[GER] Whats next for the DEB?

They missed out on the QF for the first time in 3 years. What should be done to rectify the situation?

Also, how will the Olympic Qualification Tournament look with Russia and an improved Austrian team?

In my opinion, its time to give guys like Sulzer, Petermann, Schauer and Walther a shot playing defense for the senior team. How much worse could they be than Smazal, Molling and Kunce?

Also, like they did with Ullman, the DEB should try and get some younger forwards involved. Perhaps a guy like Barta or Furchner (maybe in a year or two Kink and Hospelt). This seems to have worked with Goc, Ehrhoff and Seidenberg.

Finally, what changes should be made with their gameplan. Should the Germans try and use a more 'balanced' system rather than a strict defensive scheme (scoring more goals seems to be the biggest need).

Comments??

They don't need to play in a Olympic Qualification Tournament as long as Switzerland loses to Slovakia today. The Top 8 nations in the World Rankings qualify and Germany is No.8 right now.

They played a bad torunament, but the other nations (not including the Top 7) weren't really better, so Zach won't change a thing.

Not having the best young player available really hurts Germany. We don't have enough top-talents, so we can't compensate losing Goc, Seidenberg and Ehrhoff to North America.

On Offense nearly every good German forward played, although Zach didn't use them well (Hecht not playing shorthanded, Greilinger not getting much IT, etc.). Kink, Hospelt (or even Gawlik) are not good enough right now, so it will remain that way fot at least some more years.

The defense on the other side, needs changes. Heck, even I couldn't have been more ineffective...
There are many young defensemen available (Goc, Kopitz, Petermann, Walter, Köppchen, Sulzer and of course our three NA guys) so that shouldn't be a problem.

I think the knockback did not come at a bad time. Personally I see changes on 2 fronts having to been made.

1. As rbeeler mentioned rebuild the team. In defense we have a few options for the future. Sulzer, Petermann, Schauer Walther Kopitz are good options for the future and should replace players like Kunce, Molling...
We do need to make changes in the forward positions. There are just too many forwards with not enough skill playing for us and others not used properly. Players like Abstreiter Kathan Blank Reichel Boos ... are just not good enough to play important roles in a World Cup, so we barely have any players to replace them. I think with our squad it is difficult to tactically play much different unless we have all our overseas players on board.

2.
We need to push our youth development and increase the number of Germans playing in the DEL. Many of our talents do not get the playingtime they need. I would not go as far as Zach, but I think longterm 8 foreign licences per team should be enough. I addition we the DEB and DEL needs to support the teams which are doing good youth development. Many clubs with good youth programs (Landshut Rosenheim Riessersee Kaufbaeuren Schwenningen) are having financial problems and are not playing DEL. I think the DEL has to force their teams to improve their youthdevelopment which, there are just too many teams in the DEL with terrible youth programs.
Everywhere they are building new arenas, but still the trainingfacilities in Germany are in many places a joke.

There is a lot of room for improvement it is so a question of money and peristance of influential people.

I'm really curious to see what Björn Bombis will do in Nürnberg.

I watched him a lot this season and he really did improve a lot after the coach put him on the top lines.

He has speed and is smart, let's hope he will improve even more in Nürnberg in a more professional environment than it has been in Hannover last season!

Germany has a strong, disciplined defensive game and good players on the blue line. They have very good goaltending with Muller ready if Kolzig can't/won't play in the Fall/next year.

What Germany lacks are "snipers" and "power forwards". They have good fundamentals and decent speed, but they don't have a real scoring threat or physically intimidating players who do very well in traffic in front of the net.

Since both of those types depend more on natural talent and genetics rather than developed skills, I think it's just "wait and see". I hope that Germany takes a chance next time around and replaces one or two of the average forwards on the team with high risk/high reward type guys.