"Value that Harmanpreet Singh brings to a team is insanely high" - Jip Janssen ahead of Hockey India League debut for Tamil Nadu Dragons [Exclusive]
Although Jip Janssen is all set to partner fellow drag-flicker Blake Govers in the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL), the Dutchman doesn't hesitate to single out Harmanpreet Singh as the best in the business.
Two of the world's best drag-flickers from the Netherlands and Australia will power the fortunes of the Tamil Nadu Dragons when the much-awaited Hockey India League gets underway in late December.
During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda ahead of the HIL, Janssen looked back at a gold-medal-winning performance in Paris while also revealing that he has been a big fan of Indian hockey and Mink van der Weeden.
Most teams in world hockey would be mighty pleased to have a drag-flicker of the calibre of either Jip Janssen or Blake Govers in their ranks. Tamil Nadu Dragons have, however, opted to utilize the services of both the penalty corner stalwarts, leaving no room for doubt as to where they expect the goals to flow from.
Janssen was quick to point out that he is eager to learn from the Aussie drag-flicker, who has been a key member of the Kookaburras' side for a decade now, at the Hockey India League.
"I'm really looking forward to working with Blake (Govers) in the Hockey India League and to learn from him and to collaborate with him on the top of the D. So, I'm not going to say if Blake or me is going to push more corners. We're going to do it together," Janssen stated.
"And hopefully that results in high percentages. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to working with him and to be successful in that sense together," he added.
Drag flickers in the world of hockey are a much sought-after lot and comparisons are inevitable. Jip Janssen, the highest scorer in the 2023-24 edition of the FIH Pro League, had no hesitation in placing Harmanpreet Singh at the helm when asked to rank the top four drag-flickers in the game.
While stating that there wasn't much to choose between Blake Govers, Alexander Hendrickx, and himself, Harmanpreet's "insanely high value" to the team he plays for sets him apart, according to Janssen.
"Sometimes one has a good tournament and sometimes the other. So I'm not going to differentiate between Alexander Hendricks, Blake and myself because, yeah, that's just hard. But I would say on top is Harmanpreet, the amount of goals he scores and the value that he brings to a team is insanely high," the 27-year-old declared.
Janssen turned the clock back on Hendrickx's exploits in the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup (joint-highest scorer with Blake Govers) and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the Belgian finished on top of the heap with a tally of 14 goals.
"So I would put Harmanpreet first. But, Hendricks has shown that he's an amazing drag-flicker as well, especially in Tokyo and the 2018 World Cup, in which he both became top scorer," said Janssen who seemed to recall the statistics at will.
After scoring a whopping 15 goals during the Pro League season, the defender from Naarden ended up with an overall tally of five goals at the Paris Olympics.
Janssen explained that all the teams were better prepared for the Olympics than they were during the Pro League as a result of which scoring off penalty corners was a tough ask at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.
"Well, I think, the teams in the Olympics want to win even more than in the Pro League with all respect. So everything is better in the Olympics. Preparations, the willingness to prevent drag flickers from scoring. So, I think everyone was well-prepared and that makes it harder to score," he reasoned.
Not finding the back of the net too many times did little to dampen Jip Janssen's spirit as the Netherlands were crowned as field hockey champions at the Olympics after a gap of 24 years.
"Yeah, I think it feels amazing. You put in all the hours and all the effort to win a gold medal," Janssen recalled with an unmistakable sense of pride.
En route to their third Olympic men's hockey gold medal, the Netherlands knocked old rivals Australia out of the tournament with a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals.
The Dutch also beat the Aussies 3-1 in the bronze-medal match of last year's FIH World Cup after having gone down to Colin Batch's team in a shootout in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics.
Janssen did, however, exercise caution while reflecting on the relative strengths of the two sides stressing that all the top seven teams in world hockey could beat the other on their day.
"Well, I think it's hard to define 'better'. So both teams are in the top four or five of the world. And in the top seven of the world, every team can beat each other. So I'm not stating that we are now better than Australia, because tomorrow we can play each other and we can lose. So I think that's not fair to say," Janssen concluded.
"Looking forward to playing the Hockey India League myself" - Jip Janssen recalls Dutch greats traveling to India in 2017
Jip Janssen was an upcoming junior during the 2017 season of the Hockey India League when Dutch greats like Robbert Kemperman and Sander de Wijn made their way to India.
Janssen, who had just joined the Kampong club in the Netherlands, soon became a big fan of Indian hockey but could not be a part of the Hockey India League which was not played for seven years following the fifth season in 2017.
"I'm really looking forward to the Hockey India League. When I just joined Kampong, it was the last time that the Hockey India League was there. The big names of those times, like Robbert Kemperman and Sander De Wijn went to India when I was just a junior," Janssen revealed.
"So I followed that with a lot of passion. And since then, I'm a big fan of Indian hockey. So I'm really looking forward to playing the HIL myself. And yeah, it's just an amazing competition," he asserted.
Janssen has no complaints with the tournament dates as well which allow the players to take part in the Pro League while also showcasing their skills at the Hockey India League.
"I'm totally happy with the dates and the window for the Hockey India League. So this allows us to keep on playing Pro League as well. So they made room for that," Jip Janssen observed.
"I think that's a very good move by the FIH and the organizers of the Hockey India League that they managed to find a frame in which this was possible. So yeah, really happy that they got this together," he added.
Dutch hockey has produced some of the world's best drag flickers and Mink van der Weeden carried the tradition forward during the previous decade.
Although Gonzalo Peillat stole the thunder for Argentina with 11 goals en route to a gold medal at Rio 2016, Mink van der Weeden was a close second having slotted in nine goals. At London 2012, van der Weeden scored eight times including in the final against Germany to finish as the top scorer of the competition.
Janssen considers it an honor to have played alongside the renowned penalty corner specialist in the Dutch national team.
"I started just watching hockey and following the hame when Mink van der Weerden was at the top of his game. So, Mink van der Weerden has always been a big example for me. To have played with him for, I think, three, four years in the Dutch national team is like a big honor and was really cool to work side by side with him and to learn from him," he said.
Janssen, who also works for Deloitte, had a word of thanks for his employers for the flexibility they offer which allows him to pursue his passion for the game of hockey.
"Deloitte is a very good employer because they allow me to sometimes work 20 hours, sometimes 30 and sometimes just 16. So they are very flexible in that. So, I'm very grateful for such an opportunity," Janssen disclosed.
The Hockey India League kicks off on December 28 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.