The expert believes these are Norway’s most exciting talents
It will be played for WC gold on home ground in the Varner Arena and a possible promotion to the best club.
The Norwegian U20 World Cup squad consists of a large proportion of players who play in Sweden on a daily basis.
Among the six talents TV 2 ice hockey expert Bjørn Erevik has selected as the most exciting to follow during the championship, four of them have residential addresses in our neighboring country.
ASSESSES THE TALENTS: TV 2’s ice hockey expert Bjørn Erevik has assessed who he thinks are the biggest talents Norway has who will play the U20 World Cup on home soil. Photo: Tommy Storhaug / TV 2
The first talent Erevik highlights is the one who will in all probability be Norway’s first goalkeeper in the championship.
Markus Stensrud:
– He made his debut in the Fjordkraft league for Storhamar in the 2021/22 season. There he challenges the more experienced Viktor Kokman as the club’s first choice this season. He was in goal for Norway during the U20 WC already last year, as a 17-year-old. Stensrud has made a name for himself as a very strong goalkeeper in the good Norwegian 2004 yearling, mostly all the way in age-specific classes.
IMPRESSES: Markus Stensrud has impressed many in recent seasons, including TV 2’s ice hockey expert. Photo: Lise Åserud
– He is small for a goalkeeper, but he is quick to react and reads the game well. It is a future A national team goalkeeper, and one who will probably end up abroad before long, if the development continues, says the expert about the half-Colombian goalkeeper.
NEW CLUB: Gabriel Koch during a training session with Malmö Redhawks this summer. Photo: Christian Örnberg / BILDBYRÅN
Gabriel Koch:
– He really broke through for Vålerenga in the Fjordkraft league last season. Then he chose to make the trip to Malmö this season. That transition has been a bit difficult for him, who has struggled with injuries. He was followed by NHL scouts but was not drafted. But there is little doubt that he is a future big player for Norway. He is a good two-way back, who is willing to train and very serious, he says of the 18-year-old who grew up in Oslo, only a few tens of meters from Jordal Amfi.
The next talent Erevik believes is among the most exciting in the Norwegian World Cup squad is one of those who get to experience playing championships on home soil. He plays daily in Varner Arena for Frisk Asker. The 18-year-old is probably the least profiled player on the list, but the talent is great.
Emil Kvernmo Wasenden:
– The retrained back, who previously played forward, has had a very good development recently. He may have gone a little under the radar of many, but Wasenden is a defender who is very good with the puck and who has a good understanding of the game. He has played his way onto the blue line in Frisk Asker’s overmatch game and will probably also have an important role in Norway’s overmatch game during the World Cup, he says.
The next two talents Erevik thinks are particularly exciting for his teammates in Sweden. First up is the older of the two.
Petter Vesterheim:
– The former Lørenskog player made the trip to Mora and Swedish hockey in the autumn, before the last year of high school. He certainly hasn’t regretted it. He has delivered so well at U20 level and he has been given the opportunity on Mora’s Allsvenskan team. He made such a mark there that he recently signed a two-year contract with the club, he says.
NICE DEVELOPMENT: Petter Vesterheim is one of many Norwegian talents in Sweden. Photo: Christofer Cederberg / BILDBYRÅN
– Vesterheim is a strong skater, works hard all over the court and produces offensively. He is not particularly large in stature, although he has shrunk a bit recently. But he “plays bigger than he is.” He made his A national team debut in Trondheim a few weeks ago. He was born late in the year and is therefore only relevant for the NHL draft in the spring, says Erevik.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård:
Brandsegg-Nygård has caught the interest of several NHL clubs, and Edmonton Oilers scout Joakim Holm recently told TV 2 that he is keeping a close eye on the 17-year-old.
– Like Vesterheim, he went to Mora this autumn. Many may be surprised by how well he has delivered after the transfer from Vålerenga. Nygård-Brandsegg delivers points on a regular basis in the U20 league. He has also made his Allsvenskan debut. There, too, he noticed immediately. There is great interest in former VIF players. Since he was born in the year, he cannot be drafted before the spring of 2024.
221012 Mora’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygård celebrates after 4-1 during the ice hockey match in the Hockeyallsvenskan between Södertälje and Mora on 12 October 2022 in Södertälje. Photo: Simon Hastegård / BILDBYRÅN / code SH / SH0350 Photo: Simon Hastegård / BILDBYRÅN
– If he continues the development he has had recently, I am sure he will go in that draft, adds Erevik.
Sisteman on the expert’s list is a hammering who is only 18 years old, but a talent that Norwegian hockey connoisseurs have been following for almost a decade.
Martin Johnson:
– Johnsen, who plays in Fãrjestad on a daily basis, made his debut at senior level in the club’s SHL team already in the 2021-22 season. He has been struggling a bit with illness, which has set him back a little. But now Johnsen seems to have found his way back to great form, and has been good for the club’s U20 team. Johnsen, son of Storhamar legend Pål Johnsen, has delivered at all levels, says Erevik.
TECHNICIAN: Martin Johnsen’s artist on was noticed early on. Photo: Tobias Sterner / BILDBYRÅN
– He is a very smart hockey player and a very competitive young gentleman. Johnsen may not have been so enthusiastic about the physical part of the game before, but now he also handles this part of ice hockey. He has become far tougher in the game, also mentally. He was not drafted, but I have no doubt that Johnsen has a brilliant future as a hockey player, says the expert.
You can watch these six players and the rest of the Norwegian talents on TV 2’s channels. On Sunday 11 December at 16.30 the puck will be dropped in Norway’s opening match against Slovenia. You can watch the match from Varner Arena on TV 2 Play and TV 2 Sport 2.