yesterday 16:00
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Slovak hockey players will enter the U20 World Championship by wrestling with one of the favorites of the entire tournament. They will play against the defending champion of the US hockey team on Monday at 3.30 am our time.
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One of the traditionally strong selections admits nothing but the mandatory three points and it must be honestly said that although we have one of the strongest and best selections in recent years, we can only surprise.
Americans are still of exceptional quality, even though they are lagging behind in one position this time. However, this is the start of the tournament and anything can happen.
Goalkeepers
The last two championships have relied on Spencer Knight, but he’s over the age limit and is currently playing in the NHL for the Florida Panthers. His successors will find it extremely difficult to be as supportive as Knight in the goal.
They will try Drew Salesman, Kaidan Mbereko a Dylan Silverstein, for everyone it is the premiere participation in the junior championship. The unit should be first named.
Commeso is the oldest and only drafted goalkeeper in 19 years, in the last draft he chose it in the second round of Chicago, but he currently works at the NCAA University in Boston. He has played 17 duels in the current season and has a 90 percent success rate, but his numbers are marred by a worse start to the season.
The other two goalkeepers are prospectuses for the upcoming draft, but they are not estimated high. They do not have an extra successful season and it can be said that they can only surprise at the championship. If we were looking for the biggest weakness in the title defender, the choice would clearly fall on the goalkeeper’s post. However, this may change during the tournament, we have already experienced several cases where a lesser-known goalkeeper shone.
Defenders
It’s another song in the back rows. All eight have been drafted and are currently playing at the NCAA University, three remembering the gold campaign a year ago. Great expectations and pressure will be on the shoulders of the captain of choice, the draft five from 2000 Jake Sanderson.
There will be a great danger ahead of him and in the defense our attackers will have something to do to get through a good skater. He scored 19 points (6 + 13) in 15 duels in the season.
However, he is not the team’s highest draft defender, Luke Hughes A year later, the New Jersey Devils picked out 4th place, the brother of stable NHL players Quinn and Jack. Like them, the youngest member of the hockey clan will be in great danger. At the age of 18, he will perform at the championship for the first time.
We don’t find similar big stars in defense anymore, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have huge quality, the fact that four were chosen in the second and two in the third round of the draft speaks for itself.
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Attackers
With the draft, we go even higher with the attackers. Matthew Beniers became the first drafted Seattle Kraken player in history, they chose him from second place. He also participated in the last championship and played for the USA at the senior world championships.
In the first attack, we could see him by his side Bretta Berarda, who scored five points in the last gold championship, two more than Beniers. In the preparatory meeting, he supplemented their formation Mackie Samoskevich, in the last draft, Florida chose him from 24th place. The attackers have gold at home a year ago Landon Slaggert, which is still waiting for its first point at the U20 World Cup.
Matthew Beniers scored a goal for the Slovaks a year ago.
Zdroj: SITA / AP
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We will find only two undrafted hockey players in the attack. No team has chosen Dominica James Logana Cooleyho none of them could, as he is only 17 years old and one of the best prospectuses in the upcoming draft, in which he fights for places in the top ten also with Slovak youngsters. He is also the youngest player on the team.
The Americans are again of exceptional quality in the front ranks, every single player will be a danger, but one can endanger the Slovaks in other ways as well. If our boys talk tactics on the ice, they will understand Matthew Knies. His parents moved to the USA from Bratislava and at home they still get used to speaking Slovak.
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Chances at the World Cup and matches with Slovakia
Americans again have only the highest ambitions, they want to defend the title a year ago. Although they don’t have as good a team as they did last year, they are the biggest favorites behind Canada. However, this does not detract from the Slovaks’ chances of success and surprise in the first meeting.
In a strong group with the USA, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland, in addition to the obligatory triumph over the Helvetians, it will be important to beat one of the favorites if players from the Tatras want to avoid the expected winner of the second group Canada in the quarterfinals.
A year ago, both teams met in the quarterfinals, where the US team won 5: 2. It is often said that we can surprise Americans, but the view of statistics is not so convincing. We have met them nine times since 2010 and have only won once, 3: 2 at the 2018 World Cup. Experience can be in favor of Slovakia this time, we have the youngest but paradoxically most experienced team in the tournament.
Matches with USA at WC U20:
2020 – quarterfinals: USA – SVK 5: 2
2019 – Group: USA – SVK 2: 1
2018 – Group: USA – SVK 2: 3
2017 – Group: USA – SVK 5: 2
2015 – Group: USA – SVK 3: 0
2014 – Group: USA – SVK 6: 4
2013 – Group: USA – SVK 9: 3
2011 – Group: USA – SVK 6: 1
2010 – Group: USA – SVK 7: 3
2009 – quarterfinals: USA – SVK 3: 5
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USA program on tour:
27.12. 03.30 Slovakia
28.12. 22.30 Switzerland
30.12. 03.30 Sweden
01.01. 03.30 vs. Rusko
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