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WC: 2024 Team USA

Rabid Ranger said:
It would be Matthews, Eichel, Miller, and Larkin up the middle for me. Play the likes of Hughes and Thompson on the wing.
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Yeah I don't think you give a 4th line player the Captaincy unless he's like a really old guy. I think if there's not an easy choice since most of the best players aren't NHL captains or are kinda young just give it to the oldest guy and then you can name a returnee amongst your best players the next time.
 
WarriorofTime said:
Yeah I don't think you give a 4th line player the Captaincy unless he's like a really old guy. I think if there's not an easy choice since most of the best players aren't NHL captains or are kinda young just give it to the oldest guy and then you can name a returnee amongst your best players the next time.
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Langenbrunner was our captain in 2010 and Larkin has been a far better offensive player overall. This is an all-star team, who cares if your 4th line ppg center is your captain.
 
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AmericanDream said:
Langenbrunner was our captain in 2010 and Larkin has been a far better offensive player overall. This is an all-star team, who cares if your 4th line ppg center is your captain.
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Langenbrunner was old guy captain.

You just don’t want to upset any egos. That’s why old guy captain is easier.
 
Of course it matters, these are high-end players with a lot of pride. They compete against each other season in and out. If there's not an easy choice, it's simplest to just pick an old guy since nobody can get offended. I went and looked back at prior years. Chelios made it easy enough.

1998 - 36 year old Chris Chelios
2002 - 40 year old Chris Chelios
2006 - 44 year old Chris Chelios
2010 - 34 year old Jamie Langenbrunner
2014 - 29 year old returnee Zach Parise (older skaters on roster were first timer Paul Martin and returner Brooks Orpik)

1996 - 28 year old Brian Leetch
2004 - 42 year old Chris Chelios
2016 - 32 year old Joe Pavelski (tied for oldest with a few others, could have gone back to Parise but Pavelski surpassed him as a player)

Larkin probably doesn't fit in as he will only be 29, and close in age with guys like Eichel, Matthews, M. Tkachuk without having accomplished anything NHL wise (Cup, etc.) or having been a big part of a previous Olympics or anything else to justify it.
 
With this squad, USA may even snatch that mighty bronze medal this year!

Jokes aside, I’m sure you will get at least 2-3 best on best eligible players and not getting into finals at least would be massive disappointment.
 
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AmericanDream said:
Larkin will be 30 years old by the time the Olympics roles around, he will be an "old guy" by then...
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Will need to see how roster shakes out, if it's like 2014 where they were shallow on anything 1976-1983 birth years then he could be an old guy, but they could have some candidates make it through as more obvious elder statesmen.
 
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WarriorofTime said:
Of course it matters, these are high-end players with a lot of pride. They compete against each other season in and out. If there's not an easy choice, it's simplest to just pick an old guy since nobody can get offended. I went and looked back at prior years. Chelios made it easy enough.

1998 - 36 year old Chris Chelios
2002 - 40 year old Chris Chelios
2006 - 44 year old Chris Chelios
2010 - 34 year old Jamie Langenbrunner
2014 - 29 year old returnee Zach Parise (older skaters on roster were first timer Paul Martin and returner Brooks Orpik)

1996 - 28 year old Brian Leetch
2004 - 42 year old Chris Chelios
2016 - 32 year old Joe Pavelski (tied for oldest with a few others, could have gone back to Parise but Pavelski surpassed him as a player)

Larkin probably doesn't fit in as he will only be 29, and close in age with guys like Eichel, Matthews, M. Tkachuk without having accomplished anything NHL wise (Cup, etc.) or having been a big part of a previous Olympics or anything else to justify it.
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Almost the entire squad for 2026 will be 30 and under. Patrick Kane being the only potential name above 34 on the team for forwards. Pavelski won't be there in 2 years no matter how much I hope so.

J.T Miller and Guentzel will be above 31 but outside of that maybe John Carlson as the only other name above 34 years old. This team will not be like those other teams at all.

Kane and Carlson as the only 2 players in contention above 33 years old to make this team. Unless I am missing someone...
 
AmericanDream said:
Almost the entire squad for 2026 will be 30 and under. Patrick Kane being the only potential name above 34 on the team for forwards. Pavelski won't be there in 2 years no matter how much I hope so.

J.T Miller and Guentzel will be above 31 but outside of that maybe John Carlson as the only other name above 34 years old. This team will not be like those other teams at all.

Kane and Carlson as the only 2 players in contention above 33 years old to make this team. Unless I am missing someone...
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Kreider - 1991 birth also in the mix. 34 years old for 2026 olympics. 7th in goals over last 3 seasons. Has also historically shown up for WC duty in the rare occasions he's not in the Playoffs.
 
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Nexon said:
With this squad, USA may even snatch that mighty bronze medal this year!

Jokes aside, I’m sure you will get at least 2-3 best on best eligible players and not getting into finals at least would be massive disappointment.
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I mean, this is the burden we bear as American hockey fans, at least at the senior level. We look to have a great team this year, but I can't help but feel the other shoe will inevitably drop. I hope I'm wrong!
 
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The good thing for Keller is his position is actually the weakest overall currently for USA Hockey. Solid depth but not a ton of high end players there. We are loaded at left wing.

Kaner being the other top dog at RW & who knows how he is viewed in 2026...Debrincat and Boeser the other top names...unless we move guys to RW like Hughes and Thompson or others play their off wing, does USA Hockey have the stones to keep the highest scoring natural rw off the Olympic roster??

I dunno, just gonna enjoy the talent showing up this year I guess lol!
 
WhiskeyYerTheDevils said:
With how (relatively) shallow we look at center, I wonder if they'll try Brady at C. He's great in the dot and has the size and skating power to potentially be an effective 2C, especially if we are nervous about trying Z at center (where think he's actually much better & more engaged).

You could try something like

Gaudreau - Larkin - Boldy
Caufield - Tkachuk - Farabee
Zegras - Pinto - Kunin
Lee - Nelson - Palmieri (lol probably not)
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Eh, Brady’s one of the best faceoff wingers in the league, but he doesn’t really play like a center on either end of the ice. (He’s not a strong skater with the puck, nor is he particularly defensively responsible)

I’d probably do what Edmonton did with Drai and McDavid a couple years ago where Brady takes the face offs and Zegras takes over the center responsibilities as soon as it’s over.
 
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Obvious Fabertism said:
Interested to see if they re-unite him with Boldy, an extremely lethal combo.
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I feel like you can prob run Boldy Zegras Caufield.... Putting guys that can score on zegras wing is a smart idea... its unfortunate anaheim would never dare do such a thing.

Granted i dont know Boldys game as much... is he good at puck retrieval, forecheck? Might be a little too soft of a line.... Tho i dont think zegras is as bad defensively as people make him out to be, i think its just the only thing they have on him so they hold on tight.
 
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mphmiles said:
Eh, Brady’s one of the best faceoff wingers in the league, but he doesn’t really play like a center on either end of the ice. (He’s not a strong skater with the puck, nor is he particularly defensively responsible)
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I tend to agree, but we could play him alongside an elite play driving winger like Gaudreau, he doesn't really need to do that much puck carrying. If Sean Monahan could get away with it, I'm sure Brady Tkachuk could very easily. And he's a much much better puck carrier and defensive player than Monahan.

Zegras - Larkin - Boldy
Gaudreau - Tkachuk - Caufield
mphmiles said:
I’d probably do what Edmonton did with Drai and McDavid a couple years ago where Brady takes the face offs and Zegras takes over the center responsibilities as soon as it’s over.
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I like that idea a lot

Gaudreau - Larkin - Boldy
Caufield - Zegras - Tkachuk

I think either of those setups could work. We just need to make sure we feel comfortable with having our 2C not be a full time NHL center. But I'd prefer that to forcing a bottom 6C into that role honestly.
 
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AmericanDream said:
The good thing for Keller is his position is actually the weakest overall currently for USA Hockey. Solid depth but not a ton of high end players there. We are loaded at left wing.

Kaner being the other top dog at RW & who knows how he is viewed in 2026...Debrincat and Boeser the other top names...unless we move guys to RW like Hughes and Thompson or others play their off wing, does USA Hockey have the stones to keep the highest scoring natural rw off the Olympic roster??

I dunno, just gonna enjoy the talent showing up this year I guess lol!
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I would be surprised if we take a bunch of small wingers or guys who play small. We'll have some, but competition is overloaded with Hughes, Debrincat, Keller, Kane, Gaudreau, Guentzel, etc. I would be surprised if we took more than 3 of those types given our depth and options.
 
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Zegs2sendhelp said:
I feel like you can prob run Boldy Zegras Caufield.... Putting guys that can score on zegras wing is a smart idea... its unfortunate anaheim would never dare do such a thing.

Granted i dont know Boldys game as much... is he good at puck retrieval, forecheck? Might be a little too soft of a line.... Tho i dont think zegras is as bad defensively as people make him out to be, i think its just the only thing they have on him so they hold on tight.
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Boldy was fantastic for some long stretches of this season, pretty much the entire middle half he was neck and neck with Kaprizov for impact. Puck retrievals are not a strength because he is only average for foot speed, but zone entries are a strength, so he very rarely even needs to be the one in on the forecheck. His board play itself is fantastic, along with his deft hands, he uses his reach masterfully, at both ends of the ice.

Boldy has been one of the best two way play drivers on the Wild since entering the league, and really has stepped into his own when he plays with confidence, he was absolutely electric with his net drives this season. I expect him to excel in this tournament with possessing the puck and generating consistent chances, as both a playmaker and shooting threat.
 
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William H Bonney said:
I would be surprised if we take a bunch of small wingers or guys who play small. We'll have some, but competition is overloaded with Hughes, Debrincat, Keller, Kane, Gaudreau, Guentzel, etc. I would be surprised if we took more than 3 of those types given our depth and options.
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Yeah, we have a lot of really good smaller forwards but I think we need to make sure we aren't over reliant on them. I think USA Hockey will have to balance loyalty and those that have come before like Kane, Gaudreau, Debrincat vs skill of Keller, Boeser, Guentzel who haven't shown up in years here.

Plus the unknown of the talented kids we have and what can happen in under 2 years time. Gauthier could be a beast next year. Beniers could put it together like Jack Hughes did in his 3rd season. Logan Cooley could be dominant...a lot of unknowns but if I even wanted to take a stab at the team of rewarding loyalty with talent. This would be my squad right now.

M. Tkachuk - Matthews - J. Hughes
Connor - Miller - Kane
B. Tkachuk - Eichel - Robertson
Boldy - Larkin - T. Thompson
Gaudreau/Boeser

Q. Hughes - Fox
Werenski - McAvoy
Slavin - Sanderson
L. Hughes - S. Jones

Hellboy
Oettinger
Demko

John Carlson could be there over Jones. Same as Faber. But the Hawks will be better next year and he will have some talent around him, he has shown up numerous times that has to count for something.

Swayman could make the goalies but still hasn't been true #1 with that split he has with Ulmark.

Forwards have a dozen plus names you can easily add as options. Tage Thompson has had a down year plus but has come multiple times prior...if he bounces back next year his size and versatility have to be there on this roster.

Boeser and his rebound year has to be looked closely at.

Guentzel always puts up points but not sure he should make it over others who have shown up for USA Hockey.

Same for Keller. Same for Trocheck.

Debrincat and Caufield both can be spark plug snipers out there, but we have plenty of options that can score the same and be better all around.

Zegras and Beniers...next year should be big years for both...
 
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How many opportunities has Guentzel had to say "no"? He's been in the Playoffs every year of his career besides last.
 
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