GDT: U-18 WJC Day 5

[Antonglk]

i wouldn't call it great for both of them... despite the score all the team looked actually rather bad. i hope the czechs will wake them up tomorrow.

Russia is on the first place in group. Even if Russia lose the game tomorrow it will be on the first place. Same for Czech team. They will be forth. So tomorrow's game is just a training game for both teams.

 

[SoundAndFury]

He has contract with Dinamo Riga until 2015. MHL is on par with CHL, so why to move?

Because MHL is on par with CHL in your opinion. And since as far as I know you are not an NHL scout they see it much different. If he stayed he would risk being undrafted.

 

[Bure80]

Draisatl with 22:05 TOI, 1+4, +5 and 71.4% on draws today. Dare I say dominant effort..

German Gretzky
I have the feeling he will be a special player.

 

[Yakushev72]

Who is that lazy and slow player in white team wearing #27?

His talent is amazing for a player of his age, but he is going to have to abandon the pointless and meaningless direction in his play in the medal round, where he will likely have to face the US, Canada and/or Sweden in games that really count.

 

[Latgale_fan]

He has contract with Dinamo Riga until 2015. MHL is on par with CHL, so why to move?

I won't say anything bad about MHL since I share the same opinion that the league is very good but let's be realistic... Kulda, Jevpalovs, Lipsbergs and Rosinskis last year got the offers and all left HK Riga. The club itself (rather strangely but still) does let its players to opt out of the contracts and leave to CHL if they wish so. The players' main dream is still to play in NHL and get drafted, and since we in Latvia lack the domestically grown talent story, sorry to say but if Golovkovs receives an offer he'll most likely leave.

It's not about my personal opinion or the fact that I don't recognize MHL... It's just real life, how it happens here, in Latvia. The only player to refuse such a an opportunity was Roberts Bukarts, so maybe the younger brother will do the same. Then again Roberts' career hasn't developed that well (at least until the Cup of Hope, maybe he starts to shine next year), so we'll see.

But generally in Latvia you don't refuse CHL draft... that's how it is. Unless you're already drafted Girgensons who will play in AHL/NCAA or already drafted Blugers who will play NCAA.

 

[cska78]

I won't say anything bad about MHL since I share the same opinion that the league is very good but let's be realistic... Kulda, Jevpalovs, Lipsbergs and Rosinskis last year got the offers and all left HK Riga. The club itself (rather strangely but still) does let its players to opt out of the contracts and leave to CHL if they wish so. The players' main dream is still to play in NHL and get drafted, and since we in Latvia lack the domestically grown talent story, sorry to say but if Golovkovs receives an offer he'll most likely leave.

It's not about my personal opinion or the fact that I don't recognize MHL... It's just real life, how it happens here, in Latvia. The only player to refuse such a an opportunity was Roberts Bukarts, so maybe the younger brother will do the same. Then again Roberts' career hasn't developed that well (at least until the Cup of Hope, maybe he starts to shine next year), so we'll see.

But generally in Latvia you don't refuse CHL draft... that's how it is. Unless you're already drafted Girgensons who will play in AHL/NCAA or already drafted Blugers who will play NCAA.

but you don't deny that CHL is just a cute wrapper around the MHL with an insert lottery ticket to the NHL? A European player would usually benefit greatly from playing in familiar environment until mature.

 

[Jussi]

but you don't deny that CHL is just a cute wrapper around the MHL with an insert lottery ticket to the NHL? A European player would usually benefit greatly from playing in familiar environment until mature.

No, a European player would benefit greatly from playing in the best environment for him and that may not always be at home.

 

[Atas2000]

Desperate? Why? Tomorrow is absolutely irrelevant when it comes to the final standings in the group. Czechs cant go higher than 4th...and even if they could it´s not like a big prize is to be won by finishing 3rd. It´s probably still gonna be SWE or CAN or rather

Desperate because they lost all the important games and probably will push for some positive emotions to carry over to the next stage. Probably feels much better to close out the round robin with a win. And then there is the rivalry...

 

[cska78]

No, a European player would benefit greatly from playing in the best environment for him and that may not always be at home.

you must be great at paraphrasing stuff, cause that's pretty much exactly what I said, by implying that usually it's at home, which clearly means - NOT ALWAYS

 

[Latgale_fan]

but you don't deny that CHL is just a cute wrapper around the MHL with an insert lottery ticket to the NHL? A European player would usually benefit greatly from playing in familiar environment until mature.

In Latvia we don't really have experience of growing a talent by ourselves... the last one was probably Kārlis SkrastiņÅ¡ and his junior years were already 20 years ago. People fear that our coaches are not good enough to raise a talent to top class anymore... I personally don't hold that view, but in Latvia you really lack perspective and you're surrounded by laziness and mediocricy. In Russia if you are not that good then your U18 or U20 team (or KHL club) is always in front of you to remind what is the level you need to play to achieve something. In Latvia, as Bukarts said in an interview "some guys on the team are just happy to be in Sochi and play there''. That's probably why many people encourage Latvians to leave. True, now we play in MHL and have Dinamo Rīga so these guys can see what is the level of top prospects in Russia and how good you need to be to play in KHL, but I don't know if they themselves believe that they can grow up to be good players (for NHL) in Latvia.

On the other hand all the somewhat talented guys that went through CHL (Bārtulis, Karsums, Kulda, DaugaviņÅ¡) although played some time in NHL (or still play) did not amount to much there- I mean three of them were draften in 2-3rd round and have not really contributed as much as others draftes as high. Sprukts spent some time at home and in Finland before going to NHL, but he wasn't really such a big talent too, so it's hard to tell. I'd love to see Golovkovs and Bukarts develop in Dinamo Rīga system but I won't be too sad if they decide otherwise.

 

[Latgale_fan]

Returning to 2-10, well our team is not that good but it's made worse by the below mediocre goaltending... Also hard to say what made the coach pull the goalie after 2-4, but I hear that was some kind of minor injury and the coach didn't want to risk losing the guy in a meaningless game. I hope the guys play better vs Slovaks (mainly defense and goalie), we'll need all the extra effort we can muster.

 

[Jussi]

you must be great at paraphrasing stuff, cause that's pretty much exactly what I said, by implying that usually it's at home, which clearly means - NOT ALWAYS

It always sounds better when I say it.

 

[kp61c]

Russia is on the first place in group. Even if Russia lose the game tomorrow it will be on the first place. Same for Czech team. They will be forth. So tomorrow's game is just a training game for both teams.

Czechs can train all they want , the win over them will be no less sweet.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Bad news for TSN viewers, Craig Button is doing the game today which makes the broadcast pretty much un-watchable. Button wouldn't know hockey talent from a philly cheesesteak sandwich.

 

[helicecopter]

Bad news for TSN viewers, Craig Button is doing the game today which makes the broadcast pretty much un-watchable. Button wouldn't know hockey talent from a philly cheesesteak sandwich.

actually, judging by past lists, along these last 2 yrs Button has often been recognizing talent earlier than other consensus lists.
That's something that seems to contradict your statement.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

actually, judging by past lists, along these last 2 yrs Button has often been recognizing talent earlier than other consensus lists.
That's something that seems to contradict your statement.

It does not contradict anything. Button's recent lists have yet to be vindicated or disproven, since these players for the majority aren't established yet. Also comparing Button and his lists to other agencies is worthless ; the only rankings that matter are the rankings NHL teams have.

Button will have some misses and some hits. He's not bad at what he does, even though he gets caught up in rhetoric, feel good stories and rambling too much.

Judgements on a body of work are made when A) we have a large sample B) that body of work can be accurately assessed. Constantly amazed that HFboard members never seem to grasp either.

 

[1Gold Standard]

actually, judging by past lists, along these last 2 yrs Button has often been recognizing talent earlier than other consensus lists.
That's something that seems to contradict your statement.

Ya because successful NHL GMs and or Directors of Amateur Scouting for NHL teams aspire to jobs in broadcasting because that's where the real decisions are made. There's a reason why he is where he is and it's not because he likes wearing pancake makeup for the TV cameras.