2023 World Junior Championship Preview: Team Germany
Think you know sports? PointsBet Canada is live in Ontario!
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Germany over the past few years, it’s that regardless of who’s in the lineup, they’re not willing to give up against anyone.
Sure, there’s been some ugly results, but the effort is usually there. This year’s team will need that more than ever with the reintroduction of the relegation round. Expectations are low in Halifax, and it doesn’t help that they’ll kick things off against Canada and Sweden, either.
Their best bet of making the quarterfinal again is by beating Austria, a team that’s missing its top prospect in Marco Kasper. Germany isn’t particularly strong in any position, and their defense core isn’t as strong as it was in Edmonton, but they’ve got the makings of a team that will be annoying to play against.
Here’s a look at Germany’s effort for the 2023 tournament, with hopes of staying in the top division for a fifth straight year:
Goaltending
The most likely starter is Carolina Hurricanes prospect Nikita Quapp, a sixth-round pick in 2021. Despite losing both games at the summer tournament, he gave Germany a fighting chance against Sweden and made 45 stops against a much stronger American team. Quapp hasn’t played much with just three starts to his credit in the second-tier German league, but he’s still been quite effective whenever called upon in the German net. He’s going to face a ton of shots, so he’ll need to be a difference-maker.
Simon Wolf has been electric in the AlpsHL with the Red Bull junior program, posting a 9-1-0 record this season. He was Germany’s guy at the most recent U-18s but this will be his first real test with the U-20 program. Wolf is athletic, has good size at 6-foot-3 and a quick glove hand – he’ll be gunning fo that No. 1 spot for sure.
Defensemen
Without Luca Munzenberger and Maksymilian Szuber, who aged out after the August tournament, Germany’s blueline has taken a big hit this time around. Philipp Bidoul and Leon van der Linde made up Germany’s top pairing at November’s Three Nations event. van der Linde is one of just three returning defenders from last year’s tournament, but he only played two games as an extra defenseman. He has bounced around various German leagues this year, but has spent more of his time with ESV Kaufbeuren in the second German league. He’s physical, moves well, and isn’t afraid to give it to you if you’re near the crease. Bidoul has spent nearly the entire season with Kaufbeuren
Adrian Klein and Nils Elten are the other returnees for 2023. Klein’s ice time was all over the place, while Elten was mainly used as a seventh defender and didn’t play much. Klein has split the season between the two top German leagues, so his experience against men should come in handy. Elten’s season has been split between the DEL and third-tier league, but he’s adapted well to the physical side of things against men.
Speaking of physicality, that should be Rayan Bettahar‘s wheelhouse. He started the year in the WHL, but moved over to the DEL in late November to mixed results. Still, he’s typically leaned on as a physical defender internationally, so expect more of that in Halifax.
Forwards
The Germans had just one NHL-drafted prospect last year – and he’s back! Hakon Hanelt, a 2021 fifth-round pick by Washington, returns after spending the first half of the season with the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. A defensive-minded forward, Hanelt is more of a playmaker than a shooter, but that’s not a bad thing on this roster.
He’ll likely see time with Arizona Coyotes prospect Julian Lutz, who was easily Germany’s most noticeable player at the U-18s. This will be his first U-20 tournament, but he always seemed to punch above his weight at every other national team event he’s participated in. Plus, he’s been good in the top German league with Munchen, although he’s still awaiting his first goal of the season.
Bennet Roßmy was one of the tournament’s breakout stars last year, scoring four goals and five points in five games – with 29 penalty minutes to boot. He turned that into a rookie tournament spot with the Los Angeles Kings earlier this year and continued his successful play at the Three Nations tournament last month. He hasn’t produced much with Berlin’s DEL team, but he’ll be a top-liner with Germany.
After a decent start to his first season in North America, expect Germany to lean a bit on Luca Hauf. A two-way offensive threat, Hauf led the U-18 team in goals last spring in his real breakthrough international performance. Yannick Proske and Veit Oswald are two others with significant DEL experience this year, with both still looking for their first goals of the season as well.
NHL Draft watch
With Germany electing to go with an older roster and leaving Kevin Bicker off the team, there isn’t a true first-year eligible prospect to watch this year. As a 2004-born goaltender with good size, Wolf could earn some consideration as an overage option if he manages to steal the net. He’s used to facing a ton of shots, has great reflexes and aggressively attacks skaters from the top of the crease.
Projection
This isn’t going to be easy for the Germans, but few teams tend to work as hard as they do. They have some decent top-six talent and their goaltending has the potential to steal a few games, but they lack a difference-making forward up front or a stable defensive core. They tend to play well against stronger teams, though, and there are enough players with something to prove that they’ll likely give some of the top squads some headaches along the way. Don’t expect them to make it out of the quarterfinal, though.