GELSENKIRCHEN – Sitting number 11 in the IIHF World Ranking report heading into the 2010 World Championship, Germany has to make the most of a very lucky situation. The country would have been demoted to Division I at last year’s tournament except for a rule stipulating that any team hosting the event can’t be relegated the previous year.

And so it came to pass that Austria, and not Germany, had to play in the lower division this year. Now that Germany has had its mulligan, though, it must take full advantage and produce a good result, starting with the Gelsenkirchen “indoor-outdoor” game on Friday night against the United States. If the team can start with a bang and an oomph in that game, perhaps great things can come from the host nation.

Goal

Dimitrij Kotschnew is playing in his third World Championship but has never been the number-one man – until this year, maybe. Dennis Andras is the other goalie to challenge for ice time in the net and he is supposed to be the starter in the opening game against the U.S. He was the emergency goalie in Vancouver at this year’s Olympics, but he didn’t see any playing time. Canada-born Rob Zepp will be the emergency goalkeeper. Andras and Kotschnew will likely be given the chance to take the team as far as they are able.

Defence

Only three defencemen from Vancouver are playing at the World Championship. Leading the way is Alexander Sulzer of the Nashville Predators. Sven Butenschön, the veteran at 34 years of age, and Korbinian Holzer are the others. At the other end of the experience scale in Justin Krueger, making his senior debut with the team. The 23-year-old has been playing NCAA hockey with Cornell University this year. All in all, this is a defence that will be tested frequently this year. But, with an average age of 23, and only Butenschön over 25 years old, playing under pressure will still be a challenge for the young crew.

Forwards

Only seven forwards from Vancouver are in tow for the World Championship, and two absentees are most notable – Jochen Hecht and Sven Felski. On the plus side, the team does have Marcel Goc and Philip Gogulla, both NHL players this season, as well as Felix Schütz, who played for the Portland Pirates of the AHL. Marcel Müller, who played in Cologne this season, is another player from whom every goal and great play will be vital. In all, this is a group that needs to be aggressive and creative when it moves the puck up ice. The players have to be able to get the puck deep into opposition territory and keep it there. Of course, taking advantage of power plays will be critical to the team’s success, but historically Germany has simply lacked the firepower to threaten the top teams.

Coaching

Uwe Krupp is now in his fifth season and seventh major international event as national team coach, having started with the team at the 2006 Olympics. He has not produced the desired results to date, in part because he has used a young roster most of the time in the hopes of developing a new generation of players in the post-Hans Zach era. But the core of this group is gaining maturity quickly, and Krupp has had plenty of time to do just that. Germany 2010 might well be the tipping point for him and his career with the national team. His contract expires and its not known yet whether he will stay or not.

Projected Results

Germany is in a group with Denmark, Finland, and the United States, and only one team will be shuffled off to the Relegation Round after the initial round-robin games. Realistically, the Germans can’t expect to beat the Finns or Americans, but equally realistically they should get by Denmark and advance to the Qualification Round. From there, they’ll need to beat a top team to go on to the quarterfinals, and to date they haven’t yet shown an ability to do as much. But playing at home might be the difference this year. Think in the 9th-12th positions this year.

ANDREW PODNIEKS