WJC: Canada 2018 Roster Talk

[Flyguy1ca]

Steenbergen has 35 goals in 27 games. If that doesnt get you an invite then i dunno.......

 

[canuck2010]

No it doesn't

USA has had better high end prospects in the last 5 years

And the fact USA has more gold medals than we do in the last 5-7 years and the fact they keep beating us in u18 u20 says lots

Again we don't have a U17 or U18 team. Different roads taken so I don't strictly put a ton of importance on those results anymore. Certainly, the USA is producing better players than ever before but I still don't think they have reached our level on a consistent basis.

I'm less excited about some of these guys than I was, Eichel, Larkin etc.

 

[canuck2010]

The US recruiting pool continues to grow as well, just strictly population. Many more professional teams in the US as well than in Canada (not just at the NHL level) bring many more offspring to the red, white and blue. Even Manon Reaume's son plays for the US, throw in Primeau and Point and there are three goalies.

Not just Canadians but Euro's as well. The future of International hockey overall doesn't look overly bright from a competitive standpoint over the next 20 years.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

No it doesn't

USA has had better high end prospects in the last 5 years

And the fact USA has more gold medals than we do in the last 5-7 years and the fact they keep beating us in u18 u20 says lots

The US were dominating at U18 and U17 when we were on our 5 year streak. There really isn't any kind of correlation here that you want to be.

 

[PecnoTrunk]

The US were dominating at U18 and U17 when we were on our 5 year streak. There really isn't any kind of correlation here that you want to be.

Of course there is a correlation

There are more Americans in the NHL and less Canadians. They are beating us at every level and it's just a matter of time before they beat us at the Olympics.

We can't wait until they beat us at everything before we react

 

[PecnoTrunk]

Again we don't have a U17 or U18 team. Different roads taken so I don't strictly put a ton of importance on those results anymore. Certainly, the USA is producing better players than ever before but I still don't think they have reached our level on a consistent basis.

I'm less excited about some of these guys than I was, Eichel, Larkin etc.

Of course those results are very telling

They are in an upward trend as we are on a flat line.

 

[canuck2010]

Of course those results are very telling

They are in an upward trend as we are on a flat line.

Certainly agree with the second statement.

 

[1Gold Standard]

tomorrow is the big day. invite day.

has farmer Bob McKenzie tweeted out what time HC releases the invite list?

 

[Adonis Creed]

Lafreniere should get an invite over anybody from the Q. Carrying his team to 1st place right now, absolute 2-way monsters. For the experience alone he should be there.

Comtois has been bang-on avg and his club has not been performing.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Michael McLeod looks pretty much the same as last year maybe stronger. Almost a lock to be shutdown 3rd line center IMO.

 

[LeafChief]

Lafreniere should get an invite over anybody from the Q. Carrying his team to 1st place right now, absolute 2-way monsters. For the experience alone he should be there.

Comtois has been bang-on avg and his club has not been performing.

I'd love to see him get an invite. If he can force his way onto the team, even better.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Delete

 

[JackSlater]

I'd love to see him get an invite. If he can force his way onto the team, even better.

Lafreniere is definitely under the radar for many people and is already one of the best forwards in the QMJHL. That said he is 16, not eligible for the draft until 2000 and wasn't invited to the super series. He's possibly good enough to garner an invite but I would be very, very surprised.

 

[Statsy]

Of course those results are very telling

They are in an upward trend as we are on a flat line.

They SHOULD be on an upward trend. Only a very small fraction of the US actually play hockey. That number is growing... FAST. Though I still take issue with your earlier comment that the US has produced more talent the last few years, there can be little argument that they will one day pass us. There's also no point in worrying about it. They have ten times the population size. The fact that we have held on this long already is a true testament to Canada's passion for the game!

 

[Statsy]

Steenbergen has 35 goals in 27 games. If that doesnt get you an invite then i dunno.......

These guys almost always get camp invites. They don't always light it up at camp, however. Making the actual team is another matter.

 

[HoseEmDown]

As a lightning fan it's crazy how Raddysh is locked in everyone's top 6 while Katchouk isn't on most. Katchouk has been so much better than him at development camp and training camp. He's also having a better year than him this year. Hope they both make it, Howden too but injuries this year are hurting him, but would suck to Boris to miss out.

 

[LeafChief]

Lafreniere is definitely under the radar for many people and is already one of the best forwards in the QMJHL. That said he is 16, not eligible for the draft until 2000 and wasn't invited to the super series. He's possibly good enough to garner an invite but I would be very, very surprised.

I don't disagree, although I think it would be a prudent decision with the future in mind.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Michael McLeod looks pretty much the same as last year maybe stronger. Almost a lock to be shutdown 3rd line center IMO.

I have him as the 2C for this team. He's in his D+2 now and should be one of the best players on the ice once he shakes off the rust.

 

[Statsy]

I have him as the 2C for this team. He's in his D+2 now and should be one of the best players on the ice once he shakes off the rust.

Second and third lines are pretty interchangeable anyway. If that line is playing well, they'll get their chance to move up.

 

[ChurchOfAlfie]

Any chance Patrick ends up joining the team? Not that he is struggling at the NHL level or isn't contributing in Philly, but it's a shit show right now. 10 Game losing streak, no end in sight, fans calling for the coach's head... Would it be the worst thing in the world for Patrick to get away from all that for a few weeks and put up points at the WJC?

 

[Wadd]

Dube-Steel-Raddysh
Suzuki-Thomas-Kyrou
Ang-McCleod-Lind
Gadjovich-Comtois-Tippett
Steenbergen

Clague- Mete
Fabbro-Makar
Bean-Timmins
Foote

Hart
DiPietro

 

[newfy]

There have been mistakes for sure, but that's a far cry from claiming that the team is 95% decided beforehand. Last year Steel and Girard should have made it, but most of the actual roster deserved to be there. Every year most of the players deserve to be there.

In a case like Steenbergen yes his numbers are very impressive, but there are factors against him. He didn't look all that good in the super series, which is much closer to WJC level than WHL games. He doesn't have any international experience. He has an elite linemate who is outscoring him, bringing his numbers partially into question. Steenbergen deserves a spot at the selection camp but there are legitimate reasons to think that he may not make it.

This is true too. If you go watch the subway series in person, you can tell which guys are scorers because of the league theyre in and which ones will be able to handle the best of the best. Watching a few years back now, the difference between a guy like Mark Scheifele and Seth Griffith playing against some of Russias best was completely obvious. One was a junior scorer and one was an all world talent that would be able to score against the best in the world.

Steenbergen is definitely a guy I would want to prove it in camp and the super series. A 5th roud pick from last year who was skipped once in the draft definitely shouldnt be a lock for Canada regardless of the numbers hes putting up. Theres a reason guys that can score like that 2 years in a row still get drafted in the 5th round in their second draft eligible year. However I should also say, hes scored like crazy two years in a row and is obviously doing something right offensively. Its up for the Canada coaches to decide if what he does suits the team.

 

[Dodospice]

Dube-Steel-Raddysh
Suzuki-Thomas-Kyrou
Ang-McCleod-Lind
Gadjovich-Comtois-Tippett
Steenbergen

Clague- Mete
Fabbro-Makar
Bean-Timmins
Foote

Hart
DiPietro

Comtois isn’t going to make this team, he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough this year. If he does make it, I’d be surprised but he could have a role as a physical 4th line/PK Player on the Wing. He isn’t a C and doesn’t play there.

 

[PecnoTrunk]

They SHOULD be on an upward trend. Only a very small fraction of the US actually play hockey. That number is growing... FAST. Though I still take issue with your earlier comment that the US has produced more talent the last few years, there can be little argument that they will one day pass us. There's also no point in worrying about it. They have ten times the population size. The fact that we have held on this long already is a true testament to Canada's passion for the game!

You see for me it's only the USA development team that seems to crank out these top end kids.

We in Canada still have the numbers. We need to change something in our development system. We need to make it super affordable for the kids to stay in hockey. They are now flocking to soccer or basketball as it's way cheaper

We need to change something on our end and i guarantee we will dominate once again

Look, hockey Quebec changed something by adding AAA hockey for only older players a few years back and we now see that 2020 will be a strong year for Quebec players. This could be a coincidence but then we will see in future years.

 

[Statsy]

You see for me it's only the USA development team that seems to crank out these top end kids.

We in Canada still have the numbers. We need to change something in our development system. We need to make it super affordable for the kids to stay in hockey. They are now flocking to soccer or basketball as it's way cheaper

We need to change something on our end and i guarantee we will dominate once again

Look, hockey Quebec changed something by adding AAA hockey for only older players a few years back and we now see that 2020 will be a strong year for Quebec players. This could be a coincidence but then we will see in future years.

You bring up an interesting point about hockey enrollment. Yes, it's getting even more expensive (as sports go, it was always pretty pricey), but understand that there is also growing competition from other sports as Canada is getting better at developing top athletes in other sports. It's kind of a good news/bad news situation. It's awesome to see great Canadians excelling in things like tennis and basketball (did you know that Canada just won the basketball version of the WJC?!), but that's obviously going to come at a price to our overall hockey enrollment.