Youth Gone Wild

Bobál twins

This past week a set of twins from the Hungarian football club Budapest Honvéd was on a tryout with the English Premier Club Manchester City. Gergely Bobál and Dávid Bobál are 16 year old twins who have pretty much out grew the Hungarian U-17 league. With Manchester City offering them trial period the question has been brought up is it the best situation or the best choice for the twins to move abroad at such a young age. There have been a bunch of situations in the past where Hungarians have left Hungary before they turned 19 with some of them panning out and others being a complete bust.

Ádám Dudás, Kristitán Nemeth, András Simon

It would probably be the easiest to look at Hungarians who have played in the past five years to get the most accurate comparison to what the Bobál twins have gone through and what they should expect. We can take a look at the 2009 U-20 team that finished 3rd at the U-20 World Cup, Attila Filkor, Ádám Bogdán, Balázs Dzudzsák, Ádám Pintér, Ádám Vass, Ádám Szalai and Krisztián Tamás.

Basically there are two arguments, does the young football star leave Hungary at the age of 17 or at 21-22. At 17 they have more potential and just like in the NBA draft you can not learn potential. At 17 a major club from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France or even the Netherlands offers you a tryout or a youth contract you take it. You either fly through the system and in a couple of seasons you are a major contributor to the first team or you are ok at the age group level but you can't crack the first team lineup, you get loaned out to a 2nd division team and when your contract runs out you are back in Hungary. This is where things get interesting, if the kid who is now 20 or 21 has his head on straight looks at the positives and know that they learned a tremendous amount both on and off the pitch and carry themselves in a professional way then in two seasons they should be able to go abroad again, worst case to Belgium, Austria, Switzerland or to any or the major 2nd divisions. If they wait till they are in their early 20s they are going abroad mentally more mature however you know what you are getting. I say at the age of 17 go west to the top leagues, 22 go west to any of the leagues, 30 go anywhere in Europe, 35 go to the middle east for one major paycheck to live off of for the rest of your life.
If we look at the 2006 U-17 squad that finished 5th at the European Championships, at that time only Vladimir Koman was playing outside of Hungary with the Italian side Sampdoria. Koman would eventually work his way up and become a regular for the Seria A side. This past winter transfer window he left Sampdoria and signed with the French 2nd division club Monaco. Over all we can say that it was a good move that he left Hungary at the age of 17. Other guys from that team also played abroad, Attila Busai was a reserve player for MTK Budapest when at the age of 21 signed with the Swiss 2nd div. team FC Wil where he played two seasons, now he is back in Hungary at the age of 23 and starting for Ferencváros and showing how mature of a player he has become. Ádám Dudás was the first player to move from the country after Koman, after a trial with both Arsenal and Rangers he was loaned out to Spartak Moscow because his parent club Györi ETO did not want to sell him. After only a couple of appearances Dudás was back in Györ where he struggled with fitness and was loaned out he has finally come around as a full time starter. This year he is having one of the best seasons in the Hungarian league, look for him to move on from Györ to another country.

Krisztián Nemeth and Vladimir Koman

Another two players from this youth team was the Simon twins Ádám and András, András a striker was sold by MTK Budapest to Liverpool where he played on the reserve team when he was healthy and was on loan to Spanish 2nd div team Cordoba, eventually his contract ran out and Liverpool did not bring him back. He spent one season in Holland with Excelsior before he came back to Hungary to play for Györ. Ádám a defensive midfielder on the other hand went the other route, he was sold from MTK Budapest to Szombathelyi Haladás, after a couple of seasons at Haladás this past summer he was bought by the Italian 1st division team Palermo and is now loaned out to Bari. One twin left young and came back the other one left late and is now in Italy. Here are some of the other players:

Krisztián Nemeth- Was bought from MTK Budapest by Liverpool, after a couple of successful seasons on the reserve team he was loaned out to Blackpool in the 2nd division. In his first match he broke he cheekbone and was done for the season. Was later loaned out to the Greek club AEK Athen and then bought by Olympiacos, he is currently playing his first season in Holland for Waalwijk, look for him to move on to a bigger club.

Peter Gulácsi- Like Németh he was also bought from MTK by Liverpool, he has been said to be the future keeper for Liverpool. He has spent the past couple of seasons as the number two or three keeper for the side and has been on loan with Hull City in the past. Look for him to replce Pepe Reina eventually.

Zsolt Korcsmár- Zsolt was not on the U-17 team however he was already part of the U-19 team years later that finished 4th at the European Championships. Korcsmár stayed with his parent club till he was 21 and then signed with SK Brann in Norway, look for him to make a move to England or Germany in the near future.

Bálint Bajner- Bajner is a very peculiar situation, at 16 he debuted with Sopron in Hungary at 17 he made the move to Liberty Oradea in the Romanian 2nd division, then went on loan to West Ham and Budapest Honvéd. After making a permanent move to Honvéd he is now playing in the Italian 4th division. After making a move that makes scenes he follows it up with playing with a random team.

András Gosztonyi- He has spent his entire career in Hungary except for half a season when he was 20 with Bari, look for him to play in Italy again.

Roland Varga- Varga left MTK Budapest when he was 18 to play for Brescia which didnt go as smoothly as planned, after being loaned out twice (once in Hungary and once in Italy) he is back in Hungary playing in Györ. This kid is too unpredictable to predict his future.

Balázs Megyeri- At the age of 17 he made the move to Bristol City after one season he was back in Budapest, right now he has just finished his second season with Olympiacos and his first as the number one keeper, look for him to move on to a better league.

Markó Futács- Made the move to Nancy in France when he was 16, after three seasons moved on to Werder Bremen and now he is in Portsmouth. He can probably play in all the top leagues in the world once he physically matures.

Markó Futács

Ádám Kovácsik- He moved to Reggina when he was 17 and pretty much has been the number keeper all along, he will eventually get his chance.

Attila Filkor- Inter Milan signed him when he was 16 spending his years on the youth teams he was loaned out to a number of Seria B clubs before making a move to cross town rival AC Milan where again he has been on loan in the 2nd division.

Ádám Bogdán- He made the move to Bolton at the age of 20 two years later he became Bolton’s number two choice keeper, in January of this year the number one keeper went down with an injury and Bogdan was called in to be the number one man. Since then Jaaskelianen his healthy but Bogdan has held on to the spot and has saved Bolton from relegation.

Balázs Dzsudzsák- He moved to PSV at the age of 21 for only a couple of million euros, in four seasons in Holland he scored 55 goals as a midfielder which lead to Anzhi Makhachkala purchasing him for 19 million euros and a half season later made the 24 million euro move to Dynamo Moscow. He is right now the most expensive Hungarian in the market but there seems to be an asterisk next to his name since he is playing in Russia. Look for him to make a move to Italy in the future.

Ádám Pintér- Much like Dzsudzsák, Pintér did not make the move from Hungary until he was a bit older, at the age of 22 he was sold by MTK Budapest to Real Zaragoza in Spain, in his second year in he has become a regular in the first team.

Ádám Vass- Vass at the age of 16 was bought by the English club Stoke City where he spent one season before moving on to Italy where he has played for Brescia. Since the age of 17 he has been a regular for the Italian club. Look for him to move to a larger Italian side in the near future.

Ádám Szalai- At the age of 16 he made the move to German side Stuttgart where he spent three seasons, next he moved on to Real Madrid in Spain and now he is back in Germany playing for Mainz and is a real scoring presence when he is healthy.

Ádám Szalai

Krisztián Tamás- Not that many people know about this kid, last summer at the age of 16 he made the transfer from Szombathelyi Haladás U-19 team to AC Milan U-17 team and has already appeared in a reserve match for AC Milan. Right now the kid has potentially eventually when he gets too old for the reserve league he will probably be loaned out to a couple of 2nd div. teams until a small first div. club picks him up.

Aside from the one Simon twin, Dudás and Varga anyone that has gone abroad has done relatively well. Yes some are not with the superstar club that originally signed them but they are playing at a higher level then they would be in Hungary. With regarding the three that are back in Hungary they are all playing in Györ and helping the club to what looks to be a second place finish in the standings. Györ has a team that can make a push for a club title in the 2012-13 season. If I had to predict what will happen with the Bobál twins then I would have to say that they will be signed by a team in one of the top leagues in Europe maybe not Manchester City but it seems like they have the physical presence to succeed. Worst case they will be playing in Holland.

The Nomad Coach

Larry Brown

A nomad is a person who never really stays at one place for a long time. A person who always seems to be on the move. Professional head coaches always seem to be on the move, in European football it is not uncommon for a coach to be in charge of 5 or 6 clubs during their career, in North America they don't not move around as much or should I say they are only in charge of one or two organizations during a career. Legendary coach Phil Jackson coached only the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, of course that also helped he was winning. Then there is Larry Brown the nomad of basketball, Larry Brown has never stayed longer at one place more than five years. Coach Brown was hired as the Southern Methodist University coach, he has not coached since he stepped down from the Charlotte Bobcats last season, one of his hand full of losing seasons he has ever had.

Larry Brown started his coaching career in the now defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Carolina Cougars leading them to the playoffs in both seasons he was with them. Following the two seasons with the Cougars the Denver Nuggets picked him up where he lead them to the ABA finals in his second season and was with them in their first three seasons in the NBA after the NBA-ABA merger. Browns first three seasons in the NBA were all winning after which he sent two at UCLA, where he took the Bruins to the tournament in both seasons and reaching the Final Four in the first one. After the two years at UCLA Brown was on the move again and back to the pros where he took the reigns of the New Jersey Nets, in the first season he took them to the playoffs but six games left in the 1982-83 season he stepped down with the Nets standing at 47-29. After just two season in the NBA Larry Brown was back in the college game and coaching Kansas, this would end up being Brown’s longest tenure in the college game and his second longest stay in one place overall. In the five seasons at Kansas he took the Jayhawks to the NCAA tournament every season and not losing more than 11 games in a season. Kansas made to the Final 4 twice and winning the national championship the second time around with Danny Manning being named the player of the year. Of course after winning an NCAA title Coach Brown was on the move again back to the NBA, in his five seasons at Kansas and the two at UCLA he had won 74% of his games. Next Brown would coach the next 18 seasons in the NBA, during this string he would coach six teams. He would go one to miss the playoffs only three times, make it to the conference finals five times, making it to the NBA Finals three times and winning it once. In those 18 season Brown coached the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.

He is probably most known for trying to keep Allen Iverson and his ego in control for six seasons and making it to the NBA finals in 2001 to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2004 he finally won his NBA title with the Pistons by beating the Lakers 4 games to 1, to be fair the team was already pretty good they just couldn't get over the hump of making it to the finals. In 2005 the Pistons lost to the Spurs and Brown was lured away from Detroit by the big city lights of New York and the paycheck of the Knicks. Brown ended up spending one season with the Knicks, took three season off, which was the longest he had been away from the game since he started playing as a kid. Michael Jordan and the Bobcats brought in Brown and in his second season he took them to the playoffs but got off to a slow start this season and stepped down after 28 games.
From SMU’s standpoint hiring Brown looks like a stroke genius, they will be moving to the Big East conference with a coach with a name. On the flip side Brown has not coached the college game in twenty five years so it will be interesting how it will go.

That Boy Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey

“He scores with his left, he scores with his right, that boy Clint Dempsey make Drogba look shite”. Will the tribune at Craven Cottage be echoing with these lines next season? This season Clint Dempsey has set the Fulham record for most goals scored in an English Premier League season breaking Louis Saha’s and also set the single season and career mark for goals scored by an American in the Premiership. With Clint having such a phenomenal season by all accounts his value has skyrocketed which leads to an age old question that any mid level (even though I am a huge Fulham fan we all know that they are not at the same level as a Man U, Chelsea or Arsenal) team has in any sport, should they keep their best player or sell him and strengthen other parts of the squad.

Lets look at what we know, Dempsey has had his best season so far, his past couple seasons have been pretty good as well but this is the first one where his goal scoring has shown, we don't know if he will keep this up (yes he will) and he is not getting younger so there for right now Fulham can get the most cash for him. Also if Fulham wants to make a deep run at any of the trophies they will be playing for next season, they will need to bring in another forward, midfielder and a center defender. This of course costs money, which they can get by selling Dempsey. So if the price is right Fulham will let Clint Dempsey go.

Lets look at it from Dempsey’s point of view, he will not be moving to a team that is not at least playing in one of the two european tournaments. This leaves us with seven teams, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool. I want to rule out Manchester City because he would not be a big enough signing, he does not have that international wow factor. City right now is basically trying to do what Real Madrid did in the late 90s and early 2000s, bringing in superstars and filling the rest of the roster with players from their youth system. Manchester United can also be eliminated for the time being because they have some many attacking midfielders that Dempsey would not get any playing time. Of course Giggs and Scholes are up there in age and Anderson should be on his way out, that would leave Dempsey competing with Nani, Antonio Valencia, Park Ji-Sung and Ashley Young, not that they are all better then him but Sir Alex Ferguson will play the hot hand. If anyone struggles at Man-U they are rotated out of the lineup. Chelsea is similar to Man City in that they bother sign the big name stars. Chelsea’s midfield is not as strong as it has been in the past and he could probably start for them but I do not see Clint moving to the other side of the neighborhood in London to play for the rivals.

This leaves us with Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle. Supposedly Arséne Wenger has shown interest in Dempsey and I think Arsenal would be a good fit for him however he would be in a similar situation like in Man-U that he would have to rotate with a number of other players, however at large clubs such as Arsenal that would be competing for 4 trophies you need the depth to survive the long season. At Tottenham I think he would be a great fit with all the other attacking midfielders however playing at left wing is the 22 year old Gareth Bale, Bale could move back to left back but I don't see that happening with the type of season he has had. Newcastle is making a strong push at a Champions League spot and if they pull it off they will be looking for some scoring power at a reasonable price. he could easily be the best midfielder on a squad that would have a chance of making it past the group stage. If Newcastle does not make it to the Champions League a move up north to the Toon would be looked at as almost being a lateral move. The Liverpool situation has become very interesting since thursday when they let go of their director of football operations in a move to have a major overhaul at the club this off season. I would assume that there will be midfielders coming and going in the upcoming offseason at Anfield Road, if you look at the current standings Liverpool is only three points up on Fulham and have a guaranteed spot in the Europa League since they have already won the Carling up and are still alive for the F.A. Cup. It would look like a lateral move, however they have the history and are still considered one of the top clubs in Europe with an American ownership group that is willing to spend money.

So to sum up what we have learned is that boy Clint Dempsey has an opportunity to do something that no American player has yet to do and could become one of the top offseason transfer moves. Depending on who the last five rounds of the EPL turn out Clint Dempsey will be playing for either Liverpool or Newcastle next season if he does not leave Fulham.

Then again he could also end up in a different league.

Baseball Foreign Policy

Ozzie Guillen

What was Ozzie Guillen thinking....? He wasn't like most most of what Ozzie says, its impulsive and could be said that something was lost in translation. I feel that there are two parts to this Ozzie Guillen-Fidel Castro story, however I feel that one part has nothing to do with the other and what the repercussions that followed have to do with everything in the first place.
If I understand correctly what Ozzie Guillen the manager of the Miami Marlins was saying was that you have to give a guy dibs who has been in power for this long with all these people trying to take him out, which was misconstrued as him saying that he loved Castro which would make Guillen a communist in an area of the country where there is a large  Cuban presence and the Miami Marlins are trying to get their image up in the south Florida region.
First of all what is a  baseball manager being interviewed by Time magazine on any political or foreign policy topic? I was not aware that Guillen had a background or a degree any of those topics. I agree with all the Cuban immigrants getting upset and peeved with Ozzie Guillen.
The other part of this political snafu was that Major League Baseball has suspended Ozzie for five games. Like I said before that Ozzie should have shut his mouth and not said anything and I do not agree with what he said at all, however I do not see how what he said is worthy of suspension. Major League Baseball should be worried about how to handle steroid testing and Ryan Braun’s 50 game suspension that will not be happening this season because of a loophole in the system. I don't see who a comment about foreign policy deserves a five game suspension, do you get one game for mouthing off at your neighbor? Sometimes the people that run the MLB just blow my mind.

Fear the (Playoff) Beard

Henerik Zetterberg

Ok boys its time to use the razor for one last shave before you pack it away until after Lord Stanley’s Cup has been hoisted. Thats right its time to grow out your playoff beard, the more you look like Grizzly Adams the better your team is doing. This is also where you can separate the boys from the men, literally. Men can grow full beards and end up looking like axe murderers (Henrik Zetterberg) and other look like that 14 year old neighbor who is trying to grow out his first mustache and just looks like a straight up creeper (cough cough Sydney Crosby). Which leads me to my predictions for the the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, for hockey fans this is as close to heaven as one can get. So lets just get right to it.

Sydney Crosby

Eastern Conference

#1 New York Rangers vs. #8 Ottawa Senators

This matchup should be smooth sailing for the Rangers, the Senators had to fight their way in to snag that last playoff spot. As long as the Ranger do not look too far down the road past the Sens then they should be ok. Rangers in 5.

#2 Boston Bruins vs. #7 Washington Capitals
The Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and did not really lose anyone from last years squad. Ok so Timmy Thomas is not had a year like last season but he is still one of the top 2 goalies in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals in the last couple of years had arguabley the best young firepower on any one roster but this season they have fizzled and are entering the playoffs with an unproven keeper do to injuries. Bruins in 5.

#3 Florida Panthers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils
Even though the Panthers are the three seed they are not better then the Devils. If we were seeding teams according to total points and ignoring division winners then the Panther would be the 6th seed. This Devils team fits the mold of the past where they play hard nosed D and dont really win in a high scoring fashion. The Panthers have adequate goaltending expect that it was almost by committee which usually does not work in the playoffs. I am taking New Jersey in 6.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers
The Penguins were the hottest team in the league even before Crosby came back. Even after Crosby came back the Pens kept their top two line combinations together and have been on fire since. If the Penguins were playing any other team aside from the Flyers I would predict a straight sweep or at the very least a win in 5 games. However this series is between bitter interstate rivals and could end up going to 7 games. The Flyers started the season strong but have picked up some injuries as the season has progressed. Unfortunately this is a first round series that I think will end up being won by the Penguins in 6.

Western Conference

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
The Canucks are the defending Western Conference Champions, year in and year out they have scored goals, won games at a pace that has netted them the past two Presidents Trophies for having the best regular season record just haven't been able to go all the way. I don't really see them having any problem in disposing the Kings. This could be a sweep but I am going with the Canucks in 5.

#2 St.Louis Blues vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
The Blues have the top goaltending combination in the league. There is not a drop off from one to the next however you can not be switching goalies in the playoffs. Usually a team will start out with one and if they struggle then the make a move to the second one. In this case if they go with Halak first and then switch to Elliot it will be almost impossible to switch back to Halak. The Blues look good on the blue line but they do not have the offense to go all the way. They have some veterans that have lifted the Cup in Arnott and Langenbrunner. The Sharks on the flip side have some offense but the defensive depth is a bit lacking, the Sharks can pull off the upset if they can keep the series as short as possible. I am taking the Sharks in 5.

#3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks
The Coyotes have won their first division title since they left Canada, but they will be meeting up with better Blackhawks team that is peaking at the right time. The Hawks are a young team that is also experienced with winning the Cup a couple years back. I am predicting a sweep. Blackhawks in 4.

#4 Nashville Predators vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
All I can say about this series is that I wish this was a match up taking a place later in the playoffs. The Wings bring the same energy and veteran leadership year in and year out, but age is starting to catch up with them. The Predators would have had an easier time had they finished 6th or 7th. In the cage they have Pekke Rinne (one of the funnest names in sports) who has been lights out this year, I would give him the Vezina Trophy hands down. They have three solid defensemen in Weber, Gill and Suter but eventually the Wings will grind them down, look for the Predators to make a deep run next season. Red Wings in 7.


As of right now I am going with the Penguins to take the cup over the Blackhawks in 6

Protecting the Plate

Crash Davis

The baseball season isn't even a week old but for some reason I keep noticing the young catchers that are calling the games this season. Usually catchers are known for their experience and that give it your all attitude. Basically a better hitting version of Crash Davis from the movie Bull Durham. The reason I say better hitting is that Crash is in the minors and these catchers are not only in the majors but are starting and calling the games for some of the best pitchers to ever play the game.

Some of these guys are known for their hitting and will probably move to another position later on in their career, others are known for their maturity on and off the field other for their arm strength and general awareness behind the plate. There were players that were expected from the start to potentially become the next Johnny Bench like Matt Wieters was projected to be. Wieters slipped to the 5th overall pick to the Baltimore Orioles because the Pittsburgh Pirates did not want to pay the money that is agent would ask for. So far defensively he has proven to be the real deal with winning the American League Gold Glove last year however his bat is still slacking but I am sure that it will eventually come around.

Matt Wieters

With Jason Varitek retiring the Red Sox are looking towards Jarrod Saltalmachia to fill the shin pads and to make a name for himself and I don't mean by having the longest name in MLB history. “Salta” is on his third team in his short career, this is not because he lack talent. He just always happend to play for a team that had another good young catcher or a veteran and it was easy to trade him for talent for a playoff run. Expect Jarrod to take advantage of his first season as a full time starter.

The Toronto Blue Jays look to have J.P. Arencibia behind the plate. Last year was his first season as the number one guy behind the plate, he showed some power which he should build on this season as he hit a 3-run homerun on opening day. He did however lead the league with 12 passed balls last year.

Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Indians is like any other player from the Dominican Republic in that he was signed at the age of 15 or 16. Defensively he is adequate but with his bat he is like any other power hitter who is not patient at the plate. He hits his fair share of home runs but also gets his strikeouts.

Alex Avila had a huge breakout season last year with the Detroit Tigers, it was his first season as the starting catcher, he caught Justin Verlander’s no hitter, was an all star and won the American League Silver Slugger award. Expect him to be around for some years in Detroit.

Buster Posey

After having a very interesting and scary offseason Wilson Ramos expects to follow it up with an even better 2012 then a 2011. Ramos was kidnaped and held hostage in his native Venezuela during the offseason and will try to move past it. In 2011 he was chosen for for the all-rookie team after a great rookie year for the Washington Nationals.

To bookend this list of young catchers I have chosen Buster Posey. Posey just like Wieters was taken 5th overall when he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. He was rookie of the year and has already won a world series, but what I like about Buster besides his first name is his tough as nails attitude and the only way to knock him out of a game is with a broken ankle. Posey is a great defensive catcher and has the luxury of calling the games for arguably the best pitching staff in the league, he isnt known for his power but has a life time average a shade under .300.

Hungarian Hockey: Its a real Paprika

It is that time of year that all hockey fans wait for, when everyone grows out their playoff beard and hope that their team is the first one to win 16 games. I think that the hockey playoffs is the most grueling playoff system in North American team sport. The players put everything on the line for an enormous silver chalice that is better known as Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Stanley Cup playoffs are not only a big deal in the U.S. and Canada but also in other hockey nations such as Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic. For smaller nations the Olympics and the World Championships is almost on the same level since they only have a handful of players from their country in the League and they always have a chance of pulling off an upset and finishing on the podium at the two international events, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany fall in the group. There is a group of countries where the Division I World Championships carry the most weight. This is Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria, these countries have never had a player play in the NHL or can count on one hand the number. For these countries winning the Div I championship means that they will qualify to play with the big dogs in 2013.

The 2012 Division I championships will be held in Slovenia and joining the host country will be Hungary, Austria, Great Britain, Japan and Ukraine, with the top two teams moving up. This tournament will run from April 15th through the 21st with Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine having almost an equal chance of moving up, all four teams have played at the next level in recent years with Hungary playing in 2009. The interesting part about the Hungarian team is that they have only played at the top in 2009 after qualifying in 2008 in a thrilling fashion and just missing out last year in a hearbreaker. There has never been a Hungarian that has played in a game in the NHL. The closet they have ever been was Levente Szuper who was a goalie for the Calgary Flames sat on the bench for a couple of games since number one keeper Roman Turek was injured. There have been a total of four Hungarians drafted in the NHL, in 1990 the Minnesota North Stars picked Frank Kovács in the 4th round 71st overall. Kovács was actually born in Canada with Hungarian ancestors and would later gain Hungarian citizenship and play for the national team after playing a number of years in the minors. In 1999 the Edmonton Oilers picked Tamás Gröschl in the 9th round, supposedly the the Oiler scouts thought that Gröschl was Swedish since he was playing in Sweden at that time. When they found out he was Hungarian they decided to send him to the ECHL instead of the AHL. The following year Szuper was drafted in the 3rd round by the Flames. The latest but hopefully not the last was János Vas by the Dallas Stars in 2002, Vas like Szuper almost made it to the big show but could not get past the AHL.

Levente Szuper

There have been a number of Hungarian players who just like Szuper and Vas have played in some of the top leagues throughout Europe. If you take a look at the current squad you have Zoltán Hetényi a goalie who is in the Finnish SM League, defenseman and team captain Dr. Viktor Szélig who plays in France, and István Bartalis who is János Vas’ team mate in the Swedish Allsvenskan. Most of the players that play in Hungary play for Alba Volán which actually plays in the Austrian League, which has actually help Hungarian hockey develop in the past couple of year. I would just like to mention one of the youngest players in the squad János Hári, Hári played a season of junior hockey in the prestigious QMJHL in Canada and is now playing for MODO in Sweden under the watchful eyes of hockey legends Ulf Samuelsson, Peter Forsberg and Markus Naslund and has a chance of being taken in the upcoming NHL draft.

János Hári

It is interesting to see how Hungary has dealt with the turnover of talent that naturally happens on any team legends of the past such as Gábor Ócskay, Kristián Palkovics, Balázs Kangyal, Gergely Majoross, and Roger Holéczy have retired or moved on, but now there are young players coming up to join the veterans. Young guns such as Attila Orbán, Tamás Pozsgai, István Bartalis, János Hári and Bálint Magosi try to keep up with veterans such as András Horváth, Tamás Sille (who is 42!), Viktor Tokaji, Csaba Kovács, Balázs Ladányi, and Márton Vas.

I really believe that Hungary will qualify for the 2013 World Championships and will pull off a couple of upsets to stay in the top level for 2014, but before I get ahead of myself let us just enjoy this upcoming tournament and the first round of the NHL playoffs.