‘Summer hockey’, that is a quote that we have heard all week at the World Junior Summer Showcase That was held last week in Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It ran from Friday 25 July to Saturday 2 August, with exercises and competitions during the week for four of the big teams that are part of the World Junior Hockey Championship in December.
Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States all participated, with various big names, such as Cole Eiserman and James Hagens for the US, Matthew Schaefer and Gavin McKenna for Canada, Aatos Koivu and Heikki Ruohonen for Finland, and Jack Berglund and Liam Daniël, among many others. In this article we will see how this showcase is a step in the general process of what is needed to make the final cut for Team USA. However, all these teams use a similar process and this showcase is the first step.
Teams can familiarize themselves with showcase
Last week was only the start of in principle a four monthsLong evaluation process For these players who try to make the team. Head coach of the US, Bob Motzko, said repeatedly the entire week that this is a process and it is just the beginning. Although they have recurring players from last year, many players are new and they don’t have to get used to each other alone But the coaching staffAlso, that is what this showcase gives them a chance to do.
“The coach is going to tell you great, but it’s not December, this is just the first process of what we do. We now identify players. I am still trying to reach, I now know the players on the ice, and I am trying to get to know my sheets of the ice. Teams.
It is one thing to see how players participate in different teams; It is something else to find out where they should be put in your own team and which players should stay and go. It is clear that the coach knows what he needs, but he has to find players who fit those areas, and in just a week that is difficult to do. So the showcase is not much about individual skills in the field of goals, but where they fit as a whole team, individuals can be noticed, plus know who can fill in if someone else is injured.
Showcase is part of a process
The showcase gives these players a place to show what they can do without winning or losing in the way. Of course every team is proud and wants to win because they are one of the Most competitive players in The game, but they know it is not all done with one loss. However, they also know that they have to do their best to guarantee a space in the last team. That can be more difficult to do than most things, because if the player exaggerates it, it can also have a detrimental effect such as too many punishments.
“It is now very difficult when we are going to talk about individuals because we bought games, and then players start doing things out of them, not talking about someone who is specific, you start doing things, try too much. Then we take another penalty, and it is frustrating for many players when that happens, and I think a lot of your summer is … The first of your summer and a few of your summer and to get a battle and to get a battle and to get a battle and to get a battle and to get a battle and a few of them and to get a battle and to get back and to get back and a few of them and to get a battle and a few of your summers and a few of your summers and to get a battle and to go again.” Motzko when he was asked for a specific player after a Gameday.
“… The staff all has comments, but that’s what we are here, to really form a new identity, to get our own opinion about players and then when we look for them if we can play against them, we will have a reference point and I had no real reference point with many of the boys or my staff, so this is the start, this is the first part of the dome.
Showcase brings out leaders
Team USA has a number of players who return to the Line -up, and because they know how everything works, they can help the younger new players adapt faster. They know what they can expect and how they can manage. They may not have come to the top of this showcase, but they have learned a lot about each other and who should fit, but also what they should pay attention to when the regular season starts.
“It’s great, and you can’t say it, but they won’t really understand it until we get through it because they try to solve it, every service. This is only a part of the process, that is it,” Motzko said after he has been asked how leadership helps the younger players know that this is a long process.
“The big thing with the recurring players, the nine of them, are what they do of the ice, is probably much more important than on the ice because we know what they can do. They raise the temperature when they are in the group, and they show leadership, they show a great character. Their work ethics is great, that’s for the first time how important the experienced players are.
Showcase means trust in the process
For some, the process may seem a bit strange, so that the players can play together so early and they don’t have together for almost four months, but this is how the tournament works. These players know what they are starting, and although they may not be together, they will play at their highest level for the entire months, only in different teams.
“USA Hockey has long carried out the same model. We are going to put boys together, you have one or two practices, and you let them go out and play, okay. There are no systems, there is no coaching, very little because you have no time for the talent position and with their history. Has worked, and we had to know the trust,” said Motzko.
Related: The versions of Minnesota Wild Prospects on World Junior Summer Showcase
It is clear that this showcase and the rest of the process have worked Team USA as they have Back-to-back gold medals and want to go a third. They have a number of recurring players from last season, and several of those players are high -quality scorers who will make a great top line. The rest of the pieces, Motzko Know what he is looking for And just have to limit his choices in the coming months of studying these players with their respective teams.
It will be interesting to see who makes the last cut for each team and what the teams will look like when December rolls around. There will be camps for each team before the tournament starts to give them the opportunity to really limit the schedules, but for now it’s time for the coaching staff to study.
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