WJC: 2016 — Canada Roster Talk (Part IV)

[PecnoTrunk]

Happy new year to all!!!!

Last year the tournament was held in montreal/toronto and there was a coach from the Q. This year it was in finland and the coach was from the west. Next year the tournament is held in toronto/montreal so my guess the coach will be from ontario.

I hope the coach they pick is a good one


Lowry== spott== pure garbage and their name will be soiled forever

Too bad

 

[Passionis]

People are always looking for an underlying crisis every time Team Canada comes up lame on the bigger European ice...but this team looks mentally and physically tired to me....I still think Major Junior players play way too many games with long bus travel in between, particularly in Western Canada....then a long flight to Europe on top of that.....Finns, Swedes and Russians just look fresher to me....these Canadian players start in the summer with WJC selection camps and have played close to 40 regular season games by the time to go to another final cut-down camp just before Xmas..too many games; too many practices and too much travel for kids 18-19 imo...no real solutions though, just the way it is.

Not sure it's a good excuse, Russians start late June early July, a lot play in khl - mens pro schedule and lots of travel.

I think if anything, the larger ice exposes their relative weakness in the amount of skating, , possession and patience that this particular team is not adjusting to for some reason. I would blame coaching. Also their compete level snd character seems scattered.. again coaches job to create a TEAM

 

[SingleAallStar]

Im calling it now. Canada still has waves to make in this tournament. I thought Canada was better or equal to the States. And I think both teams are better than Sweden.

Not super worried about Russia or Finland.


You don't think these boys are filled with fire right now? They know what people are thinking about them. Im predicting big win over Finland and then anything can happen after that. Hopefully my boy Marner plays at his absolute best.

 

[Passionis]

Im calling it now. Canada still has waves to make in this tournament. I thought Canada was better or equal to the States. And I think both teams are better than Sweden.

Not super worried about Russia or Finland.


You don't think these boys are filled with fire right now? They know what people are thinking about them. Im predicting big win over Finland and then anything can happen after that. Hopefully my boy Marner plays at his absolute best.

I think you greatly underestimating finland and russia. Finland with some remarkable talent this year, and Bragin's (3/3 finalists with him) Russia that had the comeback of the tournament..

 

[VanJack]

Finally caught up with those Canada-Sweden highlights....besides the obvious penalties the goaltending was sieve-like....seems to me the Canadian goalies really struggle on the bigger ice.....angles change and they can't seem to grasp the need to play deeper in the net....think Team Canada has the weakest goaltending in the tournament.

 

[Dreakmur]

I'm not going to read through 35 pages, but I'll chip in with some comments that likely echo some of what's been said already.

1. This team was designed for a plumbers convention, but went to a MENSA convention. There's little in the way of IQ, little in the way of legitimate offensive talent, and zero snipers. I lost count of the number of odd man rushes that resulted in no shots on net.

2. The defense doesn't move the puck well at all. Slow minded, poor passing, etc. Fleur in particular handles the puck like a grenade.

3. 5 man units that looks lost out there. When they're not running into their own team mates, they're looking for someone to take charge. There's no General.

4. Bad special teams. The lack of cohesion at even strength spills over to the PP. Poor passes, telegraphed shots and passes, slow puck movement. The PK was roasted today, and it won't improve against a Finnish team that went 8-16 in the round robin.

5. Someone mentioned that the team looked its best when physical today. I would agree that they gained some momentum after Konecny's big hit in the first. His line is the only one consistently throwing its weight around. That's really hard to do for 60 minutes, and when only one line is doing it ... if you want to play bang and crash for wins you have to have the whole group playing that way, and it's all that much harder to do on the big ice.

Seriously, this group is one of the most underwhelming I've seen. I don't think any of the players have an answer, and I don't think Lowry does either. It's going to take finding lightning in a bottle for them to even beat Finland. Given their performance in the pre-tournament games and the round robin, I'm not hopeful.

The biggest problem with the team that I have seen is a lack of puck support. It's hard work, so players don't always like to do it, but that's where the coaching comes in.

 

[PecnoTrunk]

The biggest problem with the team that I have seen is a lack of puck support. It's hard work, so players don't always like to do it, but that's where the coaching comes in.

Picking a wjc team from a sample of two CIS games is a problem

The subway series is also weak competition

Basically this means they already have the team in mind

I think they should go back to naming 40 players to camp and have them compete against each other plus the summer evaluation

Hockey canada needs to see which of the players can play against stiff competition

A jr team only has 1 maybe 2 lines that are tough but at these wjc all the lines are tough

 

[stewpac]

Canada has to get better on the pk if they hope to continue past the Finns. I'd like to see Marner get some time on the pk, I know he doesn't seem like the type of player who typically kills penalties but he does it in London and does a fantastic. Him and dvorak are the top pk unit and they do a great job killing time of the clock and keeping the puck away from the other team.

 

[JackSlater]

Picking a wjc team from a sample of two CIS games is a problem

The subway series is also weak competition

Basically this means they already have the team in mind

I think they should go back to naming 40 players to camp and have them compete against each other plus the summer evaluation

Hockey canada needs to see which of the players can play against stiff competition

A jr team only has 1 maybe 2 lines that are tough but at these wjc all the lines are tough

I agree about going back to the bigger camp, but that's mainly based on history (Canada won more often with the bigger camp) than anything else. There aren't any huge omissions this year. You can make a case that all of the players picked deserved to be based on the camp. They just aren't playing well.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I usually save my next year roster projections until after the tournament is over...but let's face it, the tournament for Team Canada is over.

Out of all the players (9) eligible to return, the one I’d rather not see come back is Dylan Strome. I hope he stays in Arizona, is playing well and not in contention at all to return…and I’m not looking forward to the year when the 3rd Strome brother will be up and eligible to play.

Mitchell Stephens? in contention for 13 forward, but I'll be looking for any excuse or better player to cut him.

For the other 7 they get a do-over.

Marner: Although disappointed in how he's played, he's a high end skill guy, most likely will start the year with the Leafs, but I can't imagine he'll be that much of an impact player in the NHL his rookie year that TML won't make him available come tournament time, with the tournament in Toronto/Montreal.
Konecny: I desperately want back and would put the C on his jersey today if I could. He'll be in Philly and I hope beyond hope the Flyers make him available, otherwise we are screwed.

Crouse: Will be Florida, an NHL frame and time for him to get on with his pro career. I doubt he's available for a 3rd tournament.


That leaves us with a roster something like this: 13th. forward is up for grabs.

A BEAUVILLIER M BARZAL T KONECNY
P-L DUBOIS M MCLEOD M MARNER
T JOST N PATRICK J GAUTHIER
T BENSON N ROY N MERKLEY

W BITTEN/M STEPHENS

J CHYCHRUN J ROY
T CHABOT N JUULSEN
J BEAN N MELOCHE
D FABBRO

C HART
Z SAWCHENKO

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Happy new year to all!!!!

Last year the tournament was held in montreal/toronto and there was a coach from the Q. This year it was in finland and the coach was from the west. Next year the tournament is held in toronto/montreal so my guess the coach will be from ontario.

I hope the coach they pick is a good one


Lowry== spott== pure garbage and their name will be soiled forever

Too bad

The Maple Leafs f- ed over the world jrs. Smith and Keefe would have been the best choices.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The Maple Leafs f- ed over the world jrs. Smith and Keefe would have been the best choices.

Hoping Ducharme gets the spot next year. He is a very good coach.

 

[gwh]

Is Marner getting suspended or is he playing against Finland? Does IIHF even have post game suspensions?

The hit:
http://imgur.com/ZCwIPZt

 

[86Habs]

I usually save my next year roster projections until after the tournament is over...but let's face it, the tournament for Team Canada is over.

Out of all the players (9) eligible to return, the one I’d rather not see come back is Dylan Strome. I hope he stays in Arizona, is playing well and not in contention at all to return…and I’m not looking forward to the year when the 3rd Strome brother will be up and eligible to play.

Mitchell Stephens? in contention for 13 forward, but I'll be looking for any excuse or better player to cut him.

For the other 7 they get a do-over.

Marner: Although disappointed in how he's played, he's a high end skill guy, most likely will start the year with the Leafs, but I can't imagine he'll be that much of an impact player in the NHL his rookie year that TML won't make him available come tournament time, with the tournament in Toronto/Montreal.
Konecny: I desperately want back and would put the C on his jersey today if I could. He'll be in Philly and I hope beyond hope the Flyers make him available, otherwise we are screwed.

Crouse: Will be Florida, an NHL frame and time for him to get on with his pro career. I doubt he's available for a 3rd tournament.


That leaves us with a roster something like this: 13th. forward is up for grabs.

A BEAUVILLIER M BARZAL T KONECNY
P-L DUBOIS M MCLEOD M MARNER
T JOST N PATRICK J GAUTHIER
T BENSON N ROY N MERKLEY

W BITTEN/M STEPHENS

J CHYCHRUN J ROY
T CHABOT N JUULSEN
J BEAN N MELOCHE
D FABBRO

C HART
Z SAWCHENKO

I haven't been impressed with Strome either. He has some nice tools and may turn out to be a good NHLer, but in this tournament all of his deficiencies are coming to the forefront and I find it telling that he had his worst game against the stiffest competition in the Swedes. He's been unable to utilize his linemates (not totally his fault in all fairness) and was unable to get his wrister off against better defenders who could quickly close the gap or block his shots. He looked really slow yesterday which is a problem that some of us on here have been wary of for a long time. It will be interesting to see how he responds against Finland...but he seems very confident based on his post-game interviews (LOL).

I may sound like a bit of a homer but I've been beating the Konecny drum for a while now. I see him play live ~20x per season here in Ottawa and yesterday was the most physical I've ever seen him play, and the scoring opportunities were there as well. He's a great leader and should have a big role next year if he returns. Lowry has mis-utilized him terribly this tournament which is a real shame. At this point he's better offensively and physically than Virtanen, but is seeing roughly half the ice time. I'm not in a position to comment on his pro prospects, but he does have a skill set that we haven't really witnessed in this tournament and the Flyers have a good one on their hands.

While a lot of our top guys haven't been playing well, the coaching has been a complete failure thus far and I can't see Lowry make the necessary adjustments by tomorrow morning.

Next year's squad looks strong, especially the top 9 and the defense corps. I like Stephens, I'd have him back next year in a third line role. A player to keep our eyes on is Nolan Patrick, I think he'll be a good one by this time next year.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I haven't been impressed with Strome either. He has some nice tools and may turn out to be a good NHLer, but in this tournament all of his deficiencies are coming to the forefront and I find it telling that he had his worst game against the stiffest competition in the Swedes. He's been unable to utilize his linemates (not totally his fault in all fairness) and was unable to get his wrister off against better defenders who could quickly close the gap or block his shots. He looked really slow yesterday which is a problem that some of us on here have been wary of for a long time. It will be interesting to see how he responds against Finland...but he seems very confident based on his post-game interviews (LOL).

I may sound like a bit of a homer but I've been beating the Konecny drum for a while now. I see him play live ~20x per season here in Ottawa and yesterday was the most physical I've ever seen him play, and the scoring opportunities were there as well. He's a great leader and should have a big role next year if he returns. Lowry has mis-utilized him terribly this tournament which is a real shame. At this point he's better offensively and physically than Virtanen, but is seeing roughly half the ice time. I'm not in a position to comment on his pro prospects, but he does have a skill set that we haven't really witnessed in this tournament and the Flyers have a good one on their hands.

While a lot of our top guys haven't been playing well, the coaching has been a complete failure thus far and I can't see Lowry make the necessary adjustments by tomorrow morning.

Next year's squad looks strong, especially the top 9 and the defense corps. I like Stephens, I'd have him back next year in a third line role. A player to keep our eyes on is Nolan Patrick, I think he'll be a good one by this time next year.

I haven't watched any of the post game interviews, especially Strome. I'm afraid a coffee mug just may get tossed at the TV.

 

[tade]

A BEAUVILLIER M BARZAL T KONECNY
P-L DUBOIS M MCLEOD M MARNER
T JOST N PATRICK J GAUTHIER
T BENSON N ROY N MERKLEY

W BITTEN/M STEPHENS

J CHYCHRUN J ROY
T CHABOT N JUULSEN
J BEAN N MELOCHE
D FABBRO

C HART
Z SAWCHENKO

Nice roster! I had something similar in my mind and wanted to post here.

Defenseman like Lauzon or Girard, possibly Clague will also compete hard for spot, I'd think.

Same for forwards like Senyshyn, Kolesar, Brown, Cirelli, Sideroff, Raddysh, or Steel

 

[86Habs]

I agree about going back to the bigger camp, but that's mainly based on history (Canada won more often with the bigger camp) than anything else. There aren't any huge omissions this year. You can make a case that all of the players picked deserved to be based on the camp. They just aren't playing well.

There were no surprises coming out of camp this year. Merkley and Hawryluk, the final cuts, aren't exactly world beaters but it would have been nice to see Dubois there in a 13th forward role as a guy who can return next year (at least). The bigger camp allows for a player or two to outperform expectations and crack the roster, but I don't think that player selection was an issue this year - performance and coaching have been the issues.

What I didn't like was Strome and Marner, as non-returnees, getting a free pass on the CIS games. Doesn't send a great message to the other guys competing hard to secure roster spots.

 

[86Habs]

I haven't watched any of the post game interviews, especially Strome. I'm afraid a coffee mug just may get tossed at the TV.

To paraphrase: "We're very confident, everything is fine, the past four games don't matter"

 

[tade]

It will be interesting to see how he responds against Finland...but he seems very confident based on his post-game interviews (LOL).

Yes, it was kinda funny. He was so confident and motivated and he was speaking so fast. It was good to see.

I think it is stretch to say "let's face it, tournament is over for Canada" before QF game. This team can still turn it around but Lowry needs to stop being *****. And top players needs to step up.

 

[Atomos2]

There were no surprises coming out of camp this year. Merkley and Hawryluk, the final cuts, aren't exactly world beaters but it would have been nice to see Dubois there in a 13th forward role as a guy who can return next year (at least). The bigger camp allows for a player or two to outperform expectations and crack the roster, but I don't think that player selection was an issue this year - performance and coaching have been the issues.

What I didn't like was Strome and Marner, as non-returnees, getting a free pass on the CIS games. Doesn't send a great message to the other guys competing hard to secure roster spots.

This is exactly what I said before the tournament. Not only does it form a disconnect between the locks and the ones fighting for a spot, it also prevents these locks from facing actual competition.

So players coming in on a hot streak like for instance Marner who was coming in off back to back hattricks in the OHL, have to come in and watch from the pressbox for about two weeks while other players face actual competition. Basically team canada is cooling these players off while also allowing the pressure of the whole tournament become an even bigger distraction in their heads.

 

[JackSlater]

I usually save my next year roster projections until after the tournament is over...but let's face it, the tournament for Team Canada is over.

Out of all the players (9) eligible to return, the one I’d rather not see come back is Dylan Strome. I hope he stays in Arizona, is playing well and not in contention at all to return…and I’m not looking forward to the year when the 3rd Strome brother will be up and eligible to play.

Mitchell Stephens? in contention for 13 forward, but I'll be looking for any excuse or better player to cut him.

Strome has been fine this year, and he'll be a year older and playing on smaller ice next year. I think he'll be in Arizona though given his size and the Coyotes' recent success with young players. Stephens has been good this year, I can't imagine why he wouldn't be back and very valuable next year.

There were no surprises coming out of camp this year. Merkley and Hawryluk, the final cuts, aren't exactly world beaters but it would have been nice to see Dubois there in a 13th forward role as a guy who can return next year (at least). The bigger camp allows for a player or two to outperform expectations and crack the roster, but I don't think that player selection was an issue this year - performance and coaching have been the issues.

What I didn't like was Strome and Marner, as non-returnees, getting a free pass on the CIS games. Doesn't send a great message to the other guys competing hard to secure roster spots.

Those games were valuable opportunities to find chemistry. Best to play the top players to find chemistry and try out the complimentary players in complimentary roles instead of prominent roles. Dubois would be nice as a guy who can contribute defensively while hanging with elite players (like he does with Lazarev and Svechnikov) but he certainly isn't the difference between winning and losing.

Yes, it was kinda funny. He was so confident and motivated and he was speaking so fast. It was good to see.

I think it is stretch to say "let's face it, tournament is over for Canada" before QF game. This team can still turn it around but Lowry needs to stop being *****. And top players needs to step up.

I liked seeing someone with some passion. Hopefully some of them can express it on the ice like Konecny does though.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Is Marner getting suspended or is he playing against Finland? Does IIHF even have post game suspensions?

The hit:
http://imgur.com/ZCwIPZt

Hard but clean hit.
No need to suspensions.

Pussaa jäätä hurri (Kiss on the ice swede)
I loved that hit. That's why post that Finnish comment PS i don't like swedes.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Sounds like Konecny will continue to rot on 4th line while Crouse and Virtanen continue to be rewarded with top line scorer roles according to lines today. Yikes

Finland top line has more goals than all of Canada yet this buffoon refuses to change from what clearly isn't working.

 

[Evolu7ion]

Canada lines at practice:

Crouse-Strome-Virtanen
Perlini-Point-Marner
Beauvillier-Barzal-Gauthier
Quenneville-Stephens-Konecny
Chartier

WTF... Is it just me or do those lines look like ****?

Konecny really deserves a shot in the top 6 IMO, I also wouldn't mind seeing Strome and Marner linked up again with either Crouse or Konecny on the wing.

 

[gwh]

Hard but clean hit.
No need to suspensions.

Pussaa jäätä hurri (Kiss on the swede)
I loved that hit. That's why post that Finnish comment PS i don't like swedes.

Launch off the skates straight to his jaw? Nothing to love in that except that the kid didn't leave the game.

That is Torres school of hockey....