Swedish ice hockey goalkeeper. The strongest World Cup team is Sweden, not Canada. Russia is fourth and inferior to the United States. Awards and achievements

Yellow, blue

Story

For the first time, the Swedish hockey team could be seen in a match against Belgium. This was the first match for the Swedes, which took place on April 23, 1920. The Scandinavians held on to a confident victory – 8:0. Eight years later, the Swedish team won its first medal at the world championship. Let's remember exactly those world championships that were victorious for Swedish hockey players.

Sweden won its first gold in 1953, at the World Championships, which took place in Switzerland. The 20th championship was held in Zurich and Basel. Two tournaments were held: group “A” for the strongest teams, group “B” for teams of the second division. Group A consisted of only four teams: Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia. The tournament was held in a group stage format. Each team had to play two matches with each opponent. Since the Czechoslovak hockey players left the championship early (due to the death of the President of Czechoslovakia, Gottwald), all their results were declared invalid. With absence strong opponent The Swedish team easily won gold, winning all matches. Germany came second, and Switzerland third.

In 1957, in Moscow, Swedish hockey players became world champions for the second time. Teams from Sweden, the USSR, Finland, Japan, Poland, East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia took part in the tournament. All teams played one match against each other. As a result, the Swedish team, with an asset of 13 points, took first place, winning 6 out of 7 matches (a 4:4 draw with the USSR team). The Soviet Union team took silver because it still had a draw with Czechoslovakia (2:2). Czechoslovakian hockey players tried on bronze. Sven Tumba-Johansson was named the best striker of the World Cup.

Five years later, in the USA, the team of Arne Strömberg and Per Bergsström won the third hockey world championship. The championship participants included: Sweden, Finland, Canada, USA, Norway, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland. As in Moscow, each team played seven matches. Sweden became better, winning against all its rivals, including Canada and the USA (5:3 and 2:1, respectively). The fate of second and third places was played out in the match Canada - USA. The Canadians won with a score of 6:1. Swede Nils Nilsson was the top scorer with 12 goals. The symbolic team included goalkeeper Lennart Höggroth, as well as forwards Ulf Sterner and Nils Nilsson. Lennart Høggroth was also recognized best goalkeeper world championship, and Sven Tumba-Johansson - the best striker.

The Swedes had to wait 25 years for their next triumph at the World Cup. For a quarter of a century, the Swedish team could not win gold, while collecting an impressive amount of silver and bronze. But in 1987, in Vienna (Austria), the “curse” was overcome. The scheme of the tournament was already different. Eight teams (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Canada, Germany, USA, Finland and Switzerland) played one match each at the preliminary stage, and the four best teams already in the group tournament had to compete for championship awards among themselves. The top four included Canada, the USSR, Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Since previous victories were not counted, the Swedish team, having played twice in a draw with Czechoslovakia (3:3) and the USSR (2:2), and also defeating Canada (9:0), became the world champion. Soviet Union, having lost to the Swedes only on the difference of goals scored and conceded, became second. Third place was taken by another European – Czechoslovakians. Despite the victory, none of the Swedish hockey players were recognized.

In 1991 and 1992, the Swedish national ice hockey team dominated the World Championships. First, in Finland (the tournament layout is the same as in 1987), ahead of Canada and the USSR in the group tournament, they won one gold medal, and then, in Czechoslovakia, another gold medal, which became the sixth for the Swedes in history hockey championships. At the world championship in Czechoslovakia, knockout matches were held for the first time. The Swedes, who at the preliminary stage were in the same group with Finland, Germany, the USA, Italy and Poland, took the last qualifying place there - 4th. But already at the playoff stage we saw a completely different Sweden. Having defeated Russia (2:0), the “debutants” of the world championships, in the quarterfinals, the Swedish hockey players did not experience any particular problems with the Swiss in the semifinals (4:1). In the final, the Swedes were accompanied by Finnish hockey players. The match turned out to be one-sided, and Sweden won with a score of 5:2. In the match for third place, the hockey players of Czechoslovakia won.

1998 The 62nd Ice Hockey World Championship is taking place in Switzerland, where the Swedish team becomes a seven-time world champion. Having won all the matches in the group without any problems, which, in addition to the Swedes, included the teams of Switzerland (4:2), USA (6:1) and France (6:1), in the second group round, the Swedes in turn defeated Finland (1:0 ), Belarus (2:1) and Canada (7:1). It was clear that no one could stop Sweden that year. With the same mood, in the semi-finals, in two matches, the hockey players of the Swedish national team defeated the Swiss national team (4:1 and 7:2). In the final two-game confrontation, the Finnish national team was defeated with great difficulty (1:0 and 0:0), while in six periods the audience saw only one goal.

At the 2006 World Championships in Riga (Latvia), Swedish hockey players won their eighth and so far last victory at the World Championships. As always, the Swedes began their quest for gold in the group stage. Sweden's opponents in the group were Ukraine, Italy and Switzerland. In the first two matches, the Swedes defeated the Ukrainians (4:2) and the Italians (4:0). IN last round Sweden and Switzerland played to a fighting draw (4:4). Then, in the matches of the qualifying stage, the Swedish team was able to defeat Belarus (4:1), played a productive draw with Russia (3:3) and lost to the Slovak hockey players (2:5). As a result of these matches, the Swedes took second place in Group E and were scheduled to play the US team in the quarterfinals. This match was a cakewalk for the Tre Kronur hockey players, and the final result was 6:0. In the semi-final match, another North American team, Canada, was waiting for Sweden. A super interesting and productive match ended with a score of 5:4 in favor of the Scandinavians. Having gained confidence after two playoff matches, the Swedes left no chance for the Czech team in the final. The match was won after two periods, during which they were able to score four goals on the Czechs. The last period was goalless. The final siren recorded the score 4:0. Thus, Sweden became eight-time world champions. At the World Cup in 2011, the Swedish team reached the final and was considered the clear favorite in the match against Finland, but to everyone’s surprise, Tre Krunur lost miserably to Suomi with a score of 6:1. Actually, these two teams will host the upcoming world championship, and their confrontation will be especially interesting..

The 2012 World Championships took place in two countries at once: Sweden and Finland. Traditionally, something special is expected from the hosts of the championship, and this time the Finns and Swedes approached the tournament in such a form that they could well count on victory. This group event was almost painless for the Swedes. “Tre Kronur” suffered only one defeat, albeit from the Russian team, albeit with a score of 7-3. However, this guaranteed Per Morts' team access to the quarterfinals, where its opponent was the Czech Republic, which did not shine during the qualifying round. Almost no one doubted that Sweden would beat the Czech Republic, but in fact the hosts of the championship lost, and they lost offensively, conceding the decisive goal twenty-nine seconds before the end of the period.

Concerning Olympic history, then the Swedes can boast of two gold medals, which they won in Lillehammer and Turin. took place in Sweden and Finland, and where better than home could the Swedes demonstrate their championship game, and even on the eve of Olympic Games in Sochi? “Tre Kronur” were beyond all praise for the home World Cup and managed to win a brilliant victory at it! In the decisive match, Sweden defeated the Swiss team with a score of 5:1.

After a confident Olympics, the Swedes also performed well at the . IN group stage Per Morts' team shared first place with the Canadians, but remained in second only based on the results of the head-to-head meeting, in which the Scandinavians lost to their opponents in overtime. In the quarterfinals, the Swedes barely beat the hosts of the tournament, the Belarusian team, but in the semifinals they ran into a Russian team that demolished everyone. That fight will be remembered for a long time by the gesture “ thumb"to the throat" by Russian head coach Oleg Znarok to one of his colleagues on the opposing team. The coach of the Russian national team was subsequently disqualified, but semi-final match the Swedes lost. But the Scandinavians managed to pull themselves together and beat the Czechs without any problems in the match for third place.

Per Morts again took the Swedish national team to the Czech Republic, and his team again took second place in the group, losing only to the excellent Canadian team, which brought one of the strongest teams in recent years to that tournament. In the quarterfinals, Morts' team had a great opportunity to take revenge on the Russians for their defeat in last year's semifinal, but the Scandinavians did not take advantage of this chance, losing with a score of 3:5.

Per Morts continued to coach the Swedish national team and it is he who will bring the team to the 2016 World Hockey Championship, which will be held in Russia. However, shortly before the tournament, it became known that at the end of the tournament the Swedes' coach would leave his post and either coach the Kontinental Hockey League club or end his career. There simply won’t be a “Tre Kronur” in Russia, but the Swedish team is traditionally one of the contenders for the most high places. The Swedes will play in Moscow, and the teams of Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Latvia, Norway, Denmark, and Kazakhstan will oppose the squad of 63-year-old Morts.

Awards and achievements

World Champion (9): 1953, 1957, 1962, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2006, 2013

World Cup silver medals (17): 1947, 1951, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2011

World Cup bronze medals (16): 1954, 1958, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2014

Olympic champion (2): 1994, 2006

Olympic silver medal (3): 1928, 1964, 2014

Olympic bronze medal (4): 1952, 1980, 1984, 1988

The World Championships start in Denmark on May 4. We continue the series of materials in which we talk about all the participants in the tournament. Today we will talk about the Swedish national team.

Performance history

The Swedish national team is the current world champion, which beat the seemingly invincible Canadians in the final of the tournament in Cologne. “Tre Kronur” always claim medals of the highest value, possessing a scattering of technical attackers and a school that year after year gives the world the strongest defenders.

The Swedes made their debut at the world championship in 1931, and won their first medals at the first post-war tournament in 1947. In the 20th century, the Swedes were inferior in class first to the founders of hockey, and then to the USSR, and won gold only when one of their main rivals missed the tournament. This is how three victories were achieved between 1953 and 1962. At the same time, Sweden almost always remained in the medals, and from 1967 to 1977 never finished the World Championship lower than third place.

Finnish national team at the 2018 World Cup: inconvenient opponent Russia wants the title

The Suomi team will fight for the third world championship gold medal in its history. She has serious help from the NHL.

In 1987, Tre Kronur regained the title after 15 years without gold, and in 1991 and 92 they did it twice more. Golden medal 2017 was the 10th in history for the Swedes; the team finished the tournament in second place 19 times.

The Swedes often confidently carry out the group stages, after which they fail in the playoffs, but if the strongest players come to the national team in batches, as was the case last year, it is not easy to beat this team.

Kane strengthened the USA, McDavid strengthened Canada. And Radulov is ready to play for Russia!

Current rosters of leading teams for the World Cup and lists of refuseniks.

Head coach.

The Swedish team will defend the title under the leadership of the 49-year-old Ricard Grønborg. The Swedish coach's playing career ended before it really began when he was 25 years old. He immediately switched to coaching work- At first he was an assistant coach in the US student league, then he headed the junior team of one of the lower leagues.

Since 2006, the specialist returned to his homeland and began working in the Swedish national team system. First as a scout, then he headed the junior team, was a member of coaching staff youth team, and since 2012 became an assistant Pera Morts in the national team. During this time, he helped the Swedes win the 2012 World Cup, 2013 World Cup and silver at the Sochi Olympics.

Grönborg became widely known to the Russian public in 2014, when, in the semi-finals of the World Championship, Oleg Znarok showed him his famous gesture, running his finger across his throat.

Grönborg replaced Morts as head coach in 2016, and at the first serious tournament - the World Cup - he brought the Swedish team to the semi-finals, where they lost in overtime to the European team. In 2017, the Swedish team won the world championship, but at the Olympics, however, they were unable to consolidate their success - the Swedes sensationally crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing to Germany. 2018 could be his last at the helm of the national team - Grönborg dreams of working in the NHL.

Why don't Russians from the NHL go to the Russian national team? It's not just about injuries?

There were always injuries, and mass refusals from the World Championship began only after the unexpected and not entirely beautiful resignation of Znark.

Compound. Monsters in defense and debutants in attack

With the arrival of Grönborg, NHL players became more willing to join the national team. Last year, 19 representatives of this league played at the world championship, now 14 players have already arrived, and the coaching staff will hold several places in the application until the end of the second round of the NHL playoffs.

The goalkeeping line has weakened compared to last year - Henrik Lundqvist after much thought, I decided not to go to Denmark; for various reasons, several more goalkeepers refused. Obviously, the main goalkeeper will be Magnus Hellberg– at the last stages of the Eurotour he played three out of five matches.

The defensive line will be one of the strongest - , , John Klingberg, are the leading players of their clubs, who are equally effective on both sides of the court. Will come from Chicago Erik Gustafsson while thinking Robert Hegg, whose Philadelphia has already been eliminated from the playoffs.

The captain must be the oldest and most experienced of all. Among the forwards there will be several world championship debutants. this year he became the second scorer for the Rangers, scoring 47 points, but has not yet played a single match for the senior team. The same can be said about Anaheim's top scorer. Rickard Ruckel, Dallas forward Matthias Janmark, Los Angeles forward Adriana Kempe. And this is only among those who have already turned 20.

Young hockey players worth paying attention to are: Lias Andersson. The silver medalist and captain of the Swedes at the 2018 World Cup this year managed to make his NHL debut for the Rangers and scored in the first game. His youth teammate has not yet reached the NHL, but at the age of 19 he became the top scorer and sniper of the Swedish League, MVP of the playoffs and champion with Växjö. They are not yet guaranteed a place in the squad, but it would be interesting to see young talents.

In addition, they go to Denmark Magnus Päajärvi, Johan Larsson, Jacob de la Rose. Not world-class stars, but strong hockey players. The team may be strengthened as the tournament progresses Niklas Bäckström, Philip Forsberg And Victor Arvidsson.

Tournament ambitions: title defense

Sweden is undoubtedly aiming to repeat last year's triumph. Staying at the top is always harder than getting to it, especially since the team has been greatly updated and has not become stronger. But this squad must fight for medals.

At the group stage, the Swedes' main competitors will be the teams of Russia and the Czech Republic, and in the current state of affairs, the Grönborg team has a good chance of reaching the quarterfinals from first place. In this case, the semi-final is practically guaranteed. From second or third place you can get to Canada, the USA or Finland - the North Americans are bringing strong teams to Denmark, and the Swedes obviously won’t want to meet them in the early stages.

Goalkeepers: Eddie Luck (Carolina), Viktor Fast (CSKA), Niklas Svedberg (Salavat Yulaev).

Defenders: John Klingberg (Dallas), Anton Strolman (Tampa Bay), Henrik Tömmernäs (Frölunda), Kalle Rosen (Växjö), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona), Philip Holm (Växjö) , Erik Martinsson (Växjö), (Tampa Bay), Alexander Edler (Vancouver), Jonas Brodin (Minnesota).

Forwards: Markus Kruger (Chicago), Rickard Junge (Neftekhimik), Per Lindholm (Skellefteå), Dennis Everberg (Växjö), Joel Lundqvist (Frölunda), Elias Lindholm (Karolina), Carl Söderberg (“Colorado”), Joakim Nordström (“Carolina”), Carl Klingberg (“Zug”), Victor Rask (“Carolina”), Linus Umark (“Salavat Yulaev”), Mario Kempe (“Vityaz”), William Karlsson ( Columbus), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), Joel Ek (Minnesota), William Nylander (Toronto).

On this moment We know about 16 NHL players on the Swedish national team - the overseas landing will be two and a half times more than a year ago. Eddie Luck in goal, Brodin, Stralman, Ekman-Larson, Hedman, Klingberg and Edler in defense, Karlsson, Lindholm, Kruger, Söderberg, Nordström, Nylander, Rask, Ek and Landeskog in attack - a very serious help for Grönborg. Perhaps this will be the strongest Swedes at the world championships in recent years - although there is no official application yet.

“We can say that the Swedes have now assembled the most strong team since 2013, they have many players from the NHL,” Russian national team coach Harijs Vitolins paid tribute to his opponent before the Czech Games match. At the same time, the composition of the Swedes at the Eurotour was not yet optimal.

As for the players from the KHL, the World Championship is worth waiting for Linus Umark, and Ricarda Junge and Mario Kempe. Lac's replacements should be Viktor Fast and Niklas Svedberg.

Who didn't come

Despite the positive trend with the arrival of NHL players at the World Championship, Sweden has accumulated quite a few “refuseniks”. This is the Chicago defender Niklas Hjalmarsson, and the Swedish diaspora of "Detroit" Kronwall–Nykvist–Zetterberg, and the Sedin brothers from Vancouver.

The Swedes did not receive a response from some players, and another group of potential recruits turned out to be injured. This includes Dalbec from Carolina Larsson from Detroit Markström from Vancouver.

At the moment, 13 NHL players are known to be on the Swedish national team - the overseas landing was twice as large as a year ago.

Star.

A Tampa Bay Lightning player can become one of the main stars of the tournament. Last years this shooting guard is only getting better. Last summer, Hedman received an 8-year contract with the club worth $63 million. This prompted the Swede to issue top scorer Highest season in his career: in the 2016/17 regular season, Hedman scored 72 (16+56) points, improving his previous achievement by 17 points. He also played at the World Cup, where he also did not leave the tournament without a goal.

Last summer, Hedman received an 8-year contract with the club worth $63 million. This encouraged the Swede to have the best scoring season of his career.

10 NHL stars who never played at the World Championship

It turns out that there is such a player even in the Russian national team.

Veteran. Joel Lundquist (35 years old)

It is no accident that the experienced Joel Lundqvist will be the captain of the Swedes in upcoming tournament. He spent only three seasons in the NHL, devoting most of his career to Frölunda. He is a master of playing on large stages, and also a true leader - he has been captain of Frölunda for nine seasons now. In addition, Lundqvist has a wealth of experience in performing at world championships, where he will play for the 7th time.

Young player. Joel Eriksson Ek (20 years old)

Another Joel - but 15 years younger than his namesake Lundqvist. Despite his age, Ek is not a player who is brought into the national team to gain experience. He is already capable of being one of the leaders of Tre Kunur. In the 2016/17 season, he made his NHL debut and played 15 matches in the world’s strongest league in the regular season and three in the playoffs. A smart center forward, capable of creating chances in attack and working in defense - this is how Ek is characterized overseas. As for international experience, he played for the Swedish national team at youth championship world, and played for the adult national team in the Eurotour.

Trainer.

He started his coaching career in the lower leagues North America. And then the specialist for a long time worked in the Swedish national team system, managed to be the head coach of a junior and youth team and assistant to Per Morts. It was to him in 2014 that Oleg Znarok’s famous gesture was addressed in the semi-finals of the world championship. However, now the conflict is over, and experts are ready to prove to each other that they are right only in the language of hockey. At the World Cup - the first serious tournament for Grönborg - the Swedes reached the semi-finals, where they lost in overtime to the European team.

Unlike last year, when there was no talk of the championship for the Swedes, this year it is worth considering Tre Kunur as one of the main contenders for the title.

Forecast

Unlike last year, when there was no talk of the championship for the Swedes, this year it is worth considering Tre Kunur as one of the main contenders for the title. The question is whether Grønborg has the experience and skill to cope with a North American starship. On paper, Sweden is capable of qualifying for the finals and competing for gold.

Sweden. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Filip Gustavsson (Belleville, AHL), Magnus Hellberg (Kunlun), Anders Nilsson (Vancouver);
Defenders: Adam Ahlqvist (Frölunda), Mikael Wikstrand (Färjestad), Erik Gustafsson (Chicago), Jon Klingberg (Dallas), Adam Larsson (Edmonton), Hampus Lindholm (Anaheim), Laurens Pulot (HB-71), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona) );
Forwards: Lias Andersson, Mika Zibanejad (both Rangers), Mikael Backlund (Calgary), Jacob de la Rose (Montreal), Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles), Carl Klingberg (Zug), Johan Larsson (Buffalo), Jon Norman (Jokerit) , Gustav Nyqvist (Detroit), Magnus Paajarvi (Ottawa), Elias Pettersson (Växjö), Rickard Rakell (Anaheim), Dennis Everberg (Neftekhimik), Mattias Janmark (Dallas).

Probably, the Swedes sold part of their soul to the devil, receiving in return the opportunity to grow great defenders in such quantities, as if we were talking about banal radishes in a country house. Two pairs of “Tre Krunur” look monumental compared to the rest of the competitors taken together: Klingberg, Ekman-Larsson, Lindholm And Larsson. A year ago, the Scandinavians were helped to take the title not only by the same stellar defense, but also by the goalkeeper Lundqvist. Now King Henrik will not be in Denmark due to health problems.

Hand on heart, even in his absence the goal line defending champions no worse than any other medal contender. There are probably not enough stars in the attack comparable to the leaders of the Canadian and US national teams. Although Raquel, Backlund, Zibanejad are key figures in their clubs. Youth led by the rising star of world hockey, 19-year-old Petersson has great motivation. These guys haven't gotten too drunk yet, they have something to prove at the international level. For the head coach Rickard Grenberg the situation is favorable in almost all respects, especially since his players have come through the same system, are loyal to him and are managed like few others. It is difficult to imagine that the combination of all these factors would leave the Swedish team without reaching the final.

Canada. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Michael DiPietro (Windsor, OHL), Darcy Kuemper (Arizona), Curtis McIlenny (Toronto);
Defenders: Colton Parayko, Joel Edmundson (both St. Louis), Ryan Murray (Columbus), Darnell Nurse (Edmonton), Ryan Pulock (Islanders), Thomas Chabot (Ottawa), Aaron Ekblad (Florida);
Forwards: Mathieu Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle (all Islanders), Tyson Jost (Colorado), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Columbus), Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (both Edmonton), Ryan O'Reilly (Buffalo ), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa), Bo Horvath (Vancouver), Jayden Schwartz, Braden Schenn (both St. Louis).

The tournament's number one favorite, when examined in detail, does not look like a "killing machine." Yes, they have superstar and NHL leading scorer McDavid on the roster. Yes, five minutes to the prize winner best newcomer Barzel, with his speed, will be even more dangerous in large areas. Yes, the depth in the offensive line as a whole - Vancouver's leading center Horvat anchors the fourth line - is impressive. But no matter what they say about the head coach’s experience Bill Peters, who won the World Championship two years ago, has more problems now. The defense consists of young and promising players aged 21 to 24, of whom only Ekblad seems to be an accomplished master.

Two years ago the defense was also not ideal, but there was an excellent goalkeeper at that time Talbot. Nowadays the number one in goal is always competing for the number two position. McIlhenny, who is already 34 years old, and Kuemper, who also has not risen above the role of a backup in the NHL. You can make a strong team out of this material. But in any case she will have enough vulnerabilities- There is no need to hang gold medals around Canadians’ necks in advance.

USA. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Scott Darling (Carolina), Keith Kincaid (New Jersey), Charlie Lindgren (Montreal);
Defenders: Will Butcher (New Jersey), Nick Jensen (Detroit), Alec Martinez (Los Angeles), Connor Murphy, Jordan Oesterle (both Chicago), Neal Pionk (Rangers), Quinn Hughes (University of Michigan);
Forwards: Cam Atkinson, Sonny Milano (both Columbus), Brian Gibbons, Blake Coleman (both New Jersey), Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary), Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane (both Chicago), Chris Kreider (Rangers), Dylan Larkin ( Detroit), Anders Lee (Islanders), Derek Ryan (Carolina), Tage Thompson (St. Louis), Colin White (Ottawa).

Only God knows what he can do at the tournament Main coach Americans Jeff Blashill. In Detroit, he doesn’t have nearly as many strong players on the offensive line as he does now in the national team. Kane And Gaudreau- real NHL stars. Only McDavid can be ranked higher among those who will definitely reach Denmark.

The rest of the American forwards are good in their own way: there are snipers, hard workers, security forces, and fast wings. Envy takes over. The goalkeepers and defense, when assessed together, are seriously on par with any other team. Taking into account the fact that many of the strongest did not reach their competitors from Europe, there is a real candidate for champion. An inner voice suggests two options regarding the US team. It will either pleasantly surprise the whole world, or fail miserably.

Russia. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Vasily Koshechkin (Metallurg Mg), Ilya Sorokin (CSKA), Igor Shesterkin (SKA);
Defenders: Alexey Bereglazov (Metallurg Mg), Vladislav Gavrikov, Dinar Khafizullin, Egor Yakovlev (all - SKA), Nikita Zaitsev (Toronto), Bogdan Kiselevich, Nikita Nesterov (both - CSKA), Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist);
Forwards: Sergei Andronov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Kirill Kaprizov, Maxim Shalunov (all - CSKA), Artem Anisimov (Chicago), Alexander Barabanov, Alexey Byvaltsev Pavel Datsyuk, Nikita Gusev, Ilya Kablukov (all - SKA), Pavel Buchnevich (Rangers), Maxim Mamin (Florida), Ilya Mikheev (Avangard), Nikita Soshnikov (Avangard).

A realistic forecast regarding the performance of the Russian national team at the current moment does not imply thoughts about gold. For the first time in many years, the chances of at least three teams before the start of the tournament seem higher than those of our team. Performance at the Swedish stage of the Eurotour only added to the pessimism. There are simultaneously questions about the game, about the actions of goalkeepers and defense, the effectiveness of the attack and coaching decisions!

The illness of the most dangerous forward in this lineup Gusev- another argument in favor of the fact that it will be extremely difficult for the Russians to aim for a medal. Compared to the main contenders for medals, ours has the only advantage - the experience of winning at the Olympics, no matter how funny it may sound. A few months ago, a dozen and a half champions of Pyeongchang went through a more psychologically difficult test. Now no one expects obligatory gold from them, so somewhere the Russians will have an easier time without such pressure. But there’s a problem with purely gaming trump cards. Before decisive matches at Ilya Vorobyova There will be enough time to bring the team to peak condition. We can only hope for this.

Finland. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Ero Kilpeläinen (Örebro), Harri Sateri (Florida), Ville Husso (San Antonio, AHL);
Defenders: Tommy Kiviste (Jokerit), Miika Koivisto (Kerpat), Niko Mikkola (Tappara), Markus Nutivaara (Columbus), Ville Pokka (Belleville, AHL), Juuso Riikola (KalPa), Miro Heiskanen (HIFK), Julius Honka (Dallas);
Forwards: Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teräväinen (both Carolina), Marko Anttila, Pekka Jormakka, Mika Niemi, Olli Palola (all Jokerit), Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Kasperi Kapanen (Toronto), Sakari Manninen (Örebro), Saku Mäenalainen (Kärpät ), Janne Pesonen (Växjö), Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), Veli-Matti Savinainen (Ugra), Antti Suomela (Jyväskylä).

At the last moment, several young Finnish stars from the NHL decided to go to Denmark. For the head coach Lauri Marjamäki This is real help in a hungry year. There were too many refusals a little earlier. This is no coincidence, because the specialist who will lead Jokerit next season has big problems with building proper communication with your players. However, the appearance Granlunda, Aho and the companies do not make the Finnish team an ironclad candidate for a medal. In defense and in goal, there is no figure to which the prefix “super” can be substituted. With Florida's third goalkeeper Syateri as number one and the best defender in the form of Nutivaara from Columbus' third pair, it's even problematic to cook porridge.

Talk about the systemic nature embedded at the subconscious level in any player is wonderful. But this is not the case now. Marjamäki in two years of work in the national team, he achieved only that he lays claim to the informal title of the worst head coach in the history of Finnish hockey. All of his teams looked dismantled and stunningly unstable. The Finnish national team is capable of producing one or two cool matches even now. This is not enough for solving large problems.

Czech Republic. Photo "SE"

Goalkeepers: Dominik Grakhovina (Tappara), David Rittich (Calgary), Pavel Francouz (Traktor);
Defenders: Radko Gudas (Philadelphia), Michal Jordan (Amur), Michal Moravcsik, David Sklenicka (both Pilsen), David Musil (Trsinec), Filip Pirochta (Liberec), Adam Polasek (Sochi), Filip Hronek (Grand Rapids, AHL), Libor Sulak (Pelicans);
Forwards: Robin Hanzl, Andrej Nestrasil (both Neftekhimik), Tomas Gyka (Vegas), Martin Kaut (Pardubice), Robert Kousal (Davos), Dominik Kubalik (Ambri-Piotta), Martin Necas (Kometa), Tomas Plekanec (Toronto), Michal Rzepik (Sparta), Radek Faksa (Dallas), Roman Horak (Vityaz), Filip Chytil (Rangers), Roman Cervenka (Friborg), David Stastny (Zlin), Dmitry Yashkin (St. Louis).

Before his last tournament as head coach of the national team Josef Jandacz got into experiments. So many youth through national team V Czech hockey haven't missed it for a long time. There is some merit to this move. Players born in 1999 and younger are very talented. One of the contenders for a high number in the upcoming NHL draft, Zadina, was unhooked. But the very fact that three 18-year-olds will reach Denmark without him speaks volumes. First of all, about the minimal claims of the Czech national team.

Help from the NHL is very modest, and regarding the tough defenseman of Philadelphia Gudas Questions remain - his style of play is dangerous not only for other attackers, but also for his own goal. Goalkeeper Frenchman looked like a star in the KHL and at the Olympics. Even more will be required of him at the World Championships if the Czechs hope to medal. On paper, reaching the quarterfinals looks like the ceiling for them. This does not change the fact that the game Yandache the team is very likeable, does not hesitate to act aggressively and does not lock itself in its zone all the time. The level of personnel available to him, however, is far inferior to the main candidates for medals.