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WJC: 2021 Team USA Roster Talk

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Pavel Buchnevich said:
Those are the only three I can think of.

I think it's a reach to claim Turcotte as Canadian. Alfie grew up in the USA. I don't know about his mother's side of the family, but most Americans or Canadians with an Italian or Irish ancestor from their grandparent and earlier ancestors in their family aren't considered Italian or Irish as opposed to Americans or Canadians. There aren't that many people nowadays in either country that are third-generation born in that country. Turcotte shouldn't be claimed as Canadian because his grandfather was Canadian. Sweden doesn't claim all these Minnesotan NHL'ers that had Swedish grandparents.
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Think you're missing the point It has nothing to do with granny and grampa. The USA can take advantage of the offspring of pro hockey players born in the USA even if Dad comes from Kenya. Counting the number of NHL and AHL teams it does represent an unusual advantage for the red white and blue. Just sayin'
 
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canuck2010 said:
Think you're missing the point It has nothing to do with granny and grampa. The USA can take advantage of the offspring of pro hockey players born in the USA even if Dad comes from Kenya. Counting the number of NHL and AHL teams it does represent an unusual advantage for the red white and blue. Just sayin'
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I was commenting specifically on that one player. I think Turcotte is far enough removed that you can’t claim the US gets an advantage because his grandfather is Canadian. The grandfather didn’t even play pro hockey. He could’ve easily moved back to Canada after college hockey, but didn’t.

I understand the point you are making. We get some benefit from it. There’s no doubt about that.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich said:
I was commenting specifically on that one player. I think Turcotte is far enough removed that you can’t claim the US gets an advantage because his grandfather is Canadian. The grandfather didn’t even play pro hockey. He could’ve easily moved back to Canada after college hockey, but didn’t.

I understand the point you are making. We get some benefit from it. There’s no doubt about that.
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Apologies don't want you to think I was getting snarky. I've never thought of Turcotte as anything but American. As well I should say that I have enjoyed your posts through this whole World Juniors, they have helped to make it a lot more fun.

Missy Franklin was Canadian too by the way lol. :D:D:D:D:D
 
I don't know what i am doing here. Waiting another underperforming and badly coached team, i guess. But anyway. Our group is going to be tough again.

Russia
Sweden
USA
Czech Republic
Austria

Unfortunately quarterfinal exit against Finland is real possibility...

I would like to see Motzko back. He has experience and good track record.
 
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ASPIFC said:
I don't know what i am doing here. Waiting another underperforming and badly coached team, i guess. But anyway. Our group is going to be tough again.

Russia
Sweden
USA
Czech Republic
Austria

Unfortunately quarterfinal exit against Finland is real possibility...

I would like to see Motzko back. He has experience and good track record.
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I think Wroblewski should be the coach. He did a great job with the 2001's, and is currently doing an even better job with the 2003's.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
I think Wroblewski should be the coach. He did a great job with the 2001's, and is currently doing an even better job with the 2003's.
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Wrobo is decent but he failed with U18 team last spring. I don't think he is even option because he is coaching NTDP.
 
Some of these posts in this thread. While I don't agree that this iteration is the gold medal favorite, they are likely a gold medal favorite. That's because there's basically 5 gold medal contenders every tournament and there are too many unknowns at this point for all teams to really get into more than that, but some of these comments are asinine. How you could look at that paper roster and say "unimpressive offense" is mind boggling. Whether it would be an impressive offense in terms of results is another thing. I get it that it's a bunch of Canadians in here to gloat, but you think after their team crashed and burned in the 2019 WJC only to turn around and win gold in 2020 they'd understand why USAH fans are enthused about the possibility of our 2020 WJC forward group with how many highly skilled returnees they'll have.
 
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Here goes a guess at a potential WJSS camp roster. A lot will change for these guys' chances in the next 4 months, but nonetheless:

Forwards (x24):

John Beecher
Matt Beniers
Brett Berard
Blake Biondi
Matthew Boldy
Thomas Bordeleau
Bobby Brink
Brendan Brisson
Cole Caufield
Judd Caulfield
John Farinacci
Sean Farrell
Avery Hayes
Arthur Kaliyev
Trevor Kuntar
Owen Lindmark
Robert Mastrosimone
Patrick Moynihan
Nick Robertson
Ty Smilanic
Luke Tuch
Alex Turcotte
Luke Toporowski
Trevor Zegras

Defense (x16):

Noah Ellis
Domenic Fensore
Drew Helleson
Ryan Johnson
Tyler Kleven
Jackson LaCombe
Case McCarthy
Mitch Miller
Eamon Powell
Jake Sanderson
Hunter Skinner
Jayden Struble
Henry Thrun
Jacob Truscott
Marshall Warren
Cam York

Goalies (x4):

Drew Commesso
Spencer Knight
Tucker Tynan
Dustin Wolf
​
Notes:
  • On paper, it should be - along with the other usual favorites - a gold medal favorite: a top-flight goalie, a potentially potent offense, and what should be a better puck moving defense than the 2020 team. There's a lot of variables in play for a paper roster becoming a good team though and I have little faith in USAH not screwing it up.
  • Obviously no Jack Hughes, but I don't think the odds are high we lose anyone else. It's possible as very few people expected we'd lose Farabee this time last year and I think a couple of these guys (i.e. Zegras, Turcotte, Caufield) could potentially play in the NHL next year but whether that's the right thing developmentally for them is another question. Anaheim and LA in particular are both atrocious, so unless they think another year of NCAA hockey would hurt them, why rush Zegras and Turcotte as the NHL teams will probably suck again next season? The challenge is there could be a lot of opportunity to make those teams, especially if those teams are big sellers are the deadline.
  • Should be a team dominated by '01s. I don't think there's more than a handful or so of '02s right now with more than a decent shot at making it. The '02 group isn't great but there are some '02s capable of being good players in this tournament, such as Beniers, Bordeleau, etc. And given how the '00s performed in the WJC, I doubt the '02s can do any worse. The real concern will be the 2021 WJC when the '02s need to carry the load.
  • Up front there's a lot of talent. Whether that ends up translating to a potent offense come tournament time only time will tell. One nice thing is there's less obvious grinders you just know USAH will want to force on the team like in years past. There are guys that may make it and play that role like Lindmark, Farinacci, etc. but they're good players.
  • On defense, it's a fairly wide open group. York is a lock and guys like Johnson and LaCombe have inside tracks, but then it's pretty wide open competition. The RHD will be interesting again. Unlike the 2019 team where there was an obvious lock (Emberson), there's not one for this team, although there are more options this go around (Ellis, Skinner, Helleson, McCarthy, Miller, Powell) than there were this past year where it was only really Emberson, Regula, and Wilde.
  • The two biggest names I've left off are probably Antonio Stranges and Alex Vlasic. Stranges is obviously very polarizing but after the bailed NTDP commitment and the Hlinka snub, I think it's unlikely he's here, although with his skill I think he should get a look. Vlasic is probably at camp but we're in big trouble if he's actually in contention for the team. He's big but soft, he's not a good skater, he can't play defense, and he has no offensive ability. If it wasn't for his name and pre-NTDP hype, no one would even consider him for the camp.
  • Other possible invitees:
    • Alex Gaffney, Ryder Rolston, Matthew Knies, Ryan Kirwan, Cross Hanas, Austen Swankler, Tanner Dickinson, Bear Hughes, Lukas Svejkovsky, Michael Koster, Brock Gould
    • It's harder for me to follow the CHL guys, so if someone has better insight into some of those names and whether they should be in play or not that'd be awesome.
  • My biggest concerns:
    • Coaching. We need a coach that builds a system for his players and doesn't try to force the players into his regular team's system. Thankfully Sandelin won't be back but to be honest I don't want an NCAA coach at all. Depending on how it shakes out, I wouldn't mind them tapping an unemployed NHL coach like they did Ron Wilson in 2016. Maybe a guy like Laviolette if he chooses not to take an NHL offer next season.
    • Center. Turcotte is obviously one of the top 2 centers, but if Zegras is at wing, who are the other scoring line centers? Some primary candidates are guys like Beecher, Brisson, and Bordeleau. Beecher is likely best suited for a 3rd line center role. Brisson will be 19 but we need to see him at a higher level first, so hopefully he can track like Pinto did. It's asking a lot for Bordeleau to center a scoring line as an 18 year old if they even consider him a center.
    • Do we get a true #1 defenseman? Unlike the 2019 WJC squad, I think there's a better chance for it happening as York has that potential. I'm sure some folks are weary since he barely played this tournament, but it wouldn't be much different than Charlie McAvoy who barely played in the 2016 WJC and then was huge in the #1 role at the 2017 WJC. They're very similar caliber players at the same age, although McAvoy was trending upward quickly in his 18/19 year old seasons, so hopefully York can as well.
 
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I don’t like it. He has the same type of reputation as Sandelin had. Gets good results with his system in college hockey. Doesn’t coach that many guys with real NHL potential. His teams at Providence are almost the exact opposite of what has success at the WJC. He also has a reputation of being very demanding with younger players.
 
clevelandcane said:
Do we like him for the WJC?
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He's had pretty great results in the NCAA. Built Union into a reputable program and turned Providence into a powerful program. But that doesn't necessarily mean results at the WJC.

I have similar thoughts as @Pavel Buchnevich. He's known for being a tactician highly focused on his defensive system. Can he adapt his (or a) system to the player pool he'll have here or will he try to force the players to play his normal system as Sandelin did to the detriment of the 2020 team? It's hard to get a random collection of players to do well in a system that doesn't fit them in just 2-3 weeks.

The latter is my concern with Leaman. I always worry about coaches that will have a level of talent at their disposal here that they'd never dream of having in their regular coaching job and not knowing what to do with it besides forcing it into their normal system. That's how you end up with guys like Trevor Zegras dominating but only getting 4th line minutes.

Hopefully Leaman - and USAH - learn that crucial lesson from Sandelin's failure in 2020. If I had my druthers USAH wouldn't have named an NCAA coach to change things up but the pickings are slim for American coaches when you rule out the NCAA.

I would have rather seen a highly experienced unemployed coach looking for a chance to get back in coaching, whether as an audition or just to relive that life for a short period (i.e. like Ron Wilson at the 2016 WJC) or an up-and-comer (i.e. Tri City's Anthony Noreen) who is probably aching for a showcase opportunity to audition for a promotion.

But given they rarely go outside the NCAA, there's an obvious up-and-comer leading Denver (David Carle) who would have been a really interesting choice. He'd be able to relate to the players in a way that others won't since he's only 30 and I think his style would translate well to a WJC tournament as well. I'm sure it's on a matter of time before he gets tapped for this tournament.

Leaman is one of the obvious choices if you're choosing from the NCAA ranks. And I hope he's far less stubborn than some of his predecessors and proves me wrong.
 
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William H Bonney said:
He's had pretty great results in the NCAA. Built Union into a reputable program and turned Providence into a powerful program. But that doesn't necessarily mean results at the WJC.

I have similar thoughts as @Pavel Buchnevich. He's known for being a tactician highly focused on his defensive system. Can he adapt his (or a) system to the player pool he'll have here or will he try to force the players to play his normal system as Sandelin did to the detriment of the 2020 team? It's hard to get a random collection of players to do well in a system that doesn't fit them in just 2-3 weeks.

The latter is my concern with Leaman. I always worry about coaches that will have a level of talent at their disposal here that they'd never dream of having in their regular coaching job and not knowing what to do with it besides forcing it into their normal system. That's how you end up with guys like Trevor Zegras dominating but only getting 4th line minutes.

Hopefully Leaman - and USAH - learn that crucial lesson from Sandelin's failure in 2020. If I had my druthers USAH wouldn't have named an NCAA coach to change things up but the pickings are slim for American coaches when you rule out the NCAA.

I would have rather seen a highly experienced unemployed coach looking for a chance to get back in coaching, whether as an audition or just to relive that life for a short period (i.e. like Ron Wilson at the 2016 WJC) or an up-and-comer (i.e. Tri City's Anthony Noreen) who is probably aching for a showcase opportunity to audition for a promotion.

But given they rarely go outside the NCAA, there's an obvious up-and-comer leading Denver (David Carle) who would have been a really interesting choice. He'd be able to relate to the players in a way that others won't since he's only 30 and I think his style would translate well to a WJC tournament as well. I'm sure it's on a matter of time before he gets tapped for this tournament.

Leaman is one of the obvious choices if you're choosing from the NCAA ranks. And I hope he's far less stubborn than some of his predecessors and proves me wrong.
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Sounds like a horrible choice to me then.
 
Beecher is said to be heading back to Michigan. There is a rumor he has been speaking to the Soo about playing in the OHL. Don’t know how true it is.
 
Leaman reassembling his 2015 staff that captured the NCAA championship. Familiarity for sure but makes me expect him to just force his Providence system on the WJC team.

Is Steve Miller just a full time assistant at this point?

Let's hope he's more effective this go around. He was responsible for our tournament worst PK (65%!) in 2020.
 
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Not impressed. I would like to see some fresh blood. Well Feaster is a new face but feels more like pr trick than anything else. Steve Miller track record after 2017 should not give him ''full time'' job.
 
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