Silver Nuggets: Should Mika Zibanejad be playing in IIHF Under 20 Championships?

I think that playing against some less skilled competition could also be good for him to continue to develop the confidence he has recently gained. It has been a while since Zibanejad has played against competition that he has the potential to dominate against. Not to mention that he will play a very important role on the team and will be counted on for leadership on that team.
Yes there is a downside to him playing in the tournament, however, there is also an upside that shouldn’t be discounted. Having the opportunity to compete for a championship in a short period of time in sudden death games can be an invaluable experience that can be drawn upon later in his career.
As far a Lehner’s experience goes, he was also hurt for much of the early part of the season and struggled to gain mid-season form as a result of that. I wouldn’t blame Lehner’s lack of playing time when he returned from the World Junior championship solely on the fact that he played in the tournament. Brust was playing brilliantly in goal at the time and that helped to determine Lehner’s diminished role as well.

It’s really hard to say what’s best for Z’jad. If he is worthy of his draft selection, he should be dominant in the World Juniors.

From what I saw of him, he needs to learn to play offensively, whereas most gifted scorers need to learn what he’s already good at… the defensive side of the game. He seemed to be deathly afraid of making a mistake and being out of position while he was here.

So I’d say he’d be better off dominating offensively at the WJC if he can. I judged that he would have been better off this year playing the North American game rather than the Swedish Elite sideways less physical style that they are known for, but he chose the comfortable Swedish game that he knows so well.

Also, purely on a selfish level, I just want to see him play.

By all accounts, Sweden’s team won’t be all that strong this year, and Zibanejad is expected to play a starring role. Leading your national team in a high-pressure tournament where every game is extremely important? I can’t see how that would hinder his development. And while some of the other countries might represent weaker competition than Z-bad regularly sees in the SEL, you could hardly say that about top teams like Canada, the U.S., Finland, and Russia. Plus, the tournament is being played in Alberta, and therefore on NHL-sized ice.

He’ll have many seasons to play professionally from now on. This is (I believe) one of the last time he’ll be able to. The kid should relish the chance to represent his country, and I wouldn’t want to take that away from him.

It would be great to see Stone, Prince and Zibanejad each lead their team to a medal in the tournament. I’d personally prefer Canada-Sweden-USA, but we’ll see.

From Pension Plan Puppets

Check out this player’s bio in a New England men’s hockey league

Bio:
PLAYER KICKED OUT OF LEAGUE FOR DEFECATING IN OPPONENT’S GLOVE FOLLOWING A FIGHT ON THE ICE.

It’s an honour to represent your country, and the experience of competing at that high of a level can’t be understated.

Even if the level of hockey at the WJCs is lower than the SEL, I think playing on North American ice, against a bunch of future NHLers, is a very, very worthwhile experience, and is better for him than staying in Sweden. The few weeks he misses of SEL hockey won’t hinder his development. But I do think going to the WJCs can advance a player’s development, for sure.

I think of this….