The U18 Worlds division 1A closes in on it’s last day and a grand new class of young talents have emerged this week. Games of ups and downs, some teams with great efforts that just won’t get a break while others finds maximum efficiency on their chances. All in all it feels like a tournament where every team could have beaten any other team on a day with the right flow.
For my own part it’s awesome to come to these U18 tournaments that differs so much from the senior versions where I already know who nearly all of the players are. Here I only know a few and get to see so many young stars make their first appearance on the international stage and among them a whole bunch of players I would like to bring back home to our leagues in Sweden.
To see such great skills that are limitless with the continued journey to higher levels!
This will just be the top of my personal wishlist of players I hope to see in Sweden in the coming years. Some I will surely try to pitch in myself where I could see them fit in, other will probably end up in various leagues across the world as they get older.
As it happens there would be a lot of Japanese players on my list, but as they have a very unique playing style and pace that I don’t really see working well with the leagues and teammates of Sweden I have chosen to leave them out for now.
I have also filtered out those I know who are heading out on other adventures next year… You’ll find out where soon enough!
Slovakia
Livia Kubekova -01 Forward (SKP Bratislava)
Tall and strong like a proper powerforward and she has a great sense for scoring. Impressive abilities to drive up the puck and to find the right time to step in on the net for rebounds and cover duty. I see her as a Hilary Knight type of player who will have a big influence on Slovakia’s chances to return as a top nation in the senior division 1A.
Julia Matejkova -02 Forward (Banská Bystrica)
The first player I noticed on this years Slovakia and more of a finesse player than Kubekova. Doesn’t stand out in size, however very much so with her tricky right handed playmaking abilities and very good at finding her way out of tight corners still in control of the puck. Reminds me a bit of Emma Nordin but with a reversed stick side.
Italy
Anna Caumo -02 Center (Bolzano Eagles)
Saw her for the first time last year when Italy got the promotion in Katowice and she has grown even more as a player now. She’s not the player you will notice first on the Italian team, however looking a bit closer she plays a very smart center game and she’s very slippery for opponents to catch. Still at just 15 years old, Caumo has the talent to become one of Europe’s best centers and should step on to the senior team for Italy any day now. The Jenny Antonsson of Italy.
Aurora Abatangelo -02 Forward (Bolzano Eagles)
I loved Aurora last year in Katowice as this superb energetic player, felt almost like she flew around without a plan and suddenly she was there out of nowhere to create some offensive chances where you wouldn’t have expected it. One year older she has developed her skills plenty but still without losing that random touch to confuse the opposing teams. Hard to compare her to anyone since she has quite the unique style of play and I still love that!
Austria
Katharina Heuberger -01 Defense (Sabres Wien)
Brilliant blueliner for Austria and it feels like she plays well beyond her years. Not afraid to step forward when the opportunity arises, still very balanced with both simple plays and complex defensive maneuvers which works out to a all-star team level in this tournament. I would say she could step into the SDHL today and do a great job of it just with her calm attitude on the ice. My bet is that Mattivi or perhaps one of the Japanese defenders will get the best D award, however I would also throw Heuberger in the mix.
Anja Adamitsch -01 Goaltender (Klagenfurt)
Now this is an interesting future goalie for Austria who has overall had a great tournament in Asiago and will go up for a likely battle for best goalie tomorrow against Italy’s Sara Belli. Very nice to see a “righty” emerge as they are so very rare in women’s hockey as well as very uncomfortable to most shooters. Feels like she can become that goalie Austria has been looking for several years now to bring stability to the position, the one who will bring balance to the force as it were!
Norway
Marthe Brunvold -01 Center (Storhamar)
Strong skater for Norway, not the biggest physical player which she makes up for with speed and agility. The only scorer on the team so far in the tournament even if I see her as more of a playmaker creating space for her linemates. With a bit more production by Norway I would have definitely had her on my list for the all-star team, however I believe she will play a key leader role in the relegation game against Hungary. I see the potential of a superstar offensive center in the years to come as she steps up on senior level as well as a strong point scorer.
Lotte Pedersen -03 Forward (Stavanger)
There has been and incredible number of -03 talents in this tournament where I would say Lotte stands in the front of the line. She has speed, great puck-handling skills and finesse much like Andrea Dalen looked back in the days. Very glad she gets to develop those skills in the hockey Mecca of Norway, Stavanger. Only needs a bit more strength to make an impact on SDHL level, but when she does she will be the starlet Dalen was right from the start in Sweden. Really nice for Norway to have this striker to carry the U18 offense for three more years.
Hungary
Emma Kreisz -03 Defense (MAC Budapest)
Hard to grasp she is only 14 years old when looking at the quality of play! Kreisz is in comparison to Heuberger a more simple playing defender, however big and strong and quite able to remove any player from in front of the crease. She has great offensive qualities with a good shot and tanking down with the puck deep in the attacking zone. She’s grown a lot just during this week against some terrific teams and this is the kind of player I would want to throw right into a division 1 development team to see her advance to the SDHL before even turning 15. Kind of a Rosa Lindstedt type of player if I had to compare her with someone.
Those are the front runners from this tournament I hope we get to see real soon making Sweden a few more steps better while growing themselves to be European superstars. Goes without saying that Anita Muraro and Theresa Schafzahl would take a place in the SDHL tomorrow if they didn’t have other plans!
Oh and yeah, Denmark got promoted to the division 1A after taking Katowice by force this year. Now there’s a team with a lot of interesting players for Sweden!
Time to make the last day in Asiago a superb one with three great and important games to settle this tournament…
See you back in a rink somewhere real soon!
/sMats
smats1984 