ZURICH-KLOTEN - If you still think of Belarus merely as the nation that upset Sweden in the 2002 Olympic quarter-finals, it's time to get up to date. Yes, that remains the former Soviet republic's proudest moment in international hockey, but Belarus has managed to establish itself as a consistent top-10 performer at the IIHF World Championship since returning to the top division in 2005.

The high point came in 2006 under revered head coach Glen Hanlon when the team finished sixth. This year Hanlon is back behind the bench, taking over from former Vancouver Canucks teammate Curt Fraser, who led his troops to ninth place in Canada 2008. Currently sitting ninth in the IIHF World Rankings, Belarus is the only nation among the top 10 that has not hosted an IIHF World Championship, and it hopes a successful showing in Switzerland with a KHL-heavy roster will enhance its odds of landing the 2014 tournament over the other three bidders: Hungary, Latvia and Ukraine.

Goal

Some capable netminders will backstop Belarus at this tournament. The best-known is Andrei Mezin, whose 44 saves keyed Belarus to its Olympic shocker versus Sweden in 2002. Named to the World Championship All-Star team in 2006, Mezin continues to ply his trade at age 34 with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian KHL. The diminutive, acrobative goalie mostly backed up Ilya Proskuryakov in the playoffs as Metallurg eventually bowed to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the semi-finals.

Vitali Koval appeared in all six games Belarus played at last year's tournament, posting a .912 save percentage and 3.07 GAA. He shone in shootout losses versus Russia and the Czech Republic, and will be a good go-to option if Mezin falters.

The third goalie is Igor Brikun, a 22-year-old who was the Belarus League's top goalie of 2008-09 with a 1.89 GAA and .930 save percentage with HC Gomel.

Defence

Ruslan Salei of the Colorado Avalanche, a veteran of 828 NHL games, will lead the Belarus blueline as an assistant captain. But after Salei, there isn't much individual talent, and strict adherence to Hanlon's defensive system will be required to keep the goals-against down. (In 2008, Belarus allowed 19 goals in six games.)

Aleksandr Makritsky is the greybeard of the crew at age 37, and the 186-cm, 90-kg warrior brings valuable experience from battling through various World Championship levels since 1994. Entering his fourth top-level World Championship, Amur Khabarovsk's Viktor Kostyuchenok has chipped in seven points in his last Though undrafted, Dmitri Korobov is a young face to watch. The Dynamo Minsk rearguard is making his World Championship debut at age 20, and is expected to take on a leadership role with the national team in the future.

Forward

With the Montreal Canadiens eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, Belarus would love to add talented brothers Andrei (23) and Sergei Kostitsyn (21) to its lineup. It's generally agreed that the Kostitsyns took a step backwards this year, failing to increase their point totals and becoming the subject of off-ice controversy in the Montreal media. A good showing in Switzerland would certainly provide some redemption.

If the Kostitsyns do make an appearance, everyone will be watching to find out how they get along with Mikhail Grabovsky, who is confirmed for the Belarus roster. The three were teammates with Montreal before the Potsdam, East Germany-born centre was traded to Toronto in the off-season, and rampant feuding between Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn on and off the ice made headlines this year. They will have to put their differences aside to make Belarus successful, because they are key components of an otherwise spotty attack. Grabovski earned praise from Toronto (and now Team USA) coach Ron Wilson for his fearless play down the stretch.

Otherwise, some familiar veterans will be relied upon to provide secondary scoring. Oleg Antonenko remains productive at age 37, tallying 18 times as the leading goal-scorer for the KHL's MVD Balashikha this season. Alexei Kalyuzhny had an off-season, by his standards, with 12 goals and 19 assists for Dynamo Moscow, but the Minsk native is still a force to be reckoned with at age 31. Former Pittsburgh Penguin Konstantin Koltsov is capable of backing off opposing defencemen with his raw speed, and has tallied seven points in his last six World Championship games.

Last year, Belarus had the tournament's weakest power play, capitalizing just once with 30 opportunities, and any improvement would be welcome. The forwards are physically committed, certainly more than in the pre-2005 era, but they aren't going to annihilate opponents on the forecheck either.

Coaching

In Quebec City, Glen Hanlon served as an assistant coach to Curt Fraser, but this year, he's the man in charge once again. The former bench boss of the Washington Capitals and Jokerit Helsinki will carry a heavy burden of expectations from Belarus fans, who would like to see their nation vault into the top eight. Hanlon, similar to Switzerland's Ralph Krueger, must manage those expectations carefully.

The investment that Belarus has made in its hockey programs will pay off in the long term, and Hanlon is incorporating more youth into the lineup than Belarus could muster in previous years. Next year, he will also serve as the head coach of the KHL's Dynamo Minsk, and the hope is that centralizing more of the country's talent on this professional team will pay dividends in international competition. It won't be a particularly exciting brand of hockey that Belarus purveys in Switzerland, but Hanlon knows that if he convinces his players, “Take care of your own end, and everything else will take care of itself,” there is a chance they can surprise some top teams.

In an intriguing move, Dave Lewis, a three-time Stanley Cup champion as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings and former Wings and Boston head coach, will assist Hanlon. Lewis may also join Hanlon with Dynamo Minsk in 2009-10.

Projected Results

Anything less than a top-10 finish would be a disappointment for this group. By the same token, given the team's lack of firepower, making the quarter-finals would be a great result, an overachievement. Belarus qualified automatically for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver thanks to their #9 placement in the IIHF World Rankings, and ninth place here sounds about right again, unless Switzerland or one of the “Big Seven” nations happens to have an off-year. The key Preliminary Round matchup will come on April 28 versus Hungary.

LUCAS AYKROYD