U18: Team Norway 2023 U18 WJC roster talk

[Jumpy]

Team Norway pre-camp roster, going to be slimmed down to 23 players for the tourney. Brandsegg-Nygaard is out for surgery, presumably the top prospect of this age-group along with Stian Solberg. Andreas Fatland (G - 188 cm) could be an interesting addition. Nine players from Vålerenga. Not sure why Christpher Lie D is still not in. A good handfull of kids with points from Nowegian Fjordkraftligaen. Most notable offensive contributors in Nygaards absence could be Elias Vatne (Färjestad), Felix Granath (Frölunda), Liam Særte (Lillehammer) and Iver Wick Karlsen (Stavanger). They will play two friendlies against a solid Norway U19. Not sure what to expect, but with top goal-tending and good contribution from the string of players who have been doing very well in the (undervalued?) Norwegian U20 elite level it might be interesting. Team management looks the same. Not the best generation on paper maybe, but never say never. Many players have been playing or at least practicing with adults at a fairly high level (Fjordkraftligaen), and that might be of help. Expect Switzerland at home, USA and Finland to be a couple of sizes too large, so big game will be against Latvia on the 24th.

Marius Bjørnsgaard
IHK Stavanger
IHK Stavanger
Marcus Dehn
Frisk Asker
Jutul
Andreas Fatland
Ontario HA
IHK Stavanger
Martin Lundberg
Storhamar
Storhamar

Backer​

Navn
Klubb
Moderklubb
Felix Haugen Amundsen
Manglerud Star
Manglerud Star
Even Herseth Christiansen
Storhamar
Storhamar
Philip Mønnich Hagen
Stavanger Oilers
IHK Stavanger
Ludvig Lafton
Frisk Asker
Holmen
Lucas Ondrcka
Lillehammer
Frisk Asker
Bastien Semmerud-Garcia
Vålerenga
Vålerenga
Stian Solberg
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Michael Sigvart Støen
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Peder Øversveen
Lillehammer
Lillehammer

Løpere​

Navn
Klubb
Moderklubb
Alieu Modahl Bah
Brynäs
Grüner
Herman Boger
Vålerenga
Ski
Mathias Dehli
Lørenskog
Lørenskog
Casper Haugen Evensen
Vålerenga
Vålerenga
Felix Granath
Frölunda
Holmen
Ole Indergaard
Storhamar
Leangen
Iver Wick Karlsen
IHK Stavanger
Viking
Amandus Klungtveit
IHK Stavanger
IHK Stavanger
Oliver Langland
Vålerenga
Grüner
Jørgen Myhre
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Axel Sandnes
Storhamar
Storhamar
Alex Sjøthun
Vålerenga
Ringerike
Theodor Skjellum-Kokkim
Vålerenga
Lørenskog
Liam Sætre
Lillehammer
Kongsvinger
Elias Vatne
Färjestad
Bergen

Click to read more...

 

[Jumpy]

Not exactly on fire this Norwegain thread, but will try to put the tourney in a historical context: Last time Norway was in the top tier at IIHF U18 we went straight down again and stayed there. The young team from 2010 / 2011 ended up with supplying the Norwegain league with quite a good pool for solid club-players and also internationals. GK Söberg got drafted after an impressive 93 % svs in the tournament, but found himself in a basement in the Canadian countryside, missed Oslo and dropped out of his NA opportunties. Had a long good career at Vålerenga that ended last year. Lilleberg is assistant captain at Rögle SHL, Trettenes in Liiga and Markus Søberg, Karterud, Salsten have caps for Norway. Trettenes and Karterud are playing Finland in the warm ups for WC this week-end.
It was obviously not sufficient to stay up with a stand-out GK and some good top players last time. This time the goal-keeping is a bigger questionmark, and the top guys seem to be either injured (Brandsegg Nygaard & Lie) or below the radar. Solberg as an exeption. Once again we have the shortest and one of the lighest rosters in the this tourney, but this time we are not the youngest. Age matters, as older teams seem to be doing better in this tourney. Size too, and not sure why we consistently produce undersized hockeyplayers and oversized footballplayers (Haaland for one)
There have been changes to the management past years, and I put my hopes there. Don't know the other teams fighting to avoid relegation that well, but from reading posts and looking at the rosters, Latvia and Germany don't seem to have team of the ages either. Speaking of a team for the ages, a big test this week-end for Norway against a very good Norway U19 that got promoted to the WJC before Christmas. Norway has for the first time in a very long time (if ever) with U18, U20 and A team in the A pool. May it last another month or two!

 

[Jumpy]

Link to Norway u18 vs Norway u19 for the particulary interested ones: https://play.tv2.no/mygame/mygame/norge-norge-1855138.html
No idea where it can be streamed from, but maybe with a VPN and a subcribtion it could work.
Norway U19 with a little string of late defaults it seems, most notably Steen and Vesterheim who have joined the A team camp.
Game stats can be followed live here: ISHOCKEY LIVE

 

[Eye of Ra]

Not exactly on fire this Norwegain thread, but will try to put the tourney in a historical context: Last time Norway was in the top tier at IIHF U18 we went straight down again and stayed there. The young team from 2010 / 2011 ended up with supplying the Norwegain league with quite a good pool for solid club-players and also internationals. GK Söberg got drafted after an impressive 93 % svs in the tournament, but found himself in a basement in the Canadian countryside, missed Oslo and dropped out of his NA opportunties. Had a long good career at Vålerenga that ended last year. Lilleberg is assistant captain at Rögle SHL, Trettenes in Liiga and Markus Søberg, Karterud, Salsten have caps for Norway. Trettenes and Karterud are playing Finland in the warm ups for WC this week-end.
It was obviously not sufficient to stay up with a stand-out GK and some good top players last time. This time the goal-keeping is a bigger questionmark, and the top guys seem to be either injured (Brandsegg Nygaard & Lie) or below the radar. Solberg as an exeption. Once again we have the shortest and one of the lighest rosters in the this tourney, but this time we are not the youngest. Age matters, as older teams seem to be doing better in this tourney. Size too, and not sure why we consistently produce undersized hockeyplayers and oversized footballplayers (Haaland for one)
There have been changes to the management past years, and I put my hopes there. Don't know the other teams fighting to avoid relegation that well, but from reading posts and looking at the rosters, Latvia and Germany don't seem to have team of the ages either. Speaking of a team for the ages, a big test this week-end for Norway against a very good Norway U19 that got promoted to the WJC before Christmas. Norway has for the first time in a very long time (if ever) with U18, U20 and A team in the A pool. May it last another month or two!

Its Lesund who plays for Rögle. Lilleberg plays for Oskarshamn.

 

[Jumpy]

Its Lesund who plays for Rögle. Lilleberg plays for Oskarshamn.

Yes, that's right. Norway U18 beat their Norway U19 sparringpartners 4-2. New game tomorrow.

 

[Jumpy]

Norwegain final roster:

GK​

Name
Club
Parent club
Marius Bjørnsgaard
IHK Stavanger
IHK Stavanger
Andreas Fatland
Ontario HA
Stavanger
Martin Lundberg
Storhamar
Storhamar

Defenders​

Navn
Klubb
Moderklubb
Felix Haugen Amundsen
Manglerud Star
Manglerud Star
Philip Mønnich Hagen
Stavanger Oilers
IHK Stavanger
Ludvig Lafton
Frisk Asker
Holmen
Bastien Semmerud-Garcia
Vålerenga
Vålerenga
Stian Solberg
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Michael Sigvart Støen
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Peder Øversveen
Lillehammer
Lillehammer

Forwards​

Name
Club
Parent club
Alieu Modahl Bah
Brynäs
Grüner
Herman Boger
Vålerenga
Ski
Casper Haugen Evensen
Vålerenga
Vålerenga
Felix Granath
Frölunda
Holmen
Ole Indergaard
Storhamar
Leangen
Iver Wick Karlsen
IHK Stavanger
Viking
Amandus Klungtveit
IHK Stavanger
IHK Stavanger
Oliver Langland
Vålerenga
Grüner
Jørgen Myhre
Vålerenga
Hasle-Løren
Axel Sandnes
Storhamar
Storhamar
Alex Sjøthun
Vålerenga
Ringerike
Liam Sætre
Lillehammer
Kongsvinger
Elias Vatne
Färjestad
Bergen

23 players from 14 different parent-clubs is a good sign that Norwegain hockey is spreading out a bit. Only four players playing outside Norway. Could be an acid test for the Norwegian junior-system where the top five U20 teams made up an elite division for the second half of the season. 16 of the remaining 9 players saw most of their ice-time in that division, with many tight games. Bjørnsgaard is likely to start in goal, and Karlsen, Granath and Vatne is likely to make up the top line. Solberg is the only ranked player from this team I think.

 

[Jumpy]

When rosters down to final entry at Eliteprospect Norway is suddenly the fourth heaviest team. Not bad. Elite Prospects - U18 World Championship (WJC-18) Smells like metal (haha)

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I expect an impressive preformance out of Solberg. This is where he should establish himself as A top prospect for 2024.

This team could do some damage.

 

[Jumpy]

Finally something positive to write about from a Norwegian angle. 6-1 against Germany and an overall solid performance including goaltending and Ds, both sorely missed in the round robin.
Shots were 28 v 26 for Norway, so not as uneven as the result might tell, but Norway clearly the better and most energized team all through the game in my opinion. The tournament so far has been a bit dissapointing, both in lack of production, some not so great defending and poor goaltending. Small Norwegians have been clearly outforced by larger opponents against Finland and the USA, while the game against Swizerland (0-5) reportedly was more even than the result tells. In the Finland game there were clear signes of a spark and some positive play in the offence, but hard to keep it up when everything goes in in the other end. Against Latvia I think Norway was at least as good as them. Ds very good and GK as well, but despite some really good set-ups in PP and a miracle miss by Granath the last minutes it didn't materialize.
I have only watched Finland, Latvia and Germany games, but I kind of like the spark in this team. Vatne is the forward who is consistently impressing, despite being 2006. I like Lafton D (2006) but most of all Solberg (D) who has been a real physical presence. On the goaltending it has been either great (Latvia & Germany) or terrible. Can't tell much difference from Lundberg and Bjornsgaard, as they have been equally binary. The help from the defenders are a bit to blame, but the lack of a top first choice goaltender has maybe been the softest spot, along with the size issue. Question is if there are any bigger role-players in Norway who could compete at this level. I was kind of hopeful that Fatland (GK) should get some games as his stats were good in Norway and he has the size, but checked out his stats in Canada this season and maybe is more depth just yet as the commentators suggested.
Have been a bit surprised by the Norwegain program leadning up to this tournament, seemlingly on a budget - only playing a slimmed down Norway U19 for two games before flying to Switzerland one day prior to the start of the tournament. (Norway played first game day 2.) Other teams have proper season-long programmes or joined tournaments against matching A pool opposition. What sounded a bit refreshing probably came down to a very tough start at a level they haven't competed before.
Cross fingers for game two, and hope they stay grounded and realistic before next game. Germany held Sweden a long time, and the will probably up their game. Might have been some underestimation going on, being hard to adjust when you are down two early goals.

 

[Heia Norge]

Staying up after 3-2 win over Germany today
I didn't see this coming, I know from reports in media that Germany had a very weak team this year.
Still didn't expect us to beat them over a 3-game series.

 

[Jumpy]

Staying up after 3-2 win over Germany today
I didn't see this coming, I know from reports in media that Germany had a very weak team this year.
Still didn't expect us to beat them over a 3-game series.

Yeah, didn't see that coming, especially so convincingly. Clearly the better team both games. Germany a bigger team, but Norway more skilled. Think they had a nice progress through the tournament. Was a but sceptical to the camp and friendlies (or lack of thereof) going into the tournament, but everything forgotten now. Maybe it was a good choice to choose skills and production over size after all. Didn't work so well against USA and Finland, but they were not the games to win anyways. Goaltending improved greatly as well, with better defending. Historic that Norway actually managed to stay up. Good day for Norwegian hockey and the junior-system, with so many players in the Norwegian U20 league. Looking forward to WJC U20 next Christmas, where Norway actually could be a contender. (Check out Fjordens posts).

 

[Eye of Ra]

(Check out Fjordens posts).

Our mine...even i as a swede think Norway can gnab a medal in dec-jan. the other nations will be shocked how good that norway team will be.

Staying up after 3-2 win over Germany today
I didn't see this coming, I know from reports in media that Germany had a very weak team this year.
Still didn't expect us to beat them over a 3-game series.

Sweden in finals, Norway staying up. Nordic power

 

[Jumpy]

Our mine...even i as a swede think Norway can gnab a medal in dec-jan. the other nations will be shocked how good that norway team will be.


Sweden in finals, Norway staying up. Nordic power

2-0 before third. Really impressed by Sweden. And yes, Norway in the upcoming JWC has some unheard of depth from a Norwegian perspective. Playing almost at home as well, especially as most of team play in Sweden anyways.