Any other NHL fans on the site?

[Mikkel_K]

Just out of curiosity what do you guys (CFH) think of Jannik Hansen? He is about as good as it gets coming from Denmark, but is he good enough for a future at the Canucks?

Based on his stats he has been doing very fine the last few months for Manitoba (who btw will hopefully be knocked out of the AHL playoff soon, so Hansen can join the Danish team for the WC in May), and I was a bit surprised he didnt get a call-up. Especially since he has been called up before, when he was playing worse.

Also, I went to my only 2nd ever live ice hockey game the other week -the 6th (out of 7) semifinal in the Finnish SM-Liiga - and one of the 'stars' was Tommi Santala. If I remember correctly, he was playing in Vancouver as well? He wasnt good enough, I suppose?

Santala was terrible. Just awful. Hansen on the other hand was great last year in the play-offs and seems to be improving offensively this year. Many people wanted him called up during the latter part of the year, but by the time there was a spot for him the team was at the point in the season where the league only 4 emergency call-ups before the play-offs. Many people think Hansen will make the team next year in a 3rd-4th line capacity, but with the new GM coming in who knows. Mikkel Boedker (a Dane) is most likely going to be a top-ten pick in the upcoming draft, the Canucks should take him if he's available at the #10 spot, though that is unlikely. The Canucks are also notorious for going off the board with their draft picks though.

Yeah, Bødker is (or will become) The Man. Lars Eller - his former teammate in Swedish junior hockey and through many years on various youth national teams - went as no. 13 in last years draft (St. Louis Blues), which is easily the best ever for a Dane. Bødker could (should?) do better than that. Also, expect Philip Larsen, Sebastian Dahm and Niclas Hardt to be drafted in what is surely the best ever Danish draft year.

I find it quite amazing to witness the development of Danish hockey during the last 10-15 years. I mean, when I was a kid having NHL Danish players was a weird dream, and so was the mere idea that the Danish national team could even get to _play_ the best countries in the world! Now Denmark has survived 5 years in the IIHC, 2 Danes are playing in or around NHL (Frans Nielsen, New York Islanders, became the first ever last January, Hansen was the second), while at least 4 or 5 players seem destined to go there some day. Hell, we might even qualify for the next Olympics (in Vancouver!) and field entire lines of NHL players there! Hopefully Hansen will be there as well.

This development have sparked quite some interest in hockey in DK, also for me. Added to that is that I've been dating a Finnish girl for 18 months now - and has lived in Finland for the last six months or so - and as the general sports freak I am, I have tried to follow 'the local sports'. And, obviously, Ice Hockey is the big one in this regard! (CutMeMick should be happy btw - Anaheim seem to be the team of choice in this country, if judged from the number of team jerseys seen around at least. The Selänne effect, I suppose).