WC: 2019 Division I, II, III

[SoundAndFury]

I saw people saying that Belarus and Latvia can't be relegated next year, why's that?

They are hosting WC in 2021.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Someone brought up a 300k salary for representing Korea. I guess the salary should be similar for all the other mercenaries, maybe even higher in some cases.

Kazakhstan had 5 imports this year. That's 1.5 million a year. How many youth programs can you finance with that sort of money? You can build a basic ice rink for 1.5-2M or pretty much cover all the yearly expenses of a couple of ice rinks.

So much money wasted on a bunch of foreigners.

In the Korean case it makes some sense due to a lack of hockey tradition, but I would be absolutely livid if I was a Belarusian or a Kazakhstani hockey fan.

Well in the case of Kazakhstan and Belarus it's the amount they would spend on a player anyway. It just so happens some of them agree to play for their NT too. Dietz, for example, said he left money on the table to stay at Barys and considering the season he's had I believe him. Same with Bochenski and Dawes, I think they could have left for more money (Dawes did, eventually).

Korea had to overpay Dalton to play there, other countries you mentioned usually don't need to pay above market prices, players just get more job security if they are tied to the national team.

 

[TomB]

Kazakhstan had 5 imports this year. That's 1.5 million a year. How many youth programs can you finance with that sort of money? You can build a basic ice rink for 1.5-2M or pretty much cover all the yearly expenses of a couple of ice rinks.

Not that all foreigners are created equal or make the same amount of money, but Kazakhstan had 12 imports this year. People like to bring up the Korean imports, but Kazakhstan's number seems far more ridiculous to me.

 

[Namejs]

Well in the case of Kazakhstan and Belarus it's the amount they would spend on a player anyway. It just so happens some of them agree to play for their NT too. Dietz, for example, said he left money on the table to stay at Barys and considering the season he's had I believe him. Same with Bochenski and Dawes, I think they could have left for more money (Dawes did, eventually).

Korea had to overpay Dalton to play there, other countries you mentioned usually don't need to pay above market prices, players just get more job security if they are tied to the national team.

Are you serious right now? With all due respect, having to spend 4 seasons in Kazakhstan or Belarus is somehow a bonus? Clearly, they must be paid extra. It's not like they're fringe KHLers or 35 years old when signing that first contract. What job security?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Are you serious right now? With all due respect, having to spend 4 seasons in Kazakhstan or Belarus is somehow a bonus? Clearly, they must be paid extra. It's not like they're fringe KHLers or 35 years old when signing that first contract. What job security?

First of all, it's 2 seasons.

Secondly, yes, playing in Minsk or Nur-Sultan (guess have to start getting used to this) is way better than most other KHL cities. I mean Dalton played in Nizhnekamsk for 2 years. Pretty much every other city anywhere with a pro hockey team is better than that. That's the team which has to pay extra. Khabarovsk has to pay extra. Khanty-Mansiysk definitely needed to pay extra. Not a team in 2 million population city a few hours drive away from the EU.

Regarding job security, can't you just figure out this one for yourself? The team gives you citizenship so you know for sure, for at least 2 years, you will be playing for that team in that country. No cuts after a bad stretch, no trades if the team doesn't make PO, no anything. For 2 years you are there for the amount of money agreed upon. And after those 2 years, that country will always be interested in you if you come for an affordable price (see Boyd or Linglet). I'm not even talking about someone like Dalton who basically had all the aces in his hand and could basically ask for anything within reason because him refusing to play for Korea for whatever reason would have been a tragedy. By accepting the citizenship he went from journeyman KHL goalie to best-paid superstar player for at least 4 years.

Žalgiris is spending 600k or something like that per year on Brandon Davies. If we asked him to play for our NT maybe he wouldn't, maybe he would. It wouldn't mean we paid him to play for our NT, we paid him because he's a damn good player. The same thing happens to, lets say, Henrik Karlsson. He probably didn't think he is going to end up on Kazakh NT eventually but here we are. Same thing with Dietz. Those guys didn't take the citizenship immediately after arrival (as is most often the case). They just legitimately played there long enough to become eligible and at that point, there isn't a lot of reasons not to do it.

 

[tony d]

Congrats to the Kazaks and Belarus on being promoted to the main tourney for next year.

 

[Uncle Rotter]

Not that all foreigners are created equal or make the same amount of money, but Kazakhstan had 12 imports this year. People like to bring up the Korean imports, but Kazakhstan's number seems far more ridiculous to me.

3 Canadians, 1 American, 1 Swede, 7 Russians.

 

[Namejs]

First of all, it's 2 seasons.

Secondly, yes, playing in Minsk or Nur-Sultan (guess have to start getting used to this) is way better than most other KHL cities. I mean Dalton played in Nizhnekamsk for 2 years. Pretty much every other city anywhere with a pro hockey team is better than that. That's the team which has to pay extra. Khabarovsk has to pay extra. Khanty-Mansiysk definitely needed to pay extra. Not a team in 2 million population city a few hours drive away from the EU.

Regarding job security, can't you just figure out this one for yourself? The team gives you citizenship so you know for sure, for at least 2 years, you will be playing for that team in that country. No cuts after a bad stretch, no trades if the team doesn't make PO, no anything. For 2 years you are there for the amount of money agreed upon. And after those 2 years, that country will always be interested in you if you come for an affordable price (see Boyd or Linglet). I'm not even talking about someone like Dalton who basically had all the aces in his hand and could basically ask for anything within reason because him refusing to play for Korea for whatever reason would have been a tragedy. By accepting the citizenship he went from journeyman KHL goalie to best-paid superstar player for at least 4 years.

Žalgiris is spending 600k or something like that per year on Brandon Davies. If we asked him to play for our NT maybe he wouldn't, maybe he would. It wouldn't mean we paid him to play for our NT, we paid him because he's a damn good player. The same thing happens to, lets say, Henrik Karlsson. He probably didn't think he is going to end up on Kazakh NT eventually but here we are. Same thing with Dietz. Those guys didn't take the citizenship immediately after arrival (as is most often the case). They just legitimately played there long enough to become eligible and at that point, there isn't a lot of reasons not to do it.

Playing in Minsk or Astana is definitely not better than most other KHL cities. And there's absolutely no reason to limit all options to the KHL either.

The point about job security makes no sense whatsoever. A recent NBA 'graduate' is able to sign pretty much anywhere. Signing in Belarus or Kazakhstan to play in the VTB league just to have a 2 or 4 year contract makes no sense if there is no major added financial incentive.

By default, if you're implying they're signing due to job security, it must also follow that in case they wouldn't have signed there, they would be experiencing a lack of job security, which is completely ludicrous. They could get signed in most KHL clubs or any European league.

 

[ozo]

Those guys didn't take the citizenship immediately after arrival (as is most often the case). They just legitimately played there long enough to become eligible and at that point, there isn't a lot of reasons not to do it.

I think you are wrong here as far as Barys is concerned. They are actually scouting for players that have never appeared for USA/Canada/Russia junior teams in past in order to fasttrack them to Kazakhstan national team and players are giving some sort of a "verbal ok to play'' for KZ national team before they sign with Barys. You can see what happened to Linden Vey, when he changed his mind with team Canada OG invite.

 

[Albatros]

I think Vey just wanted to get as far as possible from Canada and there was no clear plan other than that.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Playing in Minsk or Astana is definitely not better than most other KHL cities. And there's absolutely no reason to limit all options to the KHL either.

The point about job security makes no sense whatsoever. A recent NBA 'graduate' is able to sign pretty much anywhere. Signing in Belarus or Kazakhstan to play in the VTB league just to have a 2 or 4 year contract makes no sense if there is no major added financial incentive.

By default, if you're implying they're signing due to job security, it must also follow that in case they wouldn't have signed there, they would be experiencing a lack of job security, which is completely ludicrous. They could get signed in most KHL clubs or any European league.

I limited options to the KHL cities because everyone knows money in the KHL is better than in other European leagues. Playing in the KHL itself is a financial incentive. That's why players come to Russia and not Switzerland - money. Job security, however, is lacking as you can get released for a wide variety of reasons. If you are committed to playing in NT that's not going to happen. And yes, you can then get signed elsewhere for 25% less money. Or you can be Beau Bennett, not find anything fitting, and just sit out the season.

It only doesn't make sense to someone who was born yesterday. Or acts like it.

I think you are wrong here as far as Barys is concerned. They are actually scouting for players that have never appeared for USA/Canada/Russia junior teams in past in order to fasttrack them to Kazakhstan national team and players are giving some sort of a "verbal ok to play'' for KZ national team before they sign with Barys. You can see what happened to Linden Vey, when he changed his mind with team Canada OG invite.

It might apply to some players but obviously not ones like Frattin or Cormier. Doubt about their Swedes as well who have played for Sweden in the friendlies. I mean if you want a goalie for your NT Henrik Karlsson definitely doesn't seem like the safest option to go for. And considering their lack of recruitment of new players in general (for the NT) I doubt there is a special focus on it. There might have been during Dallman days.

 

[ZT]

It seems that next year we'll have a Division IV.
You can see it here: IIHF - Tournaments

 

[kaiser matias]

It seems that next year we'll have a Division IV.
You can see it here: IIHF - Tournaments

Finally going to drop the "Division III Qualification" name, which is just Div IIIB by a different name.

Though interested to see how this will work, what new teams are entering, if any.

 

[TomB]

Finally going to drop the "Division III Qualification" name, which is just Div IIIB by a different name.

Though interested to see how this will work, what new teams are entering, if any.

According to that link:

Division IIIA:

North Korea
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Luxembourg
Chinese Taipei
UAE

Division IIIB:

South Africa
Hong Kong
Thailand
Bosnia

Division IV:

Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Philippines

So two newcomers to the World Championship system.

 

[kaiser matias]

According to that link:

Division IIIA:

North Korea
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Luxembourg
Chinese Taipei
UAE

Division IIIB:

South Africa
Hong Kong
Thailand
Bosnia

Division IV:

Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Philippines

So two newcomers to the World Championship system.

Great thanks. No links via their mobile site, but good to see Malaysia and the Philippines make the jump already. Wild to have three Southeast Asian teams in the tournament.

 

[Urbanskog]

Good to see the World Championships expand to include a record number of teams.