I was going to ask, PB, why wasn't James Hagens playing?
College players weren’t allowed, so no Hagens, Hensler, Potter, Vansaghi, Rheaume-Mullen.
The whole way they organized these exhibitions doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s not a true USA vs. Canada best on best for a draft.
Do I think Canada wins anyway? Yeah, they probably just have a better 2025 crop, but the way they’ve organized it sees like half of the best American prospects for 2025 not playing.
For instance, this would likely be an approximation of the best USA lineup of 2025 draft eligibles (to mimic pretty much what I think the Canadian team is compromised of):
Mooney-Hagens-Murtagh
Kevan-Potter-Moore
Simpson-McKinney-Fondrk
Belle-O’Neill-Vansaghi
Moe
Rombach-Hensler
Barnett-Amico
DRM-Trethewey
Fiddler
Quinlan
Boettiger
Cameron
So this is hypothetically my best team of American 2025 eligibles. 12 of 23 of them played for the USA yesterday (Fiddler played for team CHL even though he played for USA at the Hlinka, don’t ask me how that happens).
And Team Canada is probably even better. But 5-4 better, not 5-1 better. If they want to put forth a serious best on best for draft eligibles every year, they have to actually do so as opposed to this half ass exhibition that is going to see Canada win easily virtually every single time.