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Game Report

Dec 30, 2011

2012 World Junior Championship

Home Team: Sweden

Away Team: Slovakia

Prospects Breakdown:

SWE#9(John Klingberg) 2 way defenseman who loves to carry the puck and join the rush. A very smooth skater who can join the rush in a hurry. Makes very good decisions with the puck on the rush or on the point. Always looks to join the play and make a difference. Most of the time does so at the appropriate situations, but did get caught a couple of times trying to be too aggressive on the rush. Defensively, a hard player to play against. Battles hard along the boards for pucks, and opponents had a hard time trying to shake away from him. A physical presence all game long.

SWE#15(Sebastian Collberg) Offensive forward who owns one of the quickest releases in the tournament. As soon as he has the puck on his stick in a scoring area, looks up and takes a shot. Very good shot placements, and rarely missed the net. Played a good game along the walls, but can be improved on. Will definitely need to get stronger to be successful at the higher levels. Defensively, looked very engaged and used his stick effectively. A good skater that needs to improve on his overall speed.

SWE#13(Johan Sundstrom) Big 2 way forward who plays a great game along the boards. Showed a ton of strength and work ethic by constantly coming away with the puck from battles. Goes to the net hard and plays a gritty game. Got awarded with a goal by tipping a point shot about knee high. Defensively, one of the hardest working forwards. Always getting in lanes and winning battles to get pucks out. Very dependable on a consistent basis.

SVK#17(Marek Tvrdon) Big forward with nice hands and good skating skills. One of the most depended on forwards in offensive situations for Slovakia. Had a good game, but had a difficult time generating much with his teammates. Would make good passes and right decisions, but teammates would often let him down and plays would end there. Showed off his great shot on a 2 on 1, going post and in. Very deceptive shot.

SVK#25(Martin Gernat) Defensive defenseman who played a physical game, but had a tough time dealing with Sweden’s team speed. An average skater who really needs to work on his overall speed. Turns and strides must be improved too. Used his stick effectively all game, and kept opponents to the outside. Used his body well and won a ton of puck battles. Offensively, made good outlet passes and quick decisions with the puck. Has a good shot. Consistently gets it through.

SCOUTS NOTES: Sweden really overwhelmed Slovakia with their physicality. They went at the Slovaks with a lot of authority and did not back down from any challenges. Went to the net hard and scored most of their goals from the slot. Filip Forsberg keeps proving that he is the whole package. Offensively and defensively, had a solid game. Stayed disciplined when most of his teammates could not. Rickard Rackell really stood out physically. Laid the body consistently and fought for pucks as hard as anyone on Sweden. Still displayed his skills, and it was nice to see a complete game from him.

FINAL SCORE: 9-1 Sweden