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*Puppy* · 03-23-2024, 12:27 PM

S75 WJC Predictions and Team Overview
Hiya folks, I’m back after an extremely successful time predicting the results from the last WCJ tournament, here for more insight and truth. To relish in my own successes, I will recap how my predictions went last season in each section. Alongside that, I will format things the same as last go around to highlight the teams and key players. Let’s get to it, and good luck to all the players and team competing!

Gold Medal Favorites

Team Norden

Offensive Ranking: #1
Defensive Ranking: #1
Goalie Ranking: #2
Key Players: Simo Jääskäläinen (DET), Sonja Solberg (QCC), Froya Solberg (QCC)

S74 WJC Prediction: 1st (Result: 1st place – Gold Medal) – While Team Norden was extremely comparable to UCORCAL last season, I gave them the slight edge and was vindicated by seeing them hoist gold at the end of the tournament. Exactly as planned.

Overview: The returning gold medal winners are not only coming back strong in S75, but for my money, should be the out right favorites this time around. Last season I had two teams in the “Gold Medal Favorites” group, this time around it’s just one. Juho and JohnFranklinKennedy are stepping in to manage the team this time around, and will enjoy luxurious options from top to bottom in depth. Once again this squad is loaded with a handful of strong players from Detriot, all of whom are coming back to try and win back to back golds. While no team is unbeatable in a competition like this, Team Norden will aim to do just that.

Squad: Goalie strength is the only unit I think Team Norden has that isn’t the top overall outfit (But its still #2, so that sure sucks). Denebor Milasch should be the main netminder for this squad, but Herman Ståhl is an amazing back up option that will and should see time. For defenseman, a pair of Yukon Malamutes should feature heavily as Kristian Seppänen and Kaarlo Koivunen look to keep things tidy as they have for their J team all season long. With help from Simo Jääskäläinen and Johnny Patey v2, matching lines to find a weaker defense will be next to impossible. For attacking strength… well, this is no doubt the best unit of any unit in the tournament. Every single rotation will bolster proven goal scorers, with names like Solberg, Karlsson, Omega, Griddle, Lodork, Manty, Tomlander… Björntjänst… Södberg-Motyla. I’m out of breath just typing!

Prediction: (1st) Compared to the field, it really doesn’t make sense to pick anyone else. Naturally upsets and bad games happen, so getting gold is never a certainty – still, Team Norden is as close as it gets for this year. Anything less than a podium finish would represent a major upset in my eyes, and I think this group has a real shot to go back-to-back.

Contenders

UCORAL

Offensive Ranking: #3
Defensive Ranking: #4
Goalie Ranking: #3
Key Players: Juan Tymer (QCC), Lily Jin Morrow (VAN), Vyacheslav Shevchenko (YUM)

S74 WJC Prediction: 2nd (Result: 3rd place- Bronze Medal) – Aside from being only one place off on this prediction, I would still argue they we’re the 2nd best team in last year's edition, only having the misfortune of playing Team Norden in the Semi-Finals and losing in OT to end up in the bronze medal game. 9.5/10 correct frfr.

Overview: UCORAL has emerged from the bronze medal ashes of UCORCAL as Czechia has split off into their own team. While this does certainly weaken the squad, compared to the field this is certainly still a powerhouse team. FnoRespect is at the helm this year, and should have everything they need to guide this team deep into the tournament. Fielding a trio of QCC defenders and a trio of YUM attackers, there is quality all across this roster. Teams will have to bring strong performances on both sides of the ice should they want to take a result of UCORAL.

Squad: In net this squad hosts one of the best the J has to offer in Stun Gun, league MVP from season 73. Having McQuack in reserve makes this one of the more formidable tandems at this tournament. Member of the long name club Bartholomew Chungus Gingersnap III will be a key defender alongside a pair of Quebec players in Leo Roze and Juan Tymer. Behind this group will be a serviceable reserve highlighted by Bellona and Agate. UCORAL is almost Team Norden levels of stupid with how strong their attack will be. Every single line will be a threat to score. Sabage Cabage netted 49 times in the regular season, only four more than Lily Jin Morrow. With other team leading attackers joining from all over the J, UCORAL should have no problem lighting up the scoreboard.

Prediction: (2nd) Yes very original, the same first two picks as last season. UCORAL may have lost Czechia, but even without them this team has the best chance of upsetting Team Norden. (With Czechia? Probably favorites once again). Unlike last year, the gap between UCORAL and the other contenders is much smaller, so while this unit should be considered a big contender, the next two teams represent a real threat.

USA White

Offensive Ranking: #2
Defensive Ranking: #5
Goalie Ranking: #7
Key Players: John Peanut (GFG), Shadow Fenix (COL), Celeste Desjardins (QCC)

S74 WJC Prediction: 6th (Result: 6th - Quarterfinals) USA White had their medal run fall short in the quarterfinals as I anticipated. Representing what I considered the weaker USA team last season, they hit expectations and almost managed to outdo their sister USA team. Once again I got this one exactly right, just saying.

Overview: USA White are looking to come back as a stronger unit this time around, and have the tools needed to improve on last season's finish. Skyrrhawk returns to manage this team once again, this time with extra help from xjoverax. This American side will be bringing strong options at all three positions, and should prove a well rounded team that can win either through scoring or keeping their opponents from doing so. While a bit of their depth is lacking compared to our gold medal favorites, USA White’s starting lines are as good as any in the competition.

Squad: Jim Wen should eat up the vast majority of starts in net as Peter Parker is still some way behind the veteran Malamute in development. Two QCC players will help on the defensive side of things with Bog Damsel and Supah Dupah - but John Peanut is likely the most crucial piece in this group. Vanderberg Jr and Campbell round out the D, making it among the better defensive groups in the tournament. For offensive firepower it doesn’t get much better than Shadow Fenix, who comes off winning a Four Star Cup with the Raptors. Alongside another pair of Quebec players, some unlikely hero’s could come in the form of Walter Melon, Ace Guilded, or even Poiklm and Jerry Moonshine.

Prediction: (3rd) While thin margins could see this team place anywhere from 2nd to 4th, I think USA White is the final pre-tournament choice to compete for a podium spot. While they don’t quite stack up to the best defensive groups in the league, they are still respectable in that facet while being absolutely dynamite on attack. Unlike last season, this team is anything but Dead on Arrival, and could Dance Dance their way to a medal.

USA Blue

Offensive Ranking: #4
Defensive Ranking: #2
Goalie Ranking: #8
Key Players: Brooklyn Physt (COL), Mac Turner (REG), GM’s Son (VAN)

S74 WJC Prediction: 3rd (Result: 5th – Quarterfinals) I expected USA Blue to sneak onto the podium, but they instead ran into the magic buzzsaw that was Team ICE and took an early exit. Two whole places off I feel is neither a good nor bad guess… so, an average prediction. That’s how I’m spinning it at least.

Overview: Aside from Team Norden, USA Blue should have the best defensive group at the tournament. Last WJC defense alone almost launched a middling Rhine team into a bronze medal, and well, I think this USA Blue team is more rounded that that squad. Cake307 and RAmenAmen will have a tough, but very doable challenge ahead of them to make this team not only fight to get a podium place, but even push to go for gold. Boasting five players from the recently crowned Colorado Raptors team, a winning mentality and thirst for glory should be aplenty.

Squad: Compared to the other teams, the goaltending for this unit will be a bit on the weak side. While Meo Vanbiesbrouck represents a very reliable starter, they’ll have to eat a lot of minutes given an inexperienced Stan Free waits in reserve. The Colorado representation shows its fangs best on the defensive side for USA Blue, with all of Physt, Dinklage, and Wiseman ready to suit up. Aside from that trio, Jeff Goldbloom and two outstanding S75 sophomores easily put this group among the defensive elite at this WJC. Maine will be well represented in attack, as both Dwayne Swanson and Stolemamoney will feature for this USA team. This team doesn’t quite excel when it comes to the third line, but aside from that, goalscoring should be very much on the table.

Prediction: (4th) While fourth might not represent a direct podium place, I did feature this team in the “Contenders'' section for a reason. A team of this quality could easily find themselves playing for gold if they hit their stride, and should be a real threat to anyone that crosses their path. Should USA Blue outperform their sister team it would give not only bragging rights, but very likely a medal from it as well.

Outside Contenders

Czechia

Offensive Ranking: #6
Defensive Ranking: #3
Goalie Ranking: #1
Key Players: Oranje Konhe (COL), Troy McClure IIII (REG), Brandon Gilleyes (COL)

S74 WJC Prediction: N/A (Result: N/A) This team did not exist in S74, but we’re going to pretend it did and that I predicted them perfectly. Another easy W.

Overview: Splitting off from UCORAL, Czechia will take a shot at things as a single nation this time around. It goes a bit without saying, but this nation split off because they had plenty of representation already, and even in their debut WJC I expect this team to be a serious headache for many teams. Mysterious_Fish and micool132 are piloting Czechia’s inaugural WJC, and will have a good number of pieces to use in their quest for a medal. In particular, teams should find this group incredibly hard to slip too many goals past, even among the attacking elite.

Squad: For starters, Czechia has the best goalie tandem in the tournament with Five-Hole Sieve ready to get starting time and Roman Cechmanek II ready to be an incredibly luxurious backup. Moving onto defense we see the real prowess this team holds. 5 of the 6 members of this group are bonafide starters playing at the top of their game in the J. Sergey Ivanov from Nevada will have help from a pair of duo’s representing from both Colorado and Regina. Offensively this team ranks in the middle of the pack. While a grouping of players like Gilleyes, Juice, and Carda is as strong as they come, the quality takes a hit with each line of depth. A group of high potential players in the form of Andrade La Sombra, Muon Collider, and Jesus Murphy are already a real force, but need just a bit more growth to become a truly dominant trio in this tournament.

Prediction: (5th) Czechia while in the “Outside Contenders” group they still rank as one of the better teams for the S75 WJC. A group like this should certainly make it to knockouts and should be extremely competitive with any team from the group above. While the attacking depth does make them weaker than the other top contenders, it still possesses the talent to beat any team on any given day.

Team World

Offensive Ranking: #8
Defensive Ranking: #7
Goalie Ranking: #5
Key Players: Jimothee Penjiman (DET), Sad Ketchup (NL), Shawn Pawn (QCC)

S74 WJC Prediction: 10th (Result: 10th – Group Stage) Relying on many rookie players last time around, Team World (rather) predictably were the worst team at the event. Nailing this one doesn’t feel too impressive, but we take it nonetheless.

Overview: In most cases, the only place you can go from the bottom is up. However, the tournament has 12 teams this time around, so a new low is there to be avoided. Thankfully for Team World, bobdigi9 and ZootTX have inherited a more capable team than last year's roster. Ranking in at pretty average placements across the board, Team World has leveled up since their last appearance, and could cause a few more extra surprises in this season’s edition of the WJC. It can’t really get worse, right?

Squad: Team World is strongest when it comes to their netminders, with both Karter Mendenhall and Song Ju-gong coming off great seasons. Nearly identical in talent, this is a capable tandem compared to many teams. Journey Man has returned for another journey in defense. With aid from a strong pair of Detroit Falcons in Jimothee Penjiman and Kal Akar Kekkonen, this unit has solid depth at all levels. In terms of creating and scoring goals, Team World will also be taking a committee approach. While no players stand out too far from the rest, there is quality play across all lines. Players like Jack "Jumpshot" Keigan, Luma Lee and Ylib Kove will keep defenses honest when the starters are on standby.

Prediction: (6th) While it’s a jump of four places compared to last season, I more so think this group should make it deeper in the event than last season. Team World isn’t loaded with top talent, but it is packed with a lot of decent players, and that average quality of depth should equate to more wins this time around. Honestly a gold medal is pretty unlikely, but look for this team to cause some upsets to try and reach the podium.

Team Rhine

Offensive Ranking: #11
Defensive Ranking: #6
Goalie Ranking: #11
Key Players: Dunkler Sowerwine (DET), Langston Hardison-Laurent (YUM), Xavier Beausoleil (COL)

S74 WJC Prediction: 5th (Result: 4th – Bronze Medal Game)Team Rhine dispatched a middling Canada Red side in the quarter-finals to then lose back to back to Team ICE and then UCORCAL. While their path was easier than most, they still vindicated my belief that last year's top defense was a threat to make the podium games. Pretty much a spot on prediction yet again.

Overview: Team Rhine came just short of getting a medal last time around, and while things look a bit more challenging in this season’s edition, there is still plenty of danger within this squad. Security Shark and ThePyroAlpaca are taking over for S75, the latter is who managed the UCORCAL team that defeated Team Rhine in the bronze medal game. While the defensive prowess is a bit lacking compared to last season, they should still give opponents enough trouble to keep them in games. While getting to a gold medal game might be an Alps-sized challenge, I think this underdog team isn’t without some hope.

Squad: Despite ranking 11th in Goalie strength, Henri Losanov and Timo Leppanen are coming off impressive finishes to their J season, and could be better than expected if they stay hot. They’ll certainly have capable defenders in front of them to help at the task, as a number of key players reside in these spots. Sowerwine and Bondage we’re both lead their team in defensive goals, and players like Slowpoke and Jonas Salat will help make this a formidable side. While lacking some real depth across the board, Team Rhine will at least feature a number of dangerous options with Hardison Laurent, Prince Marius, and Xavier Beausoleil ready to take the ice.

Prediction: (7th) At the end of the day, Team Rhine took a step backwards while many teams took a step forward since the last WJC. They proved last season that they were capable of few surprises, and I think that this year is still the same, but it's just that the difficulty in pulling off said upsets will be even harder this go around. This team could make a podium place if they catch fire, but quarterfinals should be a more realistic aim until such lighting is bottled up.

Team ICE

Offensive Ranking: #5
Defensive Ranking: #8
Goalie Ranking: #4
Key Players: Tanner Pitts (COL), Teal’c (MET), Inge Baardsen (REG)

S74 WJC Prediction: 7th (Result: 2nd – Silver Medal Winners) Team ICE pulled some real voodoo magic and defied my expectations harder than any other team. Last season I considered them the least likely of teams I thought COULD win a gold, and somehow they almost did it. I’ll take the L on this guess, but someone is always bound to find a little tournament magic, and last time it was this group.

Overview: Being a successful dark horse once is hard enough, but Team ICE will need to pull off another unlikely run should they want to walk away with anything tangible once again. Thankfully, they’ll have NaomiMannequeen in charge coming off a gold medal win with Norden, alongside another very capable leader in Faelax. Still, the task here is not an easy one, and while Team ICE isn’t bad in any one area, they are hardly elite in any either. Regardless, there is enough quality here to cause problems once again, and maybe even pull off the impossible this time.

Squad: The tandem of Tanner Pitts and Anastastia Soderstrom should be one of the best pairs of options in the tournament. Pitts is a reliable net minder almost SHL ready, as where Soderstrom showed the most promise of any rookie goaltender in the J this season. The defensive unit in front of them is a little sub-par, but still a reasonable group. Teal’c is the highlight name of the bunch, and the Maine veteran will need some help from Niclas Sundqvist and a quartet of S76 rookies to help get the job done. While there is no clear talisman attacker in this group, their average depth is perhaps the best in the tournament, meaning Team ICE will always have a reasonable offensive unit no matter the line.

Prediction: (8th) Just like last season, I think Team ICE is the least likely of teams that could wind up winning a gold medal. The key phrase there is “could wind up winning a gold”, which is better than being a write off. However, they’ll once again need a hot streak and some good fortune to challenge for the podium places again. At the very least, Team ICE should aim to make quarters as an achievement.

Participation Tier

Canada Red

Offensive Ranking: #10
Defensive Ranking: #10
Goalie Ranking: #6
Key Players: Abdi Smokes (QCC), Lucki Blackwood (ANC), Edouard Lavoie (MET)

S74 WJC Prediction: 9th (Result: 8th- Quarter-finals) Canada Red had a strong group stage only to fall to a very beatable Team Rhine immediately in the knockout stages. While they certainly overachieved by making into the quarterfinals, overall this team was about what I expected them to be. This one goes in the ever growing success column.

Overview: Canada Red seems to be in about the same position as they were for the last WJC – somewhere on the bubble of okay and poor. Despite lacking much talent last season, Locrianmidwest managed to get this group to the knockouts and will be aiming to repeat that success again. Still, the odds will be stacked against them reaching another quarter finals appearance, and many teams will be there to make the road to glory harder than ever.

Squad: The best unit this team has is without a doubt their goalies. Masked Stranger and Just Perfection are both strong J players that make this a slightly better than average tandem all things considered. Whoever takes the net will likely have some busy work given a general weakness in Canada Red’s defensive group. Abdi Smokes is the clear star of the group, with their best support probably coming from a pair of Malamutes in Peyton Mcbride and Dash Jackson. Lucki Blackwood will be the obvious leader for the attacking group – as just with Smokes – they’ll mostly be relying on a few quality S75 players and a large group of rookies. Three St Louis attackers made this outfit, with Wyatt King being the most dangerous.

Prediction: (9th) Canada Red is the first team that I think simply lacks enough depth and quality to luck their way into a gold medal. While not a pushover group, it's easy to see them struggling against most teams they play – certainly against the top teams. With some good leadership and some strong pieces, this squad still has what it takes to cause a big upset, but it's unlikely they can summon that sort of fortune on demand.

Canada Black

Offensive Ranking: #9
Defensive Ranking: #9
Goalie Ranking: #12
Key Players: Guy Incognito (REG), Daniel Durkburg (KEL), Mia Lavoie (MET)

S74 WJC Prediction: 8th (Result: 9th – Group Stage) While I did favor this Canada team to slip into the quarterfinals, it didn’t come as a great surprise when they fell just a step short. Overall they performed slightly lower than expectations, but expectations were pretty low from the get go.

Overview: Canada Black will be looking to try and improve from their disappointing group stage knock out last season with a deeper run this time around. Jbay9 moves over from Team World to guide this Canadian team, hoping that their experience from last year can navigate this team to the knockout stages. While there is a real lack of depth in this team, they’ll still have a few good tools to use in order to architect some surprise performances.

Squad: Unfortunately for Canada Black, their goalie tandem is about as weak as they come in this season's WJC. With Kris as the likely starter, Adam Joy doesn’t offer much better support in reserve. They will at least have the protection of S73 veteran Guy Incognito in their final WJC. Outside of the Regina standout, players like Groaty Bronson, Jack Booth, and Turtle Bob should get plenty of minutes on the back line. As for the attacking unit of Canada Black, Bongo certainly stands out as one of the better options. However, three pairs of duo’s will be helping out this Canadian side from the J teams. Detroit will be represented by Brayden Point and Connor Ray, Maine will have Jean-Jacques François Jacques-Jean and Mia Lavoie, while Newfoundland will be sending Pierre Mailloux and Pique Boo.

Prediction: (10th) Once again I think the goal from the lower rated Canadian team is to try and beat their sister team. While I wouldn’t write off this group from getting into a quarter finals, I doubt there are enough upsets in them to really flip this WJC tournament on its head. I’ll go ahead and use this moment to suggest that maybe, just maybe, we unite Canada into one team in the WJC so we can create one strong team, instead of two sub-par ones. But alas!

Team Isles

Offensive Ranking: #7
Defensive Ranking: #11
Goalie Ranking: #10
Key Players: Jaxson Reaper (YUM), Betzee Nickelback (CAR), Jussi Mutou (COL)

S74 WJC Prediction: 4th (Result: 7th – Quarterfinals) While three places off does look a bit sus, I do think Team Isles would’ve been a lock for the semi finals if they didn't run into UCORCAL the round before (and narrowly lose 4-5). In light of this fact, I’m going to say I nailed this one as well because I’m the boss, go me.

Overview: I’ll be straight up on this one, there’s a decent chance I’m underrating this team from the start. Generally speaking Caleb and ThisSeemsFishy have a roster that could be considered a tier higher into the “Outside Conteders” grouping. That said, the lack of defensemen on this roster gives me plenty of alarm bells, as several forwards will be forced into back line duty for this team. With that in mind, I expect this team to struggle more than expected, and hence I think they’ll be weaker than they look.

Squad: The goalie ranking is slightly misleading here, as I think that Shotty McStopper and Lee Harrison is an underrated great tandem given that number. The same goes for the defensive group. It remains to be seen who will fill in the defensive lines, but the key members of this small group are certainly Jaxson Reaper and Fredrik Gronlund. Without a doubt, the attacking core of Team Isles is the highlight of this team. With the Carolina duo of Betzee Nickelback and Cob O’Corn aided by Jussi Mutou, there is real scoring talent in this group. Not to be overlooked are Jordan Thomas from Maine and Red Panda from Regina, both of whom will compete for first line minutes.

Prediction: (11th) As I hinted at in the overview, I feel like of any of the predictions I've made, this one is the one I think has the mostly likely to be wildly wrong. If the attacking players filling in defensive slots preform well enough, then this team could be a good number ranks higher than I have them. For now, this is where I think this team falls on my scale, and even if they preform without missing a beat on defense, it still shouldn't be a team pushing any higher than quaters. We'll review this one on next seasons rankings, but for now, 11th it is.

Lower than Participation Tier

Team NA

Offensive Ranking: #12
Defensive Ranking: #12
Goalie Ranking: #9
Key Players: Joulu Kuusi (VAN), WonderBread (GFG), Chopper Donquixote (NEV)

S74 WJC Prediction: N/A (Result: N/A) Just like Team Czhechia, Team NA didn’t exist as a team in S74. Given that, I would’ve predicted them perfectly if they did, so we’ll count it as another W.

Overview: Right off the bat, this team doesn’t look like it has all too much to offer in terms of on paper talent. DeThePyro may be using this opportunity to level up some future talent for the American and Canadian teams rather than realistically challenge for glory. Across the board, this group just seems a step below most teams, but with a group full of rookies ready to make a splash, they’ll be looking to cause an upset or two before bowing out.

Squad: Goalie is the lone positional bright spot for this outfit, as two reasonable net minders will be holding things down for Team NA. Joulu Kuusi is the more veteran of the two, but Lukas Konecny might look to shine brighter before hanging up their skates. The defensive unit doesn’t have a whole lot of depth to offer, with a trio of S76 players holding the fort with Andy Lammer, Chuck Chunky, and Joe Degen. WonderBread will be the main attacking outlet for this Team NA side. More support from the rookie class will be there to contribute as well, notably from Chopper Donquixote, Tank Sharksy, and Nono Jo.

Prediction: (12th) It's really hard to find a reason to rank this team above any others in the tournament. While I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that Team NA will take last place, it will likely require some good fortune on their side, and some bad fortune from one of the Participation Tier teams. Thankfully this team will at least provide a good number of rookies a taste of the WJC while they develop to play for bigger groups. The more the merrier!

***CloudRobot*** · 03-23-2024, 04:21 PM

WJC Media... LOVE IT!

*bobdigi9* · 03-26-2024, 09:38 AM

Fantastic write-up! Well done!!!

ibuprofenaddict · 03-26-2024, 10:14 AM

Break up Norden

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