S. Korean hockey defenseman won't be happy just to be at world championships

By Yoo Jee-ho

ANYANG, South Korea, April 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will face an uphill battle at next month's men's hockey world championships in Denmark, where it will be the lowest-ranked nation among 16 participants.

But Lee Don-ku, a defenseman for the 19th-ranked team, is determined to take his best shot against the who's who of international hockey.

"I won't be happy just to be there at the worlds," Lee told Yonhap News Agency after the national team practice at Anyang Ice Arena in Anyang, some 20 kilometers south of Seoul. "I'll try to win. Maybe I'll make some mistakes, but I will also make some good plays. I think this experience will help me down the road."

Coached by former National Hockey League (NHL) defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea will play in Group B at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship scheduled for May 4-20 in Herning, Denmark. It is the highest tier among the IIHF's world championships, and South Korea will play at this level for the first time after earning a promotion with a runner-up finish at last year's Division I Group A tournament.

"This feels even more unreal than competing at the Olympics," said Lee, who represented host South Korea at the PyeongChang Winter Games in February. "I used to dream about playing at the Olympics but never at the top world championship. I want to prepare for it the best I can."

The top four teams from each of the two groups will reach the quarterfinals, while the last-place teams from the two groups will be relegated to Division I Group A in 2019. South Korea has drawn Canada (No. 1), Finland (No. 4), the United States (No. 5), Germany (No. 7), Norway (No. 9), Latvia (No. 13) and Denmark (No. 14).

Since the IIHF adopted the current promotion-relegation system for its world championships in 2012, no nation has survived the top-tier event after getting promoted from Division I Group A.

And some of the NHL's top stars whose teams missed the ongoing playoffs will suit up for their countries at the world championship. The level of competition will clearly be higher at the worlds than at PyeongChang 2018, for which the NHL refused to send its players and put the regular season on hold.

South Korea faced Canada at the Olympics but without that team's NHL big guns. It will be a much different Canada that South Korea will face at the worlds this time.

Leading the Canadian attack in Denmark will be Connor McDavid, the reigning Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's regular season MVP and the two-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the league's scoring champion.

Though he's looking forward to going up against the likes of McDavid, Lee also insisted that he won't worry about any particular player.

"No matter who we face, they will all be superior players, whether it's McDavid or others," he said. "I'll just think about facing teams, not necessarily individual players."

Lee just returned from a trip to California with his Anyang Halla club teammates after they won their third straight Asian league title. They attended an NHL playoff game between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, and Lee said he learned a great deal just by watching.

"Those guys hardly made mistakes," Lee said of NHL players. "They played a very concise and efficient style of hockey. I felt these players were clearly at a higher level than we are."

And in Lee's mind, no player epitomized that efficiency better than the Sharks' rearguard Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Canadian is one of the NHL's top shutdown defensemen, and he is best known for his ability to move the puck quickly and efficiently without committing mistakes in his own zone.

"He is not a flashy player, but he is an absolutely essential part of his team," said Lee, who is more of an offensive-minded defenseman for South Korea. "I do believe defensemen should play a simple, steady game. And watching Vlasic play, I thought a great deal about how to be more efficient in the defensive zone. I hope to play this game a long time, and I'd like to become a defenseman like Vlasic."

Lee said he enjoyed being away from the grind of hockey for a few days and hanging out with his teammates in the California sun. But now it's time to get back to work.

"I'll try to incorporate lessons I learned from the U.S. into my preparations for the world championship," he said. "We have our own system and style on this team. And we're not going to be a pushover."

South Korea will train at home this week and depart for Slovakia next Monday. The team will then face 10th-ranked Slovakia next Wednesday. Two days later, South Korea will take on world No. 7 Germany, the surprise silver medalist at PyeongChang 2018.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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