Italy's World Cup scores: A discovery and a total flop

Italy missed out on promotion to the top division, which is a bitter disappointment. But how did the individual players fare? We took a special look at the performances of Damian Clara, Thomas Larkin & Co. and assessed the defense in our first part of the series. It turned out that defender Jason Seed was the Azzurri's surprise man, while Terrance Amorosa was a flop from champion Ritten.

GOALKEEPER Andreas Bernard 6,5 Was preferred to Gianluca Vallini as number 2 behind Damian Clara. Was only used in the first tournament game against Romania and only had to go behind once. The veteran fulfilled his duty and perhaps he would have earned another start in the final game against South Korea. At almost 34 years old, it could have been the long-time goalie's last World Cup. He deserves a big thank you for what he has achieved.

Damian Clara 6,5 After the 19-year-old's equipment did not initially arrive in Bolzano, he only completed one training session with the national team. The lack of preparation came to light in the first game against Japan when Clara didn't make a solid impression. But he subsequently caught himself and proved why he was drafted in the NHL. Calmly, confidently and with a lot of anticipation, he repeatedly helped his shaky front men out of trouble. The future belongs to him.

Damian Clara, Azzurri goalie.

DEFENDER Terrance Amorosa 4 The weakest player in the host squad. A shadow of himself in all 5 games. At no point was he able to show the qualities that have made him the best defender in the AlpsHL over the last 2 seasons. Lost almost every duel, never used his beefy body, constantly made bad passes and seemed listless. The hair-raising plus-minus balance of -4 is exemplary of his demeanor.

Daniel Glira 5,5 Pelino only sent him on the ice for an average of 10 minutes per game, but was promoted from the 4th to the 3rd line over the course of the tournament. Acted sloppily in the build-up game and was overwhelmed by the speed of the opponents. After all, he played simple ice hockey, tried to avoid mistakes and show his presence in front of his own goal. Experience is the 30-year-old's greatest quality and the reason he is preferred over younger defenders.

Marco Insam 5,5 Experienced his second spring as a defender for the Rittner Buam and earned his ticket to the World Cup. Like his teammate Amorosa, he also failed to adapt to the higher level. He made up for his lack of speed with his experience, played some good passes, but Insam was often a step too slow. Was used the least by all players. Was the home World Cup his last dance on the international stage?

Thomas Larkin 7 Undoubtedly the “Azzurri’s” best defensive man. Not only responsible for physical play, but also for game-opening passes, winning duels - and last but not least, goals. Saved Italy in overtime against Japan, was always on the ice both when outnumbered and outnumbered and shone with a plus-minus statistic of +7. His leadership qualities as a captain are also extremely important. A seasoned DEL player.

Thomas Larkin, leader of the Blue Team.

Phil Pietroniro 5,5 Offensively yuck, defensively yuck. His shot is feared and was used again and again in the power play. However, the hard rubber often got stuck on the opponent or flew past the goal. The 1-1 draw against Hungary was the only highlight of his tournament, which was otherwise characterized by dropouts, lost targets and a plus-minus balance of -3. Despite his sedate performances, he got almost 20 minutes of ice time per game. There has to be more to come from a man of his class.

Jason Seed 6,5 The big discovery of the World Cup: Originally rated significantly weaker than his Cortina teammate Greg DiTomaso, he rose to the task in his first major tournament. Has quick legs, a good overview, never loses his calm even on the offensive blue line and played flawlessly defensively. Amorosa quickly overtook the rank and his performance offered him a place in the ICE Hockey League.

Peter Spornberger 6,5 Inexplicably received little trust from Pelino. Was on the ice for an average of only 12 minutes per game and was never used on the power play. He could have been more courageous going forward, but he did his defensive part rock-solid, as the plus-minus statistic of +6 proves. Displaced a lot of water in front of his own goal and earned a lot of respect. The 25-year-old didn't notice the lack of match practice from the DEL.

Alex Trivellato 6,5 The tireless one in Italy's team: played around 22 minutes per game, was both outnumbered and outnumbered and was indispensable as a puck handler and tackler. Sometimes tried too much, but overall the Leiferer World Cup remains a very positive one with 4 scorer points. Like Larkin, essential as a leader who addresses the grievances. Stood out from the crowd with his ice skating qualities across all tournaments.

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Italy's World Cup scores: A discovery and a total flop

The home World Cup in Bolzano has been history for a few days. So it's high time to take a closer look at the individual players. We have assessed Italy's World Cup squad, starting with the goalies and defenders.

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