HCD fights its way to the top of the National League

analyze

After a sluggish start to the season, HC Davos have now moved up to third in the National League standings. This is the reason behind Graubünden’s economic recovery.

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Already there were minor disturbances in Landwassertal in the last week of September. HC Davos has just one win in its first four games this season. On September 24, an early minor crisis ended with a 7-0 away defeat to the SCL Tigers. Graubünden finished last.

HCD coach Josh Holden also recognized the critical nature of the situation. After Langnau went bankrupt, he said: “I have to look at our situation carefully and draw the right conclusions from it. Then you have to push this or that button.” Only Holden and his players know what they actually are. button, but it seems to work. Since the defeat at Langnau, Davos has won nine of 12 games and moved up to third in the National League.

So how exactly has Davos progressed since then? Let's take a closer look.

goalkeeper

Sandro Aeschlimann is one of the best goalkeepers in the National League. Along with Luka Horenstein, Davos may have one of the best tandems in the league. However, they failed to live up to their potential until the disastrous defeat at Langnau.

Since then, however, the goalkeeping duo appears to have undergone a shakeup. With the exception of one game against the ZSC Lions, both goalkeepers have conceded fewer goals than they would have expected based on the chances they had. It's clear: if HCD wants to play up front, it needs a strong goalkeeper. The people of Graubünden can always count on them.

Defense and game control

If you allow a lot of scoring opportunities to the opponent, will this be a negative peak or a low point (see graph)? In any case, this high or low point did not come during the disastrous defeat in Langnau, but four days later against EV Zug. There, Davos conceded 3.47 goals in 5-on-5 chances, but ultimately won 6-2 thanks to strong goalkeeping.

Since then, HCD's defense has recovered somewhat. Particularly in the ensuing game, Holden's backline conceded almost no space – a quality that has distinguished them in recent years. Davos managed to let their opponents finish the game relatively harmlessly. After Friborg and Zug, Graubünden averaged the fewest shots per game.

By the way, the most defensive defender turned out to be Julius Honka. Davos was still accused of being a “circus performer” in Bern, but Davos didn't allow any defender less than the Finn to be on the ice. That's a good sign, especially since Honka also got a lot of ice time at HCD.

Julius Honka impressed in Davos.Image: trapezoid

All of this means that Davos almost always has more play than its opponents. After the training match, HCD only had one fewer chance than its opponents in 11 games. This is certainly a good basis for winning games.

This is what it looks like on the ice:

This season, HC Davos has used very intense and effective punches when necessary. What this means: If an opposing player tries to position himself in front of the goal, the defender will constantly get away from him, but usually with fair means.

Image: gif: mysports

This helps in two ways. For one thing, the goalie almost always has a clear view of the shooter. A goalkeeper like Sandro Eschlimann can almost always make a save with composure and strong reflexes. He can also hold his own with direct counterattacks in one-on-one duels. On the other hand, HCD goalies also know that their defenders usually control the gaps. Even when Eschlimann and Horenstein didn't see much and allowed a bounce, the Davos team was often there to clear it out.

Sturm

There have been some changes at Landwassertal this season – mainly foreign players. Leon Bristedt, Aleksi Mustonen, Tomas Jurco and Denis Rassmussen leave, while Filip Zadina, Simon Ryfors and Adam Tambellini take on new foreign affairs positions.

It looks like this new outfit will take some getting used to. But since the slow start to the season, there has been an upward trend. The HCD forwards (along with defender Honka, who also excels on offense) are now regularly creating over three 5-on-5 goals per game. In addition to the top scorer Tambellini, the extremely powerful Zadina and the ever-powerful attacker Stranssky, Tino Kessler, who has recently returned from injury, is also causing trouble for his opponents.

As in Del Cotto's best era, Davos is extremely dangerous on the so-called rush attack (completed within 5 seconds of entering the offensive zone). Graubünden can also limit their opponents. They just aren't particularly effective in preflight situations.

This is what it looks like on the ice:

Davos' “secret recipe” is actually very simple, but more efficient: the vast majority of their goals are achieved by placing one or even two players in front of the goal. They can obscure the opposing goalie's view, deflect the disc, or exploit rebounds. As a result, they can do things that their opponents in front of Sandro Eschlimann and Luca Horenstein often can't.

Image: gif: mysports/national league

Worth noting: HCD doesn't just keep players directly in front of the goal when they stand longer. Even in a rushing attack, the second player (if anyone is running with him) is always looking for a direct route to the goal. In doing so, Davos sometimes even sacrifices possible passing options, but here it is also possible to interfere with the goalkeeper or use rebounds.

dangers and potential

But not everything is rosy with HCD. Foreign players performed well, but there are still too few Swiss players. Valentin Nussbaumer is nowhere near where he was last year. Even after returning from injury, Enzo Colvi is still not at his best as a playmaker. Andres Ambre and Mark Wiesel are the only two of the Davos forwards who have created more chances for their opponents than themselves when out on the pitch.

Not yet formed: Andres Ambühl.Image: trapezoid

Graubunden State's power play is also one of the least dangerous in the league. The efficiency is acceptable (19.05%, slightly lower than the league average). But with one more player, HCD was rarely able to create a goal threat. Only ZSC Lions and EHC Biel created fewer chances in most games.

HCD currently seems to be able to make up for it all. The foreigners' style of play was as good as the 5-on-5 games and penalty shootouts. If Tambellini, Zadina or Honka find themselves in a bear market, one would legitimately wonder whether HCD's somewhat dated Swiss backs will be able to make up for it. But Davos and Josh Holden will ride the current wave of success as best they can. The next test will be tonight (7:45pm) at SCRJ Lakers.