Tallinn, Estonia - Despite not being officially relegated from Division II Group A to Group B after the 2011 IIHF World U20 Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Team Estonia played host to the latter bracket in 2012. Surprisingly, South Korea (a team that finished third in DIIB in 2011) took their place in Group A. Like many of the other international teams that have been covered, Estonian hockey has had to deal with some oppression and revitalization. After living under Soviet rule for 50 years, Estonia rebuilt their hockey image and have been garnering support ever since. Below are some brief details about the country's junior team.
Team Estonia:
IIHF Record: 35-48-3
Division: II
Group: B
2012 Final Results: Division II Group B Second Place with 4-1-0 record
Head Coach: Juri Rooba (EST)
It was almost poetic justice after the 2012 WJHC concluded with South Korea being relegated back to DIIB; but a shocking upset by Romania left the Estonians in the lower group of the division for a second straight year. Although it may not be the ideal situation for Estonia, they have everything primed for another promotion.
Arguably the best team in DIIB in 2012, Estonia led the group in virtually every individual player statistic aside from goaltending: points, goals, assists, +/-. They also had the best powerplay and penalty kill. What they had an issue with was experience between the pipes. Both goalies they brought to the tournament, Aleksei Arno and Keir Vainumae, were 16 years old at the time of the competition. While Arno was the main man and the third best goalie in the group, time is only going to make him better.
Potentially the best thing Estonia has going for them though is the return of their one-two punch: Robert Rooba and Artjom Gornostajev. Together these two were tied for 1st in points, Rooba was 1st in goals, and Gornostajev was 1st in assists. What's even better is the potential of them playing for the next two years. If Estonia does not win Group B at the 2013 WJHC it will be because of another surprising upset.
For previous team articles, click the links below
Serbia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75227
Belgium: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75213
Australia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75194
Iceland: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75154
Division III: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75142
Bulgaria: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75132
New Zealand: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75122
China: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75097
Turkey: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75086
Mexico: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75075
Intro to 2013 WJHC: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75064
Matt Prosser, Featured Writer for JuniorHockey.com. Owner of Fifty8 Productions and freelance writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Voice of California State University, Sacramento Hockey and host of The Sports Cycle with Matt Prosser on KSSU1580 Sacramento. For comments and writing ventures e-mail Matt@Fifty8productions.com. Follow on Twitter @MattProsser58 or visit www.kssusportsycle.com.
