WJC: 2025 Team Canada Roster Talk

[Divine]

cowan was trash all game tonight

Name the players that were good all game tonight?

If you're going to replace Cowan, you need other players to be playing well... which they aren't.

 

[Mathieukferland]

600$ on the secondary market to watch Luca Pinelli skate into Berkly Catton and Gavin McKenna in transition, two meathead penalties at the end of the game, and continual play killing by Beaudoin, Gauthier and Cataford. I don’t like criticising the players, but it’s extremely frustrating to watch a team, even was as poorly selected and missing so many talented players as this, become the architects of their own downfall

I hope the team has Cole Eiserman shouting at them as a video reminder of what happens when you try to play like heroes


What I would fix


-Take Pinelli of the Catton line, he’s killing them
-Gauthier needs to come out, useless as penalty killer and a play killer 5v5
-Start the second powerplay unit, Cowan drives the first one straight into the wall
-Shorten the bench



Czechia is going to be hard and this smells like a quarterfinal exit

 

[McDrailers]

Hard to say if Martone will get another look this tournament. He certainly hasn’t given Cameron a good reason to play him. He was careless with the puck and wasn’t able to impact the game offensively when he was dressed. Cataford hasn’t been lighting the world on fire either, but can eat some minutes on the PK at least.

You just described Easton Cowen, I’d start with scratching him.

 

[DropIt]

Easton Cowan is going to make one hell of a 13th forward in the NHL

 

[therealdeal]

The problem is there is no player playing well. You can rag on Cowan all you want, but I can’t name a player in the lineup I would be putting out to drive play, make smart plays, never mind put a puck in the net.

There’s no confidence, no good lines, no dependable d-pair, no drive to the net. Tough year for the boys, I hope they’re not reading social media.

 

[Woodrow]

Was Nadeau hurt or benched in the third period? I noticed he only played 2:28 and didn't take a shift on the 1st powerplay late in the game.

 

[McDrailers]

in memory this is the hardest team Canada to watch at the WJs since the 2013 RNH lead team.

 

[Divine]

in memory this is the hardest team Canada to watch at the WJs since the 2013 RNH lead team.

And they still likely win gold if they stay out of the penalty box.

No even-strength goals in all of the preliminary games. Don't average more than 5 penalties a game though.

 

[McDrailers]

And they still likely win gold if they stay out of the penalty box

If they win gold I’ll be coming to you for advice on who to put money on to win the Stanley cup.

 

[Woodrow]

You just described Easton Cowen, I’d start with scratching him.

Cowan had the most ice time of any Canadian forward. They ain't scratching him.

 

[Divine]

If they win gold I’ll be coming to you for advice on who to put money on to win the Stanley cup.

They haven't allowed a goal even-strength in all the preliminary games. They just got to stop taking penalties.

The refs aren't letting them hit at all, so just go out there and play shinny.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The problem is there is no player playing well. You can rag on Cowan all you want, but I can’t name a player in the lineup I would be putting out to drive play, make smart plays, never mind put a puck in the net.

There’s no confidence, no good lines, no dependable d-pair, no drive to the net. Tough year for the boys, I hope they’re not reading social media.

That is the thing that is crazy to me...like Cowan had a really bad game....along with a lot of other players that had really bad games. But he is a lightning rod at this point.

 

[McDrailers]

Cowan had the most ice time of any Canadian forward. They ain't scratching him.

And there in lies the problem with this years roster.

 

[Mehar]

This coaching/management staff is absolutely horrid. big changes need to come after this tournament ends which will likely be to the Czechs

This management staff learned nothing from the QF loss last year against the Czechs. You look at some of the more talented players that were left off this team in the "name of Grit", and you just shake your head. I feel bad for all the Canadian fans who paid top dollar today for their tickets to watch this debacle.

 

[canucksfan]

When’s the last time Canada didn’t make the semi finals in back to back years?

 

[JackSlater]

Canada has the same weaknesses as it did at the beginning of the tournament, and the shameful lack of discipline is a new wrinkle that has crept up. Same strengths... or strength... too, to be fair. I fully expect Cameron and Anholt to wave away the problems again when interviewed and say that everything is fine. The way that Hockey Canada is constructing these teams is awful and that the team sometimes wins in spite of that does not make it acceptable. There was no need to bring Cameron back, and Anholt is a moron, and we know that Salmond doesn't have a clue.

Canada still plays with an amazing lack of cohesion on offence as well as a clear lack of creativity. You can only score a limited number of goals from a high number of long bad angle shots. It maybe isn't shocking that the two most talented forwards, McKenna and Catton, tend to generate the most dangerous chances. The lower end forwards mostly lack an identity and are pretty pointless on the team. Beaudoin has been ok and Luchanko looks a lot better than he did early on but that's the best you can say. Schaefer being out is a big problem. Ritchie and Cowan are nice depth options but are sub standard for first line threats. Dickinson is very clearly not as good as Schaefer, regardless of how many points he has in London, and is too slow in his decision making and in reacting to players blowing by him.

I am sure I am in the minority but I do think that this team is salvageable. It is still important that this team does defend very well at even strength and that George is a good goaltender. Honestly I do not think that any team is all that difficult in this tournament. Canada faced early versions of Czechia and Sweden before the tournament and they weren't that noteworthy, Finland was not so good, and really USA wasn't either. I'd say that Canada outplayed USA at even strength and I'd give good odds in a rematch. Of course Canada can lose to any of those teams, but a narrow path is there.

I can't pretend to know what they can fix in such a short span. Look to build on strengths mainly. The team is defending well at even strength and will need to ride that. Catton and McKenna are threatening, so get them a RW who can complement them and let Pinelli take the role he was destind for all along as a sparkplug fourth liner. Cameron is scratching the RW who makes the most sense in that role. The idiotic penalties need to stop. They aren't even penalties derived from playing hard, most of the penalties against USA were completely avoidable idiocy. It's a sad state of affairs but Canada can beat any team in this tournament if it stays out of the penalty box. The Ritchie line isn't especially threatening, so I'd honestly divide ice time more evenly so that the team can at least consistently play a high pressure game with fresh skaters, maybe some extra time to Catton's line.

When’s the last time Canada didn’t make the semi finals in back to back years?

Never.

 

[Throttlehead]

Cowan had the most ice time of any Canadian forward. They ain't scratching him.

And they ain't winning.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

And there in lies the problem with this years roster.

All comes down to an idiot coach. With Cowans style of play, he should be one of the more popular players on the team. If he was being used to best utilize his skill set. He is one of the best penalty killers in the CHL....isn't being used on the PK at all but is being asked to be the primary puck carrier on the 1st line and 1st PP unit. He should be a 3rd line energy guy....maybe a puck retrival guy on a scoring line and one of your first PK over the board....instead we get this lol

 

[Czechboy]

View attachment 954320600$ on the secondary market to watch Luca Pinelli skate into Berkly Catton and Gavin McKenna in transition, two meathead penalties at the end of the game, and continual play killing by Beaudoin, Gauthier and Cataford. I don’t like criticising the players, but it’s extremely frustrating to watch a team, even was as poorly selected and missing so many talented players as this, become the architects of their own downfall

I hope the team has Cole Eiserman shouting at them as a video reminder of what happens when you try to play like heroes


What I would fix


-Take Pinelli of the Catton line, he’s killing them
-Gauthier needs to come out, useless as penalty killer and a play killer 5v5
-Start the second powerplay unit, Cowan drives the first one straight into the wall
-Shorten the bench



Czechia is going to be hard and this smells like a quarterfinal exit

I was at the other arena a few days ago. Ottawa is a great host. Hope you had fun. Thursday will suck for both of us.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

 

[OilersFanatics505]

Cowan had the most ice time of any Canadian forward. They ain't scratching him.

That’s not the flex you’re making it out to be…

 

[TonsofPuppies]

My 6 second review of this edition of Team Canada:

 

[therealdeal]

That is the thing that is crazy to me...like Cowan had a really bad game....along with a lot of other players that had really bad games. But he is a lightning rod at this point.

This team is so much less than the sum of their parts. Like way less.

 

[Woodrow]

That’s not the flex you’re making it out to be…

To be clear I am not a Cowan fan. I was just pointing out that there is no way they are going to scratch him.

 

[Captain Mountain]

This management staff learned nothing from the QF loss last year against the Czechs. You look at some of the more talented players that were left off this team in the "name of Grit", and you just shake your head. I feel bad for all the Canadian fans who paid top dollar today for their tickets to watch this debacle.

Forget left off the team, the talent they didn't even bother inviting to camp is ridiculous.