World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Canada

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

whatyoutalkingbout is very knowledgeable but like many others, he is too hard on Canadian hockey.

When the U.S. has a half dozen (going on 7) bad draft years, many posters ignore it and keep looking forward to find something to praise - like the U-17's.

When Canada has a few weak years (not up to our usual level but still much better than everyone else) it is because the sky is falling.

2003 to 2009 spoiled us in Canada. It was off the charts, as far as talent, but it couldn't continue. We can't hold Hockey Canada up to a standard that is unreachable. Hopefully, God willing, in a few years we will see another large group of high quality Canadian kids.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

(* This is NOT directed at anyone. Just a general observation. *)

Canadian posters have get over this obsession with the American program and the idea that it is so much better than what we have. It is not.

Look at it this way; suppose the roles were reversed...

- Suppose the Americans had won 4 of the last 5 Best on Best tournaments but hadn't won a WJR's in 5 years.
- Suppose we had won 2 World Juniors (in the last 5) but finished 4th at the Olympics with the best team we had produced in 20 years and hadn't produced a strong draft class in 7 years.

If that was the case, Canadian hockey fans would be burning Bob Nicholson in effigy. They would be having hockey summits and screaming, "Why can't we do what the U.S. does?!?!".

It's hypocrisy. It's nuts. The grass isn't greener. The U.S. isn't better. We have to get over our insecurity that the U.S. is better than us. They are not!

 

[JackSlater]

By 2016 (2.5years away) I think several of the 2014 players will be out of contention. St. Louis, Kunitz, Sharp and Marleau will be into their late 30s or 40, and are unlikely selections. Nash seems to be slowing down, and he was not a huge part of the 2014 team anyway. The other forwards should all be in contention. On defence I suspect Bouwmeester will not be back. He was adequate in 2014, but he was clearly the worst top 6 defenceman on the team and I suspect that the emergence of other defencemen will push him off the team. Likewise I suspect Hamhuis will still be a quality defenceman, but will be replaced with a younger option. Luongo and Smith will presumably be replaced with younger options, but with a starter firmly entrenched this is pretty unimportant.

Stamkos Crosby Bergeron
Couture Tavares Giroux
Hall Toews Carter
Benn Getzlaf Perry
Duchene MacKinnon

Keith Weber
Vlasic Doughty
Pietrangelo Subban
Murray Alzner

Price
Bernier
Holtby

First line is obviously centred by Crosby. Bergeron brings proven chemistry and elite defence to the line. Stamkos brings the finishing ability that Canada 2014 was missing, and is well suited to lining up on his off side.

Second line is centred by Tavares, who should be firmly entrenched as Canada's second best offensive playmaker. Couture brings a bit of everything on the left side, most importantly defensive cover. He's a smart player that I expect to see on Canada's next top team. Giroux was almost off the roster, but I still suspect that Canada could use him as an offensive catalyst. I also like his puck winning ability, which this line should be monstrous at.

Toews is Canada's "defensive" centre for the foreseeable future. Carter should still work as an elite utility player in 2.5 years, with solid goal scoring and top contributions defensively from the wing. Hall is a bit of a projection. I like that he is a full blown winger, I like his speed and size as a complement here and I like his ability to be be the primary offensive threat on his line. I am expecting Hall's defence to improve by the time he's in his mid 20s.

Benn Getzlaf Perry worked internationally to my surprise, and it should be better on NHL ice. Easy enough.

Duchene is almost too good to be 13th forward, but I like his attitude and realistically he can slide into a wing position on any line. MacKinnon will only be 20 at the time, and should have no problems accepting the 14th forward spot. He also happens to be a pretty great player already, which helps.

Keith and Weber should still be young enough to thrive in 2016, particularly on NHL ice. Vlasic and Doughty worked very well in 2014, no need to change that. Both Pietrangelo and Subban should be even better in 2016. Pietrangelo has some history on the left side, and I expect Subban to be too good to leave sitting on the bench or in the press box. Handedness should also be less of a factor on the NHL surface. Murray projects to be Canada's best young LH defenceman, so he gets the seventh spot. Alzner is a nice, reliable defenceman who could fit on any pairing.

Price is the default starter. Bernier has shown signs of elite play so far, and Canada's depth is not tremendous at this position. Holtby is a complete guess.

Overall, forwards are completely elite and present a lot of different options. If Canada wants more natural wingers they could select Eberle, Skinner, Neal or Kane. O'Reilly would be a great selection if they want a more defensive approach. Seguin was very difficult to leave off. He should be an absolute monster in 2016, but the forward group is loaded. I like MacKinnon much more in a 14th forward role though.

Defence and goaltending are weak for Canada, relative to the forwards. Ideally another elite defenceman will emerge for Canada, and hopefully a nice crop of goaltenders will emerge. Canada proved in 2014 that if the team is strong enough the goaltender is irrelevant (not to say Price was not very good) but that type of display cannot be expected every tournament.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

^^^^^^^^

Good team and explanation, JS.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Ideally another elite defenceman will emerge for Canada...

Agree. Who does everyone think this will be?

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

Agree. Who does everyone think this will be?

Good question. I think Ekblad will be a good one, eventually. I'm tempted to say Morgan Reilly. My ideal D-man would be comparable to a Weber: big, strong, skilled and can play a shut-down role while bringing offence. Canada definitely needs more elite D-men and goaltenders. You build great teams from the net out.

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

By 2016 (2.5years away) I think several of the 2014 players will be out of contention. St. Louis, Kunitz, Sharp and Marleau will be into their late 30s or 40, and are unlikely selections. Nash seems to be slowing down, and he was not a huge part of the 2014 team anyway. The other forwards should all be in contention. On defence I suspect Bouwmeester will not be back. He was adequate in 2014, but he was clearly the worst top 6 defenceman on the team and I suspect that the emergence of other defencemen will push him off the team. Likewise I suspect Hamhuis will still be a quality defenceman, but will be replaced with a younger option. Luongo and Smith will presumably be replaced with younger options, but with a starter firmly entrenched this is pretty unimportant.

Stamkos Crosby Bergeron
Couture Tavares Giroux
Hall Toews Carter
Benn Getzlaf Perry
Duchene MacKinnon

Keith Weber
Vlasic Doughty
Pietrangelo Subban
Murray Alzner

Price
Bernier
Holtby

First line is obviously centred by Crosby. Bergeron brings proven chemistry and elite defence to the line. Stamkos brings the finishing ability that Canada 2014 was missing, and is well suited to lining up on his off side.

Second line is centred by Tavares, who should be firmly entrenched as Canada's second best offensive playmaker. Couture brings a bit of everything on the left side, most importantly defensive cover. He's a smart player that I expect to see on Canada's next top team. Giroux was almost off the roster, but I still suspect that Canada could use him as an offensive catalyst. I also like his puck winning ability, which this line should be monstrous at.

Toews is Canada's "defensive" centre for the foreseeable future. Carter should still work as an elite utility player in 2.5 years, with solid goal scoring and top contributions defensively from the wing. Hall is a bit of a projection. I like that he is a full blown winger, I like his speed and size as a complement here and I like his ability to be be the primary offensive threat on his line. I am expecting Hall's defence to improve by the time he's in his mid 20s.

Benn Getzlaf Perry worked internationally to my surprise, and it should be better on NHL ice. Easy enough.

Duchene is almost too good to be 13th forward, but I like his attitude and realistically he can slide into a wing position on any line. MacKinnon will only be 20 at the time, and should have no problems accepting the 14th forward spot. He also happens to be a pretty great player already, which helps.

Keith and Weber should still be young enough to thrive in 2016, particularly on NHL ice. Vlasic and Doughty worked very well in 2014, no need to change that. Both Pietrangelo and Subban should be even better in 2016. Pietrangelo has some history on the left side, and I expect Subban to be too good to leave sitting on the bench or in the press box. Handedness should also be less of a factor on the NHL surface. Murray projects to be Canada's best young LH defenceman, so he gets the seventh spot. Alzner is a nice, reliable defenceman who could fit on any pairing.

Price is the default starter. Bernier has shown signs of elite play so far, and Canada's depth is not tremendous at this position. Holtby is a complete guess.

Overall, forwards are completely elite and present a lot of different options. If Canada wants more natural wingers they could select Eberle, Skinner, Neal or Kane. O'Reilly would be a great selection if they want a more defensive approach. Seguin was very difficult to leave off. He should be an absolute monster in 2016, but the forward group is loaded. I like MacKinnon much more in a 14th forward role though.

Defence and goaltending are weak for Canada, relative to the forwards. Ideally another elite defenceman will emerge for Canada, and hopefully a nice crop of goaltenders will emerge. Canada proved in 2014 that if the team is strong enough the goaltender is irrelevant (not to say Price was not very good) but that type of display cannot be expected every tournament.

Excellent lineup. Can't disagree with any of it (though I do think Hall's hockey IQ has a fairly low ceiling).

The changing of the guard in a substantive way will come in 2018. Benn will still be there, but Perry and Getzlaf will now be in their early 30s. They played well in Sochi, but they're not naturally gifted skaters and other countries will have fleet, younger players. On defence, Weber will still be elite, but I am not sure how much of the burden he can shoulder as your number 1 (My guess is that Doughty will be the go-to guy on defence). 2018 is the bridge for Hockey Canada. That's the Olympiad when they will have to start weaning themselves off the 1985 birthdates and the guys who were the core for the last 2 Olympic teams. That's where some of these younger players need to surprise and show they're better than I think they are.

 

[JackSlater]

The changing of the guard in a substantive way will come in 2018. Benn will still be there, but Perry and Getzlaf will now be in their early 30s. They played well in Sochi, but they're not naturally gifted skaters and other countries will have fleet, younger players. On defence, Weber will still be elite, but I am not sure how much of the burden he can shoulder as your number 1 (My guess is that Doughty will be the go-to guy on defence). 2018 is the bridge for Hockey Canada. That's the Olympiad when they will have to start weaning themselves off the 1985 birthdates and the guys who were the core for the last 2 Olympic teams. That's where some of these younger players need to surprise and show they're better than I think they are.

Yes, I agree that a 2018 team would look different. Doughty should unquestionably be the #1 defenceman, and both Weber and Keith should have regressed to a degree. By that time Canada will still have a Crosby/Toews core, but Tavares should easily be the next option. I suspect they will be loyal to Getzlaf, right or wrong, but there are any number of qualified replacements.

Agree. Who does everyone think this will be?

There are a few candidates. Murray, Rielly, Hamilton all seem to have a lot of potential. It's just potential though. Canada has been producing a lot of first round defencemen, but they mostly seem like a bunch of high end #2 defencemen. Sweden has Brodin and Lindholm, while USA has Trouba and Jones (with potentially great defencemen still undrafted). Canada has been ok with defencemen, but really should be able to stay ahead of the competition. On the bright side, guys like Weber and Keith were not elite until their mid 20s, so there is plenty of time for someone to emerge.

 

[An Argument For]

There are a few candidates. Murray, Rielly, Hamilton all seem to have a lot of potential. It's just potential though. Canada has been producing a lot of first round defencemen, but they mostly seem like a bunch of high end #2 defencemen. Sweden has Brodin and Lindholm, while USA has Trouba and Jones (with potentially great defencemen still undrafted). Canada has been ok with defencemen, but really should be able to stay ahead of the competition. On the bright side, guys like Weber and Keith were not elite until their mid 20s, so there is plenty of time for someone to emerge.

Defense is such a tough thing to predict. Potential, early development, and final product vary so greatly who really knows what we'll have. I mean in the past 4-6 years I would have thought Staal and Phaneuf would have been key pieces. I thought maybe even Burns and Del Zotto might develop into potential pieces but you never know. I didn't think Vlaasic would be such a stud. I didn't think Bouwmeester would make a comeback like he did. We have a lot of young guys with potential and hopefully a couple of them will meet it. We also have the bonus of guys like Doughty, Pietrangelo, Subban being under 25. So there's a bit of carry over. Everyone on this team should be still at a high-level for the 2016 World Cup if it occurs and even the 2018 Olympics wouldn't be a stretch. Somewhere someone else will pop into the discussion but it's near impossible to predict I think.

 

[JackSlater]

Defense is such a tough thing to predict. Potential, early development, and final product vary so greatly who really knows what we'll have. I mean in the past 4-6 years I would have thought Staal and Phaneuf would have been key pieces. I thought maybe even Burns and Del Zotto might develop into potential pieces but you never know. I didn't think Vlaasic would be such a stud. I didn't think Bouwmeester would make a comeback like he did. We have a lot of young guys with potential and hopefully a couple of them will meet it. We also have the bonus of guys like Doughty, Pietrangelo, Subban being under 25. So there's a bit of carry over. Everyone on this team should be still at a high-level for the 2016 World Cup if it occurs and even the 2018 Olympics wouldn't be a stretch. Somewhere someone else will pop into the discussion but it's near impossible to predict I think.

Canada's defence is set for 2016 or 2018 by virtue of Doughty, Pietrangelo, Subban, Keith and Weber all being young enough to contribute (or improve) by that time. The questions start a little bit after that, but as you said defencemen are difficult to project.

 

[xxxx]

So here's my guess at the World Cup 2016 roster: That means that there are two full NHL seasons ahead before the tournament starts. (and three playoffs)

Goaltenders: Carey Price, Jonathan Bernier, Roberto Luongo

(Crawford, Harding, S.Mason, Fleury, Smith, Reimer, Holtby, Elliott) Anyone of those 8 other goalies might be able to make the team. Especially Crawford, Fleury, Smith, and Holtby IMO.



Defencemen: Duncan Keith, P.K. Subban, Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo, Dion Phaneuf, Brent Seabrook, Kris Letang

(Giordano, Murray, M.Staal, Vlasic, Bouwmeester, Boyle, Green)



*Honestly, I believe that Letang will get better with time and finally deserves the spot on the team. I kinda think that Phaneuf and Seabrook are just made for NHL ice and if they both are at a bit better, or even similar level, they should be on the team, imo. Next, there might be some young players that play their names into the discussion (Murray, D.Hamilton, Murphy, Rielly)

Forwards: That's really tough. I decided to make 3 posts about it, each one about one single position. So, let's start with left wingers:



Forwards: LEFT WINGERS:

• Milan Lucic - He's just the kind of player that I would love to watch on NHL ice, with the best canadian players. Big, agressive, energy player, totally fits as 4th line grinder. But the amount of great players is going to be even greater than it was in 2010 or in 2014, so....I don't think he will make the team. But, he would be no liability for sure.
  
  - Another players with a similar type of role that could play their name into consideration - M.Foligno, B.Gallagher, C.Kunitz, A.Ladd, E.Kane

• Jamie Benn - He's a no-brainer today, imo. He and Getzlaf and Perry could create devastating 3rd or 4th line together if playing on NHL ice. I'm pretty sure that Benn is going to get a lot of votes from fans for the making of 2016 World Cup roster.

• Jeff Skinner - He's a great skater, and looks like a solid shooter too. He's only 21 years old, and looks very promising for the future. In Canada, where players like Duchene, Thornton, and even Giroux can be left of easily, Skinner is certainly not a hot candidate, but who knows, the next 2 seasons will tell.

• Taylor Hall - Well, he's a point-scorer machine in Edmonton, and with a bit upgraded level of defensive abilities, he could be considered as one of the best offensive weapons Canada has to offer in 2016. His scoring abilities, hockey IQ, and his overall style of hockey could be on a quite better level in two years, and if that is the case, he should be on the team, imo.

• Patrick Marleau - He will be 36, but still might play on a high level. He has had a success with Team Canada, and if his statistics, abilities and his speed remain the same, he could be a dark-horse to make the roster, even though it will be hard, because of the great depth and new-coming talent.

• Patrick Sharp - Kind of similar player to Marleau, but 2 years younger. He's won 2 Stanley Cups and has an olympic gold now, so if he has another great play-off run, he could be heavily considered as the 4th line grinder for the team, as he could play whenever you need because of his versatility. Don't forget that the World Cup would be played on NHL ice, and Sharp's had a lot of success on it.

• Jaden Schwartz - Much like Jeff Skinner, he's a talented, young player, with a solid looking future in the NHL. Two seasons and three possible play-off runs are enough for a young, developing player like that to get better and show the world that he's a player worthy of Team Canada discussion. Let's wait and see.

My take: I think that only 2 or 3 left wingers will make Team Canada, and in my case those two are are Jamie Benn and Taylor Hall. The third could be Patrick Sharp. It depends on how many centers will be playing good hockey at the time. When you look at all the names that can possibly play at a high level....Nugent-Hopkins, Seguin, Giroux, Duchene, O'Reilly, MacKinnon, McDavid...

 

[drewstar]

Potential 2018 lineup:

Hall - Crosby - Stamkos
Couture - Tavares - MacKinnon
Duchene - Toews - Giroux
Benn - Seguin - Bergeron

O'Reilly
McDavid

Old guard: Getzlaf, Perry, Carter
In the mix: Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, Drouin, Johansen, Skinner, Kane, Neal, Lucic.

On offense, 2018 should be the big year in terms of changing of the guard. I think our 1st 3 centers are set, and the next one to step up in place of Getzlaf will be Seguin or MacKinnon who is already following a Stamkos-esq trajectory in his rookie season and should make a big jump in his second season. I think the chemistry of Benn/Seguin will fit better with Bergeron's all-around game and MacKinnon's goal scoring ability will have less defensive responsibility on a line with Couture.

You have defensively responsible forwards on almost every line which is balanced (Couture, Toews, Bergeron, O'Reilly), snipers (Stamkos, Seguin, MacKinnon), speed (Hall, Duchene), and of course elite playmaking centers (Crosby, Tavares, McDavid).

Also of note is how we played almost every player in 2014 on their strong shooting side to maximize cycle play and puck possession on the big ice.

Keith - Weber
Vlasic - Doughty
Murray - Pietrangelo
Subban
Ekblad

In the mix: Giordano, Reilly, M. Staal, Phaneuf, Seabrook, Letang

It'll be interesting to see if Keith/Weber decline gradually or what not.

Price
Crawford
Bernier

 

[1Gold Standard]

By 2016 (2.5years away) I think several of the 2014 players will be out of contention. St. Louis, Kunitz, Sharp and Marleau will be into their late 30s or 40, and are unlikely selections. Nash seems to be slowing down, and he was not a huge part of the 2014 team anyway. The other forwards should all be in contention. On defence I suspect Bouwmeester will not be back. He was adequate in 2014, but he was clearly the worst top 6 defenceman on the team and I suspect that the emergence of other defencemen will push him off the team. Likewise I suspect Hamhuis will still be a quality defenceman, but will be replaced with a younger option. Luongo and Smith will presumably be replaced with younger options, but with a starter firmly entrenched this is pretty unimportant.

Stamkos Crosby Bergeron
Couture Tavares Giroux
Hall Toews Carter
Benn Getzlaf Perry
Duchene MacKinnon

Keith Weber
Vlasic Doughty
Pietrangelo Subban
Murray Alzner

Price
Bernier
Holtby

First line is obviously centred by Crosby. Bergeron brings proven chemistry and elite defence to the line. Stamkos brings the finishing ability that Canada 2014 was missing, and is well suited to lining up on his off side.

Second line is centred by Tavares, who should be firmly entrenched as Canada's second best offensive playmaker. Couture brings a bit of everything on the left side, most importantly defensive cover. He's a smart player that I expect to see on Canada's next top team. Giroux was almost off the roster, but I still suspect that Canada could use him as an offensive catalyst. I also like his puck winning ability, which this line should be monstrous at.

Toews is Canada's "defensive" centre for the foreseeable future. Carter should still work as an elite utility player in 2.5 years, with solid goal scoring and top contributions defensively from the wing. Hall is a bit of a projection. I like that he is a full blown winger, I like his speed and size as a complement here and I like his ability to be be the primary offensive threat on his line. I am expecting Hall's defence to improve by the time he's in his mid 20s.

Benn Getzlaf Perry worked internationally to my surprise, and it should be better on NHL ice. Easy enough.

Duchene is almost too good to be 13th forward, but I like his attitude and realistically he can slide into a wing position on any line. MacKinnon will only be 20 at the time, and should have no problems accepting the 14th forward spot. He also happens to be a pretty great player already, which helps.

Keith and Weber should still be young enough to thrive in 2016, particularly on NHL ice. Vlasic and Doughty worked very well in 2014, no need to change that. Both Pietrangelo and Subban should be even better in 2016. Pietrangelo has some history on the left side, and I expect Subban to be too good to leave sitting on the bench or in the press box. Handedness should also be less of a factor on the NHL surface. Murray projects to be Canada's best young LH defenceman, so he gets the seventh spot. Alzner is a nice, reliable defenceman who could fit on any pairing.

Price is the default starter. Bernier has shown signs of elite play so far, and Canada's depth is not tremendous at this position. Holtby is a complete guess.

Overall, forwards are completely elite and present a lot of different options. If Canada wants more natural wingers they could select Eberle, Skinner, Neal or Kane. O'Reilly would be a great selection if they want a more defensive approach. Seguin was very difficult to leave off. He should be an absolute monster in 2016, but the forward group is loaded. I like MacKinnon much more in a 14th forward role though.

Defence and goaltending are weak for Canada, relative to the forwards. Ideally another elite defenceman will emerge for Canada, and hopefully a nice crop of goaltenders will emerge. Canada proved in 2014 that if the team is strong enough the goaltender is irrelevant (not to say Price was not very good) but that type of display cannot be expected every tournament.

As usual, your rosters are solid, at least for the 2016 World Cup. We'll see what players emerge or maintain their level of play after that tournament. No complaints even of Getzlaf and Perry... they keep their spots for 2016.

 

[JackSlater]

As usual, your rosters are solid, at least for the 2016 World Cup. We'll see what players emerge or maintain their level of play after that tournament. No complaints even of Getzlaf and Perry... they keep their spots for 2016.

I'm not really interested in Getzlaf/Perry for the Olympics (maybe Getzlaf as a versatility option) but yes for NHL ice, I see them as valuable. Outside of a small number of forwards (Crosby, Toews, Tavares, Stamkos) there are not a lot of locks for the future, which is a good thing really.

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

(* This is NOT directed at anyone. Just a general observation. *)

Canadian posters have get over this obsession with the American program and the idea that it is so much better than what we have. It is not.

Look at it this way; suppose the roles were reversed...

- Suppose the Americans had won 4 of the last 5 Best on Best tournaments but hadn't won a WJR's in 5 years.
- Suppose we had won 2 World Juniors (in the last 5) but finished 4th at the Olympics with the best team we had produced in 20 years and hadn't produced a strong draft class in 7 years.

If that was the case, Canadian hockey fans would be burning Bob Nicholson in effigy. They would be having hockey summits and screaming, "Why can't we do what the U.S. does?!?!".

It's hypocrisy. It's nuts. The grass isn't greener. The U.S. isn't better. We have to get over our insecurity that the U.S. is better than us. They are not!

Solid post, KevyD. But I still think hot-housing our talent is the way to go. I mean, when you have a national team and you win with that national team, it creates a winning culture. Our kids deserve to know what it feels like to win at the U17s and U18s. Forget all this crap about "growing the game" or giving players a chance to play against international competition. Thinking like that, in my view, is so stupid that probably Salmond or Pascall dreamed it up. When Team Atlantic gets waxed 10-1 or 11-1 or 9-0 or whatever by the USA at the U17s, I don't see how that's growing anything but seeds of doubts in the minds of our young players.

Play to win instead of creating built-in excuses when you lose. The players will thank you for it.

And I admire the Swedish development model, even if I dislike Swedish Schadenfreude, anti-Canadian posters, and self-righteousness. I think they have a marvellous system in place for maximizing skill development. Frankly, they are far and away the dominant power in European hockey right now. If I was Hockey Canada, I would brave some Swedish self-righteousness and pretentiousness to go over there and see what they're doing that we can be doing.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

Solid post, KevyD. But I still think hot-housing our talent is the way to go. I mean, when you have a national team and you win with that national team, it creates a winning culture. Our kids deserve to know what it feels like to win at the U17s and U18s. Forget all this crap about "growing the game" or giving players a chance to play against international competition. Thinking like that, in my view, is so stupid that probably Salmond or Pascall dreamed it up. When Team Atlantic gets waxed 10-1 or 11-1 or 9-0 or whatever by the USA at the U17s, I don't see how that's growing anything but seeds of doubts in the minds of our young players.

Play to win instead of creating built-in excuses when you lose. The players will thank you for it.

And I admire the Swedish development model, even if I dislike Swedish Schadenfreude, anti-Canadian posters, and self-righteousness. I think they have a marvellous system in place for maximizing skill development. Frankly, they are far and away the dominant power in European hockey right now. If I was Hockey Canada, I would brave some Swedish self-righteousness and pretentiousness to go over there and see what they're doing that we can be doing.

Just my 2 cents.

Good post, buddy. There is always room for improvement within HC and your ideas are a step in the right direction. Just imagine how good we could be if we could combine their skill development and speed with our pure talent.

 

[A91]

Hall- Crosby- Stamkos

(drool)

 

[PredragD]

Probably thinking with a little more youth than most since hockey players can age quickly in four years:

Benn - Crosby - Seguin
Hall - Stamkos - Eberle
Couture - Toews - Perry
Duchene - Johansen - MacKinnon
Tavares - Giroux

Murray - Weber
Vlasic - Doughty
Rielly - Pietrangelo
Subban - Hamilton

Price
Bernier
S Mason

 

[Playmaker09]

By 2016 (2.5years away) I think several of the 2014 players will be out of contention. St. Louis, Kunitz, Sharp and Marleau will be into their late 30s or 40, and are unlikely selections. Nash seems to be slowing down, and he was not a huge part of the 2014 team anyway. The other forwards should all be in contention. On defence I suspect Bouwmeester will not be back. He was adequate in 2014, but he was clearly the worst top 6 defenceman on the team and I suspect that the emergence of other defencemen will push him off the team. Likewise I suspect Hamhuis will still be a quality defenceman, but will be replaced with a younger option. Luongo and Smith will presumably be replaced with younger options, but with a starter firmly entrenched this is pretty unimportant.

Stamkos Crosby Bergeron
Couture Tavares Giroux
Hall Toews Carter
Benn Getzlaf Perry
Duchene MacKinnon

Keith Weber
Vlasic Doughty
Pietrangelo Subban
Murray Alzner

Price
Bernier
Holtby

First line is obviously centred by Crosby. Bergeron brings proven chemistry and elite defence to the line. Stamkos brings the finishing ability that Canada 2014 was missing, and is well suited to lining up on his off side.

Second line is centred by Tavares, who should be firmly entrenched as Canada's second best offensive playmaker. Couture brings a bit of everything on the left side, most importantly defensive cover. He's a smart player that I expect to see on Canada's next top team. Giroux was almost off the roster, but I still suspect that Canada could use him as an offensive catalyst. I also like his puck winning ability, which this line should be monstrous at.

Toews is Canada's "defensive" centre for the foreseeable future. Carter should still work as an elite utility player in 2.5 years, with solid goal scoring and top contributions defensively from the wing. Hall is a bit of a projection. I like that he is a full blown winger, I like his speed and size as a complement here and I like his ability to be be the primary offensive threat on his line. I am expecting Hall's defence to improve by the time he's in his mid 20s.

Benn Getzlaf Perry worked internationally to my surprise, and it should be better on NHL ice. Easy enough.

Duchene is almost too good to be 13th forward, but I like his attitude and realistically he can slide into a wing position on any line. MacKinnon will only be 20 at the time, and should have no problems accepting the 14th forward spot. He also happens to be a pretty great player already, which helps.

Keith and Weber should still be young enough to thrive in 2016, particularly on NHL ice. Vlasic and Doughty worked very well in 2014, no need to change that. Both Pietrangelo and Subban should be even better in 2016. Pietrangelo has some history on the left side, and I expect Subban to be too good to leave sitting on the bench or in the press box. Handedness should also be less of a factor on the NHL surface. Murray projects to be Canada's best young LH defenceman, so he gets the seventh spot. Alzner is a nice, reliable defenceman who could fit on any pairing.

Price is the default starter. Bernier has shown signs of elite play so far, and Canada's depth is not tremendous at this position. Holtby is a complete guess.

Overall, forwards are completely elite and present a lot of different options. If Canada wants more natural wingers they could select Eberle, Skinner, Neal or Kane. O'Reilly would be a great selection if they want a more defensive approach. Seguin was very difficult to leave off. He should be an absolute monster in 2016, but the forward group is loaded. I like MacKinnon much more in a 14th forward role though.

Defence and goaltending are weak for Canada, relative to the forwards. Ideally another elite defenceman will emerge for Canada, and hopefully a nice crop of goaltenders will emerge. Canada proved in 2014 that if the team is strong enough the goaltender is irrelevant (not to say Price was not very good) but that type of display cannot be expected every tournament.

Stamkos Crosby MacKinnon
Hall Tavares Giroux
Couture Toews Bergeron
Benn Getzlaf Perry
Duchene Carter

Keith Weber
Vlasic Doughty
Pietrangelo Subban
Murray Alzner

Price
Bernier
Holtby

Agree with the players, just switched some things around.

Couture with Tavares-Giroux would be too slow, and Hall belongs nowhere near a shutdown line. Switch them up and it works out nicely IMO.

Bergeron with Couture-Toews makes the best shutdown line in the world.

Mackinnon is absolutely tailor-made to play with Sid.

 

[Frank the Tank]

This whole St. Louis and Yzerman fiasco worries me as fan of Hockey Canada. How many NHL coaches & GMs are going to want to join the Canadian management staff in the future if the potential for harm to their club teams exists? I mean Yzerman won back-to-back gold medals and he probably leaving the job with a bad taste in his mouth because of how it deteriorated his relationship with MSL. I hope this is just one instance of a player being petty and not the start of a trend.

 

[An Argument For]

This whole St. Louis and Yzerman fiasco worries me as fan of Hockey Canada. How many NHL coaches & GMs are going to want to join the Canadian management staff in the future if the potential for harm to their club teams exists? I mean Yzerman won back-to-back gold medals and he probably leaving the job with a bad taste in his mouth because of how it deteriorated his relationship with MSL. I hope this is just one instance of a player being petty and not the start of a trend.

Yzerman wasn't the GM when he picked the 2010 team but he did work for Detroit. I've been thinking the same thing though, maybe it's best that the man in charge be non-affliated and then he can use NHL personnel as consultants.

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

Yzerman wasn't the GM when he picked the 2010 team but he did work for Detroit. I've been thinking the same thing though, maybe it's best that the man in charge be non-affliated and then he can use NHL personnel as consultants.

I think your post makes a lot of sense. A non-affiliated person can be objective without worrying about hurting anyone's fragile ego.

The only problem is that, this being Hockey Canada, they'll give Pascall or Salmond the job instead of someone actually competent.

As much as I can feel badly for a multi-millionaire, I feel badly for Yzerman in this situation.

I can understand why St. Louis might be upset, but St. Louis needs to grow up. So you didn't make Team Canada. You did, eventually. And you won a gold medal - a gold medal to which you contributed almost nothing. Is your GM supposed to shelve his professional judgment just to make you happy? Is he supposed to poison his relationship with other NHL executives just to make you happy? Is he supposed to potentially weaken the team - just to make you happy?

St. Louis pulled the same stunt of demanding a trade in 2009 with Brian Lawton. The guy is a whiner with a chip on his shoulder. Big deal he had to work to make it to the NHL. Big deal he was undrafted. Lots of guys go through worse in this game - including getting punched in the head so that the MSLs of the world can skate around without impediment.

The more I read about this guy, the less I like him. He put Yzerman in a difficult position and that's all on the player, not the GM.

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

This whole St. Louis and Yzerman fiasco worries me as fan of Hockey Canada. How many NHL coaches & GMs are going to want to join the Canadian management staff in the future if the potential for harm to their club teams exists? I mean Yzerman won back-to-back gold medals and he probably leaving the job with a bad taste in his mouth because of how it deteriorated his relationship with MSL. I hope this is just one instance of a player being petty and not the start of a trend.

With a leadership core like that, it's easy to see why Tampa was such a mess for so many years.

Honestly, someone needs to slap St. Louis on the ice. The organization paid him more than he's worth relative to his worth to society, gave him a platform to be a pillar in the community, and gave him a life most people can only dream of having.

And he whines about not making a team where, at best, he was a bubble player from the start.

Talk about pettiness. This hurts Hockey Canada, the future of the selection process, and could cost us down the road.

St. Louis is a 38 year old man. Act like it.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I think your post makes a lot of sense. A non-affiliated person can be objective without worrying about hurting anyone's fragile ego.

The only problem is that, this being Hockey Canada, they'll give Pascall or Salmond the job instead of someone actually competent.

As much as I can feel badly for a multi-millionaire, I feel badly for Yzerman in this situation.

I can understand why St. Louis might be upset, but St. Louis needs to grow up. So you didn't make Team Canada. You did, eventually. And you won a gold medal - a gold medal to which you contributed almost nothing. Is your GM supposed to shelve his professional judgment just to make you happy? Is he supposed to poison his relationship with other NHL executives just to make you happy? Is he supposed to potentially weaken the team - just to make you happy?

St. Louis pulled the same stunt of demanding a trade in 2009 with Brian Lawton. The guy is a whiner with a chip on his shoulder. Big deal he had to work to make it to the NHL. Big deal he was undrafted. Lots of guys go through worse in this game - including getting punched in the head so that the MSLs of the world can skate around without impediment.

The more I read about this guy, the less I like him. He put Yzerman in a difficult position and that's all on the player, not the GM.

You are my new favorite poster. Salmond is doing his best to ruin the junior team since he got involved in 2010 and started sticking his nose into player selection; the only involvement Salmond should have is organizing the laundry cycle for team uniforms after non-game day team practices. And you are right, that's the direction Hockey Canada would go..promote internally and Salmond is Nicholson's boy. That scenario gives me nightmares.

 

[getwiththeprogram*]

You are my new favorite poster. Salmond is doing his best to ruin the junior team since he got involved in 2010 and started sticking his nose into player selection; the only involvement Salmond should have is organizing the laundry cycle for team uniforms after non-game day team practices. And you are right, that's the direction Hockey Canada would go..promote internally and Salmond is Nicholson's boy. That scenario gives me nightmares.

Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Writer. You and Jack Slater and KevyD are the guys I most enjoy reading on these forums.

I don't mean to be brutal or unjust to anyone at Hockey Canada (though I am opinionated). But I don't think Salmond and Pascall have Canadian hockey's best interests at heart. They strike me as careerists who only want what is best for themselves. Of course, we all have to look out for ourselves. But they're unable to grasp that Hockey Canada should be bigger than building your own personal fiefdom wherein you get to make decisions you have no business making about player personnel matters or anything else. If Canadian hockey is successful, that will reflect well on them, personally and professionally. But they can't seem to clue into that.

As I've said on other occasions, I don't see any NHL clubs banging down the doors to get Nicholson, Salmond and Pascall to join their front office.

Salmond's cockeyed ideas prior to the 2013 WJCHs in Ufa were embarrassing. I'd also be curious to know whose bright idea it was to select Steve Spott to coach the team. That's just bad managerial practice, and Canada can't have that when there is so much international competition and when the Americans are bringing in talented people with real professional skills in an effort to knock Canada off.

Why Salmond and Pascall are in the positions they are is beyond me. It's politics. The sort of politics that allowed Hayley Wickenheiser to get away with being a playing-coach and assistant-GM for the women's team. I was very happy Canada won in Sochi, but something inside me tells me that those 2 gold medals will be used to justify the current regime.

And the changes that need to be made won't be made.