Russia U20 National Team - WJC-2018

[cska78]

Good fight last night, guys battled hard. Defense was atrocious, and the fact that Sweden played a back to back and we didn't is even more concerning. The game vs USA should be fun though.

 

[wings5]

Can you believe Russia will go a whole tournament with Berdin on their roster and not having used him once?

 

[Fantomas]

Bragin hasn't done a single thing right in this tournament. But here's crunch time and let's see if he somehow delivers.

 

[malkinfan]

Can you believe Russia will go a whole tournament with Berdin on their roster and not having used him once?

Very unfortunate Bragin messes with the goalies the way he does. Sukachev will be the downfall of the team, has let in a weak goal to his glove hand in each of every game he has played incl. the super series. Its a shame because the rest of the team is starting to come together nicely. US and or Canada will eat him alive.

 

[RossiyaSport]

I thought his performance against Sweden was pretty good. It was like a shooting gallery with all the power play time Sweden had.

 

[MaxV]

Yes, they played with heart, but also dumb.

Penalties and defensive breakdowns killed them.

Sukhachyov made 1 mistake, but I don't think you can pin this one on him.

 

[Yakushev72]

Yes, they played with heart, but also dumb.

Penalties and defensive breakdowns killed them.

Sukhachyov made 1 mistake, but I don't think you can pin this one on him.

You can't blame him because the goals he gave up were scored by unchecked Swedish forwards right in front of the net, but he wasn't particularly a strength either. All goaltenders face at least some uncontested shots during the course of a game, and they have to be able to make some of those saves to help a team win. You don't get the feeling that he will catch fire and lead the way to a medal.

 

[Yakushev72]

This will be a big test for Bragin tonight. It seems as though, based on their play so far, the US can be beat if you play a great game against them. Bragin must prevent the team from breaking down early and giving up a 2+ goal lead. Also, will some USA fans finally show up at a game? The odds are certainly in favor of the US, but an upset is certainly possible.

 

[cska78]

This will be a big test for Bragin tonight. It seems as though, based on their play so far, the US can be beat if you play a great game against them. Bragin must prevent the team from breaking down early and giving up a 2+ goal lead. Also, will some USA fans finally show up at a game? The odds are certainly in favor of the US, but an upset is certainly possible.

The game is tomorrow, no?

 

[Atas2000]

The game is tomorrow, no?

It is tonight for NA and tomorrow morning for Russia.

 

[MaxV]

The Slovakia game seems to have really gave USA a new focus.

I hope we win, but bracing myself for a blowout.

 

[RossiyaSport]

Not a fan of the officiating but what I expected. It was suprising how it was close.

This team had too many guys who should have been leading the team CHL'd. Abramov, Sokolov, Svechnikov, Rubstov etc.

Russia shouldn't even select most of those guys and send a message that if you take that route its unlikely you will be picked. Yet this happens time after time where these NA guys are selected and they do jack all. Anyone they cut to make a spot for Abramov and Sokolov would have been better.

 

[Atas2000]

Expected outcome. SKA players aka noshows. North America runaways aka noshows. No D. Bragin made the best goalie his 3rd goalie. Nothing to see here really.

 

[MaxV]

Yeah, this was a pretty meh team.

Not impressed by anyone other then Klim and Andrei.

This D was an eye-sore.

 

[Fantomas]

Maybe Bragin was just lucky for a while and what we thought was gold turned into fool's gold.

I get that this wasn't the most talented team, but Bragin's complete disrespect for skill and talent has grown old. There were signs of his strategic limitations going back as far as the 2012 final versus Sweden where they were bailed out by Makarov and lost in OT. Similarly to this they played not to lose, rather than playing to win.

This is not the Russian way. Svechnikov should have been getting the big minutes. Shvyrov should have been our playmaking center and I don't care if he kicks puppies. Should have been there.

And this power play was the product of pure indifference to skill and creativity. Bragin's ode to mediocrity, a template to his conservatism, his fear of taking chances, his banality. I still have some respect for him, but I am simply amazed by his unwillingness to learn.

Even if they somehow won this game, I simply hate this brand of hockey. This is not hockey, but rather something teams like Denmark play.

 

[wings5]

Not a fan of the officiating but what I expected. It was suprising how it was close.

This team had too many guys who should have been leading the team CHL'd. Abramov, Sokolov, Svechnikov, Rubstov etc.

Russia shouldn't even select most of those guys and send a message that if you take that route its unlikely you will be picked. Yet this happens time after time where these NA guys are selected and they do jack all. Anyone they cut to make a spot for Abramov and Sokolov would have been better.

Enough with this yeah Sokolov was bad and Abramov could have been better but I didn't see the magic from Maltsev, or Manukyan etc either. If you're blaming the CHL for this loss your head is in the wrong place, there was not enough depth period.

 

[Yakushev72]

Maybe Bragin was just lucky for a while and what we thought was gold turned into fool's gold.

I get that this wasn't the most talented team, but Bragin's complete disrespect for skill and talent has grown old. There were signs of his strategic limitations going back as far as the 2012 final versus Sweden where they were bailed out by Makarov and lost in OT. Similarly to this they played not to lose, rather than playing to win.

This is not the Russian way. Svechnikov should have been getting the big minutes. Shvyrov should have been our playmaking center and I don't care if he kicks puppies. Should have been there.

And this power play was the product of pure indifference to skill and creativity. Bragin's ode to mediocrity, a template to his conservatism, his fear of taking chances, his banality. I still have some respect for him, but I am simply amazed by his unwillingness to learn.

Even if they somehow won this game, I simply hate this brand of hockey. This is not hockey, but rather something teams like Denmark play.

Bragin has lots of deficiencies, that is certain. His defenses have always been a mess and ineffective. Maybe his biggest strength is his ability to motivate players, but that has its limitations, especially when the team lacks talent. The 3rd goal, where an American flips the puck in from center ice and no Russian defensemen bother to chase the puck or to at least get a body in front of the streaking American forward who tees it up and blasts it in over Sukhachyov, who is on his knees and unable to even attempt to save the high shot.

I think the decline we see over the last 2 years will get worse next year. The only talent on the horizon is Svechnikov, but Svechnikov will be owned by an NHL team next June, and it will be out of Russia's control if his owners decide to take him into the NHL. In order to become competitive with the Americans, Canadians, Swedes and even Finns, Russia is going to have to consider creating a similar system that would enable them to compete on an equal footing. Otherwise, they will continue to fall behind.

 

[Fantomas]

The system is bad, that is for sure. I also agree that I do not see anything better on the horizon. I know there are a few of you here who are optimists and think that guys like Rotenberg are going to lay the golden goose egg from their caboose. But I don't think so.

Now is the time for drastic rethinking of everything going on with Russian junior hockey.

But - Bragin is to blame for a lot here. Yes he didn't get the best team, but what he does on the powerplay is unforgiveable and is objectively wrong. It is not a matter of opinion. It's just wrong. Not having special teams is wrong. Not having tactical play is wrong. There is no intelligent reason for any of this.

 

[Fantomas]

Kostin played 3:37 in the third period. Obyasnite mne - kak eto mozhet byt?

 

[wings5]

Next year I wonder what it will look like :

Kostin-Lipanov-Kravtsov
Chekhovich-Khovanov-Shafigullin
Khasanov-Koltygin-Toropchenko
Zaseda-Marushev-Slepets
Maksimov, Sokolov, Kotkov, Zagvorodny

Samorukov -Rubinchuk
Galenyuk
Someone else can help me here

Zhukhov
Ustimenko
Tarasov

Roster will probably look much different, new players will emerge. Not positive how much better the forwards are and I'm not familiar with the defence as much but the 00 defenceman seem promising. Goalies seem to have great potential, but I think Sukachyov wasn't bad this year. I'm thinking this team might need more right handed shots than I have put.

 

[Fantomas]

There will be some intriguing defensemen candidates next year - Alexeev, Morozov, Olshansky, Romanov, Rodionychev, Baranov. Also Denisenko at forward.

But overall nothing terribly special.

 

[Atas2000]

Enough with this yeah Sokolov was bad and Abramov could have been better but I didn't see the magic from Maltsev, or Manukyan etc either. If you're blaming the CHL for this loss your head is in the wrong place, there was not enough depth period.

I "blame" the CHL for being inferior competition. Abramov who was one of the top guys of that birth year scores a lot in the CHL, but it seems it doesn't mean a thing against some real competition. Same applies to Rubtsov.

Also you have it backwards. Best prospects tend to run away to NA. It at least applies pefectly to this birth year. THEY should deliver, not Manukian or Maltsev who were never considered this team's top threats. All of this team's top players play in NA: Kostin, Rubtsov, Abramov, Svechnikov, Samorukov.

Samorukov was outplaying Sergachev at the U18 championship once. That was before he ran off to North America.

Who is to blame?

 

[Atas2000]

Kostin played 3:37 in the third period. Obyasnite mne - kak eto mozhet byt?

There are a lot of strange things about this team's showing. The list is awkwardly long. And we won't get the answers in interviews. But there are certainly questions I would want aswered by the coaching staff and Bragin in particular.

 

[Atas2000]

Bragin has lots of deficiencies, that is certain. His defenses have always been a mess and ineffective. Maybe his biggest strength is his ability to motivate players, but that has its limitations, especially when the team lacks talent. The 3rd goal, where an American flips the puck in from center ice and no Russian defensemen bother to chase the puck or to at least get a body in front of the streaking American forward who tees it up and blasts it in over Sukhachyov, who is on his knees and unable to even attempt to save the high shot.

I think the decline we see over the last 2 years will get worse next year. The only talent on the horizon is Svechnikov, but Svechnikov will be owned by an NHL team next June, and it will be out of Russia's control if his owners decide to take him into the NHL. In order to become competitive with the Americans, Canadians, Swedes and even Finns, Russia is going to have to consider creating a similar system that would enable them to compete on an equal footing. Otherwise, they will continue to fall behind.

Well, somebody deliberately killed the U18 team in the MHL idea. That someone has to be removed. There must be very strict and proper regulation of agents activity. There must be severe changes not only in personel but also structure of the FHR. There has to be a general understanding we need to reincarnate the russian game somehow. That is not only the creative fancy plays. Skating and passing(not fancy passing, but proper passing) have to be strenghs of a young russian player by design and not by accident. The Red Machine thing has to go and Rotenberg can show up with it when it is a Red Machine evidenced by results and not his advertising.

One thing is the most important one and we don't have it since Bykov was not held responsible for Vancouver. Responsibility. From coaches to FHR. You don't deliver, you go help develop hockey in Buryatiya for 5 years.

Same applies to Rotenbergs ao whoever is sitting in the VIP booth. You state some agenda, you stick to it. If you fail - you go. That simple.

Hopefully some major rebuild in sports will hapoen after all the major events this year and it hits hockey too.

 

[MaxV]

BTW, I really liked the effort that Manukyan showed, he played with heart.

With that being said, it was pretty clear that he is not a small-ice player. He was getting pushed around vs Swedes and Americans.