The Israeli Ice Hockey Federation will host the second World Jewish Hockey Championships (popularly called the "World Jewish Cup") in Metulla, Israel from July 5-15, 2009.
The four competitors from the inaugural event in 2007 will return (Israel, Canada, USA and France), and be joined by a "Team Europe."
All teams competing are composed of Jewish hockey players.
Israel competes with its national team, which currently competes at the IIHF Division II level. IIHF Division II has been referred to as the gateway between amateur and semi-professional hockey. When Israel is able to ice something approximating its best possible roster, it is a strong competitor at this level. The top Israelis play, or have played, minor pro hockey in North America and Europe, as well as NCAA Division I and CIS (Canadian university) hockey, and Junior A hockey in the U.S. and Canada. The roster is filled out on the 3rd and 4th lines with players who have played solely in North American Junior B hockey and/or the Israeli League. As hockey only came to Israel at the beginning of the 1990's, the top Israelis remain dual Israeli-Canadian citizens or immigrants who made aliyah to Israel from the former Soviet Union.
The Israeli national team is going through something of a rebuilding phase, as its top players who are available approach 40 years of age, while the others are unavailable due to commitments to their professional clubs. Starting goaltender Evgeni Gussin, long Israel's most valuable player and a key component of Israel's shocking upset of Canada and run to the silver medal in 2007, is now 41 years of age and did not play in this year's IIHF Division II World Championships for Israel. A similar run in this year's tournament would be an even greater shock, unless Israel gets nearly all of its top players at once. One of Israel's top two offensemen, Max Birbraer, is undergoing two surgeries this summer and cannot play, and Oren Eizenman (Milwaukee, AHL) may or may not be available.
The United States won the inaugural tournament in 2007 with a roster that featured a mix of minor pros, NCAA Division I and Division III players, and ACHA (university club hockey) players. The top lines were all professional and/or NCAA Division I players. Goaltending was particularly strong with Dov Grumet-Morris guarding the net for the Americans. Grumet-Morris, a Philadelphia Flyers draft pick, has American Hockey League experience and currently plays in EBEL, which is the elite professional league of Austria, and also contains the top professional Slovenian and Hungarian teams. Grumet-Morris, together with many of the other top American players from 2007, will be returning to help the United States defend its title.
Canada competed in 2007 with a roster consisting largely of Junior A level players. It finished in third place out of four teams after being upset 2-1 by the Israelis, which was both a shock for the Canadians and a testament to the high level of play featured in the tournament. This year, Canada is likely to compete with a team featuring many Jewish pros who play in European leagues such as the Swiss NLA and NLB, as well as North American minor league pros and NCAA Division I and Major Junior players. The team will be coached by former Quebec Nordiques GM Sherry Bassin, who stated that Canada is not "going there to compete....we are going there to win."
France's entry comes from its Jewish sports federation, called Maccabi France. Its players consist largely of non-elite amateurs, although the Rozenthal brothers, who star in France's Ligue Magnus (the French professional elite league), are expected to return, together with several players from France's Divisions I and II. France is not expected to compete for gold, but, if the Israeli team is missing its top players as it did in this year's World Championships which took place in Serbia, then Maccabi France might be able to surprise the Israelis.
No information is yet available for the Team Europe entry, but it is expected to consist of Jewish pros and elite amateurs from all over Europe. |
