Denmark: Danish Prospects

[canucklax]

Hoping he gets taken tomorrow!

 

[Bagge]

Hoping he gets taken tomorrow!

Doesnt looks like he got taken by anyone. None from Denmark did. And none from Switzerland either, which is more surprising.

 

[mattihp]

Doesnt looks like he got taken by anyone. None from Denmark did. And none from Switzerland either, which is more surprising.

Less Euros and Trump-people too. Higher percentage canadians than in the ten last years iirc

 

[canucklax]

Doesnt looks like he got taken by anyone. None from Denmark did. And none from Switzerland either, which is more surprising.

No he sadly got passed over again but I thought he would have only been a 6th or 7th round guy if he did get taken. Can still have a good career in pro hockey, it just isn't looking likey to be at the NHL level.

Switzerland was very surprising, I thought Simon Knak would for sure get drafted.

 

[KingJoffrey]

Is Almquist still 5'5 or is that info incorrect? I hope he gets drafted high next year, but if he's under 5'9 it might be hard..

 

[Bagge]

Is Almquist still 5'5 or is that info incorrect? I hope he gets drafted high next year, but if he's under 5'9 it might be hard..

Its hard to imagine that he hasnt grown in height in two years, so it cant be updated. I asked at some point in a facebook group how often persondata is updated on eliteprospects and the answer I got was that it is the clubs that makes sure they are up to date. But you are correct he is not going anywhere if he is only 5´5

I have also noted that many features is locked until you pay for premium, so maybe we are just looking at old data.

 

[Valdemar]

Is Almquist still 5'5 or is that info incorrect? I hope he gets drafted high next year, but if he's under 5'9 it might be hard..

He is apparently 170 cm (5'7") at least according to swestats. For those playing in Sweden I find this homepage most reliable, even though it is certainly not always updated.

Are we grasping at straws hoping he still has a chance to grow 3-5 inch?

 

[Valdemar]

I have just noticed that he is currently no. 5 at the topscorer list for J20 - Nationell Södra, with 21 points in 15 games played. That is actually pretty good.

 

[Bagge]

I have just noticed that he is currently no. 5 at the topscorer list for J20 - Nationell Södra, with 21 points in 15 games played. That is actually pretty good.

Not only that. All above him are born 2001-2002. He is the best of his year by far.

Some youngsters are late growers. It is not to late for him to put on a few more inches, but he is never going to be a beacon in terms of height

 

[Bagge]

Almquist on preliminary watchlist for 2021 Draft. https://www.si.com/hockey/news/2021...HnuRzatfJrFGRgev3N0rkCQnYKGgzjhjZD6hV6-eFbNpk

 

[Valdemar]

I have also seen Kasper Larsen, Mississauga Steelheads (but currently playing in Herlev (DK) because of the Coronavirus), on a preliminary watchlist, even though I'm unable to provide a link at the moment.

Both players are categorized as C for now, but many things can happen before the draft day, specially in these uncertain times.

 

[Valdemar]

It has been very quiet here for far too long, so I suppose it is about time that I come with a short update on Danish junior hockey.
Hockey has slowly started up again in Denmark after it was closed at the beginning of March. The shutdown also meant that, except U20, no Danish championship for the season 2019-20 could be held in either senior or junior leagues.

Until now this season Danish junior hockey has been largely unaffected by the Coronavirus. Measures has been implemented to reduce the risk of infection between players, but you are allowed to train and play games against other teams.
With that being said the Danish hockey association has just now decided to cancel or postpone all sessions for the junior national teams until the new year. This probably also means that the U16, U17, U18 and U20 national teams will not participate in any more games in 2020.

 

[Valdemar]

Like I just wrote; the Danish junior national teams will most likely not participate in any tournaments for the rest of 2020, and we could fear that the coronavirus situation will not have improved before the season ends in March/April 2021. The U18 national team may participate in the 2021 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, Division I, Group A in April, but the rest of the Danish national teams will probably not get to play this season. While it of course is worst for the 2001 born players, who misses a last opportunity to play junior national team hockey, it will also mean that we will not get to see how one of the best Danish U16 national teams could have fared.

It is no secret that we recently have had some years where the quality of the Danish junior national teams has been mediocre whereas the birth years 1993 to 1999 were extraordinary in a Danish context, achieving better results than should be possible with the rather limited prospect pool we have. The seasons 2011-2017 was the golden age of Danish junior hockey internationally, and we most likely will never see something like this again. Partly because we have stagnated and partly because other nations have improved their youth program.
But that apart, it looks like we will start getting some good birth years again with interesting prospects and descent depth. Both the birth years 2005 and 2007 looks promising, and I have actually quite high expectations for specially the birth year 2005. This group contains some very good prospects on all positions as well as much more depth than we are used to.

The goaltending duo is as good as it gets with Kristers Steinbergs, AaB and Valdemar Andersen, Herning. Kristers Steinbergs is a very talented goaltender apparently with family ties to Latvia. He already has a really good size for a goaltender and has been dominant for a long time in the Danish junior system. Valdemar Andersen is the little brother to Frederik Andersen, TOR. He had a strong 2019-2020 season on the Herning U15 team and was an important reason that they won the U15 Vest league.

The defense is solid with both offensive talents and some with physical presence, the top 6 is surprisingly strong. The most intriguing prospect is Victor Schmidt Nielsen, Malmö Redhawks U16 (SWE). He seems like a smart offensive player but could profit of growing a little. A player who don’t need to grow is towering defender Emil Faurholm, Herlev. He played in Ontario Hockey Academy (CAN) last season but is now in Denmark probably because of the coronavirus. The question is how he will hold up when his peer starts to catch up on his size.

Of the forwards you specially look at Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and Albert Uggerhøj Schioldan, Frederikshavn. They both are sons of former national team players and they have been unstoppable in the junior leagues for a long time. Also, Hjalte Kruse Thomsen, Herning and Tobias Ebener, Esbjerg are worth mention. They are technically good hockey players and are also profiles in the junior leagues. The quality of the rest of the forwards also seems at a higher level that we have seen for quite some years.

Below is my proposal for a Danish U16 team for this season. Feel free to disagree and give me your comments.

Goaltenders

Kristers Steinbergs, AaB
Valdemar Andersen, Herning


Defense

Victor Schmidt Nielsen, Malmö Redhawks U16 (SWE)
Emil Faurholm, Herlev
Lucas Riis Bach, AaB
Anton Bjørg Mortensen, Gentofte
Felix Kruse, Rødovre
Marius Kring Andersen, Rødovre
Lukas Nordstrøm, Herning
Oskar Grossmann, Odense


Forwards

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, Frederikshavn
Albert Uggerhøj Schioldan, Frederikshavn
Hjalte Kruse Thomsen, Herning
Tobias Ebener, Esbjerg
Philip Rubin, Esbjerg
Lukas Scheffmann, Lund Giants U16 (SWE)
Lukas Jarlgaard, Lund Giants U16 (SWE)
Matias I Larsen, Herlev
Tobias Alvenaar Lassen, Herlev
Bertram Hintze Ladewig Christiansen, Herlev
Mathias Jensen, Vojens
Jens Zion, Vojens

 

[Valdemar]

Big prospect Anton Linde has been elected sports talent of the year in Rødovre. Here is a translation of the reasons why he was nominated:

He is to that extent a completely unique athlete, where his dedication and joy of ice hockey is incredibly impressive.
His athletic ability is something we in RSIK have not seen for many years. At the age of 14, he already plays on RSIK's U20 and 1st division teams, where he gets to test his talents against full-grown opponents. At the beginning of this season, he was also shown samples of his talent in Rødovre's annual internal match, where Rødovre Mighty Bulls and RSIK 1st division mix the teams. Here, there were incredibly positive reactions from both Mighty Bulls players and coaches.
Anton has an eye for the game and an incredible motor skills, which makes everything he does look fascinating. He is a player who, considering his age, masters a lot of aspects of the game and is excellent in both technical and physical matches. Anton is light years ahead of his peers.
The best thing about Anton is his attitude to training and his way of being a good role model for his teammates. He is a really good teammate and always leads.

(RSIK: Rødovre Ishockey Klub)

Source: Rødovre Lokal Nyt, Peter Fugl Jensen

 

[Bagge]

Do you consider Anton Linde to be the next big talent that we produce and if so, why isnt he on the U16 team that you set up in your prior post. Is that because that year is actually really strong or other reasons?

 

[Valdemar]

Do you consider Anton Linde to be the next big talent that we produce and if so, why isnt he on the U16 team that you set up in your prior post. Is that because that year is actually really strong or other reasons?

Based on what I have read about ham and his production the last 2-3 years, yes I believe he has the possibility to be the next big FORWARD talent we produce. His production is not far behind that of Marcus Almquist when he was at his age, and if his height is 180 cm / 5'11" as seen on Elite Prospects, lack of height will not be an issue as it currently is with Marcus. And the quote from the article seems correct: "Anton is light years ahead of his peers." His production in the Danish junior leagues is better than most players up to 3 years older than him.

In my post above regarding the U16 national team for 2020-2021 I only used players born in 2005, that is why he wasn't included. He certainly would improve the quality of the team if he was on the roster.

 

[canucklax]

Thanks for the updates @Valdemar . That's exciting to hear there is potentially another big talent coming up. Is it likely he heads to Sweden to continue his development like Almquist and others have done? From what I understand, hockey in Denmark is very localized to just a few main clubs and Swedish teams have more resources for youth players to develop. Is there any push from Danish hockey to invest more in youth development, such as what happened recently in Finland and Germany with focus on small ice development? or a national program to mimic the US like Slovakia and Belarus set up?

 

[Valdemar]

Thanks for the updates @Valdemar . That's exciting to hear there is potentially another big talent coming up. Is it likely he heads to Sweden to continue his development like Almquist and others have done?

According to a new article about him (rnn.dk) he will most likely go to North America. He would like to get drafted and play in the CHL when he finish elementary school in 2022, but I'm uncertain if he can do that when he is only 16 years old, can someone please enlighen me on this subject? If he cannot I suppose he is talented enough to be offered to spend a year in a hockey boarding school in NA.

 

[canucklax]

According to a new article about him (rnn.dk) he will most likely go to North America. He would like to get drafted and play in the CHL when he finish elementary school in 2022, but I'm uncertain if he can do that when he is only 16 years old, can someone please enlighen me on this subject? If he cannot I suppose he is talented enough to be offered to spend a year in a hockey boarding school in NA.

He couldnt go to the CHL at 16, their draft is for 17s at the youngest. The USHL could be an option at 16, then go to the CHL like Andrei Svechnikov did.

 

[Valdemar]

Because the Swedish J18 and J20 leagues will be closed at least until end of 2020, Marcus Almquist has decided to join Rødovre Mighty Bulls that plays in the best Danish league. It is a loan and he can be called back if HV71 needs him on their SHL team. See rnn.dk.

 

[Valdemar]

Good debut to Marcus Almquist personally in last night’s game against SønderjyskE. He scored his first goal in Metalligaen and a very nice one as you can see in this video:

 

[QuietContrarian]

Thanks for the updates @Valdemar . That's exciting to hear there is potentially another big talent coming up. Is it likely he heads to Sweden to continue his development like Almquist and others have done? From what I understand, hockey in Denmark is very localized to just a few main clubs and Swedish teams have more resources for youth players to develop. Is there any push from Danish hockey to invest more in youth development, such as what happened recently in Finland and Germany with focus on small ice development? or a national program to mimic the US like Slovakia and Belarus set up?

Afaik, the only real “push” has been local, and not really nationally.
Few towns and cities have built more rinks.
Herlev for example built a 2nd rink to be able to accommodate more practice time.

But, as mentioned in my post on the page before - No, the Danish federation has not done enough imo.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

With the lockdown and unrest here in the US he is skating with Aalborg in the Denmark men's league. Any updates on his progress?

Wanted to chime in again on Jonas Brondberg now that the season is over. He ended up getting ranked 115th for NA skaters by central scouting which I would think projects as a 5th round pick or later, with a fair chance to go undrafted. He impressed in Portland though, finishing with 22 points in 50 games, good for 3rd amongst defensemen on our team while playing both special teams units. He seemed to quickly adjust to the smaller rink size, and quickly gained the trust of the coaching staff. He was steady and reliable for us, but I dont know if he has a standout skill to really make the NHL but can definitely see a productive career as an AHLer or European pro.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

LW Jacob Moller Jensen

Came across this 18-year-old in taking a closer look at the Aalborg prospects. Point-per-game to start the year in both junior hockey and the Denmark second league. Is he someone to watch or just dominating lower level competition?

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Jonas Torbensen? Maksim Popovic? Nicolai Harries Andersen?

Looking at some of the younger players on the men's rosters. Torbensen seemed intriguing. Any chance he plays in Sweden and eventually North America sometime in the future?