u18 WJC: Denmark

Denmark's tenth place finish was obviously a less-than-stellar showing at the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship, but all was not lost for Danish fans. RW Morten Madsen put on a heck of a show and boosted his stock in our soon-to-be-released and final Top 100 of the season and pint-sized blueliner Mads Bodker stood head and shoulders above the other D-men on his squad. Check out exclusive notes and reviews on eleven players from the Denmark team as we roll out the first piece in a ten-part U18 series.

TOP PERFORMERS

Morten Madsen, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: stood shoulders above the rest of the Danish forwards, but unfortunately for the Danish team he wasn't adequately supported by the rest of his teammates and many of his passes were wasted .. emerged as the heart-and-soul leader of the Danish team in every tournament game and contributed at both ends of the ice .. created and finished strong scoring chances and was the only Danish player who didn't look out of place in the Canadian drubbing of the Danish team .. Danish 'Player of the game' against Canada .. if there were two more of him on the Danish team the squad could well have competed to stay in the elite group .. a delightful showing for the promising forward .. leading Danish scorer (4 points) .. ranked first on Team Denmark in goals (2 goals) .. tied with Mads Christensen and Julian Jakobsen for lead of Team Denmark in assists (2 assists) .. most frequent Danish shooter (28 shots) .. ranked fourth on Team Denmark in shooting percentage (.0714).

Scouting: a solid skater with an effective stride .. possesses decent foot speed and sharp agility .. above-average acceleration .. adequate balance on his skates .. an elusive stickhandler who can maneuver well in tight spaces without losing possession of the puck .. strong hand-eye coordination .. an imaginative player who thinks the game faster than most opponents .. picks his spots well .. a strong asset to the powerplay unit both as a finisher and passer .. can play the point on powerplays .. makes hard, accurate passes .. good array of shots .. above-average in-close finishing skills .. likes to unleash a quick, accurate, hard snap shot .. solid, hard slap shot .. can get along with the physical style of opponents adequately well .. can lead his team by example .. helps out his defensemen .. blocks the opposing passing lanes well thanks to his on-ice awareness, but still could improve his defensive positioning .. stays with his man and is adequately effective on penalty killing units.

Mads Bodker, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the only player who stood out among the rest of the Danish defensive corps .. named Danish 'Player of the game' after the opener against Germany after delivering a solid two-way effort .. showed that he doesn't have the strength to handle bruising opponents well, which was evident against Canada .. made use of his mobility and skating skills to jump into plays and support the offense .. emerged as the best Danish defenseman on powerplays, whether it was as a quarterback or pointman .. tried to add a physical dimension to his game when the team met European opponents .. held his own in both games of the relegation group .. played a solid tournament, but didn't get much help from the rest of his defensive teammates .. the only Danish defenseman to score a goal this tournament .. leading scorer among Danish defensemen (2 points) .. ranked third on Team Denmark in shots (18).

Scouting: a pint-sized blueliner .. a good skater with above-average foot speed and straightaway speed .. quick stride .. strong agility and lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten by fast opponents .. adequate balance for a smallish player, but gets out-muscled by bigger opponents .. solid offensive flair .. tries to quicken the game pace and create odd-man rushes with fast, accurate passes, but is precipitous at times .. decent vision and hockey sense .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. capable of accurate outlet passes, but could be more patient .. shows enough confidence to make risky plays, but can't avoid the odd mistake .. capable of quarterbacking powerplays .. doesn't hesitate to fire his shot from the point .. adequate slap shot .. needs to upgrade on the play in his own zone .. doesn't play afraid but severely lacks size and strength .. average crease-clearer who can't move the big players out of the slot.

Mads Christensen, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the Danish water bug delivered a solid tournament showing .. ranked among the best Danish forwards from the start, but was nowhere near Morten Madsen's efforts .. made use of his passing skills and solid skill set in the round robin games against European opponents .. pulled off decent showings in the match-ups against Germany and Sweden .. not a factor in the contest against Canada .. stepped up his play when it was needed most in the relegation group .. selected Danish 'Player of the game' after a solid offensive effort in the game against Finland .. took a slight step back in the final game against Switzerland when it was decided about the Danish relegation .. finished fifth on the tournament in face-offs (.6207), but took just 29 draws .. tied with Morten Madsen and Julian Jakobsen for the lead of Team Denmark in assists (2) .. most penalized Danish player (14 PIM's) .. ranked second on Team Denmark in shots (19).

Scouting: an okay skater who uses a quick, short stride .. solid acceleration and turns .. decent agility .. adequate top-end speed could still be upgraded .. average balance .. should upgrade his stick-handling skills and hand-eye coordination .. has trouble handling difficult passes .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. can fire the puck with solid accuracy, making use of his precise wrist shot with a sharp release, but displays trouble with penetrating to the scoring chances .. should use his slap shot more often .. doesn't back down from mucking for the pucks in the corners, but also doesn't play a very physical style .. isn't a noticeable force in heavy traffic thanks to his smallish frame .. often used on the powerplay units .. a solid forechecker .. tends to take odd shifts off .. should upgrade on his defensive awareness and mark his man faster .. an average asset to the penalty killing units .. needs to work on his defensive positioning.

Mikkel Bodker, LW (2008)

Tournament wrap-up: the tournament's youngest member delivered a solid performance against players two years older than him .. was even named Danish 'Player of the game' after the matchup against Russia after creating some good plays .. the younger of the Bodker brothers couldn't physically compete with the bigger opposition and had reserves in his defensive awareness, but wasn't afraid of performing in traffic .. showcased good smarts and an awareness of his linemates, which will make from him a dominant player against his peers and a potential star of the upcoming Under-18 events once he physically matures .. looked a bit tired in the late stages of the tournament .. will need to work on his conditioning .. wasn't a threat on every shift, but displayed undisputed glimpses of strong talent and delivered a promising showing .. ranked second on Team Denmark in shooting percentage (.1429) .. tied with Christian Vaagensoe for worst +/- on Team Denmark (-9).

Scouting: a decent skater with an okay stride .. displays adequate top-end speed, but doesn't win many skating races .. solid agility .. needs to further upgrade on lower-body strength and balance .. possesses solid puckhandling skills even if he doesn't make many nifty dekes with the puck .. patient in puck-possession, waiting for the plays to develop and then making the decision .. aware of his linemates thanks to his solid vision and hockey sense .. could use further work on his variety of shots .. uses mostly his wrist or snap shot .. slap shot needs to be harder .. 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 .. 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 more authority.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Frederik Hentze, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the Danish captain had his tournament showing limited to just three games .. anchored the Danish defense along with Mads Bodker in the early stages of the tournament .. tried to add an offensive dimension to his game after filling his duties on the defensive end .. a decent two-way factor in the opening contest against Germany .. the fast Russian players burned him a number of times in the next match .. missed the match-ups against Canada and Sweden .. played his last game of the tournament in the contest against Finland, where he emerged as a decent factor on the Danish defense, taking care of his own end and distributing a number of pucks .. the Danish back rows missed his efforts severely in the games of the relegation group.

Scouting: an okay skater with decent mobility .. solid agility and lateral movement .. decent first-step quickness, but could upgrade on top-end speed .. solid lower-body strength and balance .. a decent offensive flair .. can move the puck out of his own end, but doesn't have the elite vision that would make him a real two-way defenseman .. tends to misread a number of offensive plays .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. makes long outlet passes, but still could improve on passing accuracy .. a quickly-released snap shot with average accuracy .. slap shot should be more hard .. average defensive zone coverage, but doesn't make glaring mistakes .. adequate positional play .. an okay physical presence who can play the body when the play gets physical .. a decent hitter and crease-clearer .. shoots right.

Mads Schaarup, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the smallish Danish defenseman focused on filling a reliable defensive style with a low number of possible risks and mistakes .. an average factor in the opening game against Germany, where he didn't make many gaffes, but was hardly involved in any offensive play .. got out-muscled by the physically stronger Canadian players and got pushed around by them in the third showing of the Danish team .. was more confident in supporting the offense as the tournament went on, but still didn't emerge as an offensive threat thanks to his drawback in recognizing long passing lanes .. proved that he needs more strength to handle bigger opponents effectively in the two games of the relegation group .. tried to work hard in the defensive zone, but in general didn't stand out among the rest of the Danish blueliners.

Scouting: a middle-sized defenseman .. doesn't stand out with skating skills .. should work on the effectiveness of his stride .. adequate acceleration and agility .. thin lower-body .. sub-par lower-body strength and balance .. lacks strength .. gets regularly out-muscled by bigger opposition .. doesn't make glaring mistakes in the defensive zone and stays in position adequately well .. doesn't join the rush very often and keeps his plays simple .. lacks the elite vision and hockey sense needed to become a good two-way force .. average passing skills .. should distribute harder and more accurate outlet passes .. fires decent shots from the point with adequate accuracy, but needs to shoot them harder and learn how to get them through regularly .. not a good physical force along the boards and when clearing the crease .. lacks mean streak .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Christian Olsen, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: was hindered by his lack of skating skills; mostly first-step quickness and stride effectiveness .. stepped out of the average bunch of the Danish forwards and displayed a number of quality shifts where he took advantage of his crafty puckhandling skills .. blocked the opposing passing lanes effectively and wreaked some havoc in the defensive zone of the opponent with his forechecking .. played a decent opening game against Germany .. couldn't deliver convincing performances on a regular basis .. looked lost in the game against Canada, where the opponents got under his skin .. not a significant factor during games of the relegation group .. jumped out during moments of some games, but the downsides don't match his upsides.

Scouting: an average skater .. needs to develop a more effective stride and better first-step quickness .. adequate agility .. average top-end speed .. okay balance on his skates and lower-body strength .. adequate vision .. knows how to use his linemates, but shows only average creativity .. his puckhandling skills are his strongest offensive asset .. shows soft hands and can make occasional quick puck moves in traffic, but displays trouble when having to deal with a difficult pass .. breaks the opposing passing lanes and can disturb the opponent's outlet passes .. adequately hard wrist shot .. heavy slap shot could use more accuracy .. can be caught not prepared for a fast pass .. decent defensive awareness .. still should play smarter in his own end .. an adequately diligent player in the corner battles, where he takes advantage of his size .. doesn't get out-muscled too often .. should hit the opposing players more often .. a late '87 born forward.

Nicholas Phillips, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: tried to generate offensive chances for his linemates, but was surprisingly ineffective in the offensive zone where he spent most of the time .. lacked defensive awareness and displayed a tendency to float on the perimeter for the majority of his shifts in the Danish opener against Germany .. was physically neutralized by the dominating Canadian squad in the third Danish match of the tournament and failed to create any plays .. became increasingly frustrated with his inability to register a single point and lacked the needed fire and determination in the two games of the relegation group .. his role was reduced for the game against Switzerland and finished the tournament on a cold note.

Scouting: an okay skater with a fluid stride .. decent top end-speed, but could use better first-step quickness .. solid agility and turns .. uses a short stick .. decent stick-handling ability .. should cover the puck better .. more of a playmaking forward who prefers passing to shooting .. an adequate passer .. okay wrist shot should be harder.. slap shot needs to be upgraded in both hardness and accuracy .. should release the slapper more frequently .. doesn't display a good commitment to the defensive duties .. needs improvement in blocking the opposing passing lanes more effectively .. doesn't stay with his man and gets out-muscled .. could use more vision in his play .. lacks bulk and needs to made noticeable strides in his commitment to the physical play .. not a significant factor in traffic .. doesn't play all his shifts at full intensity and tends to get rattled when the opponents start to play his body on a regular basis.

Christian Vaagensoe, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was asked to fill the role of a two-way forward, but was hampered by a lack of prowess in the defensive end .. saw a big portion of playing time on the penalty killing units .. pulled off an average performance in the first Danish game against Germany .. was overwhelmed by the pace of the game and the toughness of the Canadian team in the third Danish showing on the tournament .. was more conscientious defensively in the match-up against Sweden .. rattled when the opponents started to play his body .. an average factor in both games of the relegation group, not standing out with any particular asset .. tied with Mikkel Bodker for worst +/- on Team Denmark (-9).

Scouting: a decent skater with adequate foot speed .. displays okay agility .. should work on the effectiveness of his stride, which would help him upgrade his average first-step quickness .. average lower-body strength and balance on his skates .. average stick-handling skills .. could play better in one-on-one situations .. needs to deal with difficult passes better and upgrade on his play with the backhand side .. can't maneuver with the puck well in traffic .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. isn't fully aware of his linemates .. needs more vision to be more effective .. could make more accurate passes on a regular basis .. adequate snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot lacks hardness and accuracy .. a diligent forward .. battles for the pucks in the corners but needs to bulk up .. okay defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end quickly .. should work on his defensive positioning .. shoots right.

Julian Jakobsen, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: started the tournament on a cold note as he didn't find a way to jump out in the Danish opener against Germany .. wasn't effective at battling the bigger Canadian players and was virtually invisible during that contest .. showed a tendency to float on the periphery in the game against Sweden .. turned his play up by a notch in the two relegation group contests .. emerged as an adequate factor in the game against Finland and snuck into scoring chances .. named Danish 'Player of the game' after the final contest of the relegation group against Switzerland .. generated numerous offensive chances in the game against Switzerland .. tied with Mads Christensen and Morten Madsen for lead of Team Denmark in assists (2 assists).

Scouting: decent skating skills .. okay first-step quickness .. could use better top-end speed .. solid agility and turns .. could use more balance on his skates as he still gets knocked down too easily .. a decent puck handler .. should be sneakier with the puck in heavy traffic .. is capable of accurate passes, but should upgrade the way he reads plays in the offensive zone .. primarily unleashes a quick, accurate wrist shot .. snap and slap shot should be harder .. doesn't display a significant commitment to defensive play and needs to mark his man faster in the defensive zone .. an average physical factor .. isn't totally soft, but prefers finesse over toughness .. doesn't throw many hits .. tends to take odd shifts off and is inconsistent in his determination.

Sebastian Dahm, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the undisputed Danish starter in this tournament .. started every game .. looked decent in the contest against Germany, where he had to face a number of quality chances .. was pulled from the game against Canada after a shaky showing, where he broke down along with all members of the Danish defense .. held the Danish in the game early on .. delivered solid and consistent showings in both games of the relegation group against Finland and Switzerland, but didn't get much help from the defensemen .. faced the most shots of all goaltenders in the tournament (235 shots) .. made the most saves of all tournament goaltenders (214 saves) .. ranked fifth among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.9106) .. ranked 11th among tournament goaltenders in GAA (3.79).

Scouting: more of a butterfly netminder .. show solid reflexes .. possesses decent athleticism and dexterity .. adequate skating skills and movement in the crease .. moves quickly side-to-side, but leaves some holes for the shooters to aim at .. adequate down low and at playing his angles .. okay leg quickness .. should upgrade on his positional play and fundamentals .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. has occasional trouble with shots aimed at his five-hole .. goes down too early sometimes and leaves the top shelf uncovered .. average glove hand could be faster .. adequate poise and confidence .. average stick-handling skills .. doesn't show much willingness to handle the puck .. lets the odd soft goal in.