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WJC: 2021 Canada Roster Talk Part 2

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TheGoldenJet said:
You’re overdoing it with this Canadian way stuff. As has already been pointed out in this thread, there is less physicality and presence on the forecheck now by our team than Canadian teams brought in the past. The game is evolving and so are our junior leagues, with focus on concussions and safety. This is by and large a skill team that can play some good uptempo hockey when they work together.
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I don’t think so at all. Heavy forecheck necessarily mean dropping guys every hit, it’s more about the pressure it puts on opposing D men or puck carriers. The pressure leads to turnovers and poor puck decisions, especially at the junior level.

It’s a very different style of play than what Europeans teams use on big ice.

Of course skill wins out, that’s the point. Very heavy forechecking pressure and resultant turnovers are what allows our speed and skill to take over a game. I don’t think it’s overstated at all. Every time Canada has iced a gold winning team, we’ve been excellent with relentless forechecking pressure.
 
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Let's be real here, Canada's only played patsies so far. The last game was encouraging due to a bit of cohesion being displayed but there's nothing to indicate yet that this is a particularly dominant team. Masters works for TSN and it is his job to hype up the team this year, even by saying stupid things. I wouldn't be comparing this team's defence, which I have mostly liked other than turnovers, to probably the best defensive team that's ever played at the best on best level, Canada at the 2014 Olympics, quite yet. If this team can emulate the 2015 WJC Canadian team then that's more than enough.
 
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This team is best when they use their speed, athleticism, and depth to pepper the opponents with shots and cram in rebounds. I am not seeing the high end playmaking on a consistent basis that some other teams have had, so they are less than the sum of their parts when they try to be too fancy. Dach could've helped there, but puck control guys like Perfetti just aren't there yet....his best WJC is yet to come.

Still the overall quality on both ends is impressive, and the goalie has been a pleasant surprise so far.

When your best forwards(Cozens, Byfield) are also two way monsters it bodes well for you. There are no "snipers only" players like Kaliyev and Caufield on this roster. Guys like McMichael work hard all round. Makes it easy for an already solid D corps to be even more so.

Would like to see Byfield break out even more, though i am happy with his play overall, but even more would like to see guys like Newhook get into gear and start using his speed. With the possible exception of Sweden, I don't see any team's D being able to cope with Canada's speed if they get out of their own way and play uncomplicated hockey. They need to be playing checkers, not chess.
 
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It is definitely way to early to talk about this team being the "best" anything right now. They haven't had a real test to this point and that is where you determine what a team really is. Does this group have the potential to be that kind of team? Definitely. But before we even begin to talk about the 05 team you have the 15 team that was pretty god damn dominate as well. The real fun starts tomorrow and get to see what this group is made of.
 
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Dominance said:
One guy who has been getting no talk at all is Guhle. I said at the draft that there was no real gap between him and Sanderson. Playing at the same level of competition on the same ice, they look extremely similar with Guhle’s aggressiveness shining through in both physical play and some PIMs.
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Yeah he hasn't exactly had to do a lot but has impressed and stood out in certain moments. Looks a step ahead of someone like Schneider.
 
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Dominance said:
One guy who has been getting no talk at all is Guhle. I said at the draft that there was no real gap between him and Sanderson. Playing at the same level of competition on the same ice, they look extremely similar with Guhle’s aggressiveness shining through in both physical play and some PIMs.
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Yeah, outside of Drysdale, Guhle has impressed me the most out of the Canadian defenceman who were drafted this year. Solid all around.
 
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Dominance said:
One guy who has been getting no talk at all is Guhle. I said at the draft that there was no real gap between him and Sanderson. Playing at the same level of competition on the same ice, they look extremely similar with Guhle’s aggressiveness shining through in both physical play and some PIMs.
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I’ve liked his game as well.
 
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57special said:
Would like to see Byfield break out even more, though i am happy with his play overall, but even more would like to see guys like Newhook get into gear and start using his speed. With the possible exception of Sweden, I don't see any team's D being able to cope with Canada's speed if they get out of their own way and play uncomplicated hockey. They need to be playing checkers, not chess.
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I think that Newhook has looked good so far. One of the best skaters on the team, good hands, smart, competitive. It hasn't translated into chances consistently though despite his line usually looking good. He may break out before long, or he might end up as one of those guys (like Thomas in 2018 for instance) who look consistently good but never really have a breakout game. If Canada can get both Newhook and Byfield going things will look very promising.
 
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NyQuil said:
Sens of Anarchy said:
Masters: This is the best team Canada I've seen
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I knew Mark Masters looked young but I had no idea. ;)
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Indeed, this team is very strong, but it has to be 2005 for me. INSANE talent on that team: Canada U20 at eliteprospects.com

Plus they steamrolled the competition. The top teams they played were Sweden and Finland (in the round robin) and Russia (in the gold medal game). They beat Sweden and Finland 8-1 each, and Russia 6-1. Dominant.
 
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ponder said:
Indeed, this team is very strong, but it has to be 2005 for me. INSANE talent on that team: Canada U20 at eliteprospects.com

Plus they steamrolled the competition. The top teams they played were Sweden and Finland (in the round robin) and Russia (in the gold medal game). They beat Sweden and Finland 8-1 each, and Russia 6-1. Dominant.
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Yes. I doubt I will ever see a team THAT good, again. It was perfect storm of quality.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich said:
Does it not make sense to have given Garand the Switzerland game? If he’s going into next year as the likely starter, you’d have liked him to have gotten a start this year. It seems very shortsighted and poor planning to have Levi play against Switzerland. Canada will probably also be the only team to not give two goalies a start. The coach could risk running Levi into the ground with too much hockey in a short span.
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Levis had a couple games where he got like 15 shots combined lol hes not being overworked. I also dont think Garand getting a start and facing 10 shots is going to make Canada feel any better about his chances of playing well next year honestly
 
snipes said:
I don’t think so at all. Heavy forecheck necessarily mean dropping guys every hit, it’s more about the pressure it puts on opposing D men or puck carriers. The pressure leads to turnovers and poor puck decisions, especially at the junior level.

It’s a very different style of play than what Europeans teams use on big ice.

Of course skill wins out, that’s the point. Very heavy forechecking pressure and resultant turnovers are what allows our speed and skill to take over a game. I don’t think it’s overstated at all. Every time Canada has iced a gold winning team, we’ve been excellent with relentless forechecking pressure.
Click to expand...

I just don’t agree, nor do I truly see that from this team, but if that’s how you’re trying to define it now then I think this Canadian way has evolved drastically over the last 15 years.
 
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