U18 Report: Germany Part 3

Performance reviews and scouting reports on Team Germany from the Under-18 Four Nations tournament in Slovakia.

Other Players

Josef Mayer (2006), G

Notes: finished fourth among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.917) and sixth in goals-against-average (2.59) .. stood between the pipes for the second game against Slovakia and helped to register the only German win at the tournament .. allowed two goals through the five-hole .. if not for the Slovak breakdown in the third period his lack of foot speed would be further exposed .. started the third game against Czech Republic .. was replaced at the halfway mark after a sub-par showing with two soft goals .. emerged as the better of the German duo in nets, but still registered only an average performance overall.

Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes, dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. should focus on upgrading his foot speed .. decent when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. adequate anticipation of developing plays .. doesn't let in soft goals on the initial shot .. can be vulnerable through the five-hole .. goes down a tad too early, which leaves the upper shelf uncovered .. decent rebound control .. adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. his fundamentals and positional play in the crease need improvement .. okay glove hand .. possesses decent focus and mental toughness.

Felix Thomas (2006), D

Notes: registered a decent start in the tournament in the opener against Russia .. displayed a two-way game with adequate decision making at the offensive blue line, but was hurt by an average mobility which limited him against the flashier Russians .. didn't stand out in the second game against Slovakia, but regularly supported the offense .. guilty of making positional mistakes when rushing too deep into the offensive zone .. occasionally showed a tenacious style before fading physically on other shifts .. delivered an all-round performance against the Czech Republic, although wasn't always reliable in the defensive zone and lack of elite top-end speed was exposed .. pulled off an average tournament.

Scouting: a middle-sized defenseman blessed with satisfactory wheels .. decent speed both backwards and forwards .. should progress on his average agility .. gets in tough when a flashy opponent makes him move as he owns only adequate lateral movement .. solid turns .. lacks an extra gear .. decent balance, but still could use more lower-body strength .. decent stickhandling skills .. an offensive-minded rearguard who proves to be capable of pinching in at the point .. often joins the rush .. prone to occasional glaring positional mistakes .. passable tenacity along the boards, yet isn't much of a physical deterant in keeping the crease clear .. doesn't have the strength to outmuscle bigger opponents .. slows down a bit when having to make a play with the puck .. an adequate powerplay quarterback but doesn't stand out with his offensive vision .. needs to use his solid, accurate shot from the point more often.

Hans Pienitz (2006), D

Notes: finished second on Team Germany in penalty minutes (18) .. registered an okay start into the tournament in the opener against Russia .. showed quick puck moves and a solid offensive flair .. recognized the passing lanes quickly and played solid on the powerplay units .. played bigger than his size in the second game against Slovakia and kept the majority of his opponents contained .. regularly jumped into the plays thanks to his solid skating skills and mobility .. a factor on the powerplay units .. saw his performance in the third contest against Czech Republic drop off .. 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 games and focused on passing the puck to the nearby opponent .. overall a decent showing for the smallish blueliner.

Scouting: a decent skater with an all right stride .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. okay turns and agility .. average acceleration hurts him on transitional plays .. an improved top-end speed would make him more effective, as would a top gear .. boasts okay puckhandling skills and is capable of quick dekes to avoid the forecheck .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. displays solid poise when jumping into the rush .. distributes quick passes and competent offensive creativity but his offensive smarts tends to be particularly inconsistent .. okay vision when quarterbacking a powerplay .. sometimes careless when moving the puck .. gets his slap shot away quickly, 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 .. can get outmuscled by the bigger opponents .. isn't an intimidating hitter and only average at clearing the crease. .. shoots right.

Benedikt Kohl (2006), D

Notes: focused on playing a defensive style of play in the opener against Russia .. was hampered by a lack of mobility against the high-flying Russian forwards .. is a bit slower to read the developing plays which hurt him when joining the rush .. the flashier Slovak forwards gave him tough times early during the second game, although he looked steadier and more composed as the game went on .. made sufficient use of his size and threw a few decent hits .. offensive support turned out to be a regular issue .. filled a limited role in the third game against Czech Republic .. didn't make any glaring mistakes in the defensive zone, yet hardly stood out with his play in this game .. performed as an average German defenseman.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. solid lower-body strength and balance .. adequate turns and lateral movement, with decent first-step quickness .. his top-end speed needs upgrading .. must learn to keep his feet moving in order to be more effective .. is a defensive-minded blueliner .. decent presence in his own zone, but should become more of a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can use his body to his advantage but should hit more often and get stronger .. is generally reliable in his own zone and keeps the player with the puck on the outside .. displays limited offensive upside thanks to average offensive vision .. adequate stickhandling skills and is prone to odd costly giveaways .. isn't capable of quick dekes .. needs to corral the pass smoothly at a high tempo .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. a decent force on the penalty killing units .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Florian Kirschbauer (2006), D

Notes: played defensively-minded in the opening game against Russia .. proved that skating limits him as a two-way player .. wasn't guilty of many defensive gaffes and held his own reasonably well, but in general didn't impress and had a tough time with the quicker Russian forwards .. displayed more offensive flair in the game versus Slovakia defensively conscientious player with more offensive flair in the game against Slovakia .. was willing to rush the puck occasionally .. proved capable of punishing the smaller Slovak forwards with his size but wasn't a regular physical menace .. showed a lack of offensive vision on the powerplay units in the third game against Czech Republic .. kept his shot from the point hidden .. prone to inconsistent shifts .. should become a more physically intimidating presence and upgrade on mobility as he couldn't hit the flashier Czech forwards.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. could use a smoother stride and a better acceleration .. average agility .. decent straightaway speed .. displays trouble with players who can make him move .. doesn't get knocked off his skates very often thanks to decent balance .. average lateral movement and 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 .. is 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 .. gets physically involved but is no physical menace .. an adequate hitter .. has some zip to his shot from the point, but needs to learn how to get it through and upgrade on accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman.