Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: 5 promising young players to watch out for

#3 Thijs van Dam - Netherlands

Thijs van Dam's penchant for getting into attacking positions should keep defenders on their toes

From Marc Delissen to Teun de Nooijer, Netherlands have given plenty of alluring stars to hockey. Their squad for the 2018 World Cup contains numerous world-class players capable of raising their game to meet the demands of the tournament.

Netherlands' bid to add to their collection of three World Cup titles will be resting on the shoulders of Seve van Ass, Jeroen Hertzberger and Sander Baart. However, one must not overlook the presence of young prospects like Thijs van Dam and Jonas de Geus.

Thus far, Thijs van Dam has played 33 matches and scored five goals for his country. He was part of the Netherlands team which finished third in the 2018 Champions Trophy. The promising forward scored in the game against Pakistan at Breda. His impressive match awareness is evident from the ease with which he gets into goal-scoring positions.

It was during the 2017 Hockey World League Final at Bhubaneswar where Thijs van Dam arrived into the limelight. The 21-year old will return to the Kalinga Stadium for what could be a watershed moment in his blossoming career.