Why are there currently no Belarusian, Kazakh, or Ukrainian NHL players, and only one Latvian?

[Elvs]

Belarussian NHL Players ‑ All-Time Stats

Ah, thanks. Tsyplakov I should've gotten. And how could I forget Geoff Platt and Charles Linglet?

 

[dkhockey]

Why are there no Somalian hockey players?

They only want to play on teams named Pirates

 

[dkhockey]

No romanian hockey players, because each time the players return to their locker rooms after the game, all the equipment and the players street clothes are gone......

thank you !

 

[1909]

The Kostitsyn Bros were from Belarus.

 

[SoundAndFury]

They've played in the top division of IIHF's World Championsip twice in the last decade (2009 and 2016). Considering they didn't see any action in the top division since 1939 before that, it can be seen as a clear step forward. They've also started to develop some pro league players. Janos Vas, Vilmos Gallo, Janos Hari and Balazs Sebok have all seen regular time in the SHL and Liiga. And goaltender Adam Vay had a contract with the Minnesota Wild as recently as last season. They are miles away from competing against Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany of course, but in a not too distant future Hungary could belong in the IIHF's top division on a yearly basis.

Edit: Speaking of their 2016 IIHF tournament, they even beat Belarus 5-2. It may not sound impressive, but I don't think Italy for instance, who have been up frequently in the top division, could pull off that result.

And yet their U20 team can't hang in in D1A (and have played in D2A quite recently) while Kazakhstan managed to get promoted to elite over Latvia and Germany. I have a really hard time seeing what points could be made that in the long run they can overtake any of the mentioned countries. Even the passionate fan argument is mostly wrong as hockey doesn't attract big crowds regularly there. They do during WCs but that's an exception. I mean I know it first hand being a Lithuanian, we got 11k crowds in the arena as well during the WC and yet attendance for a regular league game is like 200 people.

Italy, sure, their U20 needed overtime to stay in D1B against Lithuania and they clearly have no future. Their NT is being kept afloat by the naturalized Canadians though.

 

[Elvs]

I'm no expert on Hungary's prospects or their youth program, but 15 years ago Hungarian's playing in the SHL or Liiga would be completely unheard of. And I never envisioned them playing in the IIHF's top tier. Just curious, what where things looking like at the U20 level in the early 2000's? Were they ever in the D1A group back then?

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

I mostly remember Hungarian hockey from this music video.

I've always thought of Turkey as a good "out there" pick for KHL expansion, growing the game etc. They're way behind even the countries in this thread, though. A couple of the depth players on the German national team (including Ehliz, who almost scored the game winner in the gold medal game against Russia) are of Turkish descent. As for the domestic league, uh, yikes

 

[Machinehead]

I mostly remember Hungarian hockey from this music video.

I've always thought of Turkey as a good "out there" pick for KHL expansion, growing the game etc. They're way behind even the countries in this thread, though. A couple of the depth players on the German national team (including Ehliz, who almost scored the game winner in the gold medal game against Russia) are of Turkish descent. As for the domestic league, uh, yikes

Shit, I think I could score in that league.

 

[Atas2000]

Hockey seems to be pretty big in Eastern Europe, though there's been hardly any players from Belarus or Romania. Why has that been the case? Do you think we will see more players from these countries in the future?

So many big and small mistakes in your OP.

Hockey big in Eastern Europe? Since when? Eastern Europe is a big bunch of countries. Only a couple could be seen as interested in hockey at all, let alone hockey countries.

Except for the usual powerhouses only Latvia produces hockey talent at an exceptional rate for such a small country. Why? Because uniquely there hockey is popular UNLIKE in the vast majority of eastern european countries.

Why Romania of all of them? Hockey never was any big there? Why should they suddenly produce NHL players?

Belarus is a different case. A hockey crazy president and a desperate initiative to create a cradle of talent, but all the wrong approaches gives after 20 years of trying no NHL players(some prospects are there though). They are not Romania in hockey. They are interested and they want it, but they failed to realize that Rome wan't built in a day. If they built a PATIENT national program of development they would be much better right now. Instead they are stubling from one scandal into another withinn the federation desperate to determine the responsible for the thing not working. If only they'd realize the failure is systemic and not some person's fault.

It is still a weird choice of countries.

 

[Atas2000]

Hockey's big in eastern Europe? It's big in those countries that have been under the heavy Soviet influence, and even among those, it's the case in only a handful of them. The following are Eastern/Central European countries with strong hockey traditions:

• Russia
• Latvia
• Czech Rep
• Slovakia
• Belarus - even there handball and soccer are above easily

Now take a look at the list of countries where hockey is either a non-factor or way down on the totem pole of team sports:

• Romania - soccer, rugby, handball
• Bulgaria - volleyball, soccer
• Ukraine - soccer, bball, handball
• Lithuania - bball, soccer
• Estonia - soccer
• Poland - soccer, volleyball, handball, bball
• Hungary - soccer, waterpolo, handball
• Serbia - soccer, bball, waterpolo, handball, volleyball
• Croatia - same as above
• Slovenia - same as above minus waterpolo
• Bosnia - same as Slovenia
• Macedonia - handball, soccer, bball
• Georgia - rugby and soccer
• Albania - soccer

Even with the nations that are supposed hockey hotbeds, there is less and less talent coming out compared to the days from when they were behind the curtain. Hockey will never be popular on a level higher than a niche sport in the vast majority of Europe, the biggest factors being:

• no tradition
• far too many team sports that are easier to play, cheaper and more popular
• costly infrastructure
• lack of high-quality coaching from the grassroots level

Again that lack of knowledge aabout hostory, but some cliche takes out of the Cold War vocabulary.

Did you know that Czechoslovakia played hockey(and was really goid at it) way before Soviet Union? In fact the SU "learned" a lot about hockey from Czechoslovakia. Soviet influence in those countries has absolutely nothing in common with the popularity of hockey.

 

[Whaleafs]

Walter Gretzky is of Belorussian descent

Fluent in the language

The Gretzky's are most likely from Belarus-born ethnic-Ukranian background by all appearances.

"His condition was so precarious that wife Phyllis was advised by a doctor to get their children and relatives together for a final visit.
Instead, Gretzky remained in a coma. And when he awoke, he was speaking the ancestral tongue of his Belarus-born father — Ukrainian, a language he had obviously learned in his childhood."
For Walter Gretzky, memories are fleeting but what he remembers best is precious

 

[Atas2000]

Also, it has to be mentioned pretty much every Belarussian even close to being good enough to play in the NHL would have to turn down the chance to play for Russia first.

Nonsense. For the same reason Canadians choose to play for Kazachstan a Belarussian would prefer to play for Belarus unless he is the next Ovechkin and that is not likely with Belarussians so far. It's much tougher to make the russian team, so what are you talking about?

 

[DangeRouss]

Belarus has still decent talents due to their KHL team also representing maybe 70% (or more) of National Belarus Hockey Team

 

[sr edler]

When will there be an Icelandic player in the NHL?

Iceland has a pretty strong connection to ice hockey through its diaspora in Manitoba. First Olympic gold medalist team in 1920 (Antwerp) was an Icelandic-Canadian team, Winnipeg Falcons. Biggest star player on that team was Frank Fredrickson who also won a Stanley Cup with the Victoria Cougars (in 1925) and played in the NHL (with Boston Bruins and Detroit Falcons).

Another famous Icelandic-Canadian player was Cully Wilson (born Karl Erlendson) who won 2 Stanley Cups with Toronto Blueshirts and Seattle Metropolitans and later also played in the NHL. He was a prototype pest type of player (was once thrown out of the PCHA for slashing Mickey MacKay over the face and breaking his jaw).

 

[Atas2000]

Well, Belarus is a small country that isn't very rich and doesn't have very good sports infrastructure and a very small professional system.

In Romania, hockey is a marginal sport.

You are completely off the mark with Belarus. Small? Nearly the same population as in Sweden, nearly double of Finnland. The sports infrastructure really isn't something to be ashamed of. Also there is quite an infrastructure for hockey in particular. Calling Belarus "not rich" is absurd too. They sure aren't the richest, but by that measurement Switzerland should be the biggest hockey nation.

The problems of belarussian hockey are elsewhere and are more complicated and in depth.

 

[crobro]

There is a Romanian playing in the Toronto junior A league who is quite talented

Doru Toreanu was a player that Victor Tikkonov considered to one of the best players in the world in the 1970’s

The Montreal Canadians offered him $500.000 a season in 78-79 to defect, but he declined for family reasons.

There was a Yugoslavian player in the early 70’s who was an exceptional talent even attending training camp and preseason for Chicago, but broke his leg during his first preseason game.he was the better half of the Hiti brothers.

 

[Passchendaele]

Once upon a time, Mikhail Stefanovich was a big-time prospect. Vanished into oblivion.

 

[Wolf357]

Not sure if the cost of modern hockey is the same insainity cost wise over in Eastern Europe? Could be a factor?
I work with a few Ukrainians and none could care less about hockey... they love soccer and UFC?
Same with any Poles I know...

 

[voyageur]

The Kostitsyn Bros were from Belarus.

Grabvoski too.

I think Belarus, like Latvia will produce the odd player.

Romania, Hungary, and other Balkan countries don't have the tradition of hockey.

There's still only 8 countries that take hockey seriously.
Canada, U.S, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia . Germany is emerging as a hockey nation.

Countries like France, Italy, Belarus, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, U.K, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Kazakhstan, Japan are the 2nd tier. The KHL is doing better than the NHL at expanding the frontier. In countries like the Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, etc. hockey is always going to be considerably less appreciated than soccer (football), just the way it is. One's a soldier's sport, winter sport, the other everyone can play.

 

[joe dirte]

Hockey seems to be pretty big in Eastern Europe, though there's been hardly any players from Belarus or Romania. Why has that been the case? Do you think we will see more players from these countries in the future?

Hockey is expensive and Romania is poor. It also doesn't have an overly cold and snowy winter. So it's not really climate friendly.

Belarus has had decent teams. And some decent players.

 

[Pizza the Hutt]

You are completely off the mark with Belarus. Small? Nearly the same population as in Sweden, nearly double of Finnland. The sports infrastructure really isn't something to be ashamed of. Also there is quite an infrastructure for hockey in particular. Calling Belarus "not rich" is absurd too. They sure aren't the richest, but by that measurement Switzerland should be the biggest hockey nation.

The problems of belarussian hockey are elsewhere and are more complicated and in depth.

Belarus has a per capita - and national - wealth substantially lower than Finland, Sweden etc. Not to mention Russia. Money/funding often coincides with a well developed professional sports system, and it definitely coincides to hockey as it is a very expensive sport. And yes, it is bigger than Finland - but Finland is also one of those rare countries where hockey rules.

I didn't mean to insult the good graces of Belurus, I just wouldn't expect it to churn out NHL players unless development was subsidized by the government.

 

[WolfgangPuck]

How about Norway?
For a sporting country that wins a lot of gold medal in the Olympics , doesn’t produce as many hockey players like Sweden and Finland does?

 

[Atas2000]

Belarus has a per capita - and national - wealth substantially lower than Finland, Sweden etc. Not to mention Russia. Money/funding often coincides with a well developed professional sports system, and it definitely coincides to hockey as it is a very expensive sport. And yes, it is bigger than Finland - but Finland is also one of those rare countries where hockey rules.

I didn't mean to insult the good graces of Belurus, I just wouldn't expect it to churn out NHL players unless development was subsidized by the government.

Those flawed wealth per capita and many more markers can't tell you the story. They are made for political rather than economical purposes.

Development is ALWAYS subsidized if a nation wants to achieve anything significant in the sport. The shape and form of support are different in every country though which makes it difficult to compare unless you know how it works in respective countries very well.

Belarus does invest a lot into hockey. They just aren't getting return on investment so far in a proper way. Obviously how you do it is more important than numbers.

The toughest hurdle to take for the aspiring nations is building a school, i.e. able coaches and facilities and orgs for all ages. Belarussians expected to compete with Russia in a decade or so while they lacked the above. Hockey wasn't really big in Belarus during soviet times. That was bad judgement on their part.

But look at biathlon. The facilities and coaches were basically in Belarus in the SU. Gives they are better than Russia now at biathlon.

 

[smitty10]

Belarus seems to have changed their development pattern and we're starting to see the benefit of it. 14 players currently playing in the CHL, so they're definitely coming to NA now for development. Had two players drafted last year, one the year before. Will likely have a couple more this year.

 

[Outofbodyinhungary]

Slovak soccer > Slovak hockey for the past 10 years. Soccer is becoming much more popular in Slovakia, and players actually have idols to look up to that aren’t 40 years old...