2024 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Division II

[SoundAndFury]

Since D2B started today, high time to make a thread. D2A is in a month, so might as well use the same thread I suppose.

EP doesn't have the rosters for the tournament even with the game being played as I write so I'm as flabbergasted as the next guy.

The tournament is being streamed on this channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FEDHieloTV

Click to read more...

 

[Albatros]

Rosters: IIHF - Teams 2024 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Division II, Group B

 

[SoundAndFury]

EP also started adding them, by now they have 5/6 teams.

 

[ozo]

2B is too low of a level to think about it seriously, but China winning against Australia with Australians having so many players abroad at whatever level is sort of surprising.

 

[SoundAndFury]

To be fair, China, to my surprise, has won every official U18 game against Australia they have played.

Israel is the real wild card in my opinion because even though they just got promoted to this level it's hard to see them going down with 9 NA-based players on the roster. While they lost the first game, a wild 6-7 against Bulgaria, they did outplay them.

 

[Albatros]

If it's anything else than Spain vs. China for promotion and Taiwan vs. Australia for relegation I'll be surprised. Spain and Taiwan really.

 

[Albatros]

Israel took an early two-goal lead but after that Australia already checking out of the relegation race with seven unanswered goals in less than half an hour of hockey. Jed Lake with a hat-trick already in the first period.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Israel's goaltending appears to be pretty shocking.

 

[Albatros]

That was quite something, 12:4 for Australia in the end. Didn't really foresee them dominating the scoreboard like that in Division II.

 

[MeHateHe]

If it's anything else than Spain vs. China for promotion and Taiwan vs. Australia for relegation I'll be surprised. Spain and Taiwan really.

And then Spain goes out to a 3-0 lead against Bulgaria after 10 minutes, runs it up to 4-1 through 2 periods before giving up two goals in the last six minutes and loses 5-4 in overtime. Who do they think they are, the Canucks?

 

[Albatros]

The Bulgarians since recently have co-operation with youth teams in Germany to complement their own somewhat sketchy program, it's clearly paying off. Basically they play junior hockey in Germany and attend Bulgarian school online. At least Stanimirov has a legit chance of becoming a pro, the best player in this tournament.

 

[SoundAndFury]

The Bulgarians since recently have co-operation with youth teams in Germany to complement their own somewhat sketchy program, it's clearly paying off.

Well they still get outplayed by relegation-facing Israel but other than that, yes.

 

[Albatros]

Well they still get outplayed by relegation-facing Israel but other than that, yes.

It's little more than one line that they have, but we just saw with Thailand in the men's division how far that can go. And when you win in the end it doesn't really matter how that comes to be. Besides Israel losing to Taiwan in the final game I can't see even after the Australia debacle.

 

[Albatros]

Taiwan took an early lead against Bulgaria, only to be trailing 29 seconds later...

Final score as expected 8:2 for Bulgaria, shots on goal actually 33 each but Taiwan just not dangerous enough.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Taiwan is winning against Australia 4-0 after two. If it stays this way Israel would need to win by at least 4 goals in the final game to save themselves. Every Taiwanese goal in the 3rd today would make this situation even worse, every Australian goal slightly better.

 

[Albatros]

Nice effort today so far, they're not a bad skating team even if in other regards they have severe weaknesses.

 

[SoundAndFury]

And it's 4-4

 

[Albatros]

Well-deserved last-second OT winner for Taiwan. Australia as good as saved from relegation with the loser point though.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Well-deserved last-second OT winner for Taiwan. Australia as good as saved from relegation with the loser point though.

Let's be real, Australia was never in danger of relegation with their goal differential. The only semi-realistic scenario to get them relegated was Israel getting a point against Spain.

 

[Albatros]

Spain really dropped the ball against Bulgaria already, remains to be seen how convincing they are tonight.

No mistakes from them this time. So on Saturday a promotion final between Spain and China and a relegation final between Israel and Taiwan.

The Israelis gooning it up which could lead to suspensions still.

 

[Eye of Ra]

At least Stanimirov has a legit chance of becoming a pro, the best player in this tournament.

better than Michael Levin ?

 

[Albatros]

better than Michael Levin ?

He never played in U18, Zitserman is a small fish in a tiny pond here but I don't think he's all that talented besides better junior experience.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Curious about the top four scorers for Bulgaria since all but Kozhuharov are eligible to play again next year.

Any chance they are playing in the more competitive junior leagues in Europe next season? (i.e. Czech Republic, Sweden, MHL, Finland).

Tough to get a read on their numbers playing in their current leagues.

 

[Albatros]

In Sebastian Becker they've had an active fixer in Germany, I don't think they have comparable ties to those countries if not through coach Ceperko in Czechia somehow.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Any chance they are playing in the more competitive junior leagues in Europe next season? (i.e. Czech Republic, Sweden, MHL, Finland).

Certainly MHL or better Swedish programs are very unlikely but some weaker programs in some weaker countries is a maybe, especially considering what Albatros mentioned.