U-18 WJC: Swiss Missed The Mark

Too many of the top Swiss players that were counted on to be team leaders didn't come through in the U-18 WJC and that led to the squad being one of the two teams relegated to the Div I category for next season. The defense was average at best, but forward Juraj Simek managed to build on his strong showing from Vlado Dzurilla. The same can't be said for Janick Steinmann after a disappointing tournament, but youngster Luca Cunti gives Switzerland hope for the future.

SWISS CHEESE DEFENSE?

The Swiss defensive corps was, in general, haunted by a lack of both reliability and creativity in what turned out to be a relatively unimpressive performance among the group. Still, late '88 born blueliner Yannick Weber showed in this tournament that he's got promise despite being the youngest member of the defense. Weber was coming off a solid performance at the February Vlado Dzurilla tournament in Slovakia and even if he didn't look like the same force during the early stages of the WJC, he did make a better showing late in the round robin and then in the relegation games. He worked hard in the

defensive end and even though he's not a big guy, he still managed to punish opposing players. As the tournament rolled on he really made use of his quick, hard shot from the point – easily his strongest offensive asset. Weber wasn't a strong enough player to have stood out as an MVP on any of the deeper teams in this tournament, but the Swiss squad really lacked that quality defensive presence.

SIMEK FARED WELL

Late '87 born right winger Juraj Simek emerged as the only player who really built on an impressive showing from the Vlado Dzurilla tourney. He turned out to be the most dangerous Swiss forward early in the tournament, making use of his speed and an ability to surprise opponents with quick turns while maintaining possession of the puck.

Simek was able to generate offense even while Janick Steinmann and Dario Burgler struggled, but Simek couldn't do it all alone. He coped well with the play of the more physical teams and scored an adequate grade when it came to his play in traffic. He turned out to be the only Swiss player to score more than one goal in the tournament, although he did struggle in the latter half of the competition and really wasn't the same force in the relegation group games. Still, he played well enough to become the deserving winner of the unofficial title of the best Swiss forward at the tournament.

STEINMANN DISAPPOINTS

Big things were expected from Janick Steinmann, who was the most experienced Swiss forward. The slick center had delivered strong showings at both the Under-18 Junior Cup in August and the February Vlado Dzurilla tournament, so it was somewhat surprising to see him have an off-tournament. He seemed snake-bitten during the opening two games against the Czech Republic and Finland; his usual solid defensive awareness was there, but he lacked his usual smoothness and creativity.

Steinmann picked up his game in the contest against the U.S., generating strong scoring chances for Dario Burgler. Burgler had his own problems in this tournament though and that hampered Steinmann's results. Steinmann's offensive prowess was needed the most in the relegation group but he refused to show up consistently and didn't help his team much in their struggle to stay in the elite group of the World Championships.

CUNTI A BRIGHT SPOT

Despite the end results, there were some signs that Switzerland is a country which will still be able to produce solid talent in the future. 2007-eligible center Luca Cunti was smooth and he and Danish skater Mikkel Bodker were the only 1989-born players in the tournament. Cunti still lacked bulk and strength to effectively battle the more physically mature opponents, but he showed flashes of solid vision and puckhandling skills to go along with his all-around style. He looked average in the early stages of the tournament, but as he got more accustomed to the elite Under-18 competition his role and effectiveness increased. This tournament proved that he is a name to remember for the coming years.