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California, USA - Let's be honest, Division II Group A will be a half-half kind of competition. While it's already been stated in previous articles that Division III and DIIB will be entertaining to witness, the reason for that is parity. DIIA has zero parity which means there will be blowouts at the 2013 IIHF World U20 Junior Ice Hockey Championships. It's always tough to see tournaments like this because the point of the lower tiers of the WJHC is growth and national pride, neither of which can be achieved by losing 10-0 and therefore defeats the purpose. However, this year shouldn't have as big of a talent-gap as last year but don't expect too many nail-biters.
Lithuania and Hungary will more than likely be the most enjoyable to view. The former has the potential to bring back almost all of its players (including star player Aimas Fiscevas) who won't soon forget they came in second place in 2012. The desire alone makes Lithuania a team to watch. The latter on the other hand could go either way but will still have compelling hockey. Attila Nemeth won't be returning which opens up leadership roles for several others. The key to Hungary's success is finding a good replacement and Jozsef Pleszkhan solidifying his place in the net.
Japan and Romania on the other hand will be wildcards in 2013. Judging either team based off of the previous year's performance will be difficult as they were in other divisions. Japan played awfully in DIB play whereas Romania killed it in DIIB, the question is how will those results translate into the middle ground? However, if one of them were to carry over their success or failure, the more likely one to do so is Romania continuing improvement. Their entire top line will return and they can take all but three players from 2012. Don't underestimate team chemistry as talent will only do so much. Japan however has awful goaltending, questionable coaching decisions, and no scoring threat to back up the other's iniquities. Fortunately for them, they will get to hit the reset button on their defense and bring in some new faces. We'll see how that pans out.
Finally, the two remaining question marks are the Dutch and the Spaniards. The most exciting thing about the Netherlands team is that they have good looking sweaters but that's about it. Stuck in mediocrity for years, Oranje just can't break the spell of complacency. They have been content far too long and hopefully this year will change that; or maybe they'll just put it off until the following year. Spain will have two hot shots to follow: forward Pablo Puyuelo and defenseman Inigo Gainza. Puyuelo will be a bit more determined to score this tournament since it will be his last and Gainza could be the future of Spanish hockey but needs some growth. It probably won't all come together for Spain this season but look to them for continued placement-advances.
All in all, it could be a lot worse. While the Netherlands can't hang with Lithuania and Japan will probably have another difficult trip, there could be some fun games in the much to watch for. Romania and Hungary could be more eventful than most people assume and Spain will be a toss-up. The lack of parity though might end up as a deterring factor for the viewing audience but just remember, it's about getting better. If these six teams can fly home saying they achieved that goal, then mark it a success and move on from there.
For previous team articles, click the links below
Japan: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75492
Lithuania: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75484
Hungary: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75413
Spain: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75363
Netherlands: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75309
Romania: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75295
Division II Group B: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75279
South Korea: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75268
Estonia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75257
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.
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