Axel Elofsson (D, R, 5’11”, 166, Orebro HK J20, 06/03/2008) Tied for second in tournament in scoring with 2 goals and 9 assists inn 5 games while being second in plus / minus. He was noticeable every time he was on the ice.
Ryan Lin (D, R, 5’11”, 177, Vancouver Giants, 04/18/2008) Tied for second in points among defenseman with 2 goals and 4 assists while leading the tournament in plus / minus.
Ola Palme (D, L, 6’0″, 181, Vaxjo HC J20, 02/09/2008) While playing a high percentage game he had 3 assists and was second among Team Sweden with a rating of +5.
Malte Gustafsson (D, L, 6’5″, 183, HV71 J20, 06/11/2008) He is known more for his defensive presence but at The Hlinka is offensive awareness was on display as he finished tied for second in points with 2 goals and 4 assists. He finished +3.
Levi Harper (D, R, 5’11”, 170, Saginaw Spirit, 10/03/2008) Harper is a beautiful skater who can effortlessly change pace or direction. He finished with 4 goals, 1 assist and was +3. He was the highest goal scoring defender in the tournament.
Zaide Penner (D, R, 6’0″, 187, Fargo Force, 07/08/2008) While he finished The Hlinka with 1 goal and 1 assist, Penner is a smooth skating right shot who is a transition machine.
Keaton Verhoeff (D, R, 6’4″, 207, Victoria Royals, 06/19/2008, North Dakota) He finished tied for 4th among defensemen in points (1 G, 3 A) and plus / minus at +4. This sounds like a tournament to be happy with, but we can guarantee that he was disappointed in his performance.
Daxon Rudolph (D, R, 6’2″, 196, Prince Albert Raiders, 03/06/2008) Team Canada’s assistant captain finished with 2 goals and 2 assists, good for being tied for 4th among defensemen in points, and was +5.
Vilgot Liden (D, L, 5’11”, 193, Leksands IF J20, 12/03/2008) Liden was a steady presence on Team Sweden’s top pairing often getting his opponent’s top offensive threats. He finished +4.
Juho Piiparinen (D, R, 6’2″, 203, Tappara U20, 08/10/2008) As an assistant captain Piiparinen logged big minutes for Team Finland (26:31 versus Sweden). He finished with 3 assists and a Finnish high of +4 on a team that had 14 players with a plus / minus of zero and worse.
Lukas Kachlir (D, R, 5’8″, 150, Bili Tygri Liberec U20, 09/05/2009) The 2009 Czech was tied for his team lead in points with four (2 G, 2 A). He was even on a team that had ten players in the negative territory.
Lou Bachler (D, L, 6’3″, 190, Davos, 09/17/2008) He tied for second on Switzerland in points (1 G, 3 A) and plus / minus at +1 on a team that had six players in the plus territory.
Will McLaughlin (D, L, 6’2″, 168, Portland Winterhawks, 03/10/2008, Colorado College) He is a change of pace styled defender who finished with three assists and +2.
Landon DuPont (D, R, 5’11”, 180, Everett Silvertips, 05/28/2009) As a 2009 he was an assistant captain who finished The Hlinka with two assists and a +5 rating that was good enough for third best among defenders. Dupont will consider his play a disappointment in this tournament.
Samu Alalauri (D, R, 6’2″, 203, Pelicans, 05/31/2008) He finished as Finland’s highest scoring defender with 1 goal and 3 assists, but was also tied for the second worst plus / minus at -3.
Jiri Kamas (D, R, 6’1″, 190, Penticton Vees, 03/04/2008) Kamas started The Hlinka with a goal in his first game and ended the 2 goals in his last which was good enough to be Czechia’s leading goal scorer. Unfortunately, he finished with zero points in between and overall was tied for the team worst at -3.
Adam Goljer (D, R, 6’1″, 190, HK Dukla Trencin, 06/07/2008) Averaging over 22 minutes per game, he finished tied for second in points for Team Slovakia with three as well as leading the team in assists. Unfortunately he also had the third worst plus / minus at -3.
Nick Bogas (D, L, 6’0″, 176, Waterloo Black Hawks, 07/23/2008) Bogas was tied for third among Hlinka defenders with 2 goals while earning more and more ice time and responsibility as the tournament progresses. He was arguably the event’s best shot blocker.
Alofa Tunao Taamu (D, L, 6’2″, 229, Edmonton Oil Kings, 05/28/2008) An American defender who earned more trust from his coaching staff as The Hlinka progressed. He finished tied for fourth among defenders in plus / minus while playing a steady no-nonsense game.
Carson Carels (D, L, 6’1″, 191, Prince George Cougars, 06/23/2008) He finished tied for fourth among defenders in plus / minus and had 1 assist. Carels is another highly touted Canadian defender who will view his play at The Hlinka as a disappointment.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images