U-18 Junior Cup: Switzerland

McKeen's correspondent Robert Neuhauser reports from Slovakia on the recently wrapped-up World Junior Cup. In this installment he scouts team Switzerland including standouts Lukas Flueler and Aurelio Lemm.

Top performers

Lukas Flueler (2007), G

Notes: Starting Swiss netminder .. finished 6th among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.9137) .. finished 12th among tournament goaltenders in GAA (3.41) .. ranked 4th in shots faced (116) .. was relied upon heavily and coped with his role well .. could hold the Swiss team in the game in most contests .. made a name for himself at the tournament despite occasional mistakes.

Scouting: a good-sized goaltender who covers much of the net .. moves in the crease with poise and calmness .. a solid skater with a decent lateral movement .. adequately quick when moving side-to-side in the crease .. could upgrade his footspeed .. adequately sound technically .. prone to going down too early .. his solid flexibility and dexterity enables him to handle rebounds well .. displays decent poise and patience .. waits for the shooter to make the first move .. adequately fast glove hand .. solid anticipation of the developing plays .. possesses decent fundamentals and stays square to the shooter .. should work on not letting pucks through his five-hole .. decent at playing the angles .. an average stickhandler but is adequately composed when playing the puck .. tends to react a bit slowly to referee's penalty calls to the opposing team .. a late '88 born goaltender.

Lukas Stoop (2008), D

Notes: led Team Switzerland in defensemen scoring (2 points) .. the only Swiss defenseman to amass more than one point .. tied with Etienne Froidevaux for second place on Team Switzerland in assists (2 assists) .. finished sixth in Team Switzerland scoring .. if it wasn't for an off-game against Canada, the rangy blueliner would get a very good rating .. skated regularly on the top Swiss defensive pairing and could contribute at both ends of the ice .. possesses plenty of time to develop and proved that he has the tools.

Scouting: a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. okay speed both straightaway and backwards .. could use better acceleration .. solid on his turns .. decent balance, but should upgrade on lateral movement .. works hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. an adequate force along the boards, but isn't a physically intimidating player .. adequate positional play .. doesn't tend to make glaring mistakes in his own end .. willing to join the rush occasionally and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a more regular basis .. can make a surprise move .. fires quick shots from the point, but his attempts need to get through more regularly .. capable of playing as both powerplay quarterback and point man, but is still raw in these facets .. shoots right .. a '90 born defenseman .. youngest player at the tournament.

Aurelio Lemm (2006), LW

Notes: led Team Switzerland in scoring (5 points) .. best Swiss goalscorer (5 goals) .. tied with Jonathan Toews (Canada), Zach Hamill (Canada) and Mike Forney (USA) for second place in tournament goalscoring .. finished 8th in tournament scoring .. led Team Switzerland in +/- (+2) .. bursted out offensively with a hattrick against Canada .. his role was to finish scoring chances and he met the expectations successfully .. hit by hard luck in a number of situations .. his offensive tools are appealing, but the rest of his pro potential still needs further progress.

Scouting: a good skater with a solid footspeed .. still could use more explosiveness .. good first-step quickness .. possesses an effortless stride and above-average agility .. could work on his balance and lower-body strength .. a smooth stickhandler with deceptive puckhandling skills .. can dangle his way out of tight spaces .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. 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 .. fast release on wrist shot .. decent accurate slap shot could use more pep .. average defensive awareness .. isn't very effective on the backcheck .. a tenacious forecheker .. 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.

Jeremy Gailland (2006), C

Notes: tied with Etienne Froidevaux for second place on Team Switzerland goalscoring (2 goals) .. finished second on Team Switzerland in PIM (10) .. ranked fifth on Team Switzerland scoring (2 points) .. the most creative Swiss player .. his skills set him apart from most of his teammates .. regularly generated offense and was dangerous in the offensive zone .. his lack of aggresiveness and a smallish stature indicate a career European player in him, though.

Scouting: an okay skater .. shows decent acceleration and foot speed .. adequate agility on his skates, but still should be improved .. should be more balanced on his skates .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. won't undress the opposition with his moves but can make plays from both sides of the stick .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. solid at finding the open man with an accurate pass .. needs to upgrade on his in-close finishing skills .. decent wrist shot .. 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 when he gets involved in corner battles .. can get outmuscled by bigger defensemen, who can bring him out of scoring lanes .. needs to bulk up.

Arnaud Jacquemet (2006), RW

Notes: tied with Raffael Tischhauser as the best Swiss passer (3 assists) .. finished tied with 13 other players for third place among tournament passers .. ranked third in Team Switzerland scoring (3 points) .. when inspired provided a solid all-round game and was able to create a decent number of offensive chances .. was seemingly hiding on a number of his shifts .. his aggresiveness registered ups and downs .. will have a career in Europe but for NHL consideration should become a bigger factor in the games.

Scouting: an average skater .. doesn't show a very effective stride .. could use faster acceleration and a greater top-end speed in order to outskate the opposition more effortlessly .. average foot speed .. decent balance on his skates .. adequate stickhandling skills, but gets into trouble when having to corral a bad pass .. should find a way 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 .. 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 .. a solid asset to the penalty killing units .. returns to his own zone, but needs to pick up on his defensive positional play .. a right-shooting forward.

Other Players

Yannick Weber (2007), D

Notes: was expected to be one of the Swiss defensive anchors with all of his international experience .. registered progress in his first-step quickness and was probably the only Swiss defenseman who didn't have to slow down considerably when handling the puck .. impressed with his shot but didn't use it as often as in previous tournaments .. more conscientious play in his own end would help him get a better rating.

Scouting: a decent skater .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. needs to further develop his lateral movement .. good first-step quickness and acceleration .. top-end speed is average .. adequate agility .. can get beaten by agile opposition .. keeps his play simple .. tries to support the offense occassionally but is more of a stay-at-home defenseman .. decent passing accuracy .. is progressing in his ability to quarterback a powerplay .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. works hard down low .. opposing players can still force him to make a positional mistake .. unleashes a powerful accurate shot from the from the point .. above-average snap shot .. good powerplay pointman .. solid toughness along the boards despite smallish frame size .. willing to clear the crease with adequate determination .. a right-shooting defenseman .. a late '88 born player.

Sven Berger (2006), D

Notes: got a fair share of playing time at the top two Swiss defensive units but failed to impress significantly .. complemented the more offensive-minded Yannick Weber .. Swedish players gave him some trouble as he couldn't react properly to their play and fell back on a number of shifts .. could pick his game up in the contest against USA, but in general wasn't more than an ordinary Swiss blueliner.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't look slow, but still needs to develop a smoother stride and greater bursts of speed .. decent turns and lateral movement .. adequate backwards speed .. should upgrade top-end speed .. decent puckhandling skills .. shows occassional problems when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. needs to learn how to use his size to his advantage .. isn't terribly willing to throw the occassional hit .. average crease-clearer .. okay in his own zone with decent positional play .. should learn when to jump into the plays as he tends to fall back behind plays at times .. isn't very effective on the powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force .. lets go of a solid hard slap shot with average accuracy but should learn how to get them through regularly.

Jeremie Kamerzin (2006), D

Notes: filled his role on the third defensive pairing conscientiously .. stood up 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 burned him on a considerable number of times.

Scouting: an unimpressive skater .. slow acceleration and first-step quickness emerges as a major area of concern .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. average top-end speed .. struggles against speed opponents .. a stay-at-home defenseman .. keeps his play simple and doesn't panic with the puck .. adequate stickhandling skills .. isn't very imaginative with the puck, dishing it off rather than trying to create plays .. average vision and hockey sense .. sometimes has trouble with assessing the play in front of him and tends to fall back .. fires a heavy slap shot, but has to keep it lower on the ice .. can utilize his size to his advantage when executing along the boards .. works effectively down low and is willing to drop the gloves .. tends to lose position when hitting .. average crease-clearer .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Yannick Blaser (2007), D

Notes: the fourth-liner did his job as tough, no-nonsense presence .. the most aggressive Swiss player by a wide margin .. hit everything that moved but didn't show much past that .. not the sharpest knife in the drawer .. this tournament proved that his positional play is highly influenced by his temper as he always goes for the hit.

Scouting: a decent skater, but his stride could use more polish in order to get to pucks quicker .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. good balance and lower-body strength .. his first steps lack crispness .. average offensive upside .. tries to support the offense, but tends to overlook some passing lanes .. doesn't think the offensive plays well which leads to mistakes .. average powerplay quarterback .. doesn't make the opposing players move when quarterbacking the powerplay .. limited hockey sense .. willing to let his hard slapper go, but accuracy is an issue .. adequate in his own zone .. plays with a good edge .. strong aggressiveness; likes to play the body .. a solid hitter who is effective along the boards .. likes to punish players with their heads down .. tends to lose position when making a hit .. limited upside, but fills his banging role well .. an '89 born defenseman.

Etienne Froidevaux (2007), C

Notes: stats look impressive as Froidevaux developed a decent chemistry with sniper Romano Lemm, but Froidevaux wasn't a consistently dominant player .. played a team-first style and could create scoring chances but the tournament revealed that his NHL potential is hampered by the fact that he can't battle traffic effectively and lacks the explosiveness needed to survive among the big bodies in the pros.

Scouting: an okay skater with solid agility .. possesses decent footspeed .. average first-step quickness .. should be more explosive on his feet .. needs to upgrade balance and lower-body strength .. can maneuver with the puck relatively well due to his good stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. shows some difficulty heading into traffic with the puck .. a determined player who works hard towards team's success .. willing to sacrifice the body to block shots .. lets go of a fast, accurate wrist shot, but his slap shot could use more jam .. doesn't use the slapper very often .. shows decent passing skills .. adept at finding his linemates but hockey sense doesn't stand out .. isn't much of a physical force and can get outmuscled in the corner battles .. needs to upgrade defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him .. an '89 born forward.

Simon Bodenmann (2006), RW

Notes: this agile waterbug could wreak havoc among the opposition with his propulsion and an energetic style .. should disturb the opposition more into making mistakes .. wasn't afraid to undergo puck battles .. played his best game in the second contest against the Czech Republic .. faded as the tournament went on and the USA players kept him under control .. better consistency would be nice.

Scouting: blessed with sound skating skills .. fluid stride and pretty good acceleration .. shows decent balance and lower-body strength .. okay agility and first-step quickness .. flies around with energy .. adequate puckhandling skills, but isn't very tricky once in puck-possession .. could improve hand-eye coordination .. an adequate passer, but doesn't have the vision of a true playmaker .. limited hockey sense .. average in-close finishing skills .. 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 .. decent hitter, willing to finish his checks .. adequate impact along the boards .. tends to lose position .. prone to the odd undisciplined foul .. displays decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids occasionally, but should do that on a regular basis .. raw defensive positioning.

Raffael Tischhauser (2006), LW

Notes: one of a playmaking duo with Jeremy Gailland .. going solely by the stats suggests a standout tournament, but in all games was limited by his lack of elite skating skills .. was uneffective against the USA .. solid against weaker opponents but the powers of the tournament revealed existing downsides in his game.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. capable of moving his feet quickly, but lacks stride fluidity to be an above-average skater .. doesn't look overly flashy nor quick .. okay agility .. balance leaves something to be desired as he gets knocked off the puck easily .. okay stickhandling skills .. decent at controlling the puck and dealing with passes .. prefers passing to shooting .. a solid passer on powerplay units .. shot variety is rather limited and predictable .. uses primarily his quick wrist/ snap shot .. average slap shot with a slow release .. not a significant force in traffic because of his lack of size but he doesn't play afraid .. bigger guys outmuscle him .. shows a commitment to the defensive play .. blocks passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. can read the developing play in his own end adequately well, but is raw positionally in terms of the defensive respect.

Luca Cunti (2007), C

Notes: despite his age, the third-liner was expected to step up and be an offensive leader, due to his international experience .. got off to a slow start, as he struggled particularly against Canada .. looked snake-bitten and just unable to take advantage of opportunities .. at his best against the American squad where he made a number of nice plays but was all-in-all ordinary.

Scouting: a decent skater with a fluid stride .. sound acceleration and good first-step quickness .. decent balance .. top-end speed is rather ordinary .. deceptive stickhandling skills .. can play the puck in traffic and even go end-to-end when the possibility arises .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. above-average playmaking skills .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. finishing skills left something to be desired and he just doesn't shoot the puck much .. decent snap shot .. drives the net but still should bulk up in order to be more effective .. gets manhandled by bigger opponents .. battles for pucks in the corners tenaciously and isn't afraid to hit despite the 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 .. has the tools to develop into a very good player once he physically matures and gains experience .. an '89 born forward.

Gaetan Augsburger (2006), RW

Notes: offensive winger played on the third line and was the recipient of Luca Cunti's passes .. one-dimensional; focused all sights on offense .. doesn't care for defensive assignments at all and hurts his team in the process .. lack of solid play in traffic hurts his pro potential.

Scouting: an okay skater who uses a quick choppy stride .. solid acceleration and first-step quickness .. decent agility .. top-end speed still could be upgraded .. average balance .. stickhandling skills are ordinary and hand-eye coordination somewhat lacking .. unimpressive with the puck in heavy traffic .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. can fire the puck with solid accuracy .. has a wrist shot with a quick release .. has trouble when penetrating to the net as he just doesn't respond well to high-traffic areas .. should use his slap shot more .. slight frame .. often used on the powerplay units .. tends to take odd shifts off .. willing to return back but should must mark his man faster .. mediocre penalty killer.

Flurin Randegger (2006), LW

Notes: wasn't bad despite toiling on the fourth line .. nice bursts of speed forced opposing defensemen to focus in on him, which created space for Randegger's linemates .. can battle traffic admirably .. played a solid game against Sweden .. ran out of steam against the US .. effecetive and did nothing wrong.

Scouting: a decent skater with an okay stride .. uses multiple gears including decent top-end speed .. sound agility .. lower body strength and balance need work .. solid puckhandling skills .. rather stealthy with the puck in traffic .. should be more aware of his linemates .. average vision and hockey sense .. shot variety is nothing to write home about .. uses mostly his wrist and snap shots .. slap shot needs to be harder .. average defensive play .. willing to return to the defensive end, but needs to read plays in his own zone better .. should mark his man faster and be smarter positioning himself in his own end .. doesn't have the strength yet to be physically effective .. doesn't drive the net hard .. should throw his body around more often.