WJC: Canada 2018 Roster Talk

[jj cale]

What exactly am I missing about the American roster? It looks weaker than what they have sent in recent years. No big top end star and depth that is good but not exceptional.

No top end big star but solid to very good talent all down the line. They have had our number at this thing pretty good lately also.

I wouldn't call them the clear cut favourite either, just one of a group that could win it all.

Like Canada.

 

[JackSlater]

No top end big star but solid to very good talent all down the line. They have had our number at this thing pretty good lately also.

I wouldn't call them the clear cut favourite either, just one of a group that could win it all.

Like Canada.

USA may beat Canada this year, but I don't see that projected roster as particularly noteworthy. I like Canada's projected roster more at this point.

 

[jj cale]

USA may beat Canada this year, but I don't see that roster as particularly noteworthy. I like Canada's roster more at this point.

I don't see what seperates it but I hope you are right. Time to beat those guys.

 

[Rob]

Kailer Yamamoto was just sent down by Edmonton. A huge addition for Team USA.

Their goaltending has consistently been better than ours for the past decade. I don't expect that to change.

P.S - I really wish we weren't in the same group this year.

 

[Snippit]

Canada's bottom 6 is better than it has been in years. There is a lot of speed and skill that I'm seeing throughout the lineup that hasn't been there since 2015.

 

[1Gold Standard]

USA may beat Canada this year, but I don't see that projected roster as particularly noteworthy. I like Canada's projected roster more at this point.

How was our favorite Bean last night? I'm assuming he was in his usual bad form.

 

[JackSlater]

How was our favorite Bean last night? I'm assuming he was in his usual bad form.

Bean was fine last night honestly. Did well on the PP and got one or maybe two secondary assists. Not particularly good defensively but didn't stand out from the other defencemen. I still don't want him on the WJC team.

Ultimately I think that Lind helped his stock the most in the WHL games. He was buzzing. Steel, Dube, Hart and Clague were also very good, but they are going to make the team regardless. Skinner was not noteworthy in goal in the second game. Anderson-Dolan is on my radar for next year as well, his skating was great.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Bean was fine last night honestly. Did well on the PP and got one or maybe two secondary assists. Not particularly good defensively but didn't stand out from the other defencemen. I still don't want him on the WJC team.

Ultimately I think that Lind helped his stock the most in the WHL games. He was buzzing. Steel, Dube, Hart and Clague were also very good, but they are going to make the team regardless. Skinner was not noteworthy in goal in the second game. Anderson-Dolan is on my radar for next year as well, his skating was great.

On to Ontario. I won't be watching, but I'll be interested in seeing how Evan Bouchard performs. I like his game.

 

[newfy]

Bean was fine last night honestly. Did well on the PP and got one or maybe two secondary assists. Not particularly good defensively but didn't stand out from the other defencemen. I still don't want him on the WJC team.

Ultimately I think that Lind helped his stock the most in the WHL games. He was buzzing. Steel, Dube, Hart and Clague were also very good, but they are going to make the team regardless. Skinner was not noteworthy in goal in the second game. Anderson-Dolan is on my radar for next year as well, his skating was great.

Didnt get to watch last night I was working, how did Rasmussen and Cholowski look?

 

[JackSlater]

Didnt get to watch last night I was working, how did Rasmussen and Cholowski look?

I missed the first 15 minutes of the third period. Cholowski was fine, played solidly. I thought that he was used mostly in defensive situations. Rasmussen didn't play as well as he did in the first game but he was good enough. He at least brings something different than what most of the forwards. I was low on Rasmussen before these games but my opinion of him has improved.

 

[cgf]

I'm very curious to see if the avs don't plan to loan Girard and/or Jost to team canada even though Jost has already been told to get a place in colorado, and I have a feeling that the avs are going to keep Girard up until they approach the 40 game mark that would start the UFA clock for him.

Jost wasn't getting all that much PT before his latest injury and is still not strong enough, so I suspect that the team may like the idea of sending him to the WJC to play a major leadership role and to hopefully come back to the avs with more confidence after having played against his peers.

And with Girard it's also the strength concern that Jost has; but also that the team is blooding in a lot of young dmen...so Bednar is rotating through all of the young options...and that the 40 game mark deadline could push the avs to do what they can to extend that timeframe unless Girard just proves he's absolutely ready and he's seeing serious PT from here on out. Sending Girard to the WJC could be a nice way to continue developing him, without adding games towards the 40.

If Makar is there to, the avs could actually be well represented on TC, for once.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Teams don't usually look to send guys to the WJC as a vacation. If they are good enough to be on the NHL team then they are needed there. As much as I'd like the experience for Jost and Girard I don't think it's going to work out like that.

 

[1Gold Standard]

Teams don't usually look to send guys to the WJC as a vacation. If they are good enough to be on the NHL team then they are needed there. As much as I'd like the experience for Jost and Girard I don't think it's going to work out like that.

If getting Girard or Mete means Hockey Canada dropping its infatuation with Jake 'I Can't Play D' Bean, I'm all for it, otherwise I'd prefer all NHLers playing a significant role with their NHL teams to stay right where they are.

and besides...isn't Jost injured? I love the player, but I like how we are shaping up at center/LW. I'm fine with Jost staying in Denver to rehab. Maybe Hockey Canada gives him a call in April for a trip to Denmark and the Senior tourney.

 

[cgf]

Teams don't usually look to send guys to the WJC as a vacation. If they are good enough to be on the NHL team then they are needed there. As much as I'd like the experience for Jost and Girard I don't think it's going to work out like that.

Teams usually don't. But teams usually aren't blooding in this many young talents at once, and Jost wasn't getting enough PT to say that they can't live without him. So I'm curious if the avs might not be in one of the rare situations were the team sees enough benefit in letting those two go...pending injuries...

It never happens, but the odd circumstances that could push it to happen might just be lining up.

If getting Girard or Mete means Hockey Canada dropping its infatuation with Jake 'I Can't Play D' Bean, I'm all for it, otherwise I'd prefer all NHLers playing a significant role with their NHL teams to stay right where they are.

and besides...isn't Jost injured? I love the player, but I like how we are shaping up at center/LW. I'm fine with Jost staying in Denver to rehab. Maybe Hockey Canada gives him a call in April for a trip to Denmark and the Senior tourney.

Jost is with the team in Sweden and expected to get back on the ice.

And I've bolded the key word for me. So far Jost has not had a significant role because Compher & Kerfoot are both so much more ready atm, and Soda has gotten his head out of his ass. Jost will probably be our 4th line Center when he gets healthy. As the season goes on I'm sure he'll get more and more minutes, but it's not like he's gunna get the first crack at filling Duchene's spot behind MacKinnon. Bednar has already said that Compher will get the first whack at that job, and I bet if Bednar switches it up it's Kerfoot he slots in.

Similarly Girard is likely going to end up in the third pairing rotation since we can't partner him with Barrie and he's unlikely to be ready to play with EJ. So if Girard is rotating through the third pairing (with serious PP time when he does play), is that a significant role?

 

[1Gold Standard]

Teams usually don't. But teams usually aren't blooding in this many young talents at once, and Jost wasn't getting enough PT to say that they can't live without him. So I'm curious if the avs might not be in one of the rare situations were the team sees enough benefit in letting those two go...pending injuries...

It never happens, but the odd circumstances that could push it to happen might just be lining up.



Jost is with the team in Sweden and expected to get back on the ice.

And I've bolded the key word for me. So far Jost has not had a significant role because Compher & Kerfoot are both so much more ready atm, and Soda has gotten his head out of his ass. Jost will probably be our 4th line Center when he gets healthy. As the season goes on I'm sure he'll get more and more minutes, but it's not like he's gunna get the first crack at filling Duchene's spot behind MacKinnon. Bednar has already said that Compher will get the first whack at that job, and I bet if Bednar switches it up it's Kerfoot he slots in.

Similarly Girard is likely going to end up in the third pairing rotation since we can't partner him with Barrie and he's unlikely to be ready to play with EJ. So if Girard is rotating through the third pairing (with serious PP time when he does play), is that a significant role?

Jost is a long discussion. He should have stayed in college and then wear a letter for Team Canada at the WJHC. He chose differently. Ideally I'd prefer him playing a more significant role than 4th. line center for the Avs., but that still doesn't change my opinion on how the Buffalo team is shaping up and where Jost fits given his limited game action/injury.

I'd welcome, however, our 2 NHL d-men to the team, otherwise Hockey Canada will do something stupid like making Bean and Stanley anchor of the D-corps. god help us if they do that.

 

[tfantasy]

I Liked the Rasmussen Glass Lind line. But Ducharme Canada's head coach said he wants to ice a fast team and I'm not sure Rasmussen has the speed he's looking for. He's got the size. Glass looked alright bit he's young. Looking forward to watching Thomas and Formenton on team Ohl. If they have better games Id take Thomas or Formenton over Glass.

 

[1Gold Standard]

I Liked the Rasmussen Glass Lind line. But Ducharme Canada's head coach said he wants to ice a fast team and I'm not sure Rasmussen has the speed he's looking for. He's got the size. Glass looked alright bit he's young. Looking forward to watching Thomas and Formenton on team Ohl. If they have better games Id take Thomas or Formenton over Glass.

both Formenton and Thomas are younger than Glass...but not that a few months means much in the overall scheme of things...but Glass is arguably the better player.
I'm a Rasmussen fan, but I'd be fine with a Formenton Glass Thomas trio as a 3rd. line. Beauty.

 

[docbenton]

Glass looked slow to move the puck several times leading to turnovers, esp. in his own zone which was concerning. He's a talented playmaker but he might not be ready for the speed of this level yet; you might say some Dylan Strome vibes.

Thomas is a lock and I think he'll be terrific. High octane, smart 2-way game and underrated skill. No doubt he is ahead of Glass right now.

 

[tfantasy]

both Formenton and Thomas are younger than Glass...but not that a few months means much in the overall scheme of things...but Glass is arguably the better player.
I'm a Rasmussen fan, but I'd be fine with a Formenton Glass Thomas trio as a 3rd. line. Beauty.

Interesting. Didn't know all three were 99's.

Glass looked slow to move the puck several times leading to turnovers, esp. in his own zone which was concerning. He's a talented playmaker but he might not be ready for the speed of this level yet; you might say some Dylan Strome vibes.

Thomas is a lock and I think he'll be terrific. High octane, smart 2-way game and underrated skill. No doubt he is ahead of Glass right now.

I didn't notice that about Glass but its sounds like you were paying more attention than I was. I believe the three of them are all fighting for the same spot

 

[1Gold Standard]

Didn't catch any of the game last night, and couldn't glean anything from the highlight package, but just for fun I'm back on the everything is doom and gloom for this team come Christmas tourney time. It's always more fun being the eternal pessimist.

And... how was Thomas? can't tell anything from the stat line, but it looks as though he had a tough one.

 

[JackSlater]

I watched two periods of the OHL game, not many players stood out. Katchouk was good in that he contributed defensively and got involved in the dirty areas most players were avoiding. Pu looked good with his skating, putting pressure on both ways. Both would look fine as depth wingers. Timmins was the best defenceman from what I saw but he wasn't especially great or anything. Hague was bad. Stanley was not as bad as I feared.

 

[jj cale]

I watched two periods of the OHL game, not many players stood out. Katchouk was good in that he contributed defensively and got involved in the dirty areas most players were avoiding. Pu looked good with his skating, putting pressure on both ways. Both would look fine as depth wingers. Timmins was the best defenceman from what I saw but he wasn't especially great or anything. Hague was bad. Stanley was not as bad as I feared.

I thought so too, he was o.k.

He will be a tough call though because you can still see where mobility could be an issue with him. At times in the game you could tell where his massive size could come in handy for a teams defense and at other times you look at his skating and say to yourself that he could be abused by fast, talented players coming at him in waves at a tournament like the W.J.C.

I find he is a tough guy to make a judgement on concerning a spot for him on Team Canada.

 

[Digital Dog]

I think Stanley will make the WJC, he is only OK but offers something different at least. I think Stanley making it rules out Hague. Based purely on last nights game thats OK....but thats not too fair as i haven't seen much of Hague.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

I thought so too, he was o.k.

He will be a tough call though because you can still see where mobility could be an issue with him. At times in the game you could tell where his massive size could come in handy for a teams defense and at other times you look at his skating and say to yourself that he could be abused by fast, talented players coming at him in waves at a tournament like the W.J.C.

I find he is a tough guy to make a judgement on concerning a spot for him on Team Canada.

I think he would be most effective as 7th Dman. You can bring him in when playing against the slower and less individually skilled teams, and sit him vs your USA and the rest

 

[tfantasy]

By the looks of things Harts going to need to stand on his head if Canada wants to be successful