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Is it ridiculous to think the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship will top last year's dramatic overtime finish in the gold-medal game between the U);, they had good, tough leadership. Those were the guys who said, 'Hey, if we have to block shots with our head, we'll do it. If we have to take a couple of hits to make a play, we'll do it.' They were the perfect guys to run a room by example becaus eagles nfl e they walked the walk. This year's group is a good group, but I don't know if they are as dynamic as the group that led them last year and the group that led them last year had the advantage of being on a team that won it (in 2009).-Four players from last year's team will be with Team Canada in Buffalo -- forward Brayden Schenn and defensemen Ellis, Jared Cowen and Calvin de Haan.NHL teams well-r eagles nfl epresented at WJC In addition to the U.S. and Canada, Sweden is another country that shouldn't be taken lightly. In fact, NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb, the Swedes certainly are in the running for gold this year.-The Swedes do have several really talented defenders, forwards and strong goaltending,- Stubb said. -The leadership is also evident with guys like Tim Erixon, Adam Larsson eagles nfl , Patrik Nemeth and Jonas Brodin.-The tournament starts with four games on Dec. 26, highlighted by Canada facing Russia at 4 p.m. ET followed by the U.S. playing Finland at 8 p.m. Both games will be played at Buffalo's HSBC Center.After Finland, the U.S. will play three more preliminary-round games -- Dec. 28 against Slovakia, Dec. 30 against Germany and Dec. 31 against Switzerland. Following its eagles nfl game against Russia, Canada will play the Czech Republic on Dec. 28, Norway on Dec. 29 and Sweden on Dec. 31. Follow Mike Morreale at the WJC on Twitter at: @mike_morrealeUnited StatesAssistant coaches -- Mark Osiecki, Phil Housley, Joe Exter -- Led by captain Derek Stepan, the U.S. earned its second-ever gold medal following a dramatic 6-5 overtime victory against Canada.NHL prospects -- The only eagles nfl player eligible for the Draft is goalie Andy Iles, who plays at Cornell University. Five potential early-round selections were part of the final round of cuts Dec. 22 -- Adam Clendening (Boston University), Jamieson Oleksiak (Northeastern University), Rocco Grimaldi (USNTDP), Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit) and Matthew Nieto (Boston University).Schedule -- -I expect U.S. coach Keith Allain to imple eagles nfl ment the same type of style he preaches at Yale. It'll be an unbelievably exciting team to watch. The defensemen will be in the play, they'll hit like crazy, they'll have three legitimate scoring lines and a fourth that will knock the hell out of you.-NHL.com predictionCoach -- Richard JostLast year -- Niederreiter had a goal and an assist in nine games for the Islanders at the start of the season eagles nfl before being returned to Portland. 2011 Entry Draft watch -- Dec. 26, Germany, 12:30 p.m. ET; Dec. 28, Finland, 12:30 p.m. ET; Dec. 30, Slovakia, 3 p.m. ET; Dec. 31, U.S., 8 p.m. (NHLN-US).Starman's take -- Behind Niederreiter, Baertschi and goaltender Benjamin Conz, we expect the Swiss to take second in the Group, giving them a legitimate shot at reaching the semifinal round for the second strai eagles nfl ght year. A fifth-place showing is more likely, however.FinlandAssistant coaches -- Raimo Helminen, Karri Kivi -- The Finns dropped a 6-2 decision to the U.S. in the quarterfinals and beat Russia in the fifth-place game to finish fifth, a slight improvement over its seventh-place showing in 2009. NHL prospects -- Forward Joel Armia, who stars for Assat Pori in the Finnish Elite League and has 12 g eagles nfl oals and 19 points in 30 games, was rated No. 1 by Central Scouting among Finnish players in its preliminary rankings.Schedule -- -Without playmaker Mikael Granlund, it might be difficult for snipers Pulkkinen, Donskoi, Toni Rajala -- Granlund's absence is big, but the Finns traditionally rely on teamwork, intensity and attitude. That said, Finland shouldn't have much of a problem finishing in the eagles nfl top three in the Group and reaching the quarterfinals. Armia, who could be this year's Niederreiter, will be called upon to carry the offensive load, but it might be too much to ask on North American ice. We anticipate a sixth-place finish.SlovakiaAssistant coaches -- Miroslav Marcinko, Frantisek Kucera -- The Slovaks finished 1-3 in Group A and finished eighth after beating Austria and losing to eagles nfl the Czech Republic in the relegation round.NHL prospects (Edmonton, second round, 2010), an all-round stopper with a good reach, to bolster the blue line while forward Richard Panik (Tampa Bay, second round, 2009), who is competing in his third WJC, snipes on offense.2011 Entry Draft watch -- Dec. 27, Germany, 7 p.m. ET; Dec. 28, U.S., 8 p.m. ET (NHLN-US); Dec. 30, Switzerland, 3 p.m. ET; Dec. 31 eagles nfl , Finland, 12:30 p.m. ET.Stubb's take -- Slovakia will be hard-pressed to medal, despite the fact several members of the team already play in North America, including standouts Panik (Guelph, OHL) and Marincin (Prince George, WHL). A seventh-place finish is the guess here. The country last medaled in 1999 with a bronze.GermanyAssistant coach -- Uwe Krupp -- Playing at the Division I level, Germany eagles nfl won all five of its games while outscoring the opposition 27-3 to earn promotion to the top level.NHL prospects -- Keep an eye on forward Tobias Rieder of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers, No. 6 on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings for players in the league, and Mathias Niederberger, the top-rated German goalie playing domestically.Schedule -- -Not a lot expected of the Germans but you never eagles nfl know. They earned the chance to compete in the tournament, so might as well give it your best shot.-NHL.com predictionCanadaAssistant coaches -- Bob Boughner, Andre Tourigny, Ryan Huska -- Canada's string of five straight gold medals was snapped in 6-5 overtime loss to the U.S. in the gold-medal game. Still, forwards Taylor Hall were catalysts on offense and Alex Pietrangelo was outstanding on de eagles nfl fense. Eberle and Pietrangelo were named the best at their position in the tournament.NHL prospects -- Sean Couturier of Drummondville in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is the only draft-eligible player on the roster. The two-way forward, who could be the first player taken in June, will provide great energy and offense to boot. His agent, Gilles Lupien, compared him to Hall of Fame forward eagles nfl Darryl Sittler.Schedule -- -The fact Canada is coming in with only four returning players from last year's team is probably a good thing. They'll have a new corps that isn't hung up on revenge and I feel that'll work for them. They're big, physical, fast and unbelievably skilled.-NHL.com prediction or Mark Visentin lack international experience.SwedenAssistant coach -- Robert Ohlsson -- After ea eagles nfl rning two straight silver medals, Sweden dropped a 5-2 decision to the U.S. in the semifinal round but recovered to beat Switzerland 11-4 to take home a bronze medal. NHL prospects (Edmonton, second round, 2009). 2011 Entry Draft watch -- Dec. 26, Norway, 4 p.m. ET; Dec. 28, Russia, 4 p.m. ET; Dec. 30, Czech Republic, 3 p.m. ET (NHLN-US, TSN); Dec. 31, Canada, 4 p.m. ET (NHLN-US, TSN).Stubb's take eagles nfl -- It's a pretty formidable group up front, led by Lander, Landeskog and Carl Klingberg. Along with Larsson and Lehner, Sweden will give Canada and Russia a run for their money in Group B. A third-place finish is the pick here.RussiaAssistant coaches -- Evgeny Koreshkov, Yuri Novikov -- It was a disappointing tournament for Russia, which lost to Switzerland in overtime in the quarterfinals on the eagles nfl way to a sixth-place finish. It marked the first time in six years Russia failed to medal at the WJC.NHL prospects -- Defenseman Nikita Zaytsev, who went undrafted in 2010, has keen awareness in his zone and solid, if unspectacular, puck skills. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, who plays for Sibir Novosibirsk in the KHL, would raise his stock with a good tournament.Schedule -- -There are no real supers eagles nfl tars on the Russian team but several players who had a good fall playing regularly in the KHL, such as Tarasenko, Kuznetsov and Maxim Kitsyn. There's tons of speed, skill and talent, but the big question is can they put a team together.-NHL.com predictionCoach -- Miroslav PrerostLast year -- Returning from last year's team are a pair of forwards currently playing in the Canadian Hockey League -- R eagles nfl oman Horak of the Western Hockey League's Chilliwack Bruins and Andrej Nestrasil of the P.E.I. Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Horak, a 2009 fifth-round pick of the New York Rangers, is second on the team with 15 goals and 38 points in 30 games. Nestrasil, a 2009 third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, has 13 goals and a team-high 36 points in 29 games.2011 Entry Draft watch -- eagles nfl Dec. 27, Norway, 7 p.m. ET; Dec. 28, Canada, 4 p.m. ET (NHLN-US, TSN); Dec. 30, Sweden, 3 p.m. ET (NHLN-US, TSN); Dec. 31, Russia, 7 p.m. ET.Stubb's take -- The Czech Republic has struggled on the international stage recently, not having placed higher than fifth in the WJC since winning bronze in 2005. Without high-end prospects like Musil and Jaskin (knee), that trend likely will continue. Look eagles nfl for a ninth-place finish.NorwayAssistant coaches -- Paal Guldbrandsen, Jarl Eriksen -- The Norwegians won four of five games at the Division I level while outscoring their foes 33-8 to earn a spot in the main draw this year. NHL prospects -- There's a good chance 6-foot-3 goalie Lars Volden, who sported a 1.47 goals-against average and .958 save percentage in four Division I games last year, could eagles nfl keep the games close. In 17 games with the Espoo Blues Under-20 team in Finland, Volden has a 2.68 GAA and .912 save percentage.Schedule -- -Norway is in the same 'elevator category' as Germany, Latvia, Denmark and Belarus -- too good for the 'B' pool but not good enough to stay in the 'A' pool. Norway has worked hard with their junior program for years, but hockey just cannot take the next step eagles nfl in the Norwegian sports society. The average attendance for league games in the capital, Oslo, is under 1,000. In Buffalo, they'll play their big games in the relegation pool and it would be a big surprise if they can finish better than ninth or 10th.-NHL.com prediction eagles nfl
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