VSN Presents: S76 World Juniors Tournament Preview

[fromtheinside 1,290]

 

It's that time of year again where nations from all over the world come together and showcase the future of our cherished game in the annual World Junior Championship. In what has become a much anticipated yearly tradition, 5 teams have been assembled to goto battle to determine which region reigns supreme. Last year's tournament saw Team World top Team Europe in the Gold Medal game by a score of 5-2, meanwhile Team Canada won the battle of North America and took home the bronze after triumphing over the uber-confident Team USA. Team World will be looking to defend their title, while teams like Canada and Team Asia are hoping to make improvements over past years of disappointment. Who is the powerhouse of the tournament this time around? Who is a longshot? Without further ado, let's dive into the rosters and answer all those questions on the minds of the VHL fans. 

 

  

TEAM WORLD

GM: @Bobo
Odds: 15-1

 

The defending champs are looking to go back-to-back, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Team Canada did so in S71 and S72. Team World features three returning players. Among them is defenseman Clinton Giftopoulos who will be relied upon for heavy minutes on the blueline, along with wingers Lenny Sanderson and Peter Louis II who will likely man the wings on the top line. Another fascinating thing to watch will be the emergence of the grassroots hockey programs in Greenland starting pay off dividends. There's been a eyepopping trend of young talent developing in the tiny "country" of Greenland, and this year will showcase two promising rookies from the region, Asher and Reylynn Reinhart are the first of about 20 Reinhart family members looking to make their impact in the hockey scene. After coming up just short in the Founder's Cup finals this past week, the two will look to rebound in the World Juniors before they head to the VHL Entry draft in a couple of weeks to see where their futures lie. In between the pipes might be Team World's biggest deficiency, but we will see if Barry Taffe is up to the task, as he has proven to be a very capable during his time in the VHLM.

 

 

      

TEAM EUROPE

GM: @PatrikLaine

Odds: 4-1

 

Coming off the heels of a soul-crushing defeat in last year's Gold Medal Game to the aforementioned Team World, Europe is back and seem poised to get back into the finals to redeem themselves. Three players are back from last year, and perhaps the most important is goaltender Aksu Maronen. While Maronen served as a backup in the last season's tournament and saw next to no action, he is back on this year's squad and will be tasked with being the starting goalie. Maronen is one of the highest rated tenders in the tournament and could be a real difference maker for Team Europe. In front of him will be arguably the best 4 man d-core in the tournament, led by returnee Battre Sandstrom. Three quarters of the Europe's defense graduated out of the tournament, yet they are stronger than ever with the likes of Kristof Welch  and Tom Eagles joining the squad. This is a testament to Europe's excellent player development. Up front the Europeans feature a bevy of talented recreates who have all experienced the drama and intensity of hockey on the international stage. With the likes of Paul Atreides, Duncan Idaho, and Gunnar Odinsson just to name a few, Europe features an impressive star-studded cast of players and are my pick to win the tournament. In my eyes, the EU are undoubtedly the team beat.

 

TEAM ASIA

GM: @KaleebtheMighty

Odds: 7-1

 

Team Asia comes into this year's tournament with something to prove.  Perennial underachievers, Asia has found themselves on the outside looking in more often than not in recent memory.  That being said, I think this tournament could finally be the year Asia breaks through and potentially shocks the hockey world.  While I think they could have their hands full with the likes of Europe, I can see them being competitive in any and all matchups.  Asia's offense can keep up with anyone with the likes of Frank Funk Jr  and Maksim Yakolevsky leading a very potent offensive core of players. Where Asia may falter is in their own end, where they are a little thin on defense. They will really need to heavily rely on Javad Kamkar to continue his excellence he displayed for Houston in the VHLM this past season. Speaking of Houston, netminder Trent Gibson will be taking the reigns for Asia, and he will need to regroup after getting absolutely shelled in the VHLM Finals this past week. If Asia can keep up the offensive pressure, and keep the puck out of their own end, they have a fighting chance. They are a good pick to be a dark-horse in  this tournament and I am excited to see how they perform.

 

TEAM CANADA

GM: @domg5

Odds: 12-1

 

Team Canada is coming off of a hard-earned bronze-medal performance from last tournament. Gritty forward Dominic Gobeil has moved from the ice to the press box as he was named GM for Canada this year. While the job is a prestigious one,  it also comes with a ton of pressure and expectations. Canadian hockey fans are hungry for gold, and it's been about 5 or 6 seasons since they were champions. Canada will be in tough this tournament and only feature one returning player, Hulk Hogan Jr.  Hogan Jr leads the team on defense, but will have a good supporting cast with him with VHL pros such as Kevin Wu and Silas LeFriend. Like Team World, Canada doesn't have very experienced goalies, but the duo of Tater Tot and ClapbombsRUs will battle it out for the starting goalie job. Phoenix Dawson will be leading the way offensively while Canada will hope Brendan Telker's 115 point campaign in the VHLM regular season carries over onto the international stage. Canada has a competitive roster through and through, and while they aren't the best in any category, they aren't the worst in any either. If the team can form some chemistry in camp and during the round robin, they could easily be a team to watch in the medal rounds.

 

 

 

TEAM USA

GM: @Hex Universe

Odds: 10-1

 

Wrapping up our team previews is none other than the bronze medalist runner-ups from last year, Team USA. If they gave out gold medals for shit-talking, last season's Team USA would have been a slam dunk      to come away with their heads held high. Sadly though, after all the trash talk came to an end, it was Canada defeating USA in the bronze medal game. The lead-up to this seasons tournament has been noticeably more reserved from the talent south of the border, and perhaps it will work out for the best! The States feature undoubtedly the best offensive firepower in the tourney with right-wing phenom Red Lite leading the way. The Webber brothers  will look to find some success after a disappointing Founder's Cup finals this past week. Hopefully they can find some success before parting ways as they will be going to different teams in the European Conference next season in the VHL.  On the blueline, USA boasts very serviceable options such as Bob Tristian  and Tee Pee E II, both of whom should be reliable options both offensively and defensively.  In net the Americans have a two-headed monster in the form of Matthew Sovick Jr and Michael Olson. Either of these goalies could be regarded as high-end options for this tournament, so to have two great options is a nice added bonus. Team USA is always a threat with their overpowered offense, but will they be able to break through the defensive-heavy teams like Team Canada and Team World? 

 

That wraps up the preview of our yearly World Juniors tournament. This year seems to be almost anyone's ballgame and it should be fun to watch these youngsters duke it out for international supremacy.  That's it for now, but be sure to check back after the Round Robin is over for more VSN coverage of the tournament. Enjoy the competition everyone!

[Laine 1,361]

GO EUROPE BABY! Great work as always @fromtheinside!

Edited March 7, 2021 by PatrikLaine

[KaleebtheMighty 1,539]

Dark horse... I like it!!