Eight teams will play in the Men’s U19 World Floorball Championships B-Division: Norway, Estonia, Canada, Japan will play in the Group C and Germany, Hungary, Australia and USA in Group D.
The 9th Men´s U19 WFC 2017 will be on the 3rd until 7th of May 2017 in Växjö, Sweden. The Final Round is made of up 8 teams in A-division & 8 teams in B-division. All A-division teams, as well as two B-division teams, were directly qualified based on results from the Men´s U19 WFC 2015. The remaining 6 spots in B-division were determined via regional quota systems and qualification events.
Norway’s ranking, 8th, is the highest of the B-Division teams. Team Germany is next, currently ranked 10th, Hungary is ranked 11th and Estonia 12th. The four teams are all eager to win the B-Division and gain a place in the A-Division for the U19 WFC.
Official website: wfc2017.se
Team Presentations:
Group C
They strive, fight and act as a team. Their aim is to win the B-division championship.
Players to watch
Marius Pedersen: Marius got recognition in the WFC 2016 in Riga.
Rune Svebestad: Rune is the team´s attacking Viking.
Håkan Groth: Håkan can play both offence and defence.
#12 M. Pedersen |
#18 R. Svebestad |
#25 H. Groth |
Teams aim for the WFC is to win all the games.
Players to watch
Mathias Einamann: Mathias is the team captain. A very technical player who can play different places: defender, forward and centre.
Andreas Õun: Andreas is a player with a great shot.
Morten Talviste: Morten is a very physical player.
#98 M. Einamann |
#13 A. Oun |
#47 M. Talviste |
Canada returns to the Men´s U19 WFC after a 13th place finish in 2015. The coaching staff is comprised of two national team players: Matt Smith and Tyler Brush. The team will count on 3 players with international experience in: Cameron Buck, Felix Robillard and Francis Lavergne, to show the older in age but not experience team, how to compete against the top team in the world. Canada aims to be playing in the B Final game on May 7th.
Players to watch
Felix Robillard: Returning U19 player, also participated in the WFC 2016 in Riga, who has a quick release on his shot and is expected to lead the team in scoring.
Francis Lavergne: Participated in the WFC 2016 in Riga. He is very calm with the ball on defence and will be counted on to play a lot of minutes on the back end.
Jonathan Kuysten: A rookie on the U19 national team, is a big body with good vision on the court, is versatile and will do anything to help the team win.
#18 F. Robillard |
#51 F. Lavergne |
#87 J. Kuysten |
They have gathered a good group of new players. This is a new start and they will aim for 2 wins.
Players to watch
Kazushi Harada: Goalkeeper and a popular person in the team. Always positive and doing his best.
Ryo Kaneshige: Team captain who remains calm and serious when playing floorball.
Kaimu Abe: Captain´s substitute and most experienced player, who inspires other players.
#1 K. Harada |
#5 R. Kaneshige |
#3 K. Abe |
Group D
A young and motivated team with a lot of young talents, who have fine individual skills but not much experience on high level. Their aim is to win the B-division.
Players to watch
Bastian Einecke: Team´s most experienced player and team captain, who is playing his second U19 WFC. He has a great stability in offence and defence.
Svenson Hoppe: He is young, but has outstanding abilities to lead the defence.
Flemming Kühl: Flemming is playing with SV Wiler-Erisgen this year. He is very important for the offence and will also be playing his second U19 WFC.
#3 B. Einecke |
#20 S. Hoppe |
#17 F. Kuhl |
After the successful qualification, the team worked hard to improve and to achieve the B-division final. With the help of the experienced players the WFC newbies can express their talent to be the best as a team.
Players to watch
Bondor Csaba: The team captain, who also played in Spain and in Sweden last year. His strong points are: he is fast, works hard on the field and he is the perfect assist man.
Hoffmann Tamas: A creative player on the left wing. His strong points are: fast ball handling, motivated view and good shooting technic.
Nagy Denes: A young and talented player who´s strong points are: fast ball handling, good shooting technic and fast also without the ball.
#10 C. Bondor |
#19 T. Hoffmann |
#8 D. Nagy |
Team´s goal is to improve their performance from the previous WFC. Team motto is to aim high, work hard and have fun. They have a mix of old and new players, always with a focus on the future. Come a long to watch them, and you may be surprised. They are friendly and humble, so don´t be afraid to go and say hello.
Players to watch
Tomas Gartner: Tom was a raw talent in the last tournament, but his floorball style has matured over the last two years. Tom is looking forward to the challenge this year.
Daniel Gartner: Dan has worked hard to develop his excellent ball control skills. His next focus is on improving the efficiency of his game. Dan is keen to test himself against the European players.
Christian Newland: Christian is a quiet and humble player, but don´t let that fool you, he is also a fierce competitor. Christian has become one of the team´s most reliable centre players, equally comfortable steering his line in attack or defence.
#47 T. Gartner |
#74 D. Gartner |
#13 C. Newland |
USA Men´s U19 is a young and talented team, consisting of American players residing around the globe. This is the second time that a U.S. Men´s U19 team participates in the World Floorball Championships. Besides advancing as far as possible, their aim is to continue developing the next generation of American floorball players.
Players to watch
William Eriksson: William is a skilled forward with international experience. His technique, understanding of the game and ability to be in the “right position” makes him a strong opponent.
Adrian Hiram: With a height of 203cm, Adrian can reach the ball in most situations. His technique and powerful shot from the D position makes him a player to watch.
Max Pålsson: Max, one of the veteran players on the team, is another player to watch out for. With his size and ability to read the game, Max is a great asset in the goal.
#18 W. Eriksson |
#13 A. Hiram |
#99 M. Palsson |
U19 WFC Final Round Playing system
A-Division: Every team plays each other once within their group. The top two teams after the group stage proceed to the semi-finals, while the other four teams have placement matches. The 8th placed team in A-division will be relegated to B-division for 2017.
B-Division: Every team plays each other once within their group. The top two teams after the group stage proceed to the semi-finals, while the other four teams have placement matches. The winner of B-division will be promoted to A-division for 2017.
Qualifications
A total of 26 teams registered for the 9th Men´s U19 World Floorball Championships. In the qualification events, France & Iran competed for the first time in this category. Qualification events were held in Europe (Italy) and Asia-Oceania (Japan) in September 2016. General information on those events can be found below.
Europe
The European qualification event was held in Celano, Italy, from 6th – 10th September 2016. Based on the results of the event, and the IFF regional quota system, two teams – Hungary & Estonia – qualified from Europe.
Asia-Oceania
The Asia-Oceania qualification event was held in Fuji-Yoshida, Japan from 18th – 20th September 2016. Based on the results of the event, and the IFF regional quota system, two teams – Australia & Japan – qualified from Europe.
Americas
Based on the IFF regional quota system, two teams – Canada & USA – qualified from the Americas.
All team and player information is provided by the teams themselves and only edited by IFF
