| Stian Solberg | Valerenga | International | L | D | 6’2″ | 196 | Oslo, NOR | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Solberg had an up and down game. He showed some decent moments on defense but made many mistakes that led directly to dangerous chances for his opponents. His worst play of the game came on the first Swiss goal of the night. He made a poor decision to attempt to join the rush before the puck was officially secured by his team. When a Swiss player stole the puck at the blue line, Stian was exiting the zone, leaving his partner and goaltender stranded on a 2v1 which ended up in the back of the net. A bit too aggressive of a decision when possession was not securely in control of his teammate. There was also another poor play later in the first where he misread a play in defensive transition. He attempted to stand his man up at the circles but missed and took himself out of play which created a high danger chance from the slot. His game calmed down as the night went on, but he was unable to create much of an impact. Some of the positives from this game were his physicality which he has consistently shown over the course of this tournament. He is very tough to play against when he hits everything in sight and crushes opponents into the glass. We also like the fact that he is not afraid to shoot often when in the offensive zone. He was given time on the powerplay and let it go from the point on multiple occasions. Solberg is, for the most part, a responsible two-way defender that plays a physical style of play and uses his positioning to prevent chances from occurring in his own end. The problem is that he can get a bit overzealous, and attempt plays that hurt his team on the scoresheet. When Stian plays a boring, responsible, physical game, he is a huge benefit to his team.
| Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Mora IK | SHL | R | C | 6’1″ | 194 | Oslo, NOR | 2005 | 2023-2024: A- |
Comments: This was not a very good showing from Brandsegg-Nygard. We were hoping to see a big game out of him in a meaningful match against an opponent in Norway’s weight class, but he was invisible for most of the game. He looked very tired and did not bring the same energy he typically does. There were brief moments where flashes of his forechecking game were visible, but he did not apply that same unrelenting effort shown in previous viewings. There were also a couple of moments where he was able to rush up ice with confidence, but his lack of speed made it difficult for any real opportunities to be created. For context, Norway had to play 4 games in 5 days, giving them one of the more difficult schedules in the tournament but, Neutral Zone was hoping to see more from Michael in a game that could have saved his team from a spot in the relegation game with a win.
| Daniil Ustinkov | ZSC | NL | L | D | 6’3″ | 174 | Avon, OH | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Solid performance from Ustinkov today, picking up 2 assists on top of an impressive defensive performance. We were impressed with his play in defensive transition. He read opponents and executed well timed step ups, leading with his stick to break up plays. He also showed off great body positioning and quick footwork in order to keep himself between his man and the net and force them towards the boards. His defensive stickwork was very good today. He times his strikes very well and seems to always get the puck before stepping in with his body to fully separate the puck. The goal on his first assist was created by a perfectly executed step up at the offensive blue line. He attacked an opponent’s stick, holding the play in the offensive zone which sparked an odd man situation the other direction ending in a Swiss goal. There were a couple of moments where he was a bit too aggressive and allowed opponents to skate past him on the rush but, overall, his reads and step ups were responsible and showed a good decision-making framework for his defensive play. Daniil picked up his second assist while playing on the second powerplay unit. He quarterbacked the man advantage and snapped the puck around quickly. Neutral Zone enjoyed his defensive game today and we feel he will turn into a responsible bottom 6 defenseman as he gains more experience, improves his offensive decision making, and adds more strength.
| Jamiro Reber | HV71 | SHL | L | C | 5’9″ | 170 | Lagnau, SUI | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Reber is an interesting prospect. He plays the game with so much energy and his motor never seems to drop every time he is given ice time. He seems to win every race to loose pucks, forechecks and backchecks hard, and battles along the boards on both ends of the ice. He even generated a couple of dangerous scoring chances by fighting for possession and winning battles around the net. The big problem is that he lacks the puck skills to turn any of his efforts into lasting possession or consistent offense. He fumbles the puck often, especially under duress and can’t seem to hold onto the puck for longer than a few seconds. He started to rush the puck multiple times but had trouble 1v1 and could not force his way inside. He is a dog without the puck and a player that we would love to have on my fourth line but his lack of ability to stickhandle effectively or set up plays through passing makes him a hard sell on the draft floor. If he keeps working as hard as he has in the two games we have recently seen and greatly improves his offensive abilities over the next few years, we could see him becoming an undrafted player in North America or a valuable bottom six guy in a European pro league.
| Leon Muggli | EV Zug | NL | L | D | 6’0″ | 165 | Cham, SUI | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: LV
Comments: Muggli’s night was cut very short when he picked up a 5-minute major and a game misconduct early in the first period. He cross checked an opponent from behind into the boards. Before that, he made one good play in the defensive transition where he made a well-timed slide to help his partner on the rush and shut down play with a quick poke check. Would have liked to see more from him but a bone headed play likely ended his tournament early in today’s game.
Scout: Henry Lawrence