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2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup

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starkravingsabres said:
USA arguably the more talented team today? Sure. Against Finland, pretty even at best.

Americans were inferior at *team play* in both games. Solo efforts, hope passes, selfish penalties.

Think about Finland's play style - at most one solo move, then a crisp pass up-ice, lots of movement off the puck, lots of puck support offensively and defensively. I get that these teams are thrown together with minimal practice time to gel, but there wasn't nearly enough solid team play from our guys.
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Don’t forget that both games we lost we outshot the other team bringing their best roster pretty heavily. It’s not all doom and gloom.
 
Leviathan899 said:
You could take the USA NTDP team with the best players off this USA Hlinka team added to it, and Canada would steamroll them. The only country in this age group I think would stand a chance is Russia, and we won’t be seeing that for a while
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Shaugabay-Nelson-Whitelaw
Musty-Hendrickson-Moore
Erdmann-Terrance-McDonough
Sawchyn

Strathmann-McCarthy
Fischer-Minnetian
Cleveland-Tobey
Kinsmann

Augustine
Chambre

I think Canada would be better. We don’t have a Bedard, or probably even a Yager, in this age group, but it’d be a pretty deep team. A lot of these guys are good players. I doubt Canada would steamroll.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
Leonard-Smith-Perreault
Shaugabay-Nelson-Whitelaw
Musty-Hendrickson-Moore
Erdmann-Terrance-McDonough
Sawchyn

Strathmann-McCarthy
Fischer-Minnetian
Cleveland-Tobey
Kinsmann

Augustine
Chambre

I think Canada would be better. We don’t have a Bedard, or probably even a Yager, in this age group, but it’d be a pretty deep team. A lot of these guys are good players. I doubt Canada would steamroll.
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For sure, I shouldn’t have say they’d smash them as it would be close and both teams would be good, I just think this years Canadian class is very similar to how loaded the American NTDP 04’s were. Some really nice players on that American team you’ve listed. I do think the NTDP 05’s would be much stronger if they had Strathman and McCarthy on their roster.
 
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Leviathan899 said:
For sure, I shouldn’t have say they’d smash them as it would be close and both teams would be good, I just think this years Canadian class is very similar to how loaded the American NTDP 04’s were. Some really nice players on that American team you’ve listed. I do think the NTDP 05’s would be much stronger if they had Strathman and McCarthy on their roster.
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Jayson Shaugabay is another player I’m really surprised to see didn’t make this team. He completely tore up Minnesota high school hockey this past season and at the summer tournament last year he was the best of the American players, even though his stats didn’t look as great as some others like Terrance and Whitelaw.

But I agree with your general point. Canada is still better and produces better players. There’s absolutely a gap in the 2005’s from Canada and USA. It’s possible USA might be better in 2004, but the majority of age groups Canada will be better. I think USA has gotten good enough though that there aren’t very weak age groups anymore. People say the 2002’s aren’t good, but add Knies, Samoskevich, and Coronato to Beniers, Sanderson, Bordeleau, Faber, Kleven, and I think it starts to look not so bad. The US age groups are often judged too often on how they do at the Hlinka or U18’s, which is fair because those are the big tournaments for U18’s, but we don’t see the full group until U20’s for the World Juniors.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich said:
Jayson Shaugabay is another player I’m really surprised to see didn’t make this team. He completely tore up Minnesota high school hockey this past season and at the summer tournament last year he was the best of the American players, even though his stats didn’t look as great as some others like Terrance and Whitelaw.

But I agree with your general point. Canada is still better and produces better players. There’s absolutely a gap in the 2005’s from Canada and USA. It’s possible USA might be better in 2004, but the majority of age groups Canada will be better. I think USA has gotten good enough though that there aren’t very weak age groups anymore. People say the 2002’s aren’t good, but add Knies, Samoskevich, and Coronato to Beniers, Sanderson, Bordeleau, Faber, Kleven, and I think it starts to look not so bad. The US age groups are often judged too often on how they do at the Hlinka or U18’s, which is fair because those are the big tournaments for U18’s, but we don’t see the full group until U20’s for the World Juniors.
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I agree for sure, the American program has gotten very good, and it’s getting deeper and deeper. I’ve been to the last 6-7 select 15 festivals in Amherst and the talent pool is impressive, even if they don’t always get the selections completely right for the NTDP or Hlinka/5 nations teams. I remember during the u17’s of the 02 year when Canada had the likes of Perfetti, Byfield, Drysdale, etc, and they looked a lot better than the 02 NTDP team, but then you’re right, they didn’t have those other guys you mentioned and it wasn’t really noted at the time that the team would have looked much better if you had those guys. I almost feel the NTDP is a victim of its own success at times, with how deep the American talent pool has become, having one all star team isn’t as necessary as before maybe. Some top end guys might opt to play back in Minnesota or go to their own ushl, OHL, BCHL, etc team and be seen as the guy within a year or two. I do think if you combined the Hlinka and NTDP team this year like you did with that roster, they’d easily be the second best u18 team among the 05 age group. This Canadian group is just very good, one of the best Hlinka squads Canada has put together in sometime. But we’ll see how they do tonight and going forward.
 
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Leviathan899 said:
I agree for sure, the American program has gotten very good, and it’s getting deeper and deeper. I’ve been to the last 6-7 select 15 festivals in Amherst and the talent pool is impressive, even if they don’t always get the selections completely right for the NTDP or Hlinka/5 nations teams. I remember during the u17’s of the 02 year when Canada had the likes of Perfetti, Byfield, Drysdale, etc, and they looked a lot better than the 02 NTDP team, but then you’re right, they didn’t have those other guys you mentioned and it wasn’t really noted at the time that the team would have looked much better if you had those guys. I almost feel the NTDP is a victim of its own success at times, with how deep the American talent pool has become, having one all star team isn’t as necessary as before maybe. Some top end guys might opt to play back in Minnesota or go to their own ushl, OHL, BCHL, etc team and be seen as the guy within a year or two. I do think if you combined the Hlinka and NTDP team this year like you did with that roster, they’d easily be the second best u18 team among the 05 age group. This Canadian group is just very good, one of the best Hlinka squads Canada has put together in sometime. But we’ll see how they do tonight and going forward.
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It’s a good point and one I’ve thought about before. I don’t know if the right solution is a second NTDP team or completely getting rid of it, and letting the players filter through to other teams and leagues. I think its been around long enough that it’s time to revisit what is the best form of it.
 
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What the hell are those nhl.com commercials? I mean who still buys their catheters over the phone anyway...
 
vlady said:
Slovaks look tired. Third game in 3 days. Not cool
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Finland and Germany played 3 games in 3 days, too. As did Sweden, and Slovakia.

USA, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland got to play 3 games in 4 days.

Poor and unfair scheduling.
 
Antiillafire said:
Germany played 3 games in a row and played their best game vs Finland. This game is more of an indictment of the project and the lack of actual fundamental development happening there.
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Yeah, 3 games in 3 days isn't too big of a deal for juniors and happens at times at least in Swedish juniors. It's worse for goalies if they have to play all 3.

Still: Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, & Finland got boned by the schedule by having to play 3 in 3.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
Don’t forget that both games we lost we outshot the other team bringing their best roster pretty heavily. It’s not all doom and gloom.
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No doom and gloom at all.

This is our B squad. When they do well against the rest of the world's best at this tournament, it's a damn fine achievement. When they don't, I hope our kids think about how they could have been better, grit their teeth, get back to work, and resolve to show the world the winners they are in future events. They can start with the upcoming game for 5th place.

There's some decent talent on this team. Maybe if they had a few weeks to practice and scrimmage, get in some exhibition games, try different lines and pairings, identify the true #1 goalie, etc., they might have fared better.

But the other teams face the same challenges, and they were better these last 2 games. No shame in losing to the Finns and Czechs in single games.
 
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Do the Swiss still get a place in the tournament, when the russian come back?
 
Gauthier plays a very pro style game already, he’s a good player.
 
starkravingsabres said:
At least Sweden can hang with these guys. Don't think anyone else in either bracket can come close.
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Hopefully Finland can, but Finland lost 0-6 in pre-tournament so I guess I'll need to hope that Finland can break the shutout at least.
 
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