u18 WJC: Germany

2006-eligible Felix Schutz was a breakout player at the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship and helped propel the Germans to 8th place. As we continue our extensive series of reviews and scouting notes from the tournament, we also see how defenseman Florian Ondruschka was punishing players and played a solid two-way game. We have reports on 16 Germans in all.

TOP PERFORMERS

Florian Ondruschka, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: one of the hidden heroes of the tournament .. battled smallish Rene Kramer for the unofficial title of the top German two-way defenseman, but far exceeded his opponent in defensive zone coverage and punished the opposing players more effectively .. went through a difficult test against Canada, but upgraded his game in the following matches and supported the offense with more prowess .. controlled the German defense and turned out to be one of the few German blueliners who held his own against Russia .. German 'Player of the game' against Russia .. was very effective at keeping the play in front of him and he emerged as the dominating German blueliner coming out the relegation group.

Scouting: a smooth skater for a player of his size .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. strong turns and agility .. adequate acceleration .. solid top-end speed and balance .. strong lower-body strength .. displays solid poise when jumping into the rush .. good offensive creativity .. prone to careless decisions when moving the puck .. should make more precise passes on a regular basis as a number of them missed the receiver's stick .. adequate puckhandling skills .. willing to use his quickly-released slap shot with decent hardness and accuracy .. shows adequate aggressiveness in his own zone, but relies more on his above-average smarts and vision .. effective at keeping the opponents at a distance where he can control their play .. closes the gaps on the puck-carrier .. average at clearing the crease.

Philip Gogulla, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: stood in the shadow of Felix Schutz during the round robin games, but still pulled off a solid performance of his own .. filled his two-way role well and turned out to be one of the most intelligent German players in the area of puck-possession .. deservingly named German 'Player of the game' in the second match-up against Denmark after a solid two-way showing .. played a style which didn't reveal any glaring downsides in his play, with the exception of the penchant to occasionally disappear during a number of shifts .. impressed with quality passing skills in the games against Denmark and Sweden .. come relegation games time, he performed in a team-orientated manner and even if he didn't jump out as much as Felix Schutz, he met the expectations with his play .. tied with Constantin Braun for Germany's best passer (2 assists).

Scouting: blessed with solid skating skills .. shows a fluid stride and solid acceleration for a big man .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. okay agility .. possesses decent puckhandling skills, but still could use better hands .. should cover the puck better .. above-average vision .. can show up in traffic, but still tends to take odd shifts off in this asset .. a very smart passer who makes regularly intelligent decisions with the puck .. unleashes a hard slap shot but should upgrade on its accuracy .. a welcomed asset to both the powerplay and penalty killing units .. good defensive awareness .. shows a quality knack for blocking the passing lanes of the opposition with his effective picking of spots .. is sturdy, but his mean streak isn't evident all the time .. a very versatile forward .. doesn't have a glaring weakness, but still tends to occasionally disappear.

Felix Schutz, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: turned out to be the undisputed German offensive leader and a 2005 Under-18 WJC breakout player .. excellent start to the tournament with two very good performances against Canada and Denmark .. whether it was playing against a strong or weak opponent, Schutz was a dangerous offensive dynamo who didn't stop generating quality scoring chances for his linemates and didn't get rattled no matter how hard the opposing players were trying to hit him .. led the German team in an inspiring manner during the round robin games and even if he took a slight step back in the games of the relegation group, he was still a threat for opposing defensemen .. tied with Korbinian Holzer for first place on Team Germany in points (3 points) .. tied with Korbinian Holzer and Andre Schietzold in leading Team Germany in goals (2 goals) .. ranked second on Team Germany in shots (24).

Scouting: a decent skater with a solid agility and foot speed .. sharp agility but shows a penchant to slow down when having to make puck moves .. adequate balance despite smallish frame .. very imaginative with the puck .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create plays .. looks for open space immediately after he passes the puck .. good stickhandler with above-average hand-eye coordination .. blessed with a solid portion of vision and hockey sense .. a lethal snap shot, which he likes to fire into the upper net .. a solid slap shot with average accuracy .. decent defensive awareness .. spots his man quickly in the defensive zone .. average in the face-off circle .. willing to muck in traffic .. shows up in the slot, looking for rebounds .. plays bigger than his size and can throw a solid hit when the play gets physical .. a late '87 born forward.

Andre Schietzold, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was quiet in the tournament opener against Canada before upgrading his game against Denmark and then again riding the rollercoaster with an average performance against Russia .. played a more active style in the offensive zone and tried to finish the scoring chances given to him by his linemates .. you still have to worry about his lack of inspiration when it comes down to playing a more defensive style and a tendency to play a too-friendly style along the boards mixed with ineffectiveness in traffic .. tied with Felix Schutz and Korbinian Holzer for leading Team Germany in goals (2 goals) .. tied with Elia Ostwald for leading Team Germany in +/- (+1) .. most frequent German shooter (29 shots).

Scouting: a solid skater capable of sharp turns .. okay acceleration and first-step quickness .. decent top-end speed still could use some improvement .. an adequate stickhandler, but shows difficulties when having to handle a hard pass .. could make more elusive moves with the puck in traffic .. a solid asset to the powerplay units where he can distribute quick, accurate passes .. on five-on-five tends to be greedy in puck-possession and looks for ways to finish his chances instead of a possible pass .. doesn't hesitate to fire the puck once on a scoring chance .. uses the opposing defensemen well as a screen .. a quick, accurate wrist and snap shot .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. isn't one-dimensional as he returns back to help the defense, but is raw at marking his man and reading the developing plays in the defensive zone .. could use more aggressiveness and a mean streak.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Sebastian Stefaniszin, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as the German backup goaltender .. didn't start any games and saw playing action in just one contest against Russia, breaking down just like starter Danijel Kovacic and giving up seven goals in 49:42 minutes .. his save percentage of .7083 reserved him the spot as the tournament's worst goaltender in this category .. was beaten only by Danish backup Casper Norrild for the title of the worst goaltender in the tournament in GAA (8.45).

Scouting: a quick goalie with solid reflexes .. shows decent athleticism and dexterity .. adequate skating skills and movement in the crease .. moves fast side-to-side .. quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. should upgrade on his positional play and display less positional flaws .. tough to beat on the initial shot, but shows problems with shots aimed at his five-hole .. strong down low .. above-average leg quickness .. is more vulnerable on the blocker side .. goes down sometimes too early and leaves the top shelf uncovered .. solid and fast glove hand .. adequate poise and confidence .. decent stickhandling skills but should handle the puck more often .. lets the odd soft goal in with regularity .. doesn't let pressure bother him too much thanks to solid mental toughness.

Rene Kramer, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: was expected to emerge as the offensive leader from the blue line .. rushed the puck on a number of times, but wasn't a really effective force in the German tournament opener against Canada .. his lack of size turned out to be a significant obstacle .. skated with the Russian players, but didn't punish them very effectively along the boards and in the crease .. was torn apart by Russian offensive attacks .. emerging Florian Ondruschka overshadowed him in games against Sweden and Denmark where Kramer lacked his offensive prowess and puck-moving ability .. pulled off decent showings in both games of the relegation group, but in general played only an average tournament.

Scouting: a smallish defenseman with solid skating skills .. displays decent speed and lateral movement .. okay agility .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. possesses a solid offensive flair .. rushes the pucks often .. boasts adequate vision, which enables him to make solid passes and run the powerplay .. solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. needs to improve on his positional play and stay with his man all the way .. his shots from the point are hard and accurate .. useful as both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. biggest downside is his smallish frame .. doesn't play afraid and throws hits, but big forwards cause him trouble as he doesn't have the strength to out-muscle them either along the boards or in one-on-one battles .. needs to upgrade his crease-clearing abilities .. a late '87 born defenseman .. shoots right.

Torsten Ankert, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: made people forget about his rather unimpressive showing at the February Vlado Dzurilla tournament in Slovakia .. looked more comfortable out on the ice against opponents one year older than him, but did get beaten too many times in the skating test against Russia .. focused on a conservative defensive style with a low number of possible risks and even if he didn't turn heads, he emerged as a solid stabilizing force .. lacked creativity with the puck and will need further progress with his offensive flair to solidify his pro potential .. adequate in the relegation group games .. boasts the physical tools to compete with the big bodies and adequately withstood the important first game against Canada to start his unspectacular, but reliable, tournament showing.

Scouting: an average skater .. solid balance and lower-body strength, but could use a smoother stride .. doesn't impress with his first-step quickness .. isn't overly fast on his skates and has trouble with flashy opposition who can make him move .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. solid presence in his own zone .. a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. can use his body to his advantage but should hit more often .. keeps the player with the puck on the outside .. plays a reliable style, but shows a limited offensive upside thanks to an average vision .. sub-par puckhandling skills and dealing with passes .. tends to dump the puck under pressure .. a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. an '88 born defenseman .. shoots right .. held his own end at the tournament, but didn't show any noticeable offensive talent.

Korbinian Holzer, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: registered a sub-par start to the tournament with a lack of mobility and an adequate nasty edge in the first contest against Canada .. didn't stand out with any asset except for his above-average size .. registered his lone offensive outburst in the match-up against Russia, scoring two goals, but playing awful on the defensive end .. faded for the games against Sweden and Denmark, struggling with the pace and with proper leading of plays .. an average player in the relegation group, never repeating his showing against Russia .. tied with Finnish Timo Seppanen for sixth place overall in tournament defensemen scoring (3 points) .. tied with Felix Schutz for first place on Team Germany in points .. tied with Felix Schutz and Andre Schietzold for leading Team Germany in goals (2 goals) .. ranked first on Team Germany in shooting percentage (.2857).

Scouting: a sub-par skater .. doesn't possess an effective stride and needs better acceleration .. average lateral movement and gets beaten wide by quick forwards .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't impress with his first-step quickness .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner who doesn't rush the puck well thanks to a lack of offensive vision .. average presence in his own zone .. should emerge as a meaner grinder along the boards and in front of his own crease .. needs to make his big frame to a bigger advantage .. tries to avoid mistakes when playing the puck, but can be forced to a mistake when pressed .. average puckhandling skills and dealing with difficult feeds .. plays the point on powerplays .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman .. an '88 born player.

Stefan Langwieder, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: an average German defenseman who didn't stand out with any particular asset during the round robin games .. impressed with the occasional hard hit or an accurate outlet pass, but wasn't a significant factor for most of the time .. didn't stand out in German tournament opener against Canada .. looked snake-bitten in the match-up against Sweden, not supporting the offense and having trouble with defensive zone coverage .. was able to pick his game up in the relegation group and emerged as a bigger factor .. looked decent against Switzerland .. delivered his best game in the last contest of the relegation group , looking composed in the game against Finland .. German 'Player of the game' against Finland.

Scouting: doesn't stand out with his skating skills .. could use better acceleration and top-speed .. average agility and lateral movement .. adequate balance .. possesses an adequate offensive flair, but doesn't rush the puck very often .. needs better offensive vision to emerge as a two-way threat .. average stickhandling skills .. shows difficulties when handling backhand passes .. overlooks the odd long passing lane, but is an okay passer when distributing the puck in close .. doesn't fire booming slap shots, but unleashes a quick and accurate snap shot which he can get through screens .. is prone to some dumb penalties when he refuses to use his size to his advantage .. a solid force in the corner battles and in front of the crease when physically involved .. can make a solid hit, but needs a regular mean streak .. shoots right.

Thomas Pielmeier, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: registered an adequate start to the tournament in the match-up against Canada by working hard, but not standing out .. his effectiveness in the contest against Russia was hindered by his lack of elite skating skills .. was willing to shoot the puck more often, but got burned on the defensive side numerous times .. his diligent play with numerous quality passing plays earned him the German 'Player of the game' honors after the contest against Sweden .. looked solid against Denmark .. still worked hard in the relegation group, but his average finishing skills didn't help him to impress in the offensive zone .. ranked third on Team Germany in shots (20) .. finished with the team-worst +/- at -4.

Scouting: a decent skater with adequate foot speed and agility .. should further develop the effectiveness of his stride, which would help him upgrade his average first-step quickness .. decent balance on his skates .. adequate stickhandling skills but must deal with difficult passes better .. can't dangle in traffic .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. needs better vision .. adept at finding the open man, but could make more tape-to-tape passes .. good snap shot with a fast release which can surprise goaltenders .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. a competitive forward who works hard along the walls and digs for the pucks in the corners .. solid defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end and marks his man effectively .. could play better in one-on-one situations .. shoots right .. plays with energy and doesn't tend to take many shift off, but shows only average talent.

Sandro Schonberger, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the slick center was neutralized for most of the tournament opener against Canada .. couldn't take advantage of his skating skills and couldn't withstand the physical style as well as the previous tournaments .. a bigger factor in the contest against Russia, but broke down as the game went on along, just like the rest of the team .. was expected to carry a bigger burden of responsibility in the relegation group games, but wasn't a dominating force in either the game against Switzerland or Finland .. should have played a more physical style in the tournament as he had a tendency to think twice about hitting opponents with authority .. needed to step up his play more often in order to get a better rating from this tournament.

Scouting: a solid skater with deceptive agility .. decent bursts of speed and quickness .. adequate balance .. decent puckhandling skills .. makes well-timed passes thanks to his decent vision .. should work on accuracy of backhand passes .. likes to perform behind the opponent's goal .. a good asset to the powerplay units .. should become a bigger force in one-on-one situations .. a good wrist shot with a fast release .. uses the opposing defenseman to screen his shot .. needs to work on the accuracy of his slap shot .. a decent forechecker .. doesn't have problems with the opponents playing his body, but he needs to crash the net with more authority .. occasionally battles for the pucks in the corners .. willing to return back to his own zone, but should be more determined on defense .. prone to undisciplined fouls in the offensive zone .. tends to disappear for longer periods of time.

Henry Martens, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: filled more of a grinding role during the tournament .. has the size to compete with the biggest bruisers, but at times refused to make good use of his body .. hampered by a lack of skating skills in the opener against Canada and the sub-par match-up against Russia .. jumped out on several shifts in the game against Sweden, but then suddenly disappeared for bigger portions of time .. an average utility player during round robin games .. threw a number of solid hits, but the needed prowess in the offensive end was missing .. failed to take advantage of his frame to crash the net and put himself into scoring situations .. overall an average showing.

Scouting: an average skater .. shows good balance and lower-body strength .. needs to develop his first-step quickness and acceleration .. not a very smooth stride .. average top-end speed .. a diligent two-way forward who works hard in all three zones when inspired .. can play with an edge and is a good hitter along the boards, but his mean streak tends to disappear for some periods of time .. average puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. decent defensive awareness .. shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition .. an adequate asset on penalty killing units .. solid at picking his spots and positioning in the defensive zone .. wrist shot could use a faster release .. heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. useful checking-line player, but didn't contribute a lot on the offensive end.

Max Brandl, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: was able to impress on several shifts with his skating and passing skills during all round robin games, but wasn't a consistent factor like Felix Schutz .. didn't hide from traffic in the opener against Canada, but got out-muscled by bigger Canadian defensemen .. a solid playmaker in the match-ups against Russia and Sweden, but lacked his usual quality defensive awareness and faded in the defensive end .. a decent factor in the contest against Denmark, creating several scoring chances .. improved his play in the relegation group .. played a solid offensive game in the match-up against Switzerland, taking home German 'Player of the game' award .. played solidly against Finland, but wasn't as impressive as in the previous contest.

Scouting: a solid skater with adequate acceleration and speed .. looks flashy and quick .. could use more balance as he tends to get knocked off the puck easily .. good stickhandling skills .. an adequately smart playmaker with decent vision .. prefers passing to shooting .. still prone to some boneheaded plays .. needs to develop a bigger variety of shots .. average slap shot with a slow release .. not a big force in traffic but doesn't play afraid and works along the boards .. throws the occasional hit, but is relying more on finesse than toughness .. shows a commitment to defensive play but is hampered by occasional downs in that area .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. fast at marking his man .. needs to play the face-offs better .. an '88 born player .. filled his role of a playmaking forward well and emerged as one of the better German forwards.

Elia Ostwald, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: everybody took immediate notice of his intriguing size, but the rest of the pieces proved to be very raw .. was hindered by sub-par skating ability during the tournament .. had a tendency to fall back behind plays in the game against Russia .. showed a better defensive awareness as the tournament went on and made occasional use of his adequate stickhandling skills .. wasn't very effective in the offensive zone as he couldn't out-power opponents and hardly sneaked into any scoring chances .. focused on a more defensive role in the relegation group games, but in general didn't stand out .. tied with Andre Schietzold for leading Team Germany in +/- (+1) .. ranked second on Team Germany in shooting percentage (.1667).

Scouting: the gigantic body of the tournament's second-tallest player lacks coordination and mostly skating skills .. an awkward skater who tends to skate like he has sandbags on his shoulders .. sub-par acceleration and top-end speed .. needs to make sharper turns .. his balance will be okay once he physically matures, but at this point is average .. solid stickhandling skills .. doesn't impress with many nifty dekes, but can handle the puck effectively in traffic .. an adequate passer, but should work on his vision and decision-making in the offensive zone .. needs to develop better in-close finishing skills .. uses primarily his average snap shot .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. willing to return back to help out the defense, but is raw in his defensive awareness .. needs to stay with his man all the way and work on his defensive positioning .. a massive wingspan .. an '88 born forward.

Sergei Janzen, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the quick winger pulled off a so-so start to the tournament as the Canadian squad got under the skin of the water bug forward .. emerged as a bigger force in games against European teams, where he put his sharp moves on display without being hindered much by his diminutive size .. a decent factor against Russia, where he showed some good bursts of speed, but got burned on the defensive side .. only a reluctance to shoot the puck when it was needed cost him a good rating from the game against Sweden .. a decent player in the relegation group games, but didn't play all his shifts at full intensity .. this tournament indicated a possible European career for Janzen, but the sum of the parts doesn't look to have noticeable pro potential.

Scouting: a solid skater with a sharp agility and decent first-step quickness .. uses a short choppy stride .. adequate top-end speed, but still could use upgrading .. should further develop his balance and lower-body strength .. more of a passer than a sniper .. could use more lethal instincts once on a scoring chance .. a good stickhandler who uses a short stick .. capable of quick puck moves .. solid portion of vision and hockey sense .. unleashes a quick snap shot, solid accuracy on his wrist shot .. slap shot has average accuracy .. average defensive awareness .. should limit the options of the opposing players more effectively .. not a significant force in heavy traffic .. gets into trouble when asked to muck and out-muscle bigger defensemen .. an average hitter.

Constantin Braun, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: pulled off an average start to the tournament in the contest versus Canada, withstanding the physical style but not impressing on most of his shifts .. played better in the match-up against Denmark, hitting the opponents and creating plays in the offensive zone .. couldn't out-skate the Russian forwards and wasn't an effective factor .. was held back by average vision in the offensive zone .. still worked hard in the relegation group and added a more quality offensive dimension to his game .. wreaked some havoc on the Swiss defense .. the tournament proved that Braun has some potential, but it definitely wasn't one of his best showings .. tied with Philip Gogulla for Germany's best passer (2 assists) .. most penalized German player (12 PIMs).

Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. possesses an okay acceleration and first-step quickness .. shows solid balance and agility .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a decent passer, but doesn't have the vision of an elite playmaker and tends to make quality passes at short distances .. average in-close finishing skills .. fires a quick wrist shot .. heavy snap shot with a slower release .. isn't afraid of executing in heavy traffic and takes position in front of the opposing net .. works hard and is willing to finish his checks but his mean streak tends to have downs .. a decent force along the boards when inspired .. tends to lose position .. displays a decent defensive awareness as he shuts down the opposing offensive raids, but needs to do that on a regular basis .. an '88 born forward.