Korea is not particularly known for hockey but throughout the last couple of years Hungary and Korea have gotten to know each other rather well. This past sprint the 2014 IIHF Division 1/A World Championships were held in Korea and the two teams have been in the same division a number of times. This will be the fourth time the two teams face off against each other since February of 2013.
The Korean Ice Hockey federation is laying the brickwork for an improved hockey program since 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang. The first step was to replace long time national team coach Sun Wook Byun, with former NHL forward and two-time Stanley Cup champion Jim Paek. Assisting him will be another former NHL forward Richard Park. Both Paek and Park were born in Korea but moved to North America at a young age and grew up in the hockey cultures of Canada and the U.S.
The Korean team will be playing distinctly North American style not only because of their coaching staff but also because of the number of nationalized players on the squad. Two years ago Korea played at the worlds in Budapest with one non-native Korean, this coming weekend they will have four. Only nine players are on the squad from last years worlds.
ROSTER ANALYSIS
The goaltending position looks to be going through some changes since the veteran duo that had been paired together for a number of years have been replaced by Matt Dalton and Kye Hoon Park.
Dalton is from Canada who spent a couple of seasons in the AHL and the ECHL as well as playing in the KHL. This is Dalton’s first year in the Asian League with Anyang Halla.Park is a 22 year old who has represented Korea at the youth levels and plays in the Korean University League.
Dalton is not eligible to play for Korea at an IIHF tournament and Park is inexperienced. It would like as if the coaching staff is looking a couple years down the road at the goalie position.
Surprisingly Korea is traveling with only six defencemen. However, it is a nice mix of experienced and young players. It would look as if Korea is trying to install a defensive system with veteran players who can easily fit into it as well as young players who are still malleable in their game enough to pick up the finer points. Yoon Hwan Kim and Hyon Ho Oh are the two veteran blue liners as Kim has 10 and Oh has five world championship appearances. Joining them is veteran nationalized Canadian Bryan Young, currently he is in his fifth year in Korea and debuted for the national team last season. Young also played in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. Won-Jun Kim is a young player to watch out for.
The forward line combinations look to be made up of the same thought process as the defensive unit was. The leader of this group is the tall blond Canadian Brock Radunske, a third round pick by the Oilers. He played in the minor leagues before making the move to Europe and eventually Korea. Currently he is in his seventh season in Korea and tearing the Asian league up. He is a big forward that the Koreans will lean on.
Another Canadian that Jim Paek will lean on is Michael Swift a smaller quicker player compared to Radunske. Ki Sung Kim, Min Ho Cho, and Woo-Sang Park are three experienced veterans that Jim Paek has kept in the squad. Park has the same physical qualities as Radunske and can play a North American style of hockey.
There is also a trio of young forwards who spent the 2013-14 season with Kiekko-Vantaa in Finland, Jin Hui Ahn, Sang-Hoon Shin and Jung Ahn. Ahn and Woo Je Sung actually grew up in Canada and played in the Canadian junior leagues before going back to Korea. This two forwards could be the future of Korean hockey for years to come.
EXPERT OPINIONS
Forward István Sofron: “Korea will be playing the same system which is a bit of a Canadian style, however, they are small fast skaters, who - like the Japanese - play a very disciplined game. To beat them we will have to play a physical style to wear them down. They are a team that you can not take lightly because they can always surprise you if you don't take them seriously.”
Assistant coach Gergely Majoross: “Korea is not a team that are big or have size but they have speed and individually skilled players, they will bring the team speed but physically will be able to be able to wear them down.”
SCHEDULE
November 7.
15.30: Poland–Italy
19.00: Hungary–Korea (Tv: Sport 1)
November 8.
14.30: Italy–Korea
18.00: Hungary–Poland (Tv: Sport M)
November 9.
14.30: Korea–Poland
18.00: Hungary–Italy (Tv: Sport M)
Photo: László Mudra