WJC: 2023 Team USA Roster Talk

[SanDogBrewin]

Middlestat couldn't have made a better pass. Right on the tape for a short handed goal.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Tick Tack Toe!

 

[Lockin17]

Danm that first line is killing it , Love Gauthier.
Phily draft a great power forward

Hughes looks pretty solid and calm..

 

[William H Bonney]

Nice to see Stramel pot another one. It'll be nice to have him going into the tournament with confidence.

Top line looks locked in. It's a bit of a risk to not have Gauthier in his best position but as long as they're going like they are you have to keep that line together.

Lucius was skating much better that period.

Duke needs to show more as one of our veteran players who's having a great start to the NCAA season. The only time he's been noticeable is for all the wrong reasons.

I wonder how serious the coaching staff is considering a 12f/8d lineup come tournament time. Laba and Lipkin clearly look like extras to start, and I'd rather have Casey or Mittelstadt on the ice over them.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

More passing galore.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Cooley showing off the wheels.

 

[William H Bonney]

Overall, you have to be happy with how they played in the exhibitions, and not just because they won both comfortaby. The top guys looked like the top guys, some of the depth guys (i.e., Stramel) showed well, and the defensemen looked good in spite of the size concerns.

Need to see more out of guys like Duke, Behrens, and McGroarty. Duke is 19 and playing well with Michigan, Behrens is 19, a returnee, and NCAA champion, and McGroarty is getting top six minutes but struggling to keep up with the play.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

He had like 3 or 4 but ya it doesn’t look like he’s gonna be in the lineup. Oh well should be able to play a prominent role next year.

Not playing Casey is a mistake IMO. He's been excellent every chance he's gotten.

 

[king89]

More passing galore.

Don't tell me thats the offical USA goal song lol

 

[cmcneil02]

What’s the final score?

 

[My3Sons]

Not playing Casey is a mistake IMO. He's been excellent every chance he's gotten.

He's behind Huges and Ufko on the right side. He's not the same sort of defender as Chesley so I don't see them as overlap. He's not going to unseat Hughes and he's younger than Ufko who probably gets the edge on the age factor. Casey looked solid to my eyes in this game but it's hard to say he has to play over anyone else. His day will come and this experience will still be valuable to him.

 

[ORRFForever]

What’s the final score?

I THINK it was 5-1.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

He's behind Huges and Ufko on the right side. He's not the same sort of defender as Chesley so I don't see them as overlap. He's not going to unseat Hughes and he's younger than Ufko who probably gets the edge on the age factor. Casey looked solid to my eyes in this game but it's hard to say he has to play over anyone else. His day will come and this experience will still be valuable to him.

I would move Luke back to his natural side to accomodate for our strength there.

Hughes - Casey
Hutson - Ufko
Peart/Behrens/Mittlestadt - Chesley

 

[My3Sons]

I would move Luke back to his natural side to accomodate for our strength there.

Hughes - Casey
Hutson - Ufko
Peart/Behrens/Mittlestadt - Chesley

he really does like the offside. I am skeptical NJ uses him in that role. I'm sure they will let him try but the disadvantage probably shows at the NHL level.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Behrens didn't look like he could defend a single 1 on 1 today.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

he really does like the offside. I am skeptical NJ uses him in that role. I'm sure they will let him try but the disadvantage probably shows at the NHL level.

I think Casey can play on his left side, so that's an option as well. Both guys are such great skaters I don't think it matters all that much.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Didn't realize there were 3 defenseman on that PK.

 

[mphmiles]

Pleasantly surprised with the coaching in the exhibition. Looks like they know they have a bunch of fast, skilled, smaller defensemen that like to handle the puck and jump up in the play, and they're being encouraged to play that way.

 

[Wildabeast]

Cooley is always two steps ahead mentally when he's out there. Ridic skill-set and mental processing. The Cooley / snuggy combo is perfection. One thing about Cooley is he needs to get a little stronger to get his shot over the hump, and he will start potting a lot more goals. Has good hand-eye on one timers, and gets in good spots to rip it, but just lacking that extra oompf to take advantage in super tight windows.

 

[SK94]

I have a feeling that Cooley is going to have a similar first seasons in the NHL as Clayton Keller.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Cooley is always two steps ahead mentally when he's out there. Ridic skill-set and mental processing. The Cooley / snuggy combo is perfection. One thing about Cooley is he needs to get a little stronger to get his shot over the hump, and he will start potting a lot more goals. Has good hand-eye on one timers, and gets in good spots to rip it, but just lacking that extra oompf to take advantage in super tight windows.

He's gonna be a handful in a few years, kinda like a poor man's Jack Hughes.

 

[Zero Pucks Given]

I just want us to not get knocked out of the tournament Czech-mate style again

That was pretty embarassing

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I just want us to not get knocked out of the tournament Czech-mate style again

That was pretty embarassing

It seems like the coaching staff has a strong handle on the strengths of this team and have devised and are executing a pretty good game plan. I wasn't super bullish on this group coming in but the sum may be greater than the individual parts.

 

[canuck2010]

It seems like the coaching staff has a strong handle on the strengths of this team and have devised and are executing a pretty good game plan. I wasn't super bullish on this group coming in but the sum may be greater than the individual parts.

Agree and I find that is often the case with the US. Helps that these guys play together so often but it also points out something else to me. It's a very professional approach. Each player buys into his role, plays solid hockey and does what the coaches and the game plan calls for. I like it.

 

[William H Bonney]

My confidence in the team has definitely gone up based on the exhibition games. A bit of a mix between how the competition looked and how the team itself looked. That said, exhibition games don't mean that much.

We're relying on a young forward group, so chemistry and a couple of '03 forwards rising to the occasion are going to be important to our depth scoring.

Augustine would be my starter in goal as he's the best of the bunch even though he's 17, but Mbereko is thankfully having his first good season as junior, so we at least have options. I imagine we'll see those two rotate unless/until someone takes (or loses) their opportunity.

I've liked the coaching staff's approach thus far, and there were some promising signs from some second tier guys (i.e., Stramel, Ufko) in the exhibitions.

Canada is still the clear favorite on paper, but their team has some question marks, too, and the other top teams aren't that impressive on paper this tournament (which only matters to an extent). The tournament has the makings of a fun one with how wide open it feels given the makeups and question marks of the teams.