The Men’s World Floorball Championships 2022 EUR1 Qualifications will be played in Valmiera, Latvia 25th—28th May.
Group A
Finland
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
The size of the National Team players’ pool has been increased due to professional coaching in domestic F-liiga. The level of players’ physical skills has been increased and it has had straight positive impact on intensity and quickness of the game. The media partner agreement has made possible to develop the streaming quality which makes the whole sport more attractive for the fans, both at domestic and international level via www.fliigatv.com
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
The Blue-White team is ready to take back the World Ranking number 1 and polish the silver position back to golden one. The qualification will be the first step which have to be taken. Extremely focused and motivated team will definitely play entertaining floorball.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Ville Lastikka
Sensational season in domestic F-liiga by winning the score board with souverinity. One of the dynamic forwarders in the world, who has outstanding passing and scoring skills.
Strongest defender:
Otto Lehkosuo
Athletic defender with passionate desire to win the ball over battles. Excellent combination of game vision and dynamic movement. Internationl breakthrough…
Toughest player:
Eemeli Salin
Big and physical power forward. Very good at one-on-one situations. Despite his size he moves very well and has a great shot.
Estonia
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
We have played for a long time together and our success is based on our own game.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Tanel Kasenurm
Top scorer.
Strongest defender:
Roman Pass
Highly experienced defender.
Toughest player:
Mathias Einamann
Big guy, fast and poweful.
Face-off champion:
Netherlands
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
As we couldn’t meet and for the most of us were even not allowed to play floorball at all, we focused on physical training which we guide
on the internet. We even cooperated with local trainers. When we finally started again with a floorball camp this showed to be the right way, and the team soon reached a higher level than before. Our high physical status will be our strongest weapon during the qualifiers.
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
The team consists of many young players, however many will do their second WFCQ. The discipline in defense we showed last time is now completed with offensive skills, both in counters and stationary play.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Daan van Dongen
Fast and keen with the ball. Daan usually finds this tiny little gap to hit the net.
Strongest defender:
Tobias van t’Hoff
Always in the right position. And in spite of his young age very experienced. He makes the right decisions even in stressed situations.
Toughest player:
Max Molander
He always gives everything he has, and fights to win back a lost ball. The fastest man on the pitch, you never get him of your back.
Face-off champion:
Thijme de Valk
He won’t give away many situations and is always up for being the champion of face-offs.
Great Britain
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
Floorball in the UK is facing similar challenges as in other countries where it is a small sport. Despite this, the community remains enthusiastic and many teams have restarted their training and competition activities.
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
Team UK in 2022 is a talented mix of experienced players and young blood, eager to show other countries what they are capable of. Not to be underestimated, every UK player works hard for each other!
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Oliver Blixt
Keep an eye out for Oliver Blixt – he has a wristshot like a bolt of lightning. Blink and you’ll miss it!
Strongest defender:
Adam Saletti
Has excellent ball control and fast hands. Vital for build-up and counter-attacks.
Toughest player:
John Cook
Is one to watch in the corners, his speciality is turnovers and he knows the recipe!
Face-off champion:
Connor Swales
Has very fast reflexes over the ball and great vision for the game around him.
GROUP B
Denmark
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
Duing Covid-19 Floorball Danmark launched parts of the educational program as online lectures, which helped Floorball Danmark in continuing the educational program for both coaches and referees.
Floorball Danmark funded and financed five outdoor floorball fields. These five fields are managed by five clubs in a switching system that gives floorball players throughout the whole country an opportunity to play outdoor floorball.
Floorball Danmark introduced a new concept “The day of floorball”. A recruiting project where clubs with a decrease of players under Covid-19 could get a package of merchandise (for the specific day: posters, t-shirts etc) and economic help to manage online marketing. The day were held in 40 clubs in year 1 and are set to involve 35 clubs primo August 2022.
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
Our aim for the tournament is to be typical danish. We want to be a very hard working team, playing with a very big heart, good in defending, blocking shots, winning duels and effective in our offence.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Lucas Eldholm
He is good in counterattack, he has a good shot and he is also a great passer. He can score goals in many ways.
Strongest defender:
Frederik Kobberub
He works extremely hard, a very good duel-player, blocking shots very good.
Toughest player:
Lucas Eldholm
Works extremely hard and wins every duel. He will do anything he can to win the game for the team.
Face-off champion:
Latvia
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
Last WFC period was hard for everyone and unfortunately it was a long break for us too, without any camps. However we managed to make the right choices and found many new players for the team. Moreover, the level of demand for the games has increased again, and we are taking steps forward as well. We believe that strong game with the ball will take us closer to the semifinal stage in the future.
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
In Helsinki we had a lot of rookies in our team. Therefore we have a lot of young talents in our team, but at the same time we still have very strong experienced leading players in our national team. People can expect good game with the ball, high game speed and at the same time active defense game. We will focus on straight attacking game a little bit more and how we end our attacking game in WFCQ.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Peteris Trekse
Very strong and fast player. He sees a field well and creates a lot of scoring chances in his line mates.
Strongest defender:
Morics Krumins
Winning a lot in 1 vs 1 situations and he is quite excellent with the ball. He perceives the game as an attacker, just as we like in the national team.
Toughest player:
Artis Raitums
Team captain and exceptionally strong player, who understands the game so well that he is always in the right place.
Face-off champion:
Iceland
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
The pandemic hit us hard. Regular floorball activities were difficult to keep up and we’ve lost players. But we got through it, that is our main achievement. We did what we’ve could, smaller events and activities and focused on the basic, just having fun!
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
Team Iceland is participating for the fourth time in WFCQ. The team consists of established players playing in Scandinavia and less experienced, but equally enthusiastic, players in Iceland. Expect to see a bunch of guys just happy to be free from Covid restrictions and full of energy to play their heart out for Iceland.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Andreas Stefansson
Is our top scorer and a great outspoken character for the team.
Strongest defender:
Pétur Elvar Sigurðsson
We have true leader in Pétur Elvar Sigurðsson. He gives his all to each game and sets an example with his fierce and powerful play.
Toughest player:
Andri Mikaelsson
Is not only a great floorball player but also a member of the Icelandic ice hockey national team. He learnt his trade in the cold north of Iceland and is known for his tough tackles from there.
Face-off champion:
Andy Nilsson
Is full of tricks and doesn’t let anyone take the ball from him.
Ukraine
What were the main developments steps in Floorball over the last few years? What major progress were you able to achieve?
Due to the fact of Covid-19 we didn’t stop our tournaments in Ukraine. We were taking all the restrictions into the point and were making our Ukrainian floorball tournaments for everyone.
What should we expect from your team during WFCQ 2022?
Team Ukraine – is full of power to do our best and show that Ukrainian spirit is unbreakable. We are so happy to represent our country in such difficult situation on the sport arena. Our team has representatives from different regions of Ukraine, so we would like to show that we are united now, as well as our whole country.
Players to watch
Most dangerous attacker:
Kulynych Rostyslav
One of our best attackers. He is so quick and technical that can shoot in every moment he can.
Strongest defender:
Pryyma Mykhailo
The strogest defender of our team. He is unbreakable wall before our gate, he can give quick and nice passes to attackers to use the moment and make a goal.
Toughest player:
Shcherbakov Stanislav
This is the player who can do his best on the arena during the game, but when something is going wrong you could use his angry to make quick attac for the goal.
Face-off champion:
Andrii Semeniuk
Captain of the team.
- The information here is provided by the teams and modified by the IFF.
More information about the WFCQ 2022 EUR1 here.
