WC: Canada 2019 roster (Who will go in Slovakia ?)

[JackSlater]

I'll give some praise to Nurse as well. I really disliked his game last year and I expected him to be useless this year, but he's been fine with the puck and more importantly very strong defensively. Good show from him. Credit to Vigneault as well, as this team has been well coached. Good special teams, effective system for these players, perhaps some luck in terms of chemistry but he hasn't messed that up.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I'll give some praise to Nurse as well. I really disliked his game last year and I expected him to be useless this year, but he's been fine with the puck and more importantly very strong defensively. Good show from him. Credit to Vigneault as well, as this team has been well coached. Good special teams, effective system for these players, perhaps some luck in terms of chemistry but he hasn't messed that up.

Nurse can do the one thing you need to do to have an opportunity to be effective on the larger ice surface: skate.

 

[Emperoreddy]

How you guys liking Severson?

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Team looks better with Mantha up front. Nurse looks good of late too.

 

[NinjaKick]

Severson has only got better as the tournament goes on, looks great on the PK as well

 

[TheBeastCoast]

How you guys liking Severson?

He was terrible early on but has grown into the tournament and really stood out in the last half of the tournament in a positive way in my opinion anyways.

 

[Gold Standard]

I don't think I'll ever criticize a Canadian roster going to the WHC ever again. It comes down to commitment, cohesion and coaching.

 

[jj cale]

I don't think I'll ever criticize a Canadian roster going to the WHC ever again. It comes down to commitment, cohesion and coaching.

Yep, always does.

 

[kyle44]

I’m not saying players in certain previous years haven’t cared about the tournament, but you can really notice the emotion and positive body language with this group; they really seem to want this one. As other posters have said they’ve already exceeded my expectations, regardless of the result tomorrow.

 

[Murky]

I’m not saying players in certain previous years haven’t cared about the tournament, but you can really notice the emotion and positive body language with this group; they really seem to want this one. As other posters have said they’ve already exceeded my expectations, regardless of the result tomorrow.

I could not agree more.

Here lies the Finnish Fairy Tale - that will be the story tomorrow.

It is time for the Finns to come down to Earth. They did it twice to perhaps slightly more talented rosters than ours but, this Team Canada has the same dog in them as Team Finland has, if needed.

 

[NinjaKick]

I've invested a good amount of time into this tournament... I haven't been disappointed whatsoever... only the opposite... I will be a little depressed if we don't bring the gold home tomorrow... we have to play a smart game because these Finns are no joke... I've learned that the 1st game of this tournament

 

[JackSlater]

Nurse can do the one thing you need to do to have an opportunity to be effective on the larger ice surface: skate.

I don't know that his skating is better than it was last year when he was pretty bad, but he's a lot more composed.

How you guys liking Severson?

Good overall. Poor decision making early on but he's improved as this thing has gone on, particularly on defence. His passing has been good as well. It says something that in the last game it was Severson who played more minutes than any other Canadian skater.

 

[TheBigFour]

great win today! Even though they lost their first game, I was actually impressed with this team, especially how they use their speed and how their defensemen jump into the play. This team somewhat reminds me of the 2007 team Canada where they had average roster ( even though they had Nash, Down etc) and still won gold. Hoping that tomorrow game ends with the same result

 

[PecnoTrunk]

I'm shocked about this team

I'm extremely pleasantly surprised with PLD Mantha, stone, nurse these are the new bread of power forwards with great speed. Canada is good going into 2022

I also forgot Sean couturier and chabot

Big boys that can skate


Add marner mcdavid McKinnon Reilly and we got the start of a good team.

 

[NyQuil]

Most impressed by:

-Mark Stone - Mr. Everything
-Anthony Mantha - Creates offence every time he's on the ice
-Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph - It's like the new Maltby and Draper
-Pierre Luc Dubois - What a coming out story for him - uses his size well and has great offensive instincts
-Sean Couturier - It's tough to go over to Europe and basically shadow the opposing team's best guys every single game.
-Matt Murray - Our template for success has always rested on good goaltending and he has delivered
-Darnell Nurse - Good at both ends of the ice
-Thomas Chabot - Oozes skill on every shift
-Damon Severson - Smart hockey player

 

[jj cale]

Most impressed by:

-Mark Stone - Mr. Everything
-Anthony Mantha - Creates offence every time he's on the ice
-Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph - It's like the new Maltby and Draper
-Pierre Luc Dubois - What a coming out story for him - uses his size well and has great offensive instincts
-Sean Couturier - It's tough to go over to Europe and basically shadow the opposing team's best guys every single game.
-Matt Murray - Our template for success has always rested on good goaltending and he has delivered
-Darnell Nurse - Good at both ends of the ice
-Thomas Chabot - Oozes skill on every shift
-Damon Severson - Smart hockey player

Those 2 guys came to mind today with me too. They have added a lot to this team.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Glad to see Dubois is playing well

 

[Steazy Doo]

Good to see Cirelli and Joseph getting some praise.

 

[missinthejets]

don't know that his skating is better than it was last year when he was pretty bad, but he's a lot more composed.

nurse has improved every year in the NHL. He is a hard worker and works at getting better. It's sad that some oiler fans discredit him when a goal goes in because that happens to every defenseman, it just happens more when you play for a poor team.

 

[JackSlater]

nurse has improved every year in the NHL. He is a hard worker and works at getting better. It's sad that some oiler fans discredit him when a goal goes in because that happens to every defenseman, it just happens more when you play for a poor team.

From what I've seen he does at least have a good attitude. If he can become a legitimate number one defenceman in the future then that's only a good thing. There's very good potential there. I didn't see much improvement from whatever small number of Oilers games I watched this year, but he's very obviously better in the 2019 tournament than he was in the 2018 tournament.

 

[SpoolCat]

I think kyle44 nailed when it comes to this tournament especially with North American teams it absolutely matters how much they care. I think the game against Slovakia was critical to establish this team's identity. It was a very sloppy game but we just kept coming back. Now it appears we've ironed out the sloppiness, so we're just a good team. I wonder if any of the 2010-14 or 2018 team Canada's would have won that game.

 

[Get North]

One thing I noticed about this team is how much ice this team covers. The defencemen are all (except Stecher) mobile, are good at long, stretch passes, and tall in size. The system they play just suffocates oppositions into turnovers. It's interesting to see how Canada changed from a hard-hitting system to a good skating, suffocating team.

 

[JackSlater]

I think kyle44 nailed when it comes to this tournament especially with North American teams it absolutely matters how much they care. I think the game against Slovakia was critical to establish this team's identity. It was a very sloppy game but we just kept coming back. Now it appears we've ironed out the sloppiness, so we're just a good team. I wonder if any of the 2010-14 or 2018 team Canada's would have won that game.

There's something to that, but I think a big factor is chemistry. Canada has kept pretty much the same lines throughout this tournament, and they've worked for the most part throughout. The pairings haven't changed much either. There are teams like the team last year where I think they care but it just isn't working. You're right to highlight some of the teams early in this decade where the effort wasn't there.

One thing I noticed about this team is how much ice this team covers. The defencemen are all (except Stecher) mobile, are good at long, stretch passes, and tall in size. The system they play just suffocates oppositions into turnovers. It's interesting to see how Canada changed from a hard-hitting system to a good skating, suffocating team.

Vigneault has done a good job with systems, but yes a big thing is that Canada selected appropriate defencemen. There isn't a Demers or Edmundson this year to muck things up because he's so ill suited to the larger ice surface. Heady defencemen with good skating, particularly young defencemen, should be Canada's targets for this tournament. It's good to get these guys reps in the (hopeful) event that there is a bigger tournament waiting somewhere down the line.

Regarding the hitting, that is a part of Canada's game that is missing and probably should be brought back but it's out of style at the moment. You can see flashes in guys like Dubois or Mantha, but they would have been physical monsters had they come up 15-20 years ago. One good element of Canada's game that has been big in this tournament is that the team has been tenacious when trailing. In the Summit Series it was noted that the opposition found it odd that the Canadians kept playing very hard even when the game seemed over. That is still there at least this year.

 

[Get North]

Vigneault has done a good job with systems, but yes a big thing is that Canada selected appropriate defencemen. There isn't a Demers or Edmundson this year to muck things up because he's so ill suited to the larger ice surface. Heady defencemen with good skating, particularly young defencemen, should be Canada's targets for this tournament. It's good to get these guys reps in the (hopeful) event that there is a bigger tournament waiting somewhere down the line.

Regarding the hitting, that is a part of Canada's game that is missing and probably should be brought back but it's out of style at the moment. You can see flashes in guys like Dubois or Mantha, but they would have been physical monsters had they come up 15-20 years ago. One good element of Canada's game that has been big in this tournament is that the team has been tenacious when trailing. In the Summit Series it was noted that the opposition found it odd that the Canadians kept playing very hard even when the game seemed over. That is still there at least this year.

That's also true, those guys would struggle on big ice which is ironic since Edmundson is in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The players have to be able to fit the system.

That's an interesting take. I notice urgency when they trail, but not sure if I see a uptick in physicality. I think HC is realizing it's better to just not be physical and take less penalties, then try to get as close to the line as possible and have it cost us. More physicality definitely gives us a better chance to win since we're usually comfortable playing that way though. It feels like the development of players has changed the last 5-6 years, less physical agitators/power forwards being developed in Canada, and applying more skill to those bigger players. Dach and Cozens might have been developed into Perry/Iginla type of players, but it seems like HC has adjusted and put skating ahead on the pedestal than physicality.

 

[Tutu to]

dumba should never play on team Canada