanky goaltender Brad Phillips may have challenged for the 'Top Goaltender' trophy if he had received more playing time than the 60 minutes he played in the third game against Slovakia.
This helped pint-sized Slovak netminder Marek Simko earn the tournie's goaltending award en route to backstopping the hometown Slovaks to a second-place finish. If not for Simko's heroics between the pipes, they wouldn't have finished in second spot given the inability of the Slovak defensemen to accurately move the puck to the forwards combined with occasional defensive breakdowns.
The only two Slovak defensemen who managed to hold their own over the course of the whole tournament were Milan Balis, who earned 'Top Defenseman' honors, and 2007 eligible underager Juraj Valach. Up front, Tomas Marcinko showed that he has upgraded on his skating during the recent months, and also impressed with his defensive savvy even though he should have stepped up with a bigger offensive contribution.
The third-placed Swiss players were hampered by a lack of consistency from their leaders. Only diligent forward Arnaud Jacquemet provided a steady showing and, most importantly, goals, which earned him the trophy for the best goalscorer of the tournament. Unfortunately, as to his pro potential, Jacquemet proved that he hasn't upgraded his smoothness and smarts despite the number of garbage goals he was able to score here.
Defenseman Marco Maurer turned out to be the most notable name on defense along with the youngest player of the tournament, 2008 eligible Lukas Stoop. Maurer provided the Swiss defensive corps with toughness and determination, even though he was ineffective in terms of his offensive support. The 1990-born Stoop was the most effective two-way weapon among the Swiss defensemen, however his breakdown in the third game hurt his tournament rating.
The German Under-18 team finished in last place after a loss to Switzerland in the third-place game. Massive defenseman Thorsten Ankert emerged as the most impressive German blueliner. He proved that he is progressing in his offensive ability, though a heavy-footed first step still limits his pro potential.
Captain Max Brandl carried the German offensive flag and wasn't challenged by any of his teammates in the role as the team's most creative forward. However, he could have stepped up even more when it was needed most to prove himself a true leader. Sniper Constantin Braun rode a rollercoaster tournament, but was the only real German offensive contributor in the third-place game. He demonstrated that he is a dangerous player near the goal area, though unfortunately limited by his skating skills.
U16 Czech Republic Reports (posted 2.8.06)
by Robert Neuhauser
Player scouting and reviews from the Under-16 Czech Republic national team during a recent friendly against the U16 squad of Russia.
Top Performers
Dominik Furch (2008), G
Notes: started the second game .. delivered a nice surprise with his strong play in his first international game ever .. made numerous key saves in the second and third period to maintain the Czech lead .. was calm even under heavy pressure and looked more internationally proven than he actually is .. showed that he is strong down low and can use his pads well against the opposing shooters .. was one of the main building blocks of the Czech victory in this game with his above-average performance.
Scouting: smallish in stature .. plays more of a butterfly style .. a quick skater with a fast movement in the crease .. quick side-to-side movement .. okay lateral movement .. quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. doesn't cover lots of the net with his size but relies on his quickness to bail him out .. goes down early and is strong to beat down low .. takes advantage of his athleticism to make unorthodox saves .. should learn how to stay up for an extra moment to cover the upper shelf more effectively .. solid footspeed .. challenges the shooter .. above-average dexterity .. tough to beat on the initial shot, but lets the odd goal in through his five-hole .. could upgrade on his handling of rebounds .. solid reflexes .. should further work on his fundamentals .. anticipation of the developing plays could see upgrading .. solid fast glove hand .. doesn't move the puck very often and needs to register further progress on his stickhandling ability.
Dominik Bohac (2008), D
Notes: the Czech captain .. played a rollercoaster second game .. impressed with his two-way play and an ability to fasten the pace of the game with a quick pass but was prone to gaffes when passing the puck on a long distance .. occasionally fell back behind plays when focusing on offense too much .. most lethal Czech defenseman on powerplay units .. the only member of the Czech defense who didn't break down significantly in the third game .. displayed his usual smoothness and reduced the number of mistakes when moving the puck compared to the second game .. made use of his reach and a solid reading of plays .. would be more effective if he would be meaner as he focused only on pushing the opponents out of scoring lanes and didn't hit hard along the boards .. proved his potential with a solid play but proved that picking up on his reliability when supporting the offense is a need.
Scouting: a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. okay turns and agility .. needs to develop a better first-step quickness .. decent acceleration and straightaway speed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. lack of elite first step makes him a bit vulnerable on transitions .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. willing to join the rush often and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. okay puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can make space for him with a quick move .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. smooth and composed .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a regular basis .. prone to occasional mistakes when moving the puck .. fires quick shots from the point but needs to keep it lower .. capable of playing both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. works adequately hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. a decent force along the boards, but could take a bigger advantage of his reach when playing in the defensive zone .. adequate positional play but tends to be over-offensive at times.
Dominik Pacovsky (2008), RW
Notes: served as the offensive winger of the second line .. showed a solid prowess in the offensive zone .. scored two goals in the second game after beating the Russian goaltender from a close distance .. battled regularly in the slot .. proved that he is effective when paired with a playmaking forward .. could gain possession of the offensive zone for his team with his flashiness and agility .. paid a low attention to defense but was a threat on the powerplay units .. didn't play afraid and executed in traffic .. a good offensive weapon in the third game .. played a tricky game with the puck in the slot .. was willing to shoot the puck immediately once gaining position to shoot .. used all types of shots and was very difficult to keep under control .. defensive play remained a weakness in this game but he turned out to be the most dangerous Czech forward .. emerged as the best Czech player in this series.
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 .. should add more bulk to his lower-body and upgrade on balance .. can split the defense well with his bursts of speed .. emerges as a swift puckhandler .. maintains possession in tight spaces thanks to an above-average hand-eye coordination .. blessed with decent offensive instincts .. capable of okay tape-on-tape passes 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 .. often uses his fast-released slap shot .. used as a defenseman when playing on the powerplay units .. 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 .. isn't a significant physical force but not a soft player .. less effective in heavy traffic .. doesn't dish out hits and relies more on his finesse skills.
Ondrej Pekarik (2008), LW
Notes: played on the third line .. virtually a non-factor for the first two periods of the second game .. started to make a bigger use of his creativity and toughness in the final period and created a lethal duo with Dominik Pacovsky on the powerplay unit .. pace of the international game further exposed his lack of first-step quickness .. would be a better force if he would use a smoother stride .. bounced back with an above-average showing in the third game .. played an all round style and regularly nailed the Russian players into the boards .. the toughest Czech player in the third game .. showed okay passing skills and controlled the play of the line .. skating turned out to be a limiting factor again .. contributed on the backcheck .. left an above-average impression despite the poor play early in the second game.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a big man, but adding more speed would make him more effective .. sub-par first-step quickness hurts his play .. adequate acceleration .. average agility .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't get knocked off his skates too often .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. an okay puckhandler .. can occasionally maneuver with the puck in tight space without loosing possession but doesn't use this asset very often .. decent corralling of difficult passes .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. a playmaking forward .. once in the offensive zone, he looks for an open teammate more than shooting the puck .. an effective force when executing from the corner on the powerplay units .. solid passing skills and creativity .. aware of his linemates .. could use a faster release on his wrist and slap shot .. blessed with a big body .. often battles in the opposing slot .. throws solid hits along the boards .. returns to help out the defense regularly .. starts the offensive raids from deep .. adept at shutting down the passing lanes of the opposition but should upgrade on his defensive positioning .. capable of playing both center and left wing .. average in the faceoff circle.
Tomas Vincour (2009), C
Notes: the Czech alternate captain centered the second line .. filled a two way game and served as the defensive forward with a strong playmaking ability .. the series exposed the weaknesses in his skating but his diligence when blocking the opposing passing lanes and pushing the opponents out of scoring lanes was very useful .. the nastiest player on the ice in this game .. hit the Russian players hard and took no prisoners along the boards .. could generate quality offense for his wingers .. promoted to first-line duty in the third game .. looked tired but saved the Czech team from giving up one goal after a diligent play in the crease .. adequately effective in the offensive zone .. dangled his way around the opponents .. preferred passing to shooting .. wasn't as physical as in the second game was battled traffic regularly .. a decent factor in the faceoff circle .. proved his indisputable two-way talent but also the fact that he will go as far as he will be able to improve on his skating.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size .. decent agility .. stride of average crispness .. needs to develop more explosiveness and upgrade on his footspeed and separation gear .. blessed with above-average leg strength for a kid of his age .. absorbs open-ice hits well thanks to his strong balance .. a big and aggressive player .. often initiates physical contact and thrives in heavy traffic .. shows a solid defensive awareness and shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition with a strong prowess for a player of his age .. strongest assets are his soft hands and an ability to think the games faster than the opposition .. sets up smart scoring chances for his winger and is a powerplay threat .. dangerous when maneuvering close to the opposing net as he boasts strong in-close finishing skills especially a quick forehand deke .. fires hard blasts .. should further upgrade on the accuracy of the slap shot .. an above-average factor in the faceoff circle .. solid at taking the draws and is able to win important faceoffs in key game situations .. a late '90 born forward .. a right-shooting forward.
Other players
Jakub Sedlacek (2008), G
Notes: started the third game .. couldn't prevent the Czech team from losing despite his obvious heroics in the net .. made two brilliant glove saves on sharp snap shots from the slot .. his quickness and athleticism was a significant obstacle for the Russian shooters .. wasn't guilty of any goal he allowed as the Czech defense was prone to poor mistakes especially early in the game .. the Czechs would lose by a bigger margin if Sedlacek wouldn't stand between the pipes.
Scouting: a smallish netminder .. plays a butterfly style .. doesn't cover a big space of the net, but makes up for this drawback with quick reflexes and above-average athleticism .. an okay skater with a decent lateral movement in the crease .. moves fast side-to-side and is quick to recover from a butterfly .. challenges the shooter and relies on his skating ability to bail him out .. solid footspeed .. decent on the blocker side .. exhibits a solid fast glove hand .. handles most of the rebounds well thanks to a strong dexterity and flexibility .. adequate anticipation of the developing plays but this asset still could be upgraded .. okay dealing with hard initial shots .. often leaves the crease and aggressively challenges the shooter .. a patient player, waiting for the shooter to make the first move .. communicates well with his defense .. displays okay puckhandling ability .. confident in his stickhandling .. often passes the puck to his defensemen.
Radko Gudas (2008), D
Notes: the diminutive rearguard was far from an impressive showing in the second game .. regularly fell back behind the developing plays and compensated for those lapses with dumb penalties .. positional play was an issue with him all game long as he couldn't read the intentions of the Russian players properly .. was over-enthusiastic with the puck and made gaffes when supporting the offense .. bounced back with a better showing in the third game but wasn't a standout .. played a more aggressive style than in the second game and threw several solid hits .. offensive support remained an issue as he couldn't find a way how to move the puck safely .. was more reliable in his own end with less positional mistakes .. proved that he gets overwhelmed in international games.
Scouting: a smallish stocky defenseman .. a decent skater with a short stride .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent acceleration but his first-step quickness could use further upgrading .. could improve on his top-end speed .. adequate turns .. above-average balance and lower-body strength .. a decent offensive flair .. likes to join the rush and support the offense, but doesn't have an elite vision .. tends to misread on a number of offensive plays which leads to costly mistakes .. a decent stickhandler but corralling of difficult passes is an issue .. still could improve on passing accuracy .. an accurate snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be more hard .. isn't a rock in his defensive zone coverage and is prone to falling back behind plays when not reading them properly .. should improve on his positional play and take less penalties from trying to make up for a positional gaffe .. a decent physical presence despite the missing inches .. hits hard along the boards and is a decent crease-clearer .. tends to loose position when hitting .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Jakub Kania (2009), D
Notes: complemented Petr Kadorek on the second defensive pairing as the all-round blueliner .. controlled the pace of the game without problems and could keep the Russian forwards under control in the second game .. threw solid hits and showed an upgraded mean streak .. kept his offensive support to passes on a short distance but played with his head up and all his feeds were hard an accurate .. was used as both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. didn't make any glaring mistakes in his own end .. took an off-game in the third contest .. couldn't repeat his puck-moving savvy and didn't support the offense effectively .. struggled with the fast Russian forwards .. showed the ability to lay a solid hit on the opponent but was less physically assertive as the game went on .. gets a decent rating for his all-round play, but the sub-par showing in the last match-up downgrades his rating.
Scouting: a smallish defenseman .. a solid skater for a player of his size .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. okay first step and backwards speed .. doesn't fall behind the plays .. a reliable player in his own zone when keeping the things simple .. stays with his man and reads the defensive plays fast .. decent offensive upside but is prone to brain cramps when trying to emerge as a regular two-way threat .. when aware of his role he doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals the pucks adequately well .. dishes out short hard passes with a good accuracy but doesn't have the offensive vision for regular long outlet passes .. willing to let his slap shot go often, but accuracy is an issue .. okay defensive stickhandling .. plays with a decent edge along the boards .. added bulk to his body which positively influenced his physical awareness .. tends to occasionally loose position when going for a hit .. can be effective along the boards .. a late '90 born defenseman.
Petr Kadorek (2008), D
Notes: the sized defenseman registered a pleasant surprise in the second game .. qualified as the best Czech blueliner in this match-up .. could regularly support the offense with quick accurate passes and was a threat on powerplay units .. stayed cool under pressure and avoided mistakes with the puck .. was eager to have the puck on his stick and wanted to create plays .. wasn't hurt on the defensive side and kept the Russian forwards under control .. made intelligent decisions with the puck .. broke down in the third game as one of the worst Czech players in this contest .. was inconsistent in his offensive support and made mistakes when moving the puck .. was often a step behind the developing plays .. wasn't very willing to get physically involved and didn't shoot the puck .. his play in the second game indicated solid talent but lack of consistency on the tournament cost him a good rating.
Scouting: a lanky blueliner .. a solid skater for a player of his size .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. okay smoothness of stride and explosiveness .. decent backwards speed .. doesn't fall behind the plays .. decent offensive upside but is inconsistent in his offensive support .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals the pucks adequately well .. tries to support the offense with quick passes .. doesn't make long outlet passes very often and prefers to pass the puck to the nearby teammate but recognizes passing lanes quickly .. battles in the slot and looks for rebounds when playing on the on powerplay units .. an adequately reliable player in his own zone .. stays with his man and spots him quickly .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes but is prone to odd little gaffes .. willing to let his accurate slap shot go often, but hardness is an issue .. a solid player on the special units .. plays with a decent edge .. can be effective along the boards and when clearing the crease .. possesses okay leadership skills .. hampered by inconsistent showings .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Michal Jordan (2008), D
Notes: filled a steady defensive role on the third Czech defensive pairing .. wasn't guilty of defensive mistakes but would get into trouble if the play would be more physical as he doesn't have the size to compete with the bigger opponents yet .. stayed calm in the defensive zone and reacted quickly on the plays of the opponent .. spotted his man quickly .. wasn't very effective in his offensive support as he clearly stuck to a stay-at-home style .. lacked confidence to fire shots from the point .. played a decent game in the third contest .. again played a steady game in his own end and kept the opposing raids under control .. took his man out of the play and showed savvy on penalty killing units .. avoided glaring mistakes with the puck .. filled his role conscientiously and gets a decent rating.
Scouting: a smallish defenseman who is likely to add more inches to his frame due to his genetics .. a decent skater .. possesses okay acceleration but still could develop a smoother stride and bigger top-end speed .. adequate hustle and acceleration .. doesn't beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. average balance and lower-body strength .. gets knocked off his feet by bigger opponents .. decent puckhandling skills but shows a tough time when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. fires a quick accurate snap shot .. slap shot needs to be harder .. a solid force in his own zone with his defensive prowess .. above-average positional play in the defensive zone .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them but is good on the penalty killing units .. isn't very willing to throw the occasional hit and his physical play shows considerable reserves .. average crease-clearer .. okay defensive instincts and hockey sense .. plays with his head up .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. is likely to blossom once adding more inches and bulk.
Matej Stritesky (2009), D
Notes: the offensive-minded member of the second defensive pairing complemented the stay-at-homer Michal Jordan .. didn't meet the expectations and didn't find a way how to be useful to his team .. guilty of several positional mistakes .. focused on offense too much during the first half but couldn't think smart plays which would give the team scoring chances .. a decent factor on the powerplay units but was inconsistent in the role of the powerplay quarterback .. played an average game during the third contest .. still wasn't effective on the offensive side and showed bad decisions in the defensive zone .. was hesitant to make a quick long outlet pass .. played more of a finesse game and didn't play a physical style .. didn't clear the crease .. was disappointing on this tournament.
Scouting: a solid skater with above-average straightaway speed and a smooth stride .. okay agility and lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. average balance .. still should upgrade on lower-body strength .. solid offensive flair .. looks for loose rebounds in the opposing slot .. shows decent smart when moving the puck .. above-average vision and hockey sense .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a deft passer who knows how to find the open man .. capable of accurate outlet passes even on a long distance .. a smart player on powerplay units .. shows enough confidence to make risky plays, but can't avoid the odd mistake .. shot from the point should be more accurate and needs to keep it lower on the ice .. should upgrade on the play in his own zone .. can be caught off position, but makes up for those lapses with his quickness .. doesn't play afraid but possesses still the body of a child .. will be more effective when he will further develop physically .. a late '90 born defenseman .. shoots right.
Jan Kana (2008), LW
Notes: played a spirited game in the second match-up but wasn't as physical as usual .. looked a bit snake-bitten during the first half and didn't keep his feet moving as fast as needed .. picked up on his play from the second half and penetrated into the offensive zone with the puck often .. battled for the loose puck in the corners .. was occasionally overwhelmed by the demands to create under pressure often which led to mistakes but still could generate some offense when given enough time .. pulled off a better showing in the third game .. played a hit-and-go style .. a thorn in the butt of the opponents with his tenacious play .. threw clean checks and was willing to let his slap shot go often .. could find a way how to be useful in the offensive zone by wreaking havoc among the opponents .. didn't fade under the heavy workload .. one of the better Czech forwards met the expectations put on him.
Scouting: a smallish wrecking pinball .. a solid skater with okay acceleration and top-end speed .. looks flashy and quick .. solid change of pace and explosiveness .. sharp turns .. possesses above-average lower-body strength and balance .. tough to get knocked off the puck .. good stickhandling skills .. an adequate playmaker with a decent vision and awareness of his linemates .. shoots and passes equally well .. still prone to some boneheaded plays when trying to be over-creative with the puck .. very confident in his finishing skills .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. likes to let his hard slap shot go .. could use more hockey sense in his play, but particularly 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 .. willing to fight .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but hampered by occasional downs .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. fast at marking his man .. an active force on the penalty killing units .. a belligerent player but prone to inconsistent shifts .. shoots right.
Tomas Knotek (2008), C
Notes: centered the first Czech line in the second game .. couldn't find a way how to be effective and didn't show his usual playmaking ability .. a non-factor for the majority of his shifts .. physical and defensive play were both issues with him in this game .. switched roles with Tomas Vincour for the third game and was demoted to second-line duty .. failed to create smart plays for his wingers and faded on the periphery .. showed problems when asked to battle in heavy traffic .. floated on the defensive side and fell back behind the plays in the defensive zone .. distributed accurate passes only on a short distance .. took regular off-shifts .. went into the tournament blessed with the reputation of an offensive standout in the Czech midget Extraleague but turned out to be a large disappointment on the international stage so far.
Scouting: a decent skater .. uses a short quick stride .. okay agility and first-step quickness .. could use upgrading on top-end speed .. average balance on his skates .. bigger and physical opponents cause him problems .. a solid stickhandler with an above-average hand-eye coordination .. uses both sides of the stick blade precisely when making a pass or corralling a pass .. could make smoother puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic .. very patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to present themselves and then making a decision .. times his passes well and can use his linemates smartly .. decent in-close finishing skills .. fires a quick wrist shot .. slap shot of adequate accuracy should be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willing to return to defense .. adequately smart when blocking the opposing passing lanes .. isn't a player who would thrive under the physical style and wanders on the perimeter when the play gets physical .. doesn't lay many hits on the opponents and should get stronger .. traffic play is an issue .. doesn't crash the net and avoids mucking in the corners .. consistency is an issue .. adequate in the faceoff circle.
Michal Toman (2008), RW
Notes: filled the role of the finesse offensive forward of the first Czech offensive unit .. proved that quick bursts of speed and smooth stickhandling ability are his strongest offensive asset .. could dangle the puck smoothly and win a number of footraces but failed to create or score once in the offensive zone .. should add a bigger physical dimension to be fully effective .. proved that defensive play remains an area of concern .. is more of a force when performing on a powerplay unit where his smooth stick moves are a strong point .. showed a tendency to float on the perimeter and avoid physical contact, but made two cheap shots on opponents during the stoppage of the play during the third game .. caught the eye with an occasional quick move but was prone to long off-shifts in the third game .. refused to battle traffic on a regular basis .. nothing but an average Czech forward on this tournament.
Scouting: possesses slick skating skills .. blessed with a solid footspeed and acceleration .. above-average agility and top-end speed .. can outskate the defenders, but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by bigger opponents .. should use his quickness in a more smart way .. solid skill set .. crafty puckhandler with an okay hand-eye coordination .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. likes to carry the puck into the offensive zone but should be more effective once gaining the offensive zone .. okay passing skills on a short distance .. could use more hockey sense in his play and spot the passing lanes faster .. occasionally willing to shoot the puck, using primarily his wrist shot .. his slap shot needs to be fired more harder .. snap shot with okay accuracy .. prone to occasional careless finishing .. isn't very effective in traffic thanks to his size deficiency .. doesn't play soft and visits the slot, but shows trouble when dealing with bigger opponents .. occasional cheap shots on opponents without backing them up .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. doesn't seem overly inspired in his own end and marks his man slowly .. should limit the options of the opponent more conscientiously.
Jaroslav Hafenrichter (2008), LW
Notes: skated on the second Czech line .. looked timid of traffic in the second game .. could take advantage of his agility to dance around the Russian defensemen .. served as more of a playmaking forward .. dished out accurate feeds on a short distance but couldn't recognize many long passing lanes .. an average factor on powerplays .. emerged as a non-factor in the third game .. caught by fatigue seriously .. couldn't outskate the opposition and looked scared of heavy traffic .. didn't create any dangerous plays and was reluctant to shoot the puck .. spent the third game with floating at both ends of the ice .. lacked regular defensive awareness but wasn't enough of a factor in the offensive zone to justify his lack of passion in the defensive end .. did nothing to impress in this series.
Scouting: an okay skater with solid bursts of speed and agility .. capable of sharp turns .. possesses good footspeed and first-step quickness, but needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. could upgrade on top-end speed .. can maneuver with the puck relatively well thanks to his good stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination but looses possession in traffic .. hesitant to head with the puck into tight spaces .. utilizes on his propulsion .. doesn't crash the net hard .. unleashes a fast accurate wrist shot, but his slap shot needs to be more hard .. capable of nifty deflections .. a decent force on the powerplay units .. shows decent passing skills and is adept at finding his linemates with a fast accurate pass when the obvious play is present .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. isn't a physical force and gets outmuscled in the corner battles .. can't outpower the bigger opponents and gets pushed around regularly .. needs to 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 .. prone to occasional dumb fouls when not reading the defensive plays properly.
Tomas Kubalik (2008), C
Notes: the hulking pivot centered the third line .. showed a mix of feistiness and scoring instincts in the first half of the second game .. regularly got involved in the corner battles and won a number of pucks for his wingers .. could skate with the smaller and quicker Russian defensemen but made clear that his skating needs further upgrading .. looked tired in the third period and proved that he needs to work on his conditioning .. battled in the slot and was dangerous in the offensive zone but couldn't make use of the scoring chances .. his play went south in the third game where he was virtually a non-factor .. the only asset which stood out in this game was his willingness to dig for the pucks but he wasn't a regular physical presence .. didn't create scoring chances and didn't battle himself in the final position to shoot .. defensive play was an issue .. a promising prospect, but played only an average tournament.
Scouting: a decent skater for a big man .. should further develop on his first-step quickness and acceleration .. decent top-end speed .. okay agility and balance .. stride could use more polishing but becomes tough to stop once he gets moving .. decent stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty dekes, but his puck skills aren't really hurting him .. covers the puck adequately well .. works hard in the offensive zone either to make a pass or shoot the puck .. can make a quality accurate feed .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. fires a quick and hard snap shot .. slap shot should be more accurate .. adequate in-close finishing skills .. okay patience once on a scoring chance but doesn't maintain the same cool head when pressed .. average defensive awareness .. doesn't show the same intensity when having to play in his own end .. should mark his man faster .. a solid physical presence .. willing to throw hits and show up in traffic but occasionally looks disinterested .. looks for rebounds in front of the opposing net .. should further upgrade on his faceoff ability .. a right-shooting forward.
Radek Lemfeld (2008), C
Notes: delighted with his showing in the second game despite toiling on the fourth line .. added a mix of spirit and skill to the play .. forechecked tenaciously and forced the Russian defensemen to make mistakes with his rapid change of pace and agility .. relied on finesse during the first shifts but started to be physically more assertive and drove the net hard as the game went on .. made two dangerous end-to-end rushes .. showed that he is very confident with the puck on his stick .. distributed accurate passes and played bigger than his size .. didn't impress with his defensive play in both the second and third game .. only an average factor in the third contest .. showed the same spirit and confidence but wasn't effective in the offensive zone .. battled his way to the net but the Russian defensemen could push him out of the scoring chances .. showed problems with making use of the narrow passing lanes .. inconsistent but still one of the better Czech forwards.
Scouting: an above-average skater with decent explosiveness .. possesses a solid agility and acceleration .. possesses decent lower-body strength .. okay top-end speed .. prone to stopping moving his feet when performing in the defensive end .. shows solid puckhandling skills .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create, but overhandles it on occasions .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. can score and pass equally well .. capable of accurate tape-on-tape passes but doesn't have elite playmaking vision and misses the odd passing lane .. blessed with solid finishing skills .. uses primarily the 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 .. 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 intensity in his own zone drops off .. should spot his man more quickly .. more effective on powerplay units than on penalty killing units.
Jan Dalecky (2008), RW
Notes: a diligent member of the Czech fourth offensive unit .. impressed with two or three good shifts during both the second and third game but wasn't a regular force during the games .. worked hard for the success of his linemates but couldn't avoid off-shifts .. moved the puck out of tight spaces several times but looked overwhelmed when asked to create in the offensive zone .. repeated the performance from the second contest also in the third game .. didn't battle himself in the final position to shoot and relied on Radek Lemfeld to finish the scoring chances .. the average play of Lemfeld in the third game had a negative influence also on his showing .. was slow at marking his man in the defensive zone .. was caught by fatigue .. didn't totally bust but wasn't a regular factor which hurt his effectiveness.
Scouting: an okay skater with an above-average acceleration .. possesses decent footspeed .. okay first-step quickness .. decent explosiveness and top-end speed .. could upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. impresses with the odd quick burst of speed but should use his quickness more effectively .. an okay puckhandler .. can move the puck out of tight spaces .. shows trouble when heading with the puck in traffic but doesn't back down from doing so .. unleashes a fast accurate wrist shot .. doesn't use the slapper very often .. shows decent passing skills .. adept at finding his linemates but creativity and hockey sense don't stand out .. willing to battle in traffic but isn't much of a physical force and can get outmuscled in the corner battles .. occasionally battles in the slot .. needs to upgrade on his defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end and show up, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him all the way .. prone to occasional off-shifts.
U16 Russia Reports (posted 2.2.06)
by Robert Neuhauser
Player scouting and reviews from the Under-16 Russian national team during a recent friendly against the U16 squad of the Czech Republic
Top Performers
Notes: stood out as the best Russian defenseman in the second game .. the only member of the Russian defensive corps who could regularly support the offense with quick accurate passes .. the best Russian powerplay quarterback .. was eager to have the puck on his stick and wanted to create plays .. wasn't hurt on the defensive side either but proved that he needs to bulk up to be more effective against the bigger defensemen .. regularly made intelligent decisions with the puck and didn't dump it under pressure .. didn't repeat the same performance in the third game .. his two-way prowess was evident, but was inconsistent in his offensive support .. didn't join the rush so often and focused on picking the obvious passing lane instead of trying to make a beautiful outlet pass .. wasn't very willing to get physically involved and didn't shoot the puck .. would qualify for the best defenseman if the series if not for the breakdown in the third matchup.
Scouting: a solid skater with decent bursts of speed and an okay agility .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. his skating skills make up for his lack of size .. doesn't slow down significantly when moving the puck .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. possesses an okay offensive vision .. shows an above-average offensive upside .. can make an accurate pass .. prone to the odd mistake when distributing the puck .. plays a solid game at the offensive blue line .. decent powerplay quarterback .. willing to shoot the puck .. a decent variety of shots but needs to keep his slap shot lower on the ice .. suffers from the occasional positional breakdowns .. spots his man adequately fast .. needs to stay with his man all the way .. isn't really soft, but should be more prepared for contact .. an average crease-clearer .. needs to get stronger as he shows trouble with handling big opponents .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Notes: complemented Andrei Grenkov on the second defensive pairing as the more offensive-minded blueliner .. controlled the pace of the game without problems with his slick skating and showed a decent hustle .. threw three solid hits but always lost position when going for the hit .. kept his offensive support to passes on a short distance .. was used as both powerplay quarterback and pointman and showed that the latter suits him better as he didn't stand out with his offensive vision .. repeated nearly the same performance in the third game but wasn't so mean as in the second contest .. kept his feet moving and wasn't easy to outskate for the opponents .. looked weary in the third period .. showed decent savvy with the puck .. gets a solid rating for his tenacious play.
Scouting: a smallish defenseman .. an above-average skater with a solid acceleration and agility .. decent footspeed .. stride of solid effectiveness .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. a decent stickhandler who can make quick puck moves but his offensive vision isn't at the same level .. tends to do too much with the puck which leads to bad giveaways .. is prone to the odd mistake when rushing the puck .. average passing accuracy .. is at his best when making quick passes on a short distance .. a hard shooter from the point but should pick up on accuracy .. could use a harder snap shot .. a decent player on the penalty killing units .. a diligent player who works hard in his own end .. prone to dumb fouls when not controlling his temper properly .. can lay a solid hit on the opponents .. shows a decent mean streak to overcome the size deficiency that he still has to overcome .. prone to odd positional mistakes when going for the big hit .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Kirill Petrov, RW
Notes: the Russian captain impressed with his mix of offensive prowess and tenacity from the opening minutes of the second game .. hit the extra gear immediately after a Czech player lost the puck and hustled into an odd-man rush or one-on-one situation .. his offensive side was prevailing but he also returned to his own end and helped on the backcheck with a solid determination .. made several quick takeaways .. his moves enabled him to create space for himself .. got involved in traffic regularly and was willing to dig for the pucks along the boards .. a regular threat in the offensive zone .. didn't get into so many breakaway chances in the third game but was still a good offensive weapon .. played a tricky game with the puck in the slot .. took on a more defensive role when the Russians were asked to control the lead and not rush forward so often .. emerged as the best player of the series and proved pro potential.
Scouting: a good skater .. reaches top speed in a few strides .. takes advantage of his quick and powerful stride .. possesses a solid agility .. shows an explosive first-step which enables him to outskate opposition .. uses multiple gears .. solid top-end speed .. looks for breakaway chances .. a solid puckhandler who likes to challenge opponents in one-on-one .. can play the puck in traffic smoothly .. his sharp dekes enable him to gain free space .. is blessed with solid understanding of the developing plays .. emerges as a decent playmaker who doesn't panic with the puck .. aware of his linemates .. decent vision and hockey sense .. solid in-close finishing skills .. a regular threat in the offensive zone .. fires a quick wrist and snap shot .. slap shot could be harder .. hesitant to use the slapper .. handles heavy traffic adequately well and doesn't back down from physical challenges .. uses his propulsion to forecheck aggressively .. returns back to the defensive zone and backchecks aggressively but is inconsistent in this asset .. a diligent player who digs for the pucks along the boards .. adequate at closing the opposing passing lanes.
Notes: the quick waterbug controlled the play of the second line .. registered solid showings in both second and third game .. looked a bit timid of traffic early in the second game before picking up on his traffic awareness after the game passed the halfway mark .. arguably the most dangerous Russian player on powerplays .. executed from the corner and controlled the play of the whole unit with his smarts and moves .. adept at carrying the puck into the zone of the opponent and then making a quick pass through traffic .. was patient on the scoring chances in the third game and succeeded in one-on-one situations .. didn't fade and was a regular offensive threat on the majority of his shifts .. left an above-average impression and showed a decent potential despite the size deficiency.
Scouting: a diminutive forward .. blessed with slick skating skills .. hunched when skating .. possesses strong footspeed .. okay acceleration .. above-average agility .. decent top-end speed .. can outskate the defenders, but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by bigger opponents .. good skill set .. nifty puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. handles difficult passes smoothly .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. a good asset to powerplay units .. his east-west moves open up holes in the opposing box .. a tenacious forechecker .. an okay passer .. solid passing accuracy .. adequate patience with the puck .. willing to shoot the puck, using primarily his wrist or snap shot .. strong accuracy on his snap shot .. his accurate slap shot should be fired more harder .. isn't very effective in traffic thanks to his size deficiency .. doesn't play soft and visits the slot, but isn't a force against bigger opponents .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. returns back to start the offensive raids from the rear end, but marks his man slowly.
Notes: played a spirited game in the second matchup .. looked a bit snake-bitten during the opening period but picked up on his play from the second period .. dished out clean checks and battled for the loose puck .. was occasionally overwhelmed by the demands to create under pressure often which led to mistakes but still could generate some offense when given enough time .. added spirit to the third Russian line .. pulled off a decent showing in the third game .. repeated his diligent style along the boards and could find a way how to be useful in the offensive zone by creating space for his linemates effectively and occasionally making an accurate pass .. didn't fade under the heavy workload .. one of the better Russian forwards gets a solid tournament rating.
Scouting: a decent skater with okay acceleration and agility .. solid balance .. okay lower-body strength .. could use more explosiveness in his play .. decent top-end speed .. a decent puckhandler who can avoid a giveaway with a quick move .. can't dangle the puck in heavy traffic .. more of a grinder .. average portion of vision and hockey sense .. more of a playmaking forward but creativity doesn't really stand out despite the ability to make a long pass .. should fire the puck more often .. solid wrist shot with a decent release .. uses primarily his wrist or snap shot .. his slap shot needs to be more accurate .. okay defensive awareness .. spots his man fast .. returns back quickly but should limit the options of the opposing forwards better .. is willing to muck in the corners and play where it hurts .. should crash the net with a bigger authority .. can throw a solid hit but his hitting awareness is inconsistent .. plays his shifts with a solid determination .. willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots .. an okay asset to the penalty killing units.
Notes: the flashy speedster was hidden on the fourth line only to break out with two above-average showings .. a strong offensive factor .. dangerous on turnovers .. hit the extra gear immediately after a Czech player lost control the puck and headed for a breakaway .. a good factor on the powerplay units .. battled himself into the final position to shoot despite the modest frame .. his quickness enabled him to create space for himself .. wasn't involved in traffic regularly but played a spirited game on the penalty killing units .. served as a dangerous offensive weapon in both the second and third game .. used as the breakaway player and his linemates were looking to feed him with long passes .. registered a solid performance and left a good impression, but shows still reserves in terms of pro potential.
Scouting: a good skater with a smooth effective stride .. solid agility and footspeed.. reaches top speed in a few strides .. likes to beat opposition wide just like sneaking between the defensemen when they skate too much apart from one another .. uses multiple gears .. needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. skinny lower-body .. a decent playmaker with okay tape-on-tape passing skills .. very smooth stickhandling skills .. a threat in one-on-one situations .. looks for breakaway chances .. decent portion of vision and hockey sense .. a quick waterbug .. sneaky in heavy traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to crash the net more effectively .. solid in-close finishing skills .. a decent array of shots .. uses the opposing defensemen well as a screen .. capable of unleashing a quick wrist shot from both sides of the stick .. could use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously .. steps up his determination on special units .. willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots.
Other Players
Notes: started the second and third game for Russia .. held his team in the second game with calm saves during the first two periods .. showed that he is vulnerable to heavy traffic as he allowed two goals from scrums in front of him during the third period .. didn't let in a really soft goal .. didn't face a heavy workload in the third game .. positioned himself well against the Czech shooters and controlled the initial shots well .. got a bigger help from his defense when compared to the second game .. overall a decent showing for the young netminder.
Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. should focus on upgrading of his footspeed .. decent when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. okay resilience .. adequate anticipation of developing plays .. doesn't let in soft goals on the initial shot .. should upgrade on his five-hole .. goes down sometimes too early, which leaves the upper shelf uncovered .. adequate rebound control but is vulnerable to allowing unnecessary rebounds .. adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals and improve on his positional play in the crease .. solid glove hand .. decent in the upper half .. possesses a solid focus .. average stickhandling skills .. should move the puck more often.
Notes: the Russian alternate captain played a rollercoaster second game .. was reluctant to join the rush and filled more of a defensive role .. showed problems when having to react quickly on the changes of direction of the opposing forwards and was occasionally caught flat-footed .. wasn't guilty of significant defensive mistakes but would get into trouble if the play would be more physical .. upgraded on his play in the third game .. played a steady game in his own end and kept the opposing raids under control .. took his man out of the play and showed savvy on penalty killing units .. rushed the puck two times and gained offensive zone for his team .. not a tournament standout, but one of the better Russian defensemen at the tournament.
Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. solid turns and lateral movement .. okay backwards speed .. doesn't look slow when skating straightaway, but still needs to develop bigger bursts of speed .. adequate first-step quickness .. should upgrade on top-end speed .. decent puckhandling skills .. adept at bringing the puck to the offensive zone safely .. shows occasional problems when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. okay pinching .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. decent strength but still needs to bulk up .. needs to learn how to make his size to his advantage more often but is willing to throw the occasional good hit .. a decent force in his own zone with his reach .. quick waterbugs can give him a tough time as he reacts slowly against them and subsequently switches to clutch-and-grab .. prone to the odd positional mistake .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force but doesn't make mistakes when moving the puck .. unleashes a solid hard slap shot with average accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman.
Pavel Lukin, D
Notes: the faster Czech forwards gave him a tough time in the second game as he didn't show the needed smoothness and mobility to keep them under control .. played a defensive role .. appeared as the leader of the rush once and was so surprised by the situation that he subsequently lost control of the puck as a result of a desire to do too much .. was stiff when asked to make a quick move with the puck .. a slightly better factor in the third matchup .. stuck to his conservative defensive style but played with a more cool head in the neutral zone and showed a better control of the puck .. showed that he can get better when he adds more bulk, but at this tournament he played as an average member of the Russian defensive corps.
Scouting: an adequate skater for a player of his size .. adequate acceleration and first-step quickness .. stride of average quickness .. decent agility and lateral movement .. adequate lower-body strength and balance but adding more bulk to his lower-body is a need .. could use more explosiveness .. keeps his play simple and doesn't panic with the puck .. decent stickhandling skills .. chooses the obvious passing lane and distributes passes on a short distance .. needs to upgrade on passing accuracy .. doesn't make long outlet passes .. overwhelmed when leading the rush .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. his smart positional game in the neutral zone enables him to be on the receiving end of passes of the opponents .. unleashes a heavy slap shot, but needs to keep it lower on the ice .. can throw a hard hit but should use his size to his advantage more and be a more constant physical presence .. bulking up is essential for him .. works hard down low .. okay positional play .. spots his man quickly and stays with him.
Notes: the offensive-minded member of the second defensive pairing .. guilty of two glaring positional mistakes during the early stages of the second game but they didn't come back to chase him with a goal of the opponent .. focused on offense too much during the first half but became a more reliable force when the coaches calmed him down .. a decent factor on the powerplay units but was overshadowed by Vyacheslav Voynov in the role of the powerplay quarterback .. played an average game during the third matchup .. showed an upgraded mean streak compared to the second game but wasn't effective on the offensive side .. was hesitant to make a quick long outlet pass .. wasn't guilty of noticeable mistakes with the puck .. didn't clear the crease with the same determination as he showed when battling along the boards .. too inconsistent for a good tournament rating.
Scouting: a solid skater .. uses a fluid stride which enables him to accelerate quickly .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. okay turns and agility .. decent top-end speed .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. decent puckhandling skills .. distributes quick accurate passes, but should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. displays a solid poise when jumping into the rush .. can hide his intentions adequately well .. decent offensive creativity .. can fasten the pace of the play with a quick deflection of a pass .. prone to occasional bad decisions when moving the puck because of not reading the play properly .. uses a solid variety of shots .. slap shot is accurate when firing it quickly with average hardness .. hard blasts lack accuracy .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. prone to occasional positional mistakes when focusing on offense too much .. shows adequate aggressiveness in his own zone .. works hard in the corners to keep the opponents under control .. average at clearing the crease.
Notes: turned out to be the most nasty member of the Russian defense during the second game .. was willing to throw his body around and punished the Czech players with regularity .. the game revealed his reserves in his mobility as he struggled to keep up with the transitions especially in the third period .. served as a defensive defenseman .. didn't show noticeable creativity and had to think twice before making the decision with the puck .. looked tired during the third matchup .. fell back when asked to jump into the play .. still showed his mean streak but wasn't so effective with his tenaciousness as during the second game .. would be a more effective player on powerplays if he would shoot the puck more often .. the tournament showed that improving on his skating will be essential in his progress.
Scouting: a stocky player .. an adequate skater but a player of his mediocre height should accelerate more smoothly .. could use a smoother stride and a better first-step quickness .. doesn't impress with his mobility .. should pick up on his lateral agility and turns .. adequate top-end speed .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. average puckhandling skills .. tends to dump the puck under pressure .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. decent presence in his own zone .. a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. throws his body around but tends to loose position when going for a hit .. an adequate force on penalty killing units .. willing to sacrifice his body to block opposing shots .. doesn't make many glaring positional mistakes but could read the developing plays more faster .. limited offensive upside thanks to an unimpressive offensive vision .. sometimes hesitant to make a quick outlet pass .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. shoots right.
Notes: faded for the first two periods of the second game with an unspectacular defensive play before he turned out to be a nasty customer in the third period .. caught fire and showed his tenacity and aggressiveness along the boards .. was willing to throw his body around and finished four of his checks on the Czech players .. showed a solid balance but didn't display significant offensive prowess and creativity .. focused on passing the puck to the nearby teammate .. his spirited game in the own end was useful when pushing the Czech players out of the crease .. suffered an injury late in the second game and didn't return to the lineup for the third contest .. didn't stand out but is worth future watching.
Scouting: a decent skater with a solid lower-body strength and balance .. okay lateral movement and pivots .. decent agility and acceleration .. isn't really beautiful on his skates, but this asset isn't really hurting him .. adequate top-end speed .. willing to join the rush after filling his defensive duties but offensive vision doesn't stand out .. decent stickhandling skills .. should upgrade on his creativity with the puck and distribute the pucks more quickly .. works hard in his own end .. spots his man adequately fast .. suffers from the odd positional lapse but his tenaciousness enables him to make up for some of those mistakes .. willing to use his stocky frame when punishing the opponents along the boards .. tends to loose position when making a hit .. clears the crease with determination but shows trouble with the bigger opponents because of the obvious size deficiency .. decent slap shot with solid hardness .. useful as a powerplay pointman.
Notes: the Russian alternate captain centered the first line .. filled a two way game and served as the defensive forward for the more offensively-orientated wingers Kirill Petrov and Nikita Filatov .. lacked elite skating skills but found a way how to be useful in the second game with several hard shots and a diligence when blocking the opposing passing lanes and pushing the opponents out of scoring lanes .. was a step behind the play during the third contest .. couldn't be effective on transitions .. still displayed his defensive awareness but failed to be effective in the offensive zone .. proved that he should make a bigger use of his size tools as he didn't hit very hard along the boards .. never a strong factor in the faceoff circle .. showed glimpses of solid promise, but his fading in the third game cost him anything more than an average rating.
Scouting: a tall player .. an adequate skater for a player of his size .. should pick up on his bursts of speed .. displays an adequate agility .. decent balance on his skates .. okay top-end speed .. decent stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. uses a long stick which doesn't enable him to make many nifty dekes in traffic .. can cover the puck in traffic well .. decent vision and hockey sense .. a crafty passer who can make accurate feeds but isn't aware of his linemates all the time .. should improve on his in-close finishing skills .. fires a hard slap shot .. blessed with a solid defensive awareness .. stays in position in his own end and is adequately fast when marking his man .. should drive the net harder .. average in the faceoff circle .. would be a much bigger force if he would take advantage of his size tools on every shift .. occasionally battles for the pucks and isn't afraid of the physical play, but doesn't play a gritty style on every shift .. hampered by inconsistency.
Nikita Filatov, LW
Notes: entered the tournament with the label of one of the most promising Russian 1990 forwards but was overshadowed by Kirill Petrov despite a solid effort in the second game .. could take advantage of his agility to dance around the Czech defensemen and distributed several hard accurate passes especially to Petrov .. served as the playmaker of the first offensive unit .. dished out accurate feeds on powerplay and was tough to keep under control for the Czech defensemen with his flashiness .. busted as a non-factor in the third game .. seemed to be caught by fatigue seriously as he couldn't outskate the opposition and didn't create any dangerous plays .. was hesitant to head with the puck in traffic and spent the third game with floating at both ends of the ice .. lacked regular defensive awareness and Evgeni Grachev had to compensate for his lapses .. possesses some offensive talent, but the tournament proved that he still has a way to go to a top prospect.
Scouting: a smallish waterbug .. a solid skater with a smooth effective stride .. above-average agility and footspeed .. reaches top speed in a few strides .. likes to beat opposition wide .. looks for breakaway chances .. should upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. a decent playmaker with okay tape-on-tape passing skills .. smooth stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. flashy with the puck .. adequate portion of vision and hockey sense .. corrals passes smoothly .. prefers passing to shooting .. sneaky in heavy traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to succeed in one-on-one situations regularly .. decent in-close finishing skills .. an adequate array of shots but should fire the pucks more often .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously .. lacks consistency .. prone to odd off-shifts .. a right-shooting forward.
Andrei Loktionov, C/RW
Notes: centered the third Russian line .. could take advantage of his agility and an ability to make quick puck moves .. his speed took a slight drop once gaining possession of the puck which hurt him a bit on breakaway chances .. served as more of a playmaking forward .. dished out accurate feeds on a short distance but couldn't recognize many passing lanes in heavy traffic .. pulled off a decent showing in the third game in terms of passing and shooting but couldn't avoid off-shifts which hurt his rating .. refused to keep his feet moving when performing in the defensive zone and lacked regular defensive awareness despite his projected two-way role on the line .. possesses some intangibles, but lacked fire and determination to battle for the success of the team on all shifts.
Scouting: a decent skater with solid acceleration .. can dance around the opponents thanks to his agility .. adequate first-step quickness .. uses an effective stride but should pick up on his top-end speed .. should add more bulk to his lower-body and keep his feet moving all the time .. crafty stickhandling skills but shows trouble with corralling difficult passes .. an okay passer with accurate feeds .. can deke the opposing players but lacks strength to run them over in one-on-one .. prefers passing to shooting .. possesses a decent array of shots .. releases a fast wrist shot .. snap shot should be harder .. should use the slapper more often and drive the net harder .. doesn't play an aggressive style, but doesn't back down from occasionally mucking for the pucks .. should hit more often and throw harder hits .. returns back quickly but is no defensive specialist .. spots his man quickly but occasionally stops working in his own end when not inspired .. tends to take the odd shifts off .. should pick up on his conditioning not to fade in the late stages of the games.
Notes: performed on the second line .. played a style similar to linemate Anton Lazarev and turned out to be a solid factor but wasn't on par with Lazarev in terms of skating ability and powerplay effectiveness .. registered solid back-to-back performances in the second and third game .. his agility gave him an advantage over the Czech defensemen .. very adept at creating plays from both sides of the stick .. complemented Anton Lazarev well on the powerplay unit .. didn't show significant fatigue during the third game .. wasn't involved in traffic regularly and showed that bigger and physically more mature opponents can neutralize him if they can catch him .. would be more dangerous if he would crash the net with a bigger authority especially in the third game .. pro potential is limited at this point, but the skill set is undisputable.
Scouting: a flashy skater with a short stride .. doesn't cover lots of ground with his stride but keeps his feet moving well and thus avoids falling back .. solid agility and top-end speed .. okay acceleration which can burn defenders .. crafty stickhandler with an above-average puck-control .. active with the stick on the penalty killing units .. capable of good puck-deflections .. patient in the scoring chances, waiting for the plays to develop and then make the decision, but is still prone to odd naive plays .. unleashes a quick accurate wrist shot with a sharp release, but has trouble with penetrating to the scoring chances .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. isn't a significant force in heavy traffic thanks to his smallish frame .. gets pushed around by bigger opponents .. shows a tendency to use his stick instead of his body in traffic .. doesn't tend to take odd shifts off .. his speed enables him to return to his own zone in time, but needs to play in position better .. prone to lapses in his defensive awareness despite backchecking aggressively .. shoots right.
Nikita Kokovin, LW
Notes: skated on the third Russian line .. filled an all-round role but lacked the spirit and grit of Nikolai Kazakovtsev .. was adept at penetrating through the opposing zone with the puck on his stick but showed a tendency to slow down a bit once gaining possession .. prone to taking off-shifts which limited him during the second game .. made two nice one-timed passes which helped the Russians to create odd-man rushes .. almost a non-factor during the third game .. regularly floated on the periphery and refused to show up in tight spaces .. upgraded on his diligence when performing on the penalty killing units .. showed that he should cover the puck better as he was prone to easy giveaways .. will need significant patience in his development .. didn't stand out on the tournament.
Scouting: a solid skater with a short stride .. okay agility and footspeed .. decent top-end speed .. knock against his skating is the fact that he needs to slow down when making his moves .. possesses a decent lower-body strength and balance .. an adequate puckhandler .. one-times passes precisely .. should upgrade on his dealing with difficult passes and cover the puck more efficiently .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. more of a playmaker .. adequate awareness of the position of his linemates .. doesn't panic under pressure .. a playmaking forward .. tends to pass the puck instead of firing it .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. fires a decent hard 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 .. a sneaky player in traffic .. picks his spots adequately well .. doesn't play a physically intimidating style .. prone to the odd off-shift.
Dmitri Kugryshev, RW
Notes: filled the role of the finesse offensive forward of the third Russian line .. in both games proved that stickhandling is his strongest offensive asset .. could dangle the puck smoothly and maneuver with it in tight spaces but should add a bigger physical dimension to be fully effective .. is more of a force when performing on a powerplay unit where his smooth stick moves are a strong point .. showed a tendency to float on the perimeter during the second and third matchup .. stood out with an occasional sharp and quick move in the third game .. was prone to taking off-shifts in the final contest .. refused to battle traffic on a regular basis .. would need to be a more consistent force to get a really good rating from the tournament.
Scouting: a decent skater with adequate bursts of speed .. okay top-end speed .. decent agility and turns .. could use more balance and needs to strengthen his lower body .. a solid puck-carrier .. soft hands are his strongest offensive asset .. capable of tricky stick moves which enable him to maintain puck-possession in traffic .. doesn't have the strength to run people over, but uses his quick moves to sneak through .. okay vision and hockey sense .. a decent passer on the powerplay units .. dishes out quick accurate feeds from the corner .. utilizes on his solid variety of shots .. quick release on his wrist shot .. decent hard snap shot with a quick release .. slap shot should be more hard .. decent in-close finishing skills .. doesn't show up in the opposing slot very often .. isn't playing really soft but his average size doesn't make from him a physically intimidating factor .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. average in the defensive zone, but helps out on the backcheck with solid regularity .. a right-shooting forward.
Notes: played a tenacious style and was used as the all-round forward of the fourth Russian offensive unit .. his determination and a bullish play in traffic made from him a difficult player to play against in the slot .. looked for loose rebounds regularly and his drive around the net helped him to score two markers during the second matchup .. didn't show whooping creativity or hockey sense in the offensive zone but was effective at creating space for his linemates especially the flashy Yaroslav Tulyakov .. showed up in the defensive zone regularly .. showed decent grit also in the third matchup but this time was stopped by the Czech goalie on all of his attempts .. focused on a defensive role when the Russians were asked to control the lead and played an unspectacular 'safe' style in the offensive zone .. filled his role on the team with a solid diligence and got his share of points.
Scouting: a sturdy skater with an okay acceleration and agility .. tough to get knocked off his feet thanks to his solid balance and lower-body strength .. okay first-step quickness .. possesses a powerful stride and decent top-end speed, but could use improvement in his overall speed with the puck .. isn't really stiff but could upgrade his puckhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty puck moves in traffic ..a solid tape-on-tape passer when passing on a short distance .. creativity doesn't stand out .. chooses mostly the obvious passing lane .. a diligent forward .. plays a belligerent style with intensity and determination but is inconsistent in this asset .. is willing to muck in the corners and play where it hurts .. should make his size to his advantage more often and hit with a bigger authority .. drives the net hard .. looks for the loose rebounds in the slot .. shows a solid commitment to the defensive duties .. blocks the opposing passing lanes well .. possesses a decent variety of shots .. fast release on his wrist shot .. a heavy slap shot with adequate accuracy .. prone to moments where he doesn't seem to be ready to handle the responsibility of the moment .. conditioning is an issue as he runs out of steam late on his shifts .. shoots right.