WC: 2023 IIHF World Championship Division I

[Albatros]

At least early on they're not very defensive although they could afford to lose this by a couple of goals.

 

[hockey20000]

poland hockey has improved? they just came up a division and in 1st place in division 1a now?

 

[PanniniClaus]

21 f'ing years been waiting for this, more than half my life lol! Even though there is a bit of an asterisk of no Belarus, no Russia, still this is a huge success for Polish hockey. Going forward this next year up until the 2024 tournament, marketing has to be cranked up to 1000% and promote this sport and upcoming tournament.

Congratulations... I am 48 and have been watching the Worlds since TSN started airing it so we are talking early 90's... I did not think that when Poland were relegated that it would take this long to return but perhaps I just didn't see the decline that was already underway. As it is, they need to still put more into the game there... ole Johnny Murray isn't going to last forever,

Who was the last drafted Polish player? Was it Marcin Kolusz?

 

[Albatros]

poland hockey has improved? they just came up a division and in 1st place in division 1a now?

Sometimes the mess has been more off the ice than on it, I wouldn't say there's been a giant leap in any particular direction.

 

[legionista]

poland hockey has improved? they just came up a division and in 1st place in division 1a now?

I'm not sure if it's improved, I think the domestic league level has improved some as more foreign players have come in to compete and the raise the level of play, and of course CHL participation has helped. More Polish players are going to foreign clubs, at least the younger ones, but at same time older/more experienced ones are coming back.
Poland has also benefited from Belarus and Russia not competing, therefore making Div. 1A this year less competitive and easier to advance.
One bright spot are the younger players who are playing in Czechia and Slovakia, even though our junior national teams are not great, there is talent there that can supply the senior team in new few years.

 

[PanniniClaus]

youtube stream of lithunaia vs korea for anyone who wants to see.

Watching - thanks... 14 for Lithuania looks super nervous.. hasn't made a play yet.

 

[ozo]

Cizas hits the post when he really needed to score. Hopefully this doesn't end up costing Lithuania.

 

[Hanji]

Korean #13 has been injured for good in the previous game, looks like, so they are really missing A LOT of important players.

Who? Other than Won-Jun Kim and Jong Min Lee, all their top guys are playing.

Korea's problem is their important players are all aging fast and the younger generations are really bad.

 

[jonas2244]

So if LTU would win in regulation, it would be goal difference out of the 3 games between LTU, KOR and ROU? Or overall goal difference?

 

[SoundAndFury]

poland hockey has improved? they just came up a division and in 1st place in division 1a now?

I'd say there are 3 factors at play:

1) The most important one, Poles are riding the perfect timing of their veterans still playing (Kolusz, Murray, Pasiut, Dziubinski are all 34+, and almost the entire defense is over 30 too) while their young guys are starting to reach their peak (Pas, Jeziorski, Walega, Lyszczarczyk, Zygmunt).
2) The level has marginally improved, especially if you account for Chmielewski as well. When Wronka signed with Znojmo back in the day it was seen as a very positive sign but the current new generation, especially Czech-based players have far overtaken him.
3) The fact that they have been in 1B is a freak accident more than an indication of their level. When they got relegated in 2018 1A was really extremely strong, very even division. They were the weakest team and as I mentioned, their young generation basically still played junior hockey at the time. They might be back to the same level as current veterans retire. However, them not winning back the promotion in 2019 was just ridiculous. Insert covid year and then an additional year in 1B and here we go, they are back to 1A as a promotion contender.

 

[ozo]

I know this doesn't really work like that entirely, but just look at Korea at youth level below - you can't expect your team to be a mainstay at 1A level with youth that performs like that. They got the buff from naturalization, and now they will tumble back to their rightful place in grand scheme of things.

 

[Albatros]

So if LTU would win in regulation, it would be goal difference out of the 3 games between LTU, KOR and ROU? Or overall goal difference?

Three-way tie, so Korea can afford to lose by 4 goals, or by 5 if they score at least one themselves.

 

[SoundAndFury]

So if LTU would win in regulation, it would be goal difference out of the 3 games between LTU, KOR and ROU? Or overall goal difference?

Difference in games between those team, we would stay up with relegation win.

Who? Other than Won-Jun Kim and Jong Min Lee, all their top guys are playing.

I will just blatantly copy their names from eliteprospects but here we go:

Young Jun Lee, Won-Jun Kim, Chongmin Lee, Jong Min Lee. I'd say for a team like Korea missing 4 of their top forwards has to be pretty rough.

They got the buff from naturalization, and now they will tumble back to their rightful place in grand scheme of things.

Funny enough they probably managed to hold onto the 1A spot through the worst of it, their U20s and U18s are doing a lot better recently. This 2018-2026 or so period will probably be the worst for them. And well, whenever Dalton retires I don't know how are they gonna survive that, might as well disband the team

 

[PanniniClaus]

14 gets beat wide but the goal is entirely on Mantilis. Awful

 

[SoundAndFury]

I mean I will say it, Armalis stinks this year. Which is weird since this was the best club season in his career.

 

[Albatros]

Nice dive from Cizas there.

 

[BMann]

I'm not sure if it's improved, I think the domestic league level has improved some as more foreign players have come in to compete and the raise the level of play, and of course CHL participation has helped. More Polish players are going to foreign clubs, at least the younger ones, but at same time older/more experienced ones are coming back.
Poland has also benefited from Belarus and Russia not competing, therefore making Div. 1A this year less competitive and easier to advance.
One bright spot are the younger players who are playing in Czechia and Slovakia, even though our junior national teams are not great, there is talent there that can supply the senior team in new few years.

Are there more rinks now ? More junior teams all over Poland rather than just in the traditional southern heartland ie Sosnowiec, Nowy Targ, Krakow and Warsaw.

I know there's been a new arena built in Gdansk for instance. Still cannot see any progress in the u18's in number and quality. This will be a slow burn. More kids, better coaching and more facilities.

Fingers crossed GB can also cross the line tonight. Currently 1-1 Lithuania v Korea. Lithuania coming from behind. Dumjcius looks promising. They also have three other kids in the Swiss system at a high level who really impressed in the u18s.

​

 

[SoundAndFury]

Well, a tie going into 3rd is not the best but the worst. But whoever gets relegated deserves it, all 3 teams are terrible All have big players missing so can't even cry about that.

 

[Albatros]

I know there's been a new arena built in Gdansk for instance.

No, it's still Hala Olivia.

 

[aquaregia]

G'wan Lithuania, shipping that goal from literally a negative angle seconds into the period must have been a heart-sinker, but for now they're still alive.

Relegation here's probably going to be a fairly serious punishment for the short-term, coming into a D1B with a solid looking Ukraine and the much-debated Chinese.

 

[hockey20000]

G'wan Lithuania, shipping that goal from literally a negative angle seconds into the period must have been a heart-sinker, but for now they're still alive.

Relegation here's probably going to be a fairly serious punishment for the short-term, coming into a D1B with a solid looking Ukraine and the much-debated Chinese.

much debated chinese?

 

[Old Man Jags]

Pleased for our Polish neighbours, congratulations! Nice also to see a fair few promising players playing in our country (Czech Republic).

 

[aquaregia]

much debated chinese?

well, as in whether they're actually any good or not
As far as the team with the KHL imports has looked at least, they seem to have quite a high ceiling but also a low floor with respect to the rest of D1B, and of course it remains to be seen once again how many of said imports will be back next year, or if they simply no longer fancy it after their loss to Japan and the debacle v Netherlands.
I think on a good day they could be a match for Lithuania Romania or Korea R., just no guarantee that they actually will come 2024.

 

[SoundAndFury]

G'wan Lithuania, shipping that goal from literally a negative angle seconds into the period must have been a heart-sinker, but for now they're still alive.

It's 1 goal on 30 shots at this point, so to be honest I'm not complaining. I might have done it before but now I'm not

 

[Albatros]

What an awfully stupid penalty to take.