WC: Prague/Ostrava 2015 - Your predictions

[tmlmatus]

Depending on how our goalie plays this tournament I think Slovakia can do well. I'm hoping for 4th or 5th place finish.

As for the standings

Russia
Canada
Finland

 

[kk87]

1. Slovakia
2. Czech Republic
3. Russia

Wow...brutal list

Gold: Canada
Silver: Russia
Bronze: Sweden

 

[BB88]

1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Russia

Finland has solid team, not a superstar/all star team, still enough skill to get medal, even gold... Sweden has always solid and skilled team, no matter what tournament is going on and success will be almost certain, medal position is what i wait from them... Russia, always tough nut to crack, load of skilled players in team and only question will be if they have what it takes to play as team.

Czech could be added top 3 too but usually country that host games has huge pressures at their team...

I see Canada as good too, but at this stage i would rank them at spot #4 but who knows (Canada is always opponent that can change outcome of any tournament).

Usa will be really big question mark, success at this tournament is not guaranteed at any scale, can perform with skilled team but has usually problems with winning games.

Slovakia And Switzerland will add true challenge in tournament, at their best day can win so i would rank them places between 4-7

It will be very fun to see outcome of this tournament, did my crystal ball work or not with results

Gold with our D really? It would need an miracle which I hope happens but look at it, and then the other top teams.

 

[RorschachWJK]

1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Russia

Finland has solid team, not a superstar/all star team, still enough skill to get medal, even gold... Sweden has always solid and skilled team, no matter what tournament is going on and success will be almost certain, medal position is what i wait from them... Russia, always tough nut to crack, load of skilled players in team and only question will be if they have what it takes to play as team.

Czech could be added top 3 too but usually country that host games has huge pressures at their team...

I see Canada as good too, but at this stage i would rank them at spot #4 but who knows (Canada is always opponent that can change outcome of any tournament).

Usa will be really big question mark, success at this tournament is not guaranteed at any scale, can perform with skilled team but has usually problems with winning games.

Slovakia And Switzerland will add true challenge in tournament, at their best day can win so i would rank them places between 4-7

It will be very fun to see outcome of this tournament, did my crystal ball work or not with results

A medal perhaps if Rinne plays better than he has the last couple months. This isn't a very strong team. With our narrow talent pool, we can't really afford to miss as many top players as we are missing now.

 

[Coudyno1]

1. Czech Republic
2. Russia
3. Canada
4. Finland

 

[m4tt145]

1. Russia
2. Canada
3. Finland

 

[Hemsky001]

1. Czech Republic
2. Finland
3. Canada
4. Sweden

 

[swissexpert]

Winner: Canada
Runner Up: Russia

Surprise in a positive way: USA
Surprise in a negative way: Finland

 

[Urbanskog]

1. Finland
2. Canada
3. Russia
4. Czech Republic

 

[swissexpert]

Why does everyone have Finland in their top but not Sweden?

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

Shouldn't there be a poll here?

 

[FiLe]

Why does everyone have Finland in their top but not Sweden?

My guess: Finland has Rinne.

 

[tony d]

Sweden
Canada
Russia

 

[ahtikullervo]

1. Finland
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. USA

 

[BB88]

My guess: Finland has Rinne.

Yes, but 1 guy can't save our D. Too much talent on other top teams.

 

[Faterson]

1. Slovakia
2. Czech Republic
3. Russia

Austria and Denmark will be relegated.

I agree, except that those medal rankings aren't really our "predictions" but our wishes. It's unlikely for Slovakia to win a medal, much less gold, but I'd be a bad fan if I didn't believe it was possible. Therefore, I also "predict" gold for Slovakia, and a final against the Czechs would be a dream come true (much like those Sweden vs. Finland finals). However, Slovakia is capable of collapsing totally as well, like in Sochi, so you never know.

 

[Babula]

Winner: Canada
Runner Up: Russia

Surprise in a positive way: USA
Surprise in a negative way: Finland

this

 

[Ghost Bear]

Winner: Canada
Runner Up: Russia

Surprise in a positive way: USA
Surprise in a negative way: Finland

I think this is pretty accurate. Finland has lost openers in the past, but yesterday they didn't even bother to show up.

 

[swissexpert]

Winner: Canada
Runner Up: Russia

Surprise in a positive way: USA
Surprise in a negative way: Finland

And the lotto numbers next week are 5-24-7...

 

[Sprague Cleghorn]

Anyone not having Sweden in 1-4 can not be taken serious.

Sweden has only missed semifinal ONE time in 20 years...no matter how terrible our team on the paper is.

Oops.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Glad my predictions were off.

Good to see a Team Canada with Will + Skill this year. Can't win this thing if you are not committed to it no matter what skill you bring...you need the will to win.

Great tournament. Prague and Ostrava tremendous hosts...almost makes me want to attend another World Championship. Not enough though to attend next year in Moscow/St. Petersburg. I'll take a pass on that one. but I may make the Paris trip.

 

[ronnyweed]

Winner: Canada
Runner Up: Russia

Surprise in a positive way: USA
Surprise in a negative way: Finland

Looks like the only good prediction in the whole thread, way to go

 

[Stats01]

Glad my predictions were off.

Good to see a Team Canada with Will + Skill this year. Can't win this thing if you are not committed to it no matter what skill you bring...you need the will to win.

Great tournament. Prague and Ostrava tremendous hosts...almost makes me want to attend another World Championship. Not enough though to attend next year in Moscow/St. Petersburg. I'll take a pass on that one. but I may make the Paris trip.

With the economy in Russia being as it is, might actually be a perfect time to go, but if you don't have enough what can you do.

 

[1Gold Standard]

With the economy in Russia being as it is, might actually be a perfect time to go, but if you don't have enough what can you do.

not enough motivation to go to Russia when I don't have to. I used to live there for 7 years, in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. I'd recommend anybody who has never been to St. Petersburg to go though.

 

[Urbanskog]

not enough motivation to go to Russia when I don't have to. I used to live there for 7 years, in both Moscow and St. Petersburg. I'd recommend anybody who has never been to St. Petersburg to go though.

I expect the atmosphere to be awful in the next year's WHC. I also don't know why did they pick Yubileyny for the venue in St. Petersburg, seems to be the venue with lowest capacity to host the tournament since 2006, when the tournament was hosted in Riga.