u18 WJC: Sweden

Tournament All Star Niklas Bergfors got the most out of his immense offensive talents at the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship and his six goals helped pace his Swedish squad to a third-place finish. 2006-eligible Niklas Backstrom wasn't a consistent threat in this tournament, but he was a pleasant surprise that showed flashes of elite skills throughout the event. We've got tournament wraps on both talents along with a host of other Swedes as we bring you the eighth of an in-depth ten-part series on the U18's.

TOP PERFORMERS

Mattias Modig, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: starter of the Swedish team at the tournament .. delivered consistent showings during the round robin games and impressed with his stickhandling ability .. still showed reserves in his style and didn't separate himself from the rest of the tournament goaltenders .. delivered a solid showing in the quarterfinal game, where he wasn't tested by many quality chances .. was pulled from the semifinal game after a so-so performance against the dominating USA squad .. didn't see more action and served as the backup goaltender in the bronze-medal game .. ranked fifth among goaltenders with more than 120 minutes in GAA (2.82) .. finished ninth among goaltenders with more than 120 minutes in save percentage (.8992).

Scouting: plays more of a butterfly style .. a resilient netminder with decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. decent when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. adequate anticipation of plays .. tends to get a little nervous after allowing a soft goal .. should upgrade his five-hole coverage .. goes down too early sometimes, which leaves the top shelf uncovered .. decent rebound control .. adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals and improve on his positional play in the crease .. very good stickhandling skills, often goes behind the net to play the puck and eventually make the outlet pass.

Niklas Hjalmarsson, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a big disappointment in the early stages of the tournament .. fuzzy and overwhelmed by game pace in the opening two matches .. prone to erratic passing .. began to find his game in the match against Germany, where he limited the number of defensive breakdowns .. looked very solid in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia, supporting the offense and showing some of his nasty edge .. selected Swedish 'Player of the game' against Slovakia .. repeated his quarterfinal showing in the bronze-medal game where he made several accurate outlet passes while playing reliably in his own end .. finished second in tournament defensemen scoring (5 points) .. the most productive Swedish defenseman .. best Swedish passer (4 assists) .. tied with seven more players as the tournament's fourth-best passer.

Scouting: an okay skater .. solid straightaway speed and agility .. could use better turns and lateral movement .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. very good passing skills .. hard and accurate passes on both short and long distances .. solid stickhandling skills .. useful as a powerplay quarterback .. decent slap shot with good accuracy .. sometimes passive in his own end, needs to develop more responsibility .. gets beaten wide on occasions .. prone to breaking down in the defensive zone as he doesn't read the developing opponents' plays well every time .. decent toughness .. can throw a solid hit when the play gets physical .. should punish the players in front of his own net with more intensity, though.

Christoffer From-Bjork, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a stabilizing force on the Swedish back row in the opening three games of the tournament .. poised and composed on the defensive side and didn't panic with the puck when asked to support the offense .. took more of a stay-at-home role in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia which he filled conscientiously .. was particularly hampered by a lack of elite skating skills in the match-up against the USA as he couldn't skate with the fastest USA forwards .. a reliable defensive workhorse against the Czech Republic in the bronze-medal game, taking pride in his reliability in the defensive zone and a low number of mistakes .. finished fifth in tournament defensemen scoring (3 points) .. ranked second on Team Sweden and led all Swedish blueliners in goals (3 goals) .. led Team Sweden in shooting percentage (.4286).

Scouting: an average skater who looks 'heavy-footed' .. solid balance, but could use a smoother stride and better first-step quickness .. isn't overly fast on his skates and has trouble with flashy opposition .. 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 make his body to his advantage .. a solid force on penalty killing units .. willing to sacrifice his body to block opposing shots .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. limited offensive upside thanks to an average vision .. sometimes hesitant to make a quick outlet pass .. average puckhandling skills .. tends to dump the puck under pressure .. gets a heavy slap shot through with average accuracy .. held his own end well at the tournament, but didn't show any noticeable offensive talent.

Nicklas Bergfors, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a force all tournament long .. had a solid start to the tournament with a quality showing against Russia .. turned heads with offensive prowess in the next two games against Canada and Germany, showing up in traffic and reading the plays well before they happened .. named consecutive Swedish 'Player of the game' in both match-ups .. created a mess of the Slovak defense in the quarterfinals .. solid in the semifinals against the USA, where he performed in traffic and generated offense .. delivered an excellent showing in the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic, dangerous on every shift .. finished ninth in tournament scoring and tied with Alexei Sopin for second in goal scoring .. Team Sweden's leading scorer (6 points) and goal scorer (6 goals) .. led Team Sweden in shots (31) .. tied with Niklas Backstrom for the best +/- on Team Sweden (+5) .. ranked fourth on Team Sweden in shooting percentage (.1935) .. All-Star member.

Scouting: a quick skater with a fluid stride .. possesses good foot speed which enables him to reach top velocity in a few strides .. above-average sharp agility .. decent lower-body strength and balance .. a crafty stickhandler who can maneuver well with the puck in tight spaces .. good hand-eye coordination .. a very smart player who thinks the game ahead of most players .. picks his spots well and always pays close attention to the puck and its possible deflections .. a good asset to the powerplay units either as a finisher or passer .. above-average variety of shots .. good finishing skills .. likes to unleash a quick, accurate and hard snap shot .. could use his hard slap shot more .. can put pressure on the opposing defensemen with his tight forechecking .. isn't afraid of playing a rugged style along the boards despite the lack of size .. mucks for the pucks in the corners .. an active player who can handle responsibility well .. isn't one-dimensional as he is willing to return back to help out the defense .. blocks the opposing passing lanes well thanks to his on-ice awareness, but still could pick up on his defensive play .. shoots right.

Nicklas Backstrom, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: a pleasant surprise on the Swedish team .. wasn't a consistent threat during round robin games, but displayed flashes of elite talent during some shifts of every game .. excellent on face-offs in key situations .. pulled off a strong showing with his creativity in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia .. repeated the quality performance against the USA squad in semifinals, but showed that he still needs to add bulk to his frame to be fully effective in traffic .. took a slight step back in the bronze-medal game, but avoided the 'off-game' label with several smart plays .. the tournament's top face-off player (.6857) .. tied with Patrick Zackrisson for the second place on Team Sweden scoring (5 points) .. tied with Mattias Ritola and Patrick Zackrisson as the second-best Swedish passer (3 assists) .. tied with Niklas Bergfors for the best +/- on Team Sweden (+5).

Scouting: a solid skater with decent top-end speed .. decent agility and acceleration .. should work on his lower-body strength and balance .. a very smooth puckhandler .. likes to have the puck on his stick and dangle .. a threat in one-on-one situations .. a very strong passer who is always aware of the position of his linemates .. reads the plays fast and reacts properly .. more of a playmaking forward .. tends to pass the puck instead of firing it .. unleashes a quick, accurate wrist and snap shot .. should fire a harder slap shot and generally use the accurate slapper more often .. decent in-close finishing skills .. a sneaky player in traffic .. picks his spots adequately well .. doesn't play an intimidating style, but doesn't get rattled with the opponents playing his body and can maneuver well in tight spaces .. develops into a face-off specialist, winning key draws for his team .. won't jump at you on every shift, but is usually involved in the key game situations .. a late '87 born forward.

Fredrik Pettersson, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: one of the leaders of the Swedish team .. emerged as the fastest Swedish player in puck-possession .. got involved in traffic regularly and battled physically bigger opponents, but the absolutely fearless and reckless style from the August tournament wasn't evident all the time .. played a decent first half of the game in the quarterfinals against Slovakia, but was overshadowed by Niklas Bergfors and didn't unleash his ferocious slapper often .. held his own against the United States and wasn't rattled by the opponent's physical style .. upgraded his play in the bronze-medal game and created some havoc among the Czech defensemen with his speed and energy .. ranked second on Team Sweden in shots (24).

Scouting: an above-average skater with very good foot speed and acceleration .. sharp agility and solid balance .. okay lower-body strength .. can carry the puck without having to slow down .. makes plays at top speed and brings defenders out of position .. tenacious forechecker .. sticks his nose into traffic .. willing to hit the bigger opponents despite the size deficiency .. okay stickhandling skills .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. a decent passer who can find the open man .. likes to let his booming, accurate slap shot go .. excellent attitude and competitiveness .. adequate leadership qualities .. needs to pick up his defensive game .. should mark his man faster and stay with him all the way .. shoots right.

Mattias Ritola, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: one of the better Swedish forwards in the round robin, but not a clear standout .. showed flashes of a strong skill set numerous times during the quarterfinal game against Slovakia, but lacked a lethal finishing touch .. upgraded his play in the semifinal match-up against United States, controlling the puck at top speed and deftly dancing around USA blueliners .. only lacked a mean streak and mainly a hard drive to the net .. selected Swedish 'Player of the Game' against USA .. a dangerous player in the bronze-medal game, using his acceleration to out-skate the flatfooted Czech defensemen .. if he played a more bullish style and it was combined with the effort from this tournament, his draft stock would soar.. tied with Niklas Backstrom and Patrick Zackrisson as the second-best Swedish passer (3 assists) .. tied with Johan Dahlberg and Alexander Ribbenstrand for the second-most Swedish penalized player (8 PIM's) .. worst on Team Sweden in +/- (-3).

Scouting: a solid skater with a good agility and decent acceleration .. a smooth stride .. adequate balance .. crisp puckhandling skills .. creative with the puck and likes to carry it up the ice .. deals well with difficult passes .. good tape-to-tape passes even at long distances .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations .. solid vision and hockey sense .. needs to develop an ability to finish the scoring chances .. doesn't shoot the puck as often as needed .. solid wrist shot with decent accuracy .. doesn't use his slap shot in many cases .. doesn't shy away from the physical contact, but isn't a significant physical force .. should drive the net harder and with more determination .. average defensive awareness .. raw at marking his man .. strong on the finesse side, but needs more North American flair.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Alexander Ribbenstrand, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: emerged as a quiet worker on the Swedish defense .. played a decent game in round robin, but lacked top-notch offensive prowess or rock-solid reliability which would help make notice of him .. played an unspectacular quarterfinal game against Slovakia, taking care of the defensive side before thinking about joining the rush .. proved that he still doesn't have enough strength to battle the biggest opponents in the semifinal game against USA .. improved his play in the game against Czech Republic, but didn't do anything to stand out .. overall an average tournament .. tied with Johan Dahlberg and Mattias Ritola for the second-most Swedish penalized player (8 PIM's).

Scouting: blessed with solid wheels .. decent speed both backwards and forwards .. okay agility .. adequate lateral movement .. needs to upgrade his acceleration and first-step quickness .. decent balance, but still could use more lower-body strength .. fills the defensive duties before joining the rush .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. solid toughness along the boards, but should be more feisty in clearing the crease .. doesn't have the strength to outmuscle bigger opponents .. slows down a bit when having to make a play with the puck .. often makes the safe play and isn't looking for long passing lanes .. doesn't impress with puckhandling skills and doesn't make many dekes when moving the puck out of the zone .. solid accurate shot from the point.

Alexander Hellstrom, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: emerged as the second-best Swedish defender after Christopher From Bjork in the round-robin play with adequate defensive play mixed with an offensive flair .. withstood the test against Canada adequately well .. an average performance in the quarterfinals against Slovakia, not standing out with anything in particular .. registered arguably his best game of the tournament in the semifinal contest against the USA as he took advantage of his mobility to keep plays in front of him .. a decent force in the bronze-medal match-up against the Czech Republic, but didn't have an outstanding showing because of a number of positional gaffes in the later stages of the contest .. best Swedish defenseman in +/- (+4).

Scouting: a solid skater for a player of his size .. good lateral movement and pivots .. adequate agility and acceleration .. decent balance .. stays with his man and works hard in his own end .. is willing to use his body when punishing the opponents along the boards, but tends to loose position when making a hit .. decent slap shot, but is reluctant to shoot the puck .. decent stickhandling skills .. upgraded his creativity with the puck and is now a more proven passer .. keeps his adequately accurate shot from the point hidden in most cases .. registered some very good shifts before eventually making a mistake and didn't separate himself from the rest of the defensemen.

Niclas Andersen, D (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: wasn't expected to become one of the Swedish leaders and spent the tournament gaining valuable experience .. focused on playing a low-risk style .. didn't stand out in the first game against Russia .. an average player against Canada, but held his own .. played two adequate showings against Germany and Denmark, the lesser talented opponents in round robin .. delivered a showing free of glaring mistakes in the quarterfinals against Slovakia .. was prone to falling behind play on occasion in the semifinal game against USA, but coped with the physical style adequately well .. bounced back with an okay defensive showing in the bronze-medal game, but showed that he lacks elite speed to compete with the fastest forwards.

Scouting: his skating skills aren't top-notch .. could use a more effective stride and a higher top-end speed .. solid balance on his skates .. decent agility and lateral movement .. plays more of a conservative defensive style, but is willing to occasionally join the rush .. needs to learn when to jump into plays to avoid possible turnovers .. decent passing skills, but tends to pass the puck to the nearby teammate to make the safe play .. keeps his shot from the point hidden in most cases .. okay defensive positioning .. adequate reliability, but is prone to odd fuzzy decisions in his own end when he spots his man too slowly .. doesn't play afraid and occasionally provokes the opponents .. a decent mean streak .. an okay hitter along the boards .. will be difficult to outmuscle once he fills out .. an '88 born defenseman.

Andreas Molinder, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: played a decent tournament but wasn't a standout for his team .. focused on filling his two-way role well, but was a little passive in front of the opposing goal during the round robin games .. looked average in the game against Canada .. named Swedish 'Player of the game against Denmark after a solid two-way effort crowned with several smart passing plays .. tried to generate offense in the quarterfinal match-up against Slovakia and returned back for the pucks, but still lacked lethal finishing skills .. sacrificed his offensive output for a backchecking role in the semifinal game against USA .. played more offensively in the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic, but in general didn't stand out.

Scouting: a solid skater with adequate bursts of speed and agility .. a good asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. decent stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. needs to improve on his in-close finishing skills .. solid vision and hockey sense .. a crafty passer who makes regularly long, accurate feeds .. should work on his backhand passes .. blessed with decent defensive awareness .. stays in position in his own end and is adequately fast when marking his man .. should drive the net harder .. average in the face-off circle .. doesn't look fully involved in the games and would be a much bigger force if he would give his best on every shift .. occasionally battles for the pucks and isn't afraid of the physical play, but doesn't play an overly gritty style.

Johan Nilsson, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: relatively quiet during the early stages of the tournament .. was more effective against the weaker opponents .. played his best game of the tournament in the last round robin contest against the underdog Danish team where he hurt the Danish defense with his speed and agility .. looked snake-bitten in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia as he couldn't make use of any of his offensive strengths and ended up floating .. jumped out with slick, elusive moves in the offensive zone late in the semifinal game against USA, but didn't play 60 minutes of intense hockey .. registered a solid showing in the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic where he started his spirited play in the early stages of the game.

Scouting: a good skater with solid acceleration and agility .. can out-skate the opposition and maneuver well in traffic .. explosive first-step quickness .. elusive stickhandling skills .. handles the puck smoothly and can deke the opposing players .. solid array of shots .. releases a fast wrist shot and a solid slap shot .. decent passer, but sometimes holds on the puck too long .. doesn't play an aggressive style, but isn't afraid of executing in traffic .. lacks the regular mean streak .. more of an one-dimensional player .. his intensity wanes away from the puck .. not a significant factor in his own end .. slow at marking his man .. a good asset to the powerplay units, where he takes advantage of his offensive awareness .. tends to take odd shifts off where he floats and isn't fully involved in the game .. shoots right.

Johan Dahlberg, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the Swedish 'tough guy' wasn't really outstanding during round robin play as he hit the opposing players with authority, but lacked elite creativity and puck skills to be a valuable offensive threat .. looked decent in the quarterfinal game against Slovakia, but the likes of Niklas Bergfors and Niklas Backstrom clearly overshadowed his belligerent effort .. his best tournament showing came in the semifinal contest against USA, where Dahlberg was always physically involved and made effective plays with the puck against the favored opponent .. took a step back in the bronze-medal event against Czech Republic where he lacked the quality vision to be a valuable offensive threat .. tied with Mattias Ritola and Alexander Ribbenstrand for the second-most Swedish penalized player (8 PIM's).

Scouting: a decent skater with good balance .. tough to get knocked off his feet .. better acceleration and a smoother stride would make him more effective .. average first-step quickness .. a belligerent player who likes to play a physical style .. very good aggressiveness .. always willing to play the body and hit hard along the boards .. thrives in the corners .. willing to drop the gloves .. executes well in the slot and can crash the opposing net .. decent stickhandling skills, but could use more prowess on the backhand side .. should be more lethal in one-on-one situations .. unleashes a hard slap shot, but needs to upgrade its accuracy .. works hard in his own zone, but is raw in the defensive zone coverage .. the toughest Swedish player at the tournament and the North American style should fit him well.

Patrik Zackrisson, C/LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: started the tournament on a hot note with a good two-way showing against Russia, which earned him Swedish 'Player of the game' honors .. held his own in the contest against Canada, but wasn't a dominant player .. focused on a two-way role during the remaining round robin games and met expectations .. pulled off a solid performance during the quarterfinal game against Slovakia with several surprising passes .. average during the semifinal game .. a decent force in the bronze-medal game, but should play all his shifts at full intensity .. finished 18th in tournament scoring .. ranked second on Team Sweden in shooting percentage (.3333) .. tied with Niklas Backstrom for the second place on Team Sweden scoring (5 points) .. tied with Mattias Ritola and Niklas Backstrom for the second-best Swedish passer (3 assists).

Scouting: a good skater with a powerful stride and quick acceleration .. needs to improve on his agility .. plays in traffic and digs for the pucks in the corners .. a solid puckhandler with good defensive awareness .. could improve on his control of difficult passes .. strong defensive awareness .. aware of the play of his defensemen and if needed can replace the rushing rearguard .. shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition effectively .. likes to create plays utilizing his hockey sense .. solid passer who can make crisp tape-to-tape feeds .. good on the penalty killing units .. solid shooting skills, but needs to improve on accuracy .. a versatile player who can play both center and left wing .. should develop a bit more prowess in the offensive zone and more lethal finishing skills .. prone to games where he won't garner attention .. shoots right.

Johan Andersson, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: an average member of the Swedish team during the round robin games .. had a relatively slow start to the tournament and had to get used to the pace of the international contests first before finding his game .. picked up his play in the contest against Denmark and found his confidence against the weaker opponent .. delivered a decent performance in the quarterfinal game despite not seeing a lot of playing time on special units .. registered his best game of the tournament in the semifinal contest against USA .. slick with the puck and determined to battle for Swedish success .. didn't jump out in the bronze-medal game, leaving his overall tournament rating on par.

Scouting: a solid skater with adequate acceleration and speed .. sharp agility on his skates .. could use more balance .. good stickhandling skills .. can maintain control of the puck even in tight spaces .. a smart playmaker with good vision .. prefers passing to shooting .. needs to develop a bigger variety of shots .. can use the opposing defensemen well as a screen when firing a snap shot .. not a big force in traffic .. doesn't play an aggressive style, relying more on finesse than on toughness .. needs to drive the net harder and be more physically assertive .. shows a commitment to defensive play .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. needs to play the face-offs better .. filled his role of a playmaking forward well and emerged as one of the better Swedish forwards.

Robin Lindqvist, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as the Swedish captain .. a hard working two-way player who gave his best for the team to succeed all tournament long .. was willing to do the little things .. even if the spotlight was on the more flashy and talented teammates like Niklas Bergfors or Niklas Backstrom, the RW did his fair share of valuable work during each game of the tournament .. didn't really stand out in any single game .. coped adequately well with the physical style of North American teams and didn't break down either against Canada or the USA .. showed good defensive play in both the quarterfinal and semifinal game, but lacked elite vision in the offensive zone .. focused on his role in the bronze-medal game, but didn't accomplish much past that.

Scouting: an adequate skater with solid balance .. should work on his foot speed and first-step quickness .. okay top-end speed and agility .. a hard worker in all three zones .. generates problems for the opposition with his ability to read their plays and block passing lanes .. solid stickhandling skills .. good accurate tape-to-tape passes .. could use more persistence near the goal area .. doesn't fire the puck very often, looking for a pass instead .. average in-close finishing skills .. sticks his nose into traffic and doesn't play afraid .. doesn't dish out many hard hits but knows how to lay a decent hit when the play gets physical .. solid on the penalty killing units .. shows a good attitude and passing skills, but needs to show up in the offensive zone more often.

Patric Hornqvist, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: focused on filling an offensive role and left the defensive work to his linemates for the majority of the tournament .. was able to jump out with his prowess in the offensive zone and had a solid tournament opener against Russia .. served as a decent force during all round-robin games and held his own in the difficult game against Canada .. turned into an almost one-dimensional player for the playoff round and his effectiveness took a step back in the quarterfinals against Slovakia and semifinals against USA .. wasn't a significant physical force in the game against the USA .. delivered a solid showing in the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic, but wasn't able to stand out.

Scouting: a solid skater with an okay stride .. very good agility .. adequate first-step quickness but could show more explosiveness.. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. solid stickhandling skills .. can maneuver with the puck smoothly, but tends to lose possession of it when having to battle heavy traffic .. okay in-close finishing skills .. a solid variety of shots .. okay accurate snap shot .. should fire harder slap shots, but the slapper is accurate .. willing to forecheck on a regular basis .. average in his defensive awareness .. lacks intensity in his own end and should mark his man more quickly and precisely .. needs to get stronger and should be more feisty when battling in the opponent's slot .. doesn't back down from physical play, but isn't a feared physical menace .. a right-shooting forward.

Martin Johansson, RW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: was hampered by stomach problems, which affected his tournament showing .. played the round robin games but the contest against Denmark turned out to be his last .. couldn't give his best showing, but didn't look lost out on the ice .. missed the quarterfinal contest against Slovakia .. dressed for the semifinal game against Team USA, but didn't see playing action .. didn't take part in the bronze-medal game against Czech Republic either.

Scouting: a good skater with a fluid stride and good quickness .. his agility hasn't come all the way yet .. a good wrist shot with a fast release .. should use his slap shot more .. returns back to his own zone, but should mark his man and block the passing lanes more determination .. decent passing skills .. a solid asset to both powerplay and penalty killing units .. a late '87 born forward .. served as a solid role player for most of the time he played at the tournament.