Recap of the 2023 Deutschland Cup

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Four teams took to the ice from November 8-11 for the latest iteration of the Four Nations tournament, the Deutschland Cup, hosted in Landshut, Germany. Finland, Czechia, Denmark, and Germany played one game against each opponent in a clash of high-ranked European teams.

This tournament, like others that are not put on by the IIHF, had no effect on the international rankings. However, it was an invaluable opportunity for teams to practice systems, for coaches to observe players they may not see in person more than a few times a season, and for players to test themselves against top competition and fight for spots in the games that count the most. While winning always matters, in tournaments like this one the process is more important than the result.

The opening game of the tournament featured the two highest-ranked teams, and the teams that brought most of their firepower. Reigning WWC bronze medalists Czechia and reigning Olympic bronze medalists Finland brought their biggest weapons to Landshut. The second game of the tournament featured Germany, who placed eighth at the 2023 WWC, and Denmark, who won promotion back to the top level three months ago. Both teams iced relatively inexperienced groups, using the tournament as a proving ground for national team hopefuls.

Czechia’s notable roster movement:

Longtime captain Alena Mills retired from the national team this summer after winning her second bronze medal at the highest international level. Veteran defender Aneta Tejralová (MoDo, SDHL and Ottawa, PHWL) has been named the new captain.

Veteran goaltender Klára Peslarová (Brynäs IF, SDHL) returned to the national team’s crease after missing almost all of last season due to an ACL tear.

Forward Natálie Mlýnková (University of Vermont), who was recently named Hockey East’s Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick against UNH, remained with her club.

Forward Barbora Juříčková (HPK, Naisten Liiga) drew into the tournament to play in her first games with the senior national team after two years with the U18 team.

Finland’s notable roster movement:

Nelli Laitinen (Minnesota, NCAA), recently named the WCHA’s Defender of the Week after a two-goal, two-assist weekend, remained with her club.

Tiia Pajarinen (Kiekko-Espoo, Naisten Liiga) backed up Anni Keisala (HV71, SDHL) in net. Sanni Ahola (St. Cloud State, NCAA), who was just named National Goaltender of the Month after allowing one goal in five games, remains with her team.

Forwards Julia Schalin (Kiekko-Espoo, Naisten Liiga), Kiti Seikkula (HPK, Naisten Liiga), and Lisette Täks (Kiekko-Espoo, Naisten Liiga) joined the senior national team for the first time after competing in multiple U18 tournaments.

Germany’s notable roster moves:

Defender Nina Jobst-Smith (Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA), currently serving as alternate captain in her senior campaign at UMD, remained with her team during the tournament.

Forward Katharina Häckelsmiller (ECDC Memmingen, DFEL) played in her first game for the senior national team since participating in the 2020-21 World Championships at age 16. Forwards Yvette Reichelt, Lola Liang, Jennifer Miller, and defender Lucia Schmitz, all playing out of Mad Dogs Mannheim, DFEL, as well as forward Lucy Klein (ERC Ingolstadt, DFEL), played in their first games with the senior team after participating in U18 tournaments.

Goaltender Chiara Schultes (ESC Planegg, DFEL) backed up Sandra Abstreiter (ECDC Memmingen, DFEL and Ottawa, PWHL) in Schultes’ second year with the senior team, though she did not start any games for the team last year.

A pair of experienced forwards in Theresa Wagner (ERC Ingolstadt, DFEL) and Laura Klug (ECDC Memmingen, DFEL) joined the team for Germany’s final two games of the tournament.

Denmark’s notable roster moves:

Many of Denmark’s top players, such as longtime captain Josefine Jakobsen (Brynäs IF, SDHL) and defender Amanda Refsgaard (Rødovre, Swedish Division 1) remained with their clubs during the tournament.

Sixteen-year-old blueliner Klara Holm (Hvidovre, Swedish Division 1) took part in her first games with the senior national team, while club teammates Sara Knudsen and Julie Henriksen, both forwards, played their first games with the senior team after participating in multiple U18 tournaments.

Goaltender Caroline Thomsen (Rødovre, Swedish Division 1) joined Caroline Bjergstad (Malmö Redhawks, Swedish Division 1) in net for Denmark in Bjergstad’s second year with the senior team and Thomsen’s first games with the national team at any level.

Finland vs Czechia

These two teams have faced each other in the knockout stage at each of the last two Women’s World Championships, with Czechia taking the win and the bronze medal in both years. Before that, Finland took bronze at the Olympics in Beijing, while Czechia finished seventh. Finland sought to prove they aren’t falling behind, while Czechia aimed to keep rolling and solidify their claim as the best team in Europe.

Pregame talk:

Czechia head coach Carla MacLeod (Ottawa, PWHL) discussed her ideology for the tournament in a pre-game interview on the German broadcast. She felt her team had a balanced roster and wanted to introduce players to new situations while pushing veterans.

In his own interview on the broadcast, Finland’s head coach Juuso Toivala addressed the Finn’s losses to the Czechs in the past Championships, but said that it’s good for the game that there are ups and downs. He called his team ‘the underdogs today.’

Final score: 4-2 Czechia

CZE: Noemi Neubauerová from Adéla Šapovalivová
CZE: Denisa Křížová from Kateřina Mrázová and Daniela Pejšová
CZE: Michaela Pejzlová from Tereza Vanišová
FIN: Siiri Yrjölä from Eve Savander and Pauliina Salonen
FIN: Jenniina Nylund (PPG) from Julia Liikala and Jenni Hiirikoski
CZE: Adéla Šapovalivová (ENG) from Dominika Lásková

As one might expect from teams with the recent history that these two have, this game was full of body contact and penalties. Czechia’s offensive chemistry made the difference as they scored three goals in the first period, a hole that Finland proved unable to escape. Although the Finns scored in each of the subsequent periods, the majority of their scoring chances came from the outside. Their first goal was a heavy shot from the blue line that hit bodies on the way through, and the other came off the rush on a beautiful play by Julia Liikala (HIFK, Naisten Liiga). Czechia’s dedication to forechecking and winning battles as they defended their lead kept Finland from establishing much of an advantage. The teams looked decently matched; Finland was never out of the game. The players of the game were forward Julia Liikala for Finland and forward Kateřina Mrázová (Färjestad BK, Swedish Division 1 and Ottawa, PWHL) for Czechia.

Denmark vs Germany

The last time these senior national teams met in official international competition was at the 2022 World Championships in the final game of the group stage. Denmark needed a single point from the game to reach the top division quarterfinals for the first time, which could be acquired with any win or an overtime or shootout loss. Germany needed a regulation win to avoid relegation. With a tenth of a second left in the third period, and the score tied 2-2, Germany’s Tanja Eisenschmid (Djurgårdens IF, SDHL) scored a goal, saving her own team and relegating Denmark to Division 1A in front of their home fans. In August, Denmark won promotion from Division 1A, and will return to face Germany in Group B in Utica in April 2024.

Cue “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift. However, both of these teams fielded young rosters at this tournament, or at least players with less national team experience than they would for a tournament with ranking implications. No players from Denmark’s 2022 WWC team are on this tournament’s roster, while half of Germany’s players did not play for the national team last season.

Pregame talk:

In his rink-side interview before the game, Germany’s head coach Jeff MacLeod recognized that his team had a lot of players without as much international experience as some of their competitors. He hoped that older players would pass their experience to younger players as the team looked to develop for the World Championship in April. One of his goals was to help everyone become comfortable, but that didn’t mean they weren’t trying to win: “If you look at the World Championship last year, every game was tight,” he said regarding the broader landscape. Of this tournament, he said that none of the teams could be considered an easy opponent.

Final score: 1-0 Germany

GER: Jennifer Miller from Katharina Häckelsmiller and Lucia Schmitz

While this game ended with only a single goal, it was not because the teams were evenly matched. German goaltender Sandra Abstreiter faced only 13 shots in the game, including only one in the first period. The Danish team did not seem as though they were clicking yet, not unexpected for a roster without extensive experience playing together on the first day of the competition. Danish goaltender Caroline Thomsen faced 28 shots and well earned the title of player of the game for Denmark, but what stymied Team Germany the most was their inability to finish. With multiple unconverted breakaways, power plays, and at least one shot off the post, this game could have easily been 4-0 in Germany’s favor. Germany’s player of the game was Nicola Eisenschmid (ECDC Memmingen, DFEL).

Finland vs Denmark

Coming off a loss against Czechia, Finland needed to win both their remaining games to have a chance to win the tournament. Denmark showed some success in holding Team Germany to one goal and needed to build on that momentum in the back-to-back game.

Pregame talk:

Wearing the C for Denmark, Nicoline Jensen (Rødovre, Swedish Division 1) discussed the previous day’s game in a pre-game interview. She said that her team hadn’t had much time to work on their power play, but that that wasn’t an excuse and they needed to convert on the 3-on-5 opportunity they had been given.

Final Score: 8-0 Finland

FIN: Ronja Savolainen from Sanni Vanhanen and Julia Liikala
FIN: Petra Nieminen from Sanni Vanhanen and Julia Liikaka
FIN: Petra Nieminen from Jenni Hiirikoski and Julia Liikala
FIN: Ronja Savolainen from Petra Nieminen
FIN: Petra Nieminen from Sanni Vanhanen and Ronja Savolainen
FIN: Lisette Täks from Jenni Hiirikoski and Julia Schalin
FIN: Lisette Täks from Sanni Rantala and Jennifer Nylund
FIN: Noora Tulus (PPG) from Siiri Yrjölä and Petra Nieminen

As one-sided as this match appears to be from the final score, there was still a lot to be desired from the Finnish team. After failing to match Czechia’s speed and precision the day before, the Finns took a while to warm up against Denmark, playing slowly and failing to connect passes even without much in the way of pressure against their time and space. Their final five goals were scored in the third period. Meanwhile, the Danish team was able to take advantage of a number of mistakes to prevent Finland from establishing a dominant presence until the final period, and showed an improvement in defensive mobility. The Finnish power play went 1-6 against a team that managed to put seven shots on goaltender Tiia Pajarinen, all in the first two periods. Danish goalie Caroline Bjergstad made 36 saves on 44 shots.

Czechia vs Denmark

The young Danish team were still searching for their first goal in the tournament heading into their third game. Despite the lack of success on the scoresheet, the Danish goaltending and penalty kill showed promise and they could take what they learned into another educational battle. The Czechs stood tall in their bronze medal rematch, but went 0-3 on the power play and took seven penalties, one of which resulted in a power play goal against. They, too, had cleaning up to do.

Final score: 5-0 Czechia

CZE: Tereza Vanišová from Denisa Křížová and Klára Seroiszková
CZE: Tereza Plosová from Kateřina Mrázová and Tereza Pištěková
CZE: Kateřina Mrázová from Adéla Jůzková and Dominika Lásková
CZE: Noemi Neubauerová from Kateřina Mrázová
CZE: Kateřina Mrázová from Noemi Neubauerová

Although they were once again defeated, Denmark rose to the occasion for the team’s final game in Landshut. Czechia played a fast and physical game, and the Danes sped up to match them and did not shy away from body contact. They dedicated themselves to each battle and committed both to forechecking and maintaining a defensive structure. Czechia committed only three penalties, but went 0-6 on the power play. In goal, Caroline Thomsen made a number of impressive saves as she stopped 41 of 46 shots on net, while Viktorie Švejdová (SDE HF, SDHL) stopped all ten she faced, including a penalty shot.

Germany vs Finland

Finishing their tournament on back-to-back games, Finland looked to round out the week with another dominant win against the team they defeated twice at the World Championships in April. After earning only one goal in their win against Denmark, Germany needed to improve their scoring efficiency to stay in the race for first in the tournament.

Final score: 8-1 Finland

FIN: Sanni Vanhanen from Julia Liikala and Sanni Rantala
FIN: Noora Tulus from Petra Nieminen and Ronja Savolainen
FIN: Delay Vainikka (SHG) from Noora Tulus
FIN: Pauliina Salonen (SHG) from Ronja Savolainen and Kiira Yrjänen
FIN: Julia Liikala (SHG)
FIN: Jenna Kaila from Pauliina Salonen and Anni-Elina Montonen
FIN: Noora Tulus from Jennina Nylund
GER: Theresa Wagner from Laura Kluge
FIN: Kiira Yrjänen from Kiti Seikkula and Oona Kokkula

For the second game in a row, Finland put up impressive numbers that obscured the flaws in their performance. Three shorthanded goals speaks very well of the talent on the penalty kill, but Finland should not have taken seven penalties in this game, including a bench penalty for too many skaters. They also technically failed to convert on either of their two power plays; Finland’s second goal was not a power play goal, as German captain Daria Gleißner (ECDC Memmingen, DFEL) had just exited the penalty box when it was scored. That being said, with the time and space allowed by Germany, many of Finland’s tallies were pretty, skillful goals and their crisp passing and mature cycles were on display.

Against a fast physical team like Finland, Germany were easily muscled off the puck and had passes intercepted, but they had a few good scoring chances against Anni Keisala. Germany’s 18-year-old goaltender Chiara Schultes made several solid saves on the 21 shots she faced in her first start for the senior national team, but was the victim of a number of breakaways and screens, including from her own teammates. Germany’s sole goal, scored 49 minutes into the game, was celebrated with cheers and drums by the home crowd.

Germany vs Czechia

With their win against Denmark in hand, a win against Czechia would mean winning the tournament for host Germany. However, they had scored as many goals in their two games as Czechia had allowed in their first two matches. Czechia, meanwhile, would win the tournament if they took a single point from the game.

Pregame talk:

Interviewed by the Czech Hockey YouTube channel after the game against Denmark, Czech forward Kateřina Mrázová critiqued her team’s performance in the 5-0 victory and outlined their goal: “I didn’t perceive it [as a dominant win] at all. Our start to the match was not exactly ideal and what we wanted. We need to improve the first third a bit. It got better, but we definitely have to prepare better for tomorrow’s match and get into it right away.”

Final score: 8-0 Czechia

CZE: Noemi Neubauerová (PPG)
CZE: Sára Čajánová from Dominika Lásková
CZE: Denisa Křížová from Daniela Pejšová and Dominika Lásková
CZE: Vendula Přibylová from Aneta Tejralová and Tereza Plosová
CZE: Denisa Křížová from Kateřina Mrázová and Sára Čajánová
CZE: Noemi Neubauerová
CZE: Tereza Plosová from Tereza Pištěková
CZE: Kateřina Mrázová (PPG) from Daniela Pejšová and Adéla Šapovalivová

As in their first game versus Finland, Czechia struck fast, going up three in the first. They took three penalties, killing all of them, and scored on two of eight power plays. They seemed comfortable relying on their defensive structure and waiting for Germany to show a vulnerability they could exploit, rather than creating one. That was an acceptable tactic in this game, but may be less successful against stronger offensive teams in the future.

In front of a packed arena, Germany fought through the first two periods, but as in their game against Finland, lost steam in the final period. Goaltender Sandra Abstreiter made some very difficult saves with Czech skaters directly in front of her crease, but she was the victim of cross-ice passes, unchallenged skaters in the slot, and multiple breakaways. Germany put twenty shots on Klára Peslarová in the first two periods, but only two shots on Viktorie Švejdová in the third period when Czechia swapped their goaltenders.

Sára Čajánová (Brynäs IF, SDHL) was named player of the game for Czechia and Theresa Wagner took the title for Germany.

Takeaways

Czechia swept the second leg of the European Hockey Tour with three wins on 17 goals scored and two allowed, both to Finland. They also won the first leg of the tour in the summer. I suspect that the team that is iced in the new year for the third leg will look different, as many of the top players from last week will be with their PWHL teams, and likely their coach will be as well. That’s something Czechia should feel comfortable with right now, as their veterans are in good form and their younger players will see more ice time.

Finland took second place with two wins on 18 goals and five against, including four scored by Czechia. As a few of their top players remained with their clubs, this should not be too disappointing a result. Discipline may have been an issue this past week, but skill was not. Finland is still very much one of the top teams in the world and they showed it during this tournament.

With a half dozen of their top players not available for the tournament, Germany was able to distribute ice time among players who are less familiar with international competition. They had a difficult schedule, facing Finland and Czechia back-to-back. Hopefully the German players and coaches took a lot away from this tournament that they can learn from.

Fielding 11 players born in 2000 or later, including two born in 2007, Denmark was the youngest team in the tournament. There was a lot to like about how they stayed in games and improved from one game to the next. As Denmark returns to the top level of the World Championship in April, the experience gained at tournaments like this will be invaluable for the players chosen from this group.