U-18 WJC: Ondruschka Anchors Germans

The German squad worked hard throughout the tournament but lacked the elite talent needed to really be able to compete with the powerhouse teams. Germany deservingly kept itself in the elite group of the Under-18 World Championships for next year's event though and Florian Ondruschka was part of the reason why. Torsten Ankert stepped up his game from Vlado Dzurilla and Felix Schutz was a breakout player that helped key the German attack.

DEFENSIVE STABILITY

The German defense was anchored by Florian Ondruschka, who turned out to be one of the hidden heroes of the tournament. The experienced player battled smallish Rene Kramer for the unofficial title of the top German two-way defenseman, but far exceeded Kramer in defensive zone coverage and punished opposing players more effectively.

Ondruschka played a steady tournament, but still had several unspectacular shifts. Canada was a difficult test for him, but he upgraded his game in the following contests and supported the offense better there. Ondruschka was very effective at keeping the play in front of him and ended up as the most dominating German blueliner.

ANKERT EMERGES

From the 2006 eligible rearguards, Torsten Ankert made people forget about his rather unimpressive showing at February's Vlado Dzurilla tournament in Slovakia. Ankert looked more comfortable out on the ice against the older opponents and didn't look as heavy-footed as he did two months ago. He focused on a conservative defensive style and even if he didn't turn heads, he emerged as a stabilizing force on the German back row. He lacked creativity with the puck though and he'll need to really work on that to solidify his pro potential. Ankert boasts the physical tools to compete with the big bodies and fared adequately in that important first game against Canada, starting his unspectacular but reliable showing.

SCHUTZ'S STOCK RISES

Late '87 born center Felix Schutz turned out to be the undisputed German offensive leader and a breakout player at the WJC. He had an excellent start to the tournament with two very good performances against Canada and Denmark. Regardless of the strength of the opponent, Schutz was a dangerous offensive dynamo who didn't stop generating quality scoring chances for his linemates. He also didn't get rattled, no matter how hard the opposing players were trying to hit him. Schutz inspired the German team during the round robin games and even if he took a slight step back in the relegation games, he was still a threat with which opposing defensemen had to deal. He's definitely a strong wildcard pick for the 2006 draft.

MOSTLY IMPRESSIVE

The most famous name on the German front lines was Philip Gogulla. Even though he stood in the shadow of Felix Schutz during the round robin games, Gogulla still turned in a solid performance of his own. He filled his two-way role well and was one of the most intelligent German players when it came to puck possession. Gogulla's play didn't reveal any glaring downsides, with the exception of a penchant to occasionally disappear during some shifts. He did impress with his quality passing skills in the games against Denmark and Sweden. In the relegation games he played a good team game and even if he didn't stand out as much as Felix Schutz, Gogulla still met expectations.

RIDE THE ROLLERCOASTER

Inconsistency dogged agile winger Andre Schietzold. He showed some of the promise that tried to poke through once in a while in the Vlado Dzurilla tournament, but he couldn't make onlookers forget about what are still considerable holes in his game. Schietzold was quiet in the opener against Canada before upgrading his play against Denmark. The rollercoaster ride continued with an average performance against Russia. He played a more active style in the offensive zone and tried to finish the scoring chances fed to him by his linemates, but his lack of commitment in the defensive zone and tendency to be too friendly along the boards and in traffic really has to give scouts pause.