Yeah, adding a small, offense only forward would cure what ails them. To be fair, I think Voit should have gotten more consideration but the main issue with this team is they are loose and so far poorly coached. The coaching staff thinks they are playing 4-D chess with their scheme but it's not panning out. It doesn't help we don't really have the goaltending to compensate.
Finished my thoughts in a sense about Drury. Why would he leave the Rangers ? Helped build a good team with Gorton. I like the idea of a younger hungry team executive that has a pulse on young players. Clearly the coaches don‘t have that pulse nor know how to manage their players during a game.
Was wondering about that. Would Portland's Jack O'Brien made a difference on this team?
Blais went from hero to goat though. The individual coach is important but so is team construction and execution. Our up and down performance at tournaments like this is really a commentary on the USNTDP in my opinion. I think we're at the stage where it's past it's apex and needs to be revaluated. It doesn't help that USA Hockey like so many similar bodies is a good old boy network.
Hmmmm...there IS a 3rd option available...Andrew Oke is 6-0 in his last 6 games in the high-scoring OHL with a 2.17GAA and a .917 save percentage over the last month and a half. Oh ya, from all accounts he also had a great camp with the Red Wings. He plays against other team's stars like Othman, Mesar, Sapovaliv on a weekly basis and completely outplayed Canada's #1 goalie (Gaudreau) in his last start in Sarnia. As I said in previous posts I'm of course biased because I'm a Saginaw fan but from what I've seen from the US goalies last year and this year, there's zero reason for him to be a healthy scratch when he will be one of the top goalies in the OHL next year on a great Saginaw team and should be the #1 option for the US next year. The CHL bias is real and it's an absolute joke that guys like Pastujov and Voit aren't on this team and that Oke is sitting every game in streetclothes.
Could the up and down performance simply reflect the fortunes of stronger and weaker birth years, relative to other countries? Shouldn't it almost be expected?
That can play a part. The U.S. isn't at the stage where every year is a golden generation. That said, something stinks at USA Hockey. The NTDP, the selection process for teams, the questionable coaching depth, goaltending going from a position of strength to a weakness, in game tactics, etc. This year's team (so far) is really a microcosm of all of these issues.
In past years Oke would likely be the starter. The U.S. used to rely on more of a CHL presence but with the advent of the USNTDP which is integrated with the USHL/NCAA those numbers have dipped. I think that's a problem.
While there is a pro-USNTDP "legacy" bias your point stands. It's not a great crop of young American goaltenders in development right now.
I guess the point I was making is a ton of money and effort is spent by USA Hockey developing goaltending talent and the results aren't really there currently. To be fair though the position overall has taken a hit. You see it from the NHL level down.
