From Sunday Things are getting serious for the German young talent. The U20 World Cup then starts in Bremerhaven. In an interview, BundesYoung talent coach Christian Künast talks about, among other things, his team's chances of success.
Mr. Künast, you have completed the preparation and have been with your team since Wednesday in Bremerhaven, where the 2017 IIHF U20 Ice Hockey World Championship Div. will take place on Sunday. I starts. How is it going?
This season we had the opportunity to play more games at a high level with the U20 Future Challenge, which helped us enormously. Last week we trained together in Langenhagen and tested against Norway and France. The games were good to see what we still need to improve on.
You also named the final squad.
Yes, we had to reduce the squad to 20 players and three goalkeepers before the trip to Bremerhaven. Making a decision like this is always hard, but I am convinced that we have the right players together to play a good tournament.
How do you assess your chances?
In general, it has to be said that the nations are getting closer and closer together, and this also applies to the U20 age group. I think we are not the favorites this time because the competition is really strong.
Can you give us a brief assessment of the other nations?
Kazakhstan is a team that plays and runs well, and against Austria it will certainly be the expected emotional national derby. Newly promoted France has proven that he can be tough and consistent. Norway has a very Scandinavian style of play and the favorite for me is top division relegated Belarus. In this field, no one should be underestimated and anyone can beat anyone.