World Cup: 4 Nations Tournament- Team USA (2025)

[mphmiles]

Was just listening to a finnish podcast where Kimmo Timonen came up with a line of Tkachuk - Matthews - Tkachuk and instantly thought that Eichel would sound better with the brothers, seems like im not alone.

Strongly agree with you that Jack Hughes should play wing, and strongly disagree with you that Kyle Connor is 13th forward, just swap jack to RW and replace Boeser or Keller with Connor. To me it's very obvious that Connor is the best out of Connor/Keller/Boeser.

On D: I would pick Pesce or Sanderson over Carlson.

Edit:

Hughes - Matthews - Connor
Tkachuk - Eichel - Tkachuk
Guentzel - Larkin - Keller
Robertson - Trocheck - Boldy

Replaced Miller with Larkin because not sure if hes available, any good?

Larkin at wing solves some deployment issues IMO. Of the projected wingers here, none of them PK more than a little here and there, so Larkin at wing gives you one. (And the team would likely still need someone else like Miller, Kreider, or Tuch who also PK's) With the forwards projected here, you're looking at 3 C's all playing PK along with one winger who doesn't really have any experience there, which would be a bit of a mess.

If we're worried about Hughes and face-offs, you could pair him with Miller or Larkin, have Hughes play C, and just have one of them take the face-offs.

 

[gritdash60]

Larkin at wing solves some deployment issues IMO. Of the projected wingers here, none of them PK more than a little here and there, so Larkin at wing gives you one. (And the team would likely still need someone else like Miller, Kreider, or Tuch who also PK's) With the forwards projected here, you're looking at 3 C's all playing PK along with one winger who doesn't really have any experience there, which would be a bit of a mess.

If we're worried about Hughes and face-offs, you could pair him with Miller or Larkin, have Hughes play C, and just have one of them take the face-offs.

Yeah well i did put Larkin as 3C, also if lets say Hughes and Larkin were on the same line i think Larkin would do better as C than Hughes and also i think Hughes would be a better winger than Larkin. Playing Larkin on the wing is something i would love to see if he doesn't get a C spot, but somehow i feel like hes either 3C or 4C or not on the team (and im a Wings fanboy).

Miller will be a big loss if isn't available, which is the reason i edited the roster to have Larkin in the first place to the roster posted by MarkT. Now that you mentioned Tuch he might be a better replacement for Miller than Larkin. Good point about the PK.

 

[MarkT]

Was just listening to a finnish podcast where Kimmo Timonen came up with a line of Tkachuk - Matthews - Tkachuk and instantly thought that Eichel would sound better with the brothers, seems like im not alone.

Strongly agree with you that Jack Hughes should play wing, and strongly disagree with you that Kyle Connor is 13th forward, just swap jack to RW and replace Boeser or Keller with Connor. To me it's very obvious that Connor is the best out of Connor/Keller/Boeser.

On D: I would pick Pesce or Sanderson over Carlson.

Edit:

Hughes - Matthews - Connor
Tkachuk - Eichel - Tkachuk
Guentzel - Larkin - Keller
Robertson - Trocheck - Boldy

Replaced Miller with Larkin because not sure if hes available, any good?

Yeah I'm flexible with the wings for sure. Those lines look fine to me. Also, if Miller isn't available Larkin definitely gets his spot. I really like your third line there too.

As for D, the reason I went with Carlson over other options is his veteran experience and ability to play big minutes. Also, he's a righty, which is why he's on the team for me rather than Sanderson (who is #7 on my list ahead of McAvoy).

 

[mphmiles]

As for D, the reason I went with Carlson over other options is his veteran experience and ability to play big minutes.

Do we want Carlson playing big minutes on this team?

 

[Northerner]

Lol you people (oops, I said YOU PEOPLE LOL) want this team super young. What would be the average age of some your prospective lineups?

I say a nice, big, gritty, veteran line of Thompson, Nelson and Lee on that 4th line would go a long way.

 

[MNRube]

M.Tkachuk-Eichel-Boldy
B.Tkachuk-Matthews-****
Hughes-Larkin-Connor
Guentzel-Thompson-Tuch
**** Caufield, Robertson, DeBrincat, Keller the options to take what was JT Miller’s spot. I’d probably go with Keller.

Slavin-Fox
Hughes-Faber
Werenski-McAvoy/Carlson

*Little worried about the fact our Top 2 RHD in Fox & McAvoy are struggling.

*I think you split up the Tkachuks at first and put them together if we find a grinding game below the dots is effective in this format.

 

[SillyRabbit]

I was pencilling in McAvoy to partner with Hughes for a while now but really feels like Faber has supplanted him.

McAvoy has not played well.

US has two #1 defensive pairings in contrast to Canada where Toews-Makar is clearly #1.

Wonder how they'll end up deploying the pairings and whether they'll pair Hughes and Fox for PP1.

 

[MarkT]

Do we want Carlson playing big minutes on this team?

Not necessarily, but you never know in tournaments like this. The fact that he often plays big minutes no matter who is coaching the team tells me he's trusted in tons of situations. He's also a cup winner and has lots of playoff experience. I think with a D that includes Hughes, Fox and Faber, it's good to have some true veterans as well in case the young guys falter.

 

[therocket9]

Caufield first line for sure ....leads all USA players with 16 goals.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Caufield first line for sure ....leads all USA players with 16 goals.

He may very well make the team.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Very deep US pool of players there will be some really good players left off the team.

Tkachuk Matthews Caufield
Guentzel Eichel Connor
Boldy Hughes Tkachuk
Kreider Larkin Nelson


Hughes McAvoy
Slavin Fox
Werenski Faber
McDonagh

Hellebuyck
Oettinger
Swayman


Young players get less rope to not play themselves off the team, and more to prove to play themselves off the team vs proven experienced players.

I have the following players switched compared to not long ago.

In- Guentzel; Out- Robertson
In- Boldy; Out- Miller (status uncertain otherwise is a lock)
In- Caufield; Out- Keller
In- Werenski; Out- Sanderson

 

[KillerMillerTime]

from NHL.com
View attachment 925721
View attachment 925722


not at all

Finns B team top line would something like: Kakko-Haula-Armia
Czechs B would have fringe NHLers on their top line, the rest would be non-NHLers

Swedes would be stronger be nothing like Canada/US

Boldy isn't being left off, laughable.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Boldy isn't being left off, laughable.

Yeah, he's had a great year, was great at the WCs, and Guerin is involved.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Or I'll go a step further. Throw another massive, veteran Minnesotan/Islander on that fourth line:

Brock Nelson.

This tourney could have had 2 US Teams and 2 Canadian Teams of equal talent and been showcased in Toronto, Chicago and New York in addition to Montreal\Boston

 

[KillerMillerTime]

This tourney could have had 2 US Teams and 2 Canadian Teams of equal talent and been showcased in Toronto, Chicago and New York in addition to Montreal\Boston

USA Team 1

G - Hellybuyck - Demko - Lindgren

LD - Slavin, Sanderson, Werenski
RD - Fox, McAvoy, Jones - Roy

C - Eichel - Larkin - Thompson -Trocheck
LW- Tkachuk - DeBrincat - Robertson - Krieder - Moore
RW - Connor - Kane - Tuch - Keller

USA Team 2

G - Swayman - Oettinger Daccord

LD - Q. Hughes - Vlasic - McDonough - Hanifin
RD - Faber - Carlson - Pesce

C - Matthews - Hughes - Miller - Nelson
RW - Knies - Tkachuk - Boeser - Palmieri -Terry
LW - Guentzel - Noesen - Caufield - Lee

I am sure I missed 4F like Noris, Garland and 4D like Carlo and Anderson that could be on team as spares.

 

[Vilica]

I'm not that enamored of Carlson going, would rather him get some rest instead, but I can see USA choosing him for his PKing. All of Fox, McAvoy, and Faber are just under 2 minutes/game, Quinn Hughes doesn't PK, both Slavin and Carlson are above 3 minutes/game on highly ranked PKs. That could let them orient the other 2 right D more towards offensive deployment and less time on the PK, instead of trying to split it evenly.

 

[therocket9]

USA Team 1

G - Hellybuyck - Demko - Lindgren

LD - Slavin, Sanderson, Werenski
RD - Fox, McAvoy, Jones - Roy

C - Eichel - Larkin - Thompson -Trocheck
LW- Tkachuk - DeBrincat - Robertson - Krieder
RW - Connor - Kane - Tuch - Keller

USA Team 2

G - Swayman - Oettinger Daccord

LD - Q. Hughes - Vlasic - McDonough - Hanifin
RD - Faber - Carlson - Pesce

C - Matthews - Hughes - Miller - Nelson
RW - Knies - Tkachuk - Boeser - Palmieri
LW - Guentzel - Noesen - Garland - Lee

I am sure I missed 4F like Noris, Trevor Moore and 4D like Carlo and Anderson that could be on team as spares.

Caufield leads all USA players this year with 16 goals and has a long history playing in international tournaments....U 17 U 18 twice U 20 and world championships last year.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Caufield leads all USA players this year with 16 goals and has a long history playing in international tournaments....U 17 U 18 twice U 20 and world championships last year.

Yup he would absolutely be on one of the two lineups somewhere on top 3 lines on either team. As far as February, I think he doesn't quite make the cut.

I'll edit above.

 

[MOGlLNY]

I don’t think Thompson or Caufield are gonna make the team based on that new Guerin article

 

[Northerner]

This tourney could have had 2 US Teams and 2 Canadian Teams of equal talent and been showcased in Toronto, Chicago and New York in addition to Montreal\Boston

Now that USA is pulling from the Deep South, it's stronger than ever. Canada could have 3 teams IMO, and MN could have their own team.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I don’t think Thompson or Caufield are gonna make the team based on that new Guerin article

Do you have a link?

 

[mphmiles]

Just my opinion, and I love Cole, but I wouldn't overreact to a guy on a 25% shooting bender through 24 games who doesn't bring a lot else to the team.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Just my opinion, and I love Cole, but I wouldn't overreact to a guy on a 25% shooting bender through 24 games who doesn't bring a lot else to the team.

He's a very good goal scorer but the thing is this team will have several gifted in that area and those guys will be bigger and stronger which seems to be a priority. I'm concerned if Miller is a no go. If he is, I wouldn't be surprised if a guy like Brock Nelson makes the team.

 

[mphmiles]

He's a very good goal scorer but the thing is this team will have several gifted in that area and those guys will be bigger and stronger which seems to be a priority. I'm concerned if Miller is a no go. If he is, I wouldn't be surprised if a guy like Brock Nelson makes the team.

Yeah, I've long thought Miller is a huge linchpin for this team- as he's one of only a couple high skill guys that can play winger that also have a ton of PK experience. If he's there, you can afford to bring another talented offensive forward because that role is covered.

If he's not, you're looking at bringing a PK specialist instead and leaving a guy like Keller, Robertson, or Guentzel at home.

 

[William H Bonney]

This is the team I'd choose as of now. A gold medal favorite no doubt, although Canada is the team to beat in best-on-best until someone else proves otherwise. Nevertheless, if this team doesn't win gold, it's a USAH failure. I look forward to how USAH will probably do something inevitably stupid and overthink this.

Forwards (x13):

Kyle Connor - Jack Eichel - Matt Boldy
J.T. Miller - Auston Matthews - Matthew Tkachuk
Jack Hughes - Dylan Larkin - Alex Tuch
Brady Tkachuk - Vincent Trocheck - Jake Guentzel
Brock Nelson

Defense (x7):

Quinn Hughes - Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin - Adam Fox
Ryan McDonagh - Brock Faber
John Carlson

Goalies (x3):

Connor Hellebuyck
Jake Oettinger
Jeremy Swayman
​

Forwards:

• There is no need to go small here with the rest of the picks. Take the most elite small guy (Hughes) and the most proven clutch performer (Guentzel) and stop. If Kane was still prime he'd be here too. And I think USAH in their hearts wants him here, but it's too much of a stretch.​
• There are plenty of USAH teams in the past that would have needed more small guys like Keller, Caulfield, Debrincat, etc. either but this isn't one of those teams.​
• For now, I'm including Miller because if he's back in time and game shape, he has to be on the team. By all reports, it seems like that's the plan, so name him now, and if he remains out, replace him later. If we do lose him, it's a huge loss.​
• Other forwards I think are probably in some consideration: Kreider, Thompson, Boeser, Robertson, Caufield, Keller, Debrincat, Cooley, Garland, Mittelstadt, Rust, etc.​
• Kreider, Boeser, and Robertson were all guys I've had on prior iterations of my team and not now. I just don't see how you can justify Roberston if he's not playing at his best given his heavy feet. Boeser would normally make our teams but we have plenty of goal-scoring and can choose more versatile guys over him. Kreider is the one who I think should be most likely to still make it. Yes, he's had a slow start, but he's got size, and speed, can play the PK and PP, and can fit into almost any role you need.​
• For now, I've gone center heavy (8 guys who could play center) but ideally, you don't have Hughes or Thompson do it, and versatile guys are key and we have plenty.​
• I fully expect at least one veteran will make it and cause a lot of people to cry foul. I have Nelson as that guy (although he's a worthy selection). I just hope it's a guy like Nelson and not someone more off-the-wall like Copp, Hartman, Rust, etc. Nothing will top the off-the-wall picks of the past, right? Right?​

Defense:

• The choices are hard here. Faber and Slavin should be locks. And after that, you can go so many different ways.​
• There are a lot of other guys you can make cases for to be on this team: Werenski, Hanifin, Pionk, Sanderson, Vlasic, Pesce, etc.​
• I'd be pretty surprised if there's not at least 1 veteran of prior "top" USAH squads here. Carlson and McDonagh are the clear standout options in that category. Right now I have both here because they're both top players, and I think USAH loves deferring to experience. McDonagh can anchor a PK tandem and bring a steady veteran presence to a young pair partner. And Carlson because he's a veteran, well-rounded, and a top 4 American RHD.​
• Werenski is hard to leave off. I went back and forth with putting him over McDonagh or Carlson. That's probably more likely to happen. But I suspect USAH may lean toward the veteran, experienced, defensive defenseman over the highly offensive rover in Werenski because Guerin has talked endlessly about certain players making it for certain roles, the defense isn't hurting for offensive weapons, and if you have Werenski playing a regular shift, you want him with a steady stay-at-home guy like if we had a right-handed Slavin (maybe Pesce if he had more time to rebound). That said, I think a Werenski - Faber third pairing is a strong pairing, too, and I wouldn't be mad if that happens.​
• Hanifin and Sanderson have been boutique picks in a lot of mocks I've seen (including some of my prior iterations), but I question whether they'll get the nod. They are both very similar players and one of them could easily find their way here. Neither is a PP guy at this level nor are they top PK options, either -- at least yet. They're well-rounded players no doubt, but this team isn't hurting for the well-rounded defenseman, and I suspect the staff is going to lean more toward guys who excel at a specific role a la defensively (Slavin, McDonagh) or offensively (Werenski).​

Goalies:

• Helle and Otter are the most obvious of obvious picks.
• It's too bad Demko has been out so long and Swayman is having a very slow start after his holdout, otherwise, we'd have four #1 options in the net.
• It doesn't matter who we choose for the #3 role, but I'd go with the young #1 (Swayman) just for the experience.