4 months left to the WC in Sweden/Finland.

I hope for this team:


Mikkel Bødker - Lars Eller - Nicklas Jensen

Morten Madsen - Frans Nielsen - Mads Christensen

Nicklas Hardt - Julian Jacobsen - Morten Poulsen

Kiril Starkov - Morten Green - Kim Lykkeskov

Jesper Jensen


Philip Larsen - Oliver Lauridsen

Jesper Jensen - Kasper Jensen

Stefan Lassen - Mads Bødker

Daniel Nielsen


Frederik Andersen
Patrick Galbraith


Regin will certainly not play (if not injured because of contract-issues) and Hansen will probably go far in PO with Canucks.

Other options include Frederik Storm, Christoffer Kjærgaard, Jannik Karvinen, Mads Bech Christensen, Philip Hersby.

All four C's log a lot of minutes in pk in their clubs, and generally we're deep on C. I will be angry if Eller doesn't play C - he is so much better there.

What do you think?

Lars Eller - Frans Nielsen - Jannik Hansen

Mikkel Bødker - Peter Regin - Nicklas Hardt

Morten Madsen - Julian Jakobsen - Morten Poulsen

Mads Christensen - Jesper Jensen - Nicklas Jensen





Philip Larsen - Oliver Lauridsen

Jesper Jensen - Stefan Lassen

Mads Bödker - Kasper Jensen




Frederik Andersen
Patrick Galbraith





Too bad this will never happen.

Mikkel Bødker - Lars Eller - Jannik Hansen

Morten Madsen - Frans Nielsen - Peter Regin

Nicklas Hardt - Julian Jacobsen - Morten Poulsen

Kim Staal - Frederik Storm - Nicklas Jensen





Philip Larsen - Oliver Lauridsen

Jesper Jensen - Kasper Jensen

Daniel Nielsen - Mads Bech Christensen




Frederik Andersen
Patrick Galbraith





Too bad this will never happen.

Julian Jakobsen and Frederik Storm above Green, the captain?? :laugh:

If I where Per Bäckman it would go something like this:

Frederik Andersen
Patrick Galbraith
Sebastian Dahm/Simon Nielsen

Stefan Lassen-Philip Larsen
Mads Bødker-Daniel Nielsen
Jesper Jensen-Kasper Jensen/Oliver Lauridsen/Philip Hersby/Michael Eskesen

Next in line: Simon Grønvaldt, ask Jesper Duus to play, Rasmus Nielsen, Patrick Brugisser, Jannik Christensen


Jannik Hansen-Frans Nielsen-Mikkel Bødker
Peter Regin-Lars Eller-Morten Madsen
Nicklas Jensen-Mads Christensen-Nicklas Hardt
Julian Jakobsen-Morten Green-Morten Poulsen
Jesper Jensen/Kiril Starkov/Kim Staal/Thor Dresler(Personally i think this is the year Staal's to old. He doesn't look that great in Herlev, and the locker room would be the only place he improved the Danish roster IMO)

Next in line: Lasse Lassen/Frederik Storm/Jannik Karvinen/should be Michael Smidt but apperently Bäckman insist on not using him/Morten Andreasen... Then there 5 or 6 players in the next tier and from there on it's everybody's guess.

My guess we'll have 5 NHL's there. Think Regin best shot at yet another attemt to get a healthy NHL-season is the more soft WC-tournament, and he should be ready about then, so I so no reason he couldn't be there. The rest wouldn't make their playoffs.

Best Danish WC-roster ever. My two cent :)

Julian Jakobsen and Frederik Storm above Green, the captain?? :laugh:


I hate Green. :)

Julian Jakobsen and Frederik Storm above Green, the captain?? :laugh:

Green have had his worst season in ages, awful Plus/minus (-13) and not producing very well. The whole team has struggled, despite being extremely stacked for a SEL-2 team but Green has certainly had his part in that slump.

Julian Jakobsen on the other hand have looked great when I have watched Södertälje this season, really getting his game together. Must be nice for him to be a very important player for his team and he is a class player in Allsvenskan.

The only edge Green has over Jakobsen is experience.

Green have had his worst season in ages, awful Plus/minus (-13) and not producing very well. The whole team has struggled, despite being extremely stacked for a SEL-2 team but Green has certainly had his part in that slump.

Julian Jakobsen on the other hand have looked great when I have watched Södertälje this season, really getting his game together. Must be nice for him to be a very important player for his team and he is a class player in Allsvenskan.

The only edge Green has over Jakobsen is experience.

Trust me, there is no way Green is not going. And it's one bad season out of his entire career as far as i know...

Bump...

Team Denmark for the four-nation tournament in Norway:

Goalies:
Sebastian Dahm, Rødovre
Simon Nielsen, Lukko Rauma

Backs:
Stefan Lassen, Malmö
Mads Bødker, Leksand
Michael Eskesen, Odense
Mads Bech Christensen, Frederikshavn
Philip Hersby, Odense
Nicklas Hansen, EfB Ishockey
Simon Grønvaldt, Rødovre
Daniel Nielsen, Hamburg
Rasmus Nielsen, Blue Fox Herning

Forwards:
Frederik Storm, Herlev
Nichlas Hardt, Jokerit
Kim Staal, Herlev
Kirill Starkov, SønderjyskE
Christoffer Kjærgaard, SønderjyskE
Julian Jakobsen, Södertälje
Lasse Lassen, Blue Fox Herning
Morten Poulsen, Oskarshamn
Jesper Jensen, Hamburg
Jannik Karvinen, Rødovre
Bjarke Møller, AaB Ishockey
Kim Lykkeskov, SønderjyskE
Morten Andreasen, Odense

Bäckmann and Johnson is looking at every corner of the Danish league.

Lykkeskov is back. I though he said stop last year but apperently he's back. Very nice!

Noterable misses are Mads Christensen, Morten Green, Jesper Jensen and Kasper Jensen. My guess is that they've asked for some rest.

Noterable misses are Mads Christensen, Morten Green, Jesper Jensen and Kasper Jensen. My guess is that they've asked for some rest.

Just want to add Morten Madsen to the list of notable absentees. Also, don't expect too much of Nicklas Jensen just yet. He has every chance to become a great player, but at the WC level he is still very young and unproven.

I have been following Malmö quite a bit this season and I think Green has been OK. He is not a defensive stalwart, so when the rest of the team struggles, his numbers will suffer too. He has also been up and down the lineup all season, so no real chance to develop chemistry with his linemates. Lassen started out really bad with the Redhawks, but he has been a lot better as the season has progressed. He has also benefitted from going from being paired with the completely useless Grand-Pierre (except for fighting which does not have a huge role in Swedish hockey) to being paired with Högström who is a lot more reliable. As mentioned earlier in this thread, Jakobsen has been solid. Easily one of the best players in Allsvenskan from what I have seen. I also really like the play of Kasper Jensen. He has been almost completely unnoticeable, which is not a bad thing to say about a D-man. :) Morten H Poulsen has been a pretty good sniper, but not so noticeable in other aspects of the game. Jesper Jensen has been good and is easily Denmark's second best D prospect after Philip Larsen. He is still young though and will be more consistent in a couple of years.

Overall a good tournament from the Danish team.

Norway had all their best players available, and as far as I can see, only Zuccarello could be an addition.

Denmark on the other hand will add 10 players, and hopefully 3 or four from the NHL.

It seems like Kiril Starkov is close to a lock, and Jesper Jensen (F) also got praise from the coach.

Karvinen scored 3 goals and must be closer to making the team, but he is far from a lock.

If Larsen can play, there is very few spots to compete for on D:

Larsen, J Jensen, Bødker, Lassen, K Jensen, Nielsen are locks. With Christensen out of the picture the last spot will probably go to Hersby or Lauridsen.

On F Bødker will maybe make the PO's, but Coytes will most likely not survive the 1. round, and he should be available. Nielsen and Eller will be ready for WC barring injuries.

That gives us following locks:

Frans Nielsen, Lars Eller, Mikkel Bødker, Mads Christensen, Nicklas Hardt, Morten Green, Julian Jakobsen, Morten Madsen,

Close to locks: Starkov, Jesper Jensen, Morten Poulsen

Last two spots between: Staal, Lassen, Karvinen, Lykkeskov, Nicklas Jensen, Jannik Hansen (should canucks fail in PO)

In goal Frederik Andersen will be a lot better than whoever Italy, Norway, Germany and Latvia will play. We could even have the edge over Sweden if they go with Fasth.

All in all looking like quarterfinal.

Think Oliver Lauridsen will make the team? I don't think the Phantoms are going to make the AHL playoffs.

Think Oliver Lauridsen will make the team? I don't think the Phantoms are going to make the AHL playoffs.

I don't know. I just think that he'd have to show up early at the National Team camp leading up to the WC in order to get a shot. I would not be comfortable bringing him to the Worlds if he doesn't get a long look beforehand. His strengths and weaknesses don't seem very well suited for the European rules and the big ice surface.

Philip Larsen
Mads Bødker
Jesper Jensen
Stefan Lassen
Kasper Jensen
Daniel Nielsen

All of the above should be locks if healthy (and in Larsen's case available). I am not comfortable with Hersby or Lauridsen at this point, but with Mads Bech Christensen out of the picture, there aren't too many options for the last D-man spot(s). I suspect Hersby will get a spot if he rebounds well after returning to Denmark. Other options would be Grønvaldt, if he too rebounds upon returning home. Or Eskesen, or maybe even Bruggisser.

Knowing NT Coach Bäckman, I expect him to play it safe and go with Hersby.

but with Mads Bech Christensen out of the picture,
.



What?

What?

Mads Bech Christensen is no longer part of the National Team:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=da&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=da&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftv2sport.dk%2Fvm-afbud-fra-frederikshavn-back&act=url

Morten Madsen and Frederik Andersen were not there due to... well being SEL'ers and thus locks. Don't expect to see them on the National Team again until it's getting serious.

Not sure why Kasper Jensen would be a lock? He ahead of others, sure, but a lock? In my eyes Daniel Nielsen, Philip Larsen, Stefan Lassen, Jesper Jensen and Mads Boedker are locks.

Then there's two spots to fight for amongst Kasper Jensen, Oliver Lauridsen, Philip Hersby, Michael Eskesen. Longshots could be, as mentioned, Gronvaldt, Brugisser and Rasmus Nielsen. My money's on Kasper Jensen and Michael Eskesen atm. :handclap:

On the forward side I'd go with the 9 locks, Morten Poulsen, Nicklas Jensen and two of Lassen/Dresler/Karvinen/Lykkeskov/Degn/Staal/Starkov/Storm.

Not sure if Degn and Dresler have lazed 'em NT-wise yet but if they're willing they'll be in the mix. I'd go with Lassen and Dresler - if he's good to go - but that's just me. Lassen because he offers the best offense, Dresler the best defense. Karvinen, Degn and Lykkeskov could change my mind. I'm sceptical towards Starkov and Staal. :rant:

Kasper Jensen played great last WC and he play for a topteam in allsvenskan. He must be miles ahead any of the players from the Danish league.

I hope Lauridsen get the last spot.

Karvinen >> Lassen in my opinion. Starkov is a lock (edit: or very close http://www.sporten.dk/ishockey/kirill-starkov-er-vm-klar) - like it or not - but I agree about Staal. His time on the NT is over.

Not sure why Kasper Jensen would be a lock? He ahead of others, sure, but a lock? In my eyes Daniel Nielsen, Philip Larsen, Stefan Lassen, Jesper Jensen and Mads Boedker are locks.

I'm sceptical towards Starkov and Staal. :rant:

I think Kasper Jensen should be a lock. Not spectacular in any way, but just plain solid. As for Starkov, I think he should be included. I'm afraid it's just another example of how much better the Allsvenskan is compared to the Danish league. Last season, I would even have considered Karvinen for the NT while he was playing in Div. 1 in Sweden with Kristianstad...

Starkov struggled while at Rögle, but he has 2G 4A in 4GP with Sønderjyske so far. That's not bad, especially if he is not yet in top shape following the departure from Rögle. And with Starkov, he always seems to be better towards the end of the season than at the beginning.

The usually reliable source MrMadhawk is reporting that Oskarshamn is interested in signing Starkov for next season.

No doubt Kasper Jensen will properbly be there. And he should. But a lock? Aaaarh... not really. He provides some solid 3rd pair qualities. He's a fine PK'er, physical, gap-control etc. etc. But it not like it's unthinkable he could be replaced. Don't think he will though.

No doubt he should go for another year in Sweden but Starkov's just a bad fit for the role he would be playing at the WC. No top 6 or top 9-time for him. Just 4th line duties... I like Dresler(Textbook 4th line center) and Lasse Lassen(A wee bit more grit and teamspirit then Starkov) better. With the playoff Kasper Degn is having I would have him above Starkov to. But nice to have so many options :handclap:

Starkov is a lock (edit: or very close http://www.sporten.dk/ishockey/kirill-starkov-er-vm-klar) - like it or not - but I agree about Staal. His time on the NT is over.

That article doesn't say anywhere he's a lock. It says he's impressing Bäckmann. VM-ready as in he has put on more kiloes... Although it looks like Peter Fredsberg think he will be there and that's a pretty good indication he will... ugh

Thor Dresler won't be there due to his education... Fourth line center spot open.

Thor Dresler won't be there due to his education... Fourth line center spot open.

1. Eller
2. Nielsen
3. Jakobsen
4. Green

What spot?

Staal is officially out. Not good enough according to coach - and he is right.

:handclap::razz:1. Eller
2. Nielsen
3. Jakobsen
4. Green

What spot?

Don't think Green will be on the fourth line. Beside the fact he's the captain and has great chemestry with some of the other guys, he has allways come through for Team Denmark at theese tournaments. Last three tournaments he's been one of the five most producing forwards ;)

Further down I had Nicklas Jensen pegged as a third liner, but that's not gonna happen IMO. Changed my mind on that one... :razz:

I think there's a center spot open. Jesper Jensen could be it but I also think he'll be higher on the depth chart.

Allright the race has begun... The first roster have been selected:

Goalies:
Sebastian Dahm, Rodovre, age 25
Christian Moller, Esbjerg, age 23

Dahm has a shot at the spot as a third goalie. Moller is the second best avaliable. :laugh:

D-men:
Stefan Lassen, Malmo, age 26
Simon Gronvaldt, Rodovre, age 21
Emil Kristensen, Esbjerg, age 19
Philip Bruggisser, Esbjerg, age 20
Jannik Christensen, Esbjerg, age 19
Christoffer Pedersen, Copenhagen, age 22
Mark Müller, Frederikshavn, age 19

Lassen's a lock. Gronvaldt, Bruggisser and Christensen has a tiny tiny shot at making the team but they'd have to put up something amazing in this camp. All of them - with the exception of Lassen - have been selected with the purpose of checking up on their devolpment and seeing who's the next generations Kasper Jensen, Michael Eskesen, Mads Bech etc. :handclap:

Forwards:
Morten Green, Malmo, age 30
Julian Jakobsen, Södertalje, age 24
Morten Poulsen, Oskerhamn, age 23
Rasmus Astrup, Rodovre, age 26
Mathias Bau, Rodovre, age 18
Jannik Karvinen, Rodovre, age 25
Sune Hjulmand, Esbjerg, age 23
Nikolaj Rosenthal, Copenhagen, age 20
Sebastian Svendsen, Copenhagen, age 20
Nicklas Carlsen, Copenhagen, age 21
Steffen Klarskov, Frederikshavn, age 21
Frederik Storm, Herlev, age 23

Green and Jakobsen are locks. Poulsen is most likely in. Karvinen, Hjulmand(very smalle chance) and Storm has a shot.

I'm loving the fact that Klarskov and Bau are in. Two hardworking, talented, young forwards that play hockey with heart and soul. Both guys who should be in Sweden within a year or two. Svendsen and Rosenthal had a impressive end to the season as well. Would love to them compete for at spot in a couple of years. :bow:

On the other hand I don't get why Astrup is there... at all. He's a nice player and all, but is he a candidate for the team or is he there because they they think he'll be a candidate the years to come? He doesn't fit the bottom-line description at all. He most likely ain't getting any better. :help:

Why not bring in Kim Staal and use him as a training dummy - let him talk to the press since he's very popular in Denmark, let him set the tone in the locker room, let show what's needed. Or bring in Michael Smidt. He's had his best year in a long IMO. He fits the bottom line description perfectly...

But hey. Nice to see Astrup getting rewarded for a good season. He's a great guy by the way ;)

The selection of Bau makes me hope that Bäckman will consider selecting Nicklas Jensen for the WC roster. I believe he has the skill level to get a place on the team in my eyes. He has developed at lot since leaving Denmark and I believe he would be the highest scoring Dane in the league if he still played there. And don't get fooled by numbers, he has not stagnated since last year, but his team is much worse this year, but every report from Oshawa says he's developed.

Just for good measure, in the NHL Nielsen and Eller are more or less locks to play right now unless they get any injuries. Regin is still injured and won't play. Hansen and the Canucks will probably go deep in the playoffs, so he shouldn't be counted on. Bødker and Nielsen could still miss the playoffs, but I doubt both of them do, hopefully they'll have an early exit.

A) I don't think that roster should be looked upon as the best of rest right now. It's a roster of the players with the most relevance for the national team in years to come. So the selection of Bau might not be so connected with Nicklas Jensens chances as it would seem IMO.

B) As I remember Nicklas Jensen, and from the bits and pieces I have seen of him since he left Denmark, he's is somewhat capable of player a 3rd og 4th line duty right? In my head he could come along as a lower line joker that can be promoted if top 6 **** things up. He's is by far the sexier pick for the lower lines but the question is: What if the top 6 doesn't **** things up. Will he be able to grit-it-out in a lower line... Make the contribution asked for there. Hard work. Keep the puck out off our net. Etc. etc.

My guess would be yes but I havn't seen him play a lot these last two years.

A) I agree with you on this. I was just surprised to see Bau in this selection, partly due to his age. So I thought the selection of would indicate that Jensen is ranked higher by Bäckman than I thought he was.

B) What I have read in reports from Oshawa, Jensen is not a defensive liability, he is not great, but he plays a two way game. He still plays a european style where he doesn't hit a lot, but he uses his size and strength to win battles at the boards and in the corners. His natural skills are no doubt good enough to be in the team, but the biggest nag on his play is his consistency, he isn't playing up to his potential every night. Personally I don't think this would be a problem at the WC, since it didn't seem to be a problem in the WJC matches I saw. To conclude, he would probably be the most skilled player in our bottom six, but his grind, work ethic and defensive play might not be on the level that Bäckman would demand from a bottom six player, and I think Bäckman put more emphasis on that in the bottom six. I think we will know a lot more when Oshawa most likely lose in the first round of the playoffs and he can get called up to the AHL.

The problem with Denmark's team is not the line combinations guys.
Denmark needs to improve in every aspect of their game before something as simple as line tweaking will make the difference between winning and losing. The Danish top six are able to compete with anyone from any country at least competitively if not to win, but the bottom six forwards, along with all of their defence and their goaltending, just cannot compete in Division 1 consistently. Until Denmark starts producing NHL-calibre defencemen and goaltenders, they will not be able to compete consistently in Division 1.

The problem with Denmark's team is not the line combinations guys.
Denmark needs to improve in every aspect of their game before something as simple as line tweaking will make the difference between winning and losing. The Danish top six are able to compete with anyone from any country at least competitively if not to win, but the bottom six forwards, along with all of their defence and their goaltending, just cannot compete in Division 1 consistently. Until Denmark starts producing NHL-calibre defencemen and goaltenders, they will not be able to compete consistently in Division 1.

Line combinations isn't what's gonna make us beat Russia, Sweden and the Czech republic. But those aren't the teams that Denmark have to beat, ofcourse it would be nice to make an upset. Denmark is playing beat Germany, Norway, Latvia and Italy, and against those teams having the correct line combinations can give Denmark the edge that they need to win. I agree that our top 6 is our strength, and bottom 6 and defense are weaknesses, but this year I don't agree that goaltending is a weakness, Frederik Andersen has been one of the best, if not the best goaltender in the SEL. That puts us atleast equal with Germany and Latvia, and above Norway in terms of goaltending.

Nicklas Jensen will most likely finish the season within a week. He should at least get at look in WC-camp.

Oliver Lauridsen is breaking out in the AHL with 2 g 4 a and + 4 in his last 12 games (compared to 1 g 0 a in the first 47 games). Phantoms are still in the mix for a PO-spot, but should they fail Lauridsen will probably get the chance in camp.

In NHL Western Conference things are messy. Both Dallas and Phoenix are within the first 8, but both could miss out on PO. Dallas have a tough schedule, and Larsen is the most important player for Denmark on defence, so hopefully they will fail (sorry Dallas fans).

The dream scenario is of course that neither Dallas, Phoenix or Vancouver makes it through first round in which case we could have 5 NHL-players on the team for the first time.

That would give Denmark a chance against all the other teams, and make them favorites against Germany, Latvia and Norway.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves..

btw. Nicklas Hardt is by far the best forward from Denmark, not playing in the NHL. Mads Christensen is nr. 2.

btw. Nicklas Hardt is by far the best forward from Denmark, not playing in the NHL. Mads Christensen is nr. 2.

I don't know how you can put Mads Christensen as number 2 on that list. On my list he is behind Morten Madsen and Julian Jakobsen for sure, maybe even Morten H. Poulsen.

The problem with Denmark's team is not the line combinations guys.
Denmark needs to improve in every aspect of their game before something as simple as line tweaking will make the difference between winning and losing. The Danish top six are able to compete with anyone from any country at least competitively if not to win, but the bottom six forwards, along with all of their defence and their goaltending, just cannot compete in Division 1 consistently. Until Denmark starts producing NHL-calibre defencemen and goaltenders, they will not be able to compete consistently in Division 1.

Don't think anybody see a realistic short term scenario where Denmark becomes much more competetive then they are now. So the subject of the discussion is how to make this years team the best posible. There line combinations and roster makes a difference.

A lot of different agendas stands ahead of developing into a contender IMO:

A) Survival - Obviously
B) Securing the best possible seeding for the Olympic Qualifications(Denmark is yet to qualify for the Olympics so it would be a major achivement)
C) Improving seedings for next years WC
D) Allowing new young core players to slowly replace the generation that is on it's way out(Staal, Green, Dresler, Daniel Nielsen)
E) Getting some exposure in Denmark since we're playing in Sweden with perhaps the best team ever and all...

Had a though about the current roster. Looking at the young guys. Who do you think has a realistic shot at being a WC-player someday?

I would go with Bau and Klarskov while cases could be made for Svendsen, Rosenthal, Müller and Jannik Christensen. Don't see Christian Moeller, Emil Kristensen, Christoffer Pedersen and Hjulmand ever getting near a WC-spot. Kinda iffy on Beyer, Bruggisser and Groenvaldt.

Excellent comments Bank.


...
Had a though about the current roster. Looking at the young guys. Who do you think has a realistic shot at being a WC-player someday?
....

I know that he is not on the current roster, but my personal favorite for a D-man roster spot for the future is Markus Lauridsen (Olivers little brother).
He has been flying under the radar for some time; playing in a league that is somewhat difficult to get information from and being in the shadow of his brother. But actually I consider him a talent at about the same level as the other big D-man prospect Jesper Jensen.
The two times he participated in the WJC-20 D1 on the national team, he was the best D-man on the team, and he has progressed nicely the 2 years he has played in the USHL.
He has a very good frame for a defender; 6'2"/188 cm and nearly 200 lbs./90 kg (and is still growing), he is a good skater and is very good with the puck. He is putting up a lot of points and is a power play specialist, something we could definitely use on the national team.

I know that he is not on the current roster, but my personal favorite for a D-man roster spot for the future is Markus Lauridsen (Olivers little brother).
He has been flying under the radar for some time; playing in a league that is somewhat difficult to get information from and being in the shadow of his brother. But actually I consider him a talent at about the same level as the other big D-man prospect Jesper Jensen.
The two times he participated in the WJC-20 D1 on the national team, he was the best D-man on the team, and he has progressed nicely the 2 years he has played in the USHL.
He has a very good frame for a defender; 6'2"/188 cm and nearly 200 lbs./90 kg (and is still growing), he is a good skater and is very good with the puck. He is putting up a lot of points and is a power play specialist, something we could definitely use on the national team.

Sure could have used him on the WJC-team this year. Could he be getting a look this year? Is his USHL season over?

Quite funny how he's shown a lot of offensive upside when his brother has close to none :handclap: They would actually be a good pairing... And the punishing ability of such a pairing :amazed:

Sure could have used him on the WJC-team this year. Could he be getting a look this year? Is his USHL season over?

Quite funny how he's shown a lot of offensive upside when his brother has close to none :handclap: They would actually be a good pairing... And the punishing ability of such a pairing :amazed:

The regular season will end mid April, but then he will play "play-off" (Clarks Cup). I doubt he will be available before the IHWC starts.

He was really missed on this years WJC team. Had he participated together with Jesper Jensen probably we could have prevented relegation.

btw. Nicklas Hardt is by far the best forward from Denmark, not playing in the NHL. Mads Christensen is nr. 2.

I don't really know anything about the other Danish forwards, but Nicklas Hardt has indeed been a really great player recently. He scored the winning goal tonight, which took Jokerit all the way to semifinals. He also scored the OT goal in game 2.

I think that he hasn't shown his full potential yet. He has already taken huge steps this season, especially offensively, and he's now probably the best player on a stacked Jokerit team. A year or two more with Jokerit and I think he'll be ready for the big league.

Nicklas Jensen will most likely finish the season within a week. He should at least get at look in WC-camp.

Oliver Lauridsen is breaking out in the AHL with 2 g 4 a and + 4 in his last 12 games (compared to 1 g 0 a in the first 47 games). Phantoms are still in the mix for a PO-spot, but should they fail Lauridsen will probably get the chance in camp.

In NHL Western Conference things are messy. Both Dallas and Phoenix are within the first 8, but both could miss out on PO. Dallas have a tough schedule, and Larsen is the most important player for Denmark on defence, so hopefully they will fail (sorry Dallas fans).

The dream scenario is of course that neither Dallas, Phoenix or Vancouver makes it through first round in which case we could have 5 NHL-players on the team for the first time.

That would give Denmark a chance against all the other teams, and make them favorites against Germany, Latvia and Norway.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves..

btw. Nicklas Hardt is by far the best forward from Denmark, not playing in the NHL. Mads Christensen is nr. 2.

Sounds great!

But, would it though?:huh:

The second roster has been selected.

Out: Christian Moeller(G), Mark Müller(D), Jannik Christensen(D), Rasmus Astrup(F), Mathias Bau(F), Steffen Klarskov(F), Nikolaj Rosenthal(F), Sune Hjulmand(F)

In:

Goalie:

Frederik Andersen, Frölunda, age 22

D-men:

Daniel Nielsen, Hamburg Freezers, age 31
Rasmus Damgaard, SoenderjyskE, age 20

Forwards:

Jesper Jensen, Hamburg Freezers, age 25
Kim Lykkeskov, SoenderjyskE, age 28
Morten Madsen, MODO, age 25
Bjarke Moeller, AaB Ishockey, age 26
Christian Nordentoft, AaB Ishockey, age 20
Kiril Starkov, SoenderjyskE, age 25

Kinda surpriced Beyer Carlsen survived longer than Klarskov, and Groenvaldt/Kristensen/Bruggisser longer than Müller/Christensen but it's minor things. Nice to see Moeller, Damgaard and Nordentoft. The rest is guys who have a good shot/are locks at being on the final roster IMO.

Nicklas Jensens PO ended last night btw... hope he joins the team soon.

As a Stars-fan it hurts to say this but IMO Denmark should chear for Dallas to miss the PO. Philip Larsen will so much more important than Boedker. On the other hand there's a bigger chance that Dallas would be swept and both therefor would be avaliable so perhaps we should chear for Phoenix to miss out anyways? :D

Nicklas Jensen is headed to Chicago to play in the AHL until their season ends, and the AHL regular season doesn't end in another 2 weeks, and after that there's playoffs, so unless Chicago gets kicked out fast, it seems increasingly improbable that Jensen will get a consideration to the team. I don't think Bäckman will pick to the final roster if he hasn't had a chance to train with the team and see how he fits. Unless he plays out of this world in the AHL, he's not gonna get the same kind of free pass the NHL'ers get.

On Bødker/Larsen, Dallas have the hardest schedule of the bubble teams, and if they lose tonight they are more or less done for good. Best case scenario Dallas finish outside of the playoffs, I agree that Larsen is more important than Bødker because we have no one else at his level on defense, and Phoenix losses quickly in the first round against Vancouver or St. Louis. Worst case scenario, one of Phoenix or Dallas manage to get 3rd and wins their series, of course they could also make an upset in 7th or 8th, but it's very unlikely imo.

Dallas are out now, and hopefully we will soon get the message, that Larsen will be joining the team.

Denmark is playing Slovakia today, and I cannot remember last time we iced a weaker team. The D especially is looking very, very unexperienced.

Frederik Andersen will have to stand on his head to prevent a very big loss.

It seems like I overrated Slovakia.. They were very bad..

Andersen was excellent though. 36/37 svs and some highlight-saves too.

3-1 Denmark. Madsen had a good game. And Grønvaldt obviously.

I still think we will only see 7 players from todays game at the WC.

It seems like I overrated Slovakia.. They were very bad..

Andersen was excellent though. 36/37 svs and some highlight-saves too.

3-1 Denmark. Madsen had a good game. And Grønvaldt obviously.

I still think we will only see 7 players from todays game at the WC.

You probably did. But still the Danish youngsters played pretty well with their hearts and all.

You probably did. But still the Danish youngsters played pretty well with their hearts and all.

Nice to hear, thanks for stopping bye.

Future discussions should probably go here:

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?p=47596437#post47596437

For those interested:

Links to highlights of both DK-SVK games.

http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/lekcia-z-efektivity-v-kosiciach-slovensko-dansko-1-3

http://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/sk/clanok/slaba-koncovka-priniesla-druhu-prehru-slovensko-dansko-3-4-po-najazdoch

Highlights are in the bottom of the page.