GDT: Quarter Final | USA Vs Slovakia | 1/2 @ 10:30 PM | TSN/NHLN

[Elvs]

I don’t like this coaching. You can say it almost worked, but that’s besides the point. There’s no reason plugs who can’t play hockey should be in the lineup instead of real prospects. Slovakia was always going to lose this game either way. To act like it’s a sporting decision would have me upset if I was a Slovakian. I don’t accept that the plugs would be better than the young prospects. Even if both were equally bad, it’s still going to help the younger prospects develop in the future to have played a game like this.

By this logic Slovakia should have added another handful of players born in 2004 and even 2005. Because thats where you'll find the "real prospects".

Nemec and Slafkovsky were playing because they are already as good as any 19-20 year old Slovakia has. Mesar is not on that level yet, and it's not like Becar is some stud prospect. Stacha, at the same age, was better last year and wasn't drafted. He was also playing full time in Slovakia's men's league, compare to Becar who hasn't even yet debuted at that level.

I'd agree with you if it was Nemec or Slafkovsky who was benched. But in a World Junior championship quarter final, what signals do you send your guys by not icing your best team? Mesar will play full time in this tournament for the next three years. He'll have plenty of chances.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

There’s something about Turcotte that I just don’t see with him. I like his effort but he doesn’t seem really elite at anything and he’s pretty small too. Zegras and Boldy for example you can clearly see it with them.

What am I missing with Turcotte?

Watch the full shift. Covers the full ice. Makes all types of impactful and winning plays. Those other two you names are flashier, dangle more. Easier to notice in a tournament like this. Turcotte is more complete and efficient in how he plays each zone.

All three are good players, but you picked out the quintessential problem. The people who watch for flash won’t notice Turcotte as much. And sometimes if you don’t know these players that well it’s hard to notice their full impact, so I don’t blame some people for simply not knowing.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

he looks like a different player when Wahlstrom isn’t on his wing

Did he ever play with Wahlstrom? I’m pretty sure Wahlstrom played with Pinto and Robertson last year, as I remember it. And at U18 level, they didn’t play together either in any big tournament.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Nothing, as far as I'm concerned. So glad the Hawks took Dach and not Turcotte.

Add Hawks fans to the list with Ducks fans, Wild fans, and Habs fans. Pretty amusing.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Nothing, Turcotte is a fast hard working player with average hands

Incorrect again, like your face offs comment. Always known for having very good hands. Hands does not necessarily equal dangling players every shift. Some players with good hands use them on the inside of the ice more than the outside. Turcotte is one of those. Watch how he tips pucks and corrals them in traffic near the net or makes quick plays behind the net.

And that play you were commenting on was end of a shift. Goalie made a nice play.

 

[SI90]

Did he ever play with Wahlstrom? I’m pretty sure Wahlstrom played with Pinto and Robertson last year, as I remember it. And at U18 level, they didn’t play together either in any big tournament.

Wahlstrom played with Hughes a lot. Never any long stretches with Turcotte. I just wanted to throw my boy in there lol

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

No no, it's only Ducks' fans that can be "critical" of Turcotte because he's a Kings prospect.

No one ever said it’s only one fan base. It’s a number, as I already mentioned. However, the Kings fans aren’t insecurely criticizing the prospects of other teams when their player misses a chance or makes a bad play. That’s commendable. There’s no need for that kind of stuff.

As someone who is merely an American hockey fan and whose team didn’t draft any of these players nor did a rival team, the assessments of this tournament is revealing in that sense. You see who has an agenda that they use to bash a player they feel is a rival of their team’s player’s success or a general rival within the league. It’s an even even bigger problem when Caufield misses a chance. All the people who dislike the Habs are sure to have their say.

And if you’re American, which some of these people are, what sense does it make? Do you care more about team wars than your country’s success?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

By this logic Slovakia should have added another handful of players born in 2004 and even 2005. Because thats where you'll find the "real prospects".

Nemec and Slafkovsky were playing because they are already as good as any 19-20 year old Slovakia has. Mesar is not on that level yet, and it's not like Becar is some stud prospect. Stacha, at the same age, was better last year and wasn't drafted. He was also playing full time in Slovakia's men's league, compare to Becar who hasn't even yet debuted at that level.

I'd agree with you if it was Nemec or Slafkovsky who was benched. But in a World Junior championship quarter final, what signals do you send your guys by not icing your best team? Mesar will play full time in this tournament for the next three years. He'll have plenty of chances.

Thats not my logic. If you pick those guys for the team because you think they are good enough, they must play. They can’t be there to sit around because of the scary Americans that are going to hurt their feelings if they make them look bad. Slovakia did the same thing against the Canadians. It’s cowardly coaching.

And this idea that there’s any noticeable difference between these guys sitting and the 13th forward or 7th defenseman is ridiculous. Past the first few defensemen and top 6/9 forwards, the Slovakian players at the bottom of the roster all suck. So if that includes younger kids who are NHL/top European league prospects that you brought along because you thought they were good enough, they must play over guys who won’t be playing professionally in five years.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Add Hawks fans to the list with Ducks fans, Wild fans, and Habs fans. Pretty amusing.

Our focus seems to be much more Caufield than Turcotte.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Berard has been the best US player this period. Nice pass out of the corner for the scoring chance.

I thought he actually had a weak game, and has been weak for a few games. He’s trying to play too fancy, and this was an issue with him last season after a great start scoring. Once he starts having a lot of success on the scoreboard playing an inside game, he starts thinking he can play more outside. He’s really not a natural grinder, but that’s the only way he’ll get to the NHL because at 5’9, he doesn’t have elite skill or skating.

He’s done the same thing in this tournament. He’s still working hard on the forecheck, but with the puck he needs to play simpler. He sometimes has an issue with this because he doesn’t want to play that way, but it’s the only way he’s going to keep a spot in the NHL.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Sabres prospects representing this juniors. We have some hope.

The biggest issue I still see is the coach. How he’s treated Dahlin is a fireable offense, in my opinion.

And I guess when there are so many coaching issues, it eventually has to fall at the feet of the owner. I like the roster and the prospect pool. The players are not the issue.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Worst player in the WJC tournament in 15+ years snipes one.

I've watched the world juniors for 106 years and Caufield is the worst player I've ever seen including division 2

I would ordinarily believe these are jokes, but I feel the need to ask if you are being serious after the comments I’ve seen on this website the last week?

 

[stastny12]

Thats not my logic. If you pick those guys for the team because you think they are good enough, they must play. They can’t be there to sit around because of the scary Americans that are going to hurt their feelings if they make them look bad. Slovakia did the same thing against the Canadians. It’s cowardly coaching.

And this idea that there’s any noticeable difference between these guys sitting and the 13th forward or 7th defenseman is ridiculous. Past the first few defensemen and top 6/9 forwards, the Slovakian players at the bottom of the roster all suck. So if that includes younger kids who are NHL/top European league prospects that you brought along because you thought they were good enough, they must play over guys who won’t be playing professionally in five years.

This ain't it chief

 

[Stive Morgan]

What's the worst commercial of this tournament?

Door Dash
Skip the Dishes
Nike
Questrade
Toe Fungus

Definitely Toe Fungus or either of the food delivery ones. I'm getting tired of looking at Jon Hamm's meathead face every 5 minutes.

Actually that Tim Hortons one pisses me off too. So contrived and phony.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

1. He hasn't played well since the Russia game and really should be better.

2. People constantly making excuses and blaming anyone but Caufield for his poor play.

But I don't hate Caufield at all. Just expect better from him.

I don’t think 2 is right in the way you’ve suggested. 1 is what allows it. If 1 wasn’t happening, there wouldn’t be this criticism of him.

It’s mostly because he’s a Habs prospect. I don’t know how anyone could deny that and act like it’s not mostly that. You might think that Habs fans exasperate the situation with 2, and maybe that’s valid. I also think a smaller part of it is that his style of play is generally one that’s polarizing, a small goal scorer.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Thats not my logic. If you pick those guys for the team because you think they are good enough, they must play. They can’t be there to sit around because of the scary Americans that are going to hurt their feelings if they make them look bad. Slovakia did the same thing against the Canadians. It’s cowardly coaching.

And this idea that there’s any noticeable difference between these guys sitting and the 13th forward or 7th defenseman is ridiculous. Past the first few defensemen and top 6/9 forwards, the Slovakian players at the bottom of the roster all suck. So if that includes younger kids who are NHL/top European league prospects that you brought along because you thought they were good enough, they must play over guys who won’t be playing professionally in five years.

IIRC Becar was benched for this game because of a minor injury. Mesar was a healthy scratch for several games. He has skill no doubt, but in the games he played he was physically outmatched on the NA-sized rink at this level.

The coach chose a tactic which gave Slovakia the biggest chance to win the game. If he chose any other tactic in games against US or Canada, it would have probably went the way of the Canada - Germany blowout and you would have people complaining about blowouts at WJC once again.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It’s a few things. He gets a lot of hype because Montreal is a big market and because of his play in the USNTDP but he’s not necessarily worth it. He turns over the puck frequently, gets bullied off the puck easily, and doesn’t really drive offense. He’s a good goal-scorer but there is a lot of doubt that he’s going to be a legit NHLer

Don’t most top six forward types turn the puck over a lot? That’s a weak reason.

Your other criticisms are valid and he will have to overcome those. I don’t know that this tournament is as important as people think. Caufield was really good in college hockey last season and really good to start this season after being great at the NTDP.

I’m not sure I agree with this idea that he’s overrated or his game isn’t developing well. I think we need to look at his full track record, not only the WJC.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

What’s insane is that he is eligible through 2024: he put up 3 pts already as a sixteen year old. Imagine what he could do in 2024?

2022, not 2024. I read Pronman say a few times that he doesn’t believe he’s a high pick type of player. Didn’t like his offensive ability. I’m not sure I completely agree, but I also see a little of where he’s coming from.

 

[violaswallet]

2022, not 2024. I read Pronman say a few times that he doesn’t believe he’s a high pick type of player. Didn’t like his offensive ability. I’m not sure I completely agree, but I also see a little of where he’s coming from.

Pronman is kind of useless for long projections I think (he used to post here and his performance wasn’t great)

There is an argument that Nemec’s performance is due more to usage than ability. I don’t see it: playing in pros at his age is insane. Now he needs to develop!

 

[King'sPawn]

I would ordinarily believe these are jokes, but I feel the need to ask if you are being serious after the comments I’ve seen on this website the last week?

I think they are tongue-in-cheek as I remember in one of these threads, someone said Caufield is the worst WJC player they've seen in 15 years of watching it.

As for the game/Kings prospects (my focus), I thought Turcotte looked good and failed to convert on opportunities. Definitely getting more flak from certain fanbases.

Kaliyev was decent. I think he should still be on the right side (both 5-on-5 and powerplay). I don't even care so much if he gets "demoted." I just feel it's where he's most effective.

Faber is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects. He saw his ice time go down last night. But he's been on the ice for two goals against despite his increased responsibility: the first goal scored by the Russians and the last goal scored by the Slovaks.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Don’t most top six forward types turn the puck over a lot? That’s a weak reason.

Your other criticisms are valid and he will have to overcome those. I don’t know that this tournament is as important as people think. Caufield was really good in college hockey last season and really good to start this season after being great at the NTDP.

I’m not sure I agree with this idea that he’s overrated or his game isn’t developing well. I think we need to look at his full track record, not only the WJC.

Yeah but I’m also talking about Badger’s games as well. I think he has improved from last year. However, I wouldn’t say he was “really good in college” last year despite the numbers he put up. He has good offensive tools but I don’t see a lot of his game translating into superstardom at the NHL level. I think he’ll be an NHL player but I’m just not convinced of his overall upside and is not just the fact he turns over the puck. He’s a very frustrating player to watch at times. If he’s not getting set up I feel a lot of the time he’s invisible.

I’m rooting for him because I’m a big USA hockey fan but he has a lot to work on.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

IIRC Becar was benched for this game because of a minor injury. Mesar was a healthy scratch for several games. He has skill no doubt, but in the games he played he was physically outmatched on the NA-sized rink at this level.

The coach chose a tactic which gave Slovakia the biggest chance to win the game. If he chose any other tactic in games against US or Canada, it would have probably went the way of the Canada - Germany blowout and you would have people complaining about blowouts at WJC once again.

They had no chance to win either game. Canada and USA played about as bad as they can, while Slovakia played as well as they could, and they still lost. Play the kid in that situation for development purposes. And I just don’t accept that Mesar is clearly worse than the worst few forwards who dressed.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yeah but I’m also talking about Badger’s games as well. I think he has improved from last year. However, I wouldn’t say he was “really good in college” last year despite the numbers he put up. He has good offensive tools but I don’t see a lot of his game translating into superstardom at the NHL level. I think he’ll be an NHL player but I’m just not convinced of his overall upside and is not just the fact he turns over the puck. He’s a very frustrating player to watch at times. If he’s not getting set up I feel a lot of the time he’s invisible.

I’m rooting for him because I’m a big USA hockey fan but he has a lot to work on.

But isn’t his whole game based off putting the puck in the net? You can say he adds little else when he’s not doing that or you didn’t like other aspects of his game last season, but I’ve still yet to see a club setting where he doesn’t score goals at a very high rate. You could be right that it won’t translate. I’m not guaranteeing it will, but I’ve also not seen much reason to believe it won’t translate any more than prior to being drafted.

 

[Elvs]

If you pick those guys for the team because you think they are good enough, they must play.

Why? Maybe they were picked simply because they are better than those older players who didn't make the team at all. Just because they are young and made the top 25, doesn't mean they must be good enough for the top 20 every single game. Unless of course you're saying that their development was hurt from sitting in the press box a couple of times, rather than playing a few extra games in the Slovak league (or in Becar's case, the Slovak 2nd league).

If you're gonna have the mindset that some of these older guys won't be pros in five years, Slovakia should send a team of only 17-18 year olds every year to this tournament. Right now, there's about ten guys who are currently 15-17 years old in Slovakia who have a better chance of becoming NHL'ers than the 01 and 02 born players on this roster.

 

[HanSolo]

I don’t think 2 is right in the way you’ve suggested. 1 is what allows it. If 1 wasn’t happening, there wouldn’t be this criticism of him.

It’s mostly because he’s a Habs prospect. I don’t know how anyone could deny that and act like it’s not mostly that. You might think that Habs fans exasperate the situation with 2, and maybe that’s valid. I also think a smaller part of it is that his style of play is generally one that’s polarizing, a small goal scorer.

I don't really care that he's a Habs player. I have no meaningful feelings about the Habs or their fans one way or the other. And I don't really care that he's a small forward either as the game has been changing to make them more viable. I know that only touches on my own feelings, but from an individual perspective I find it noticeable that this guy well hailed for his goal scoring talent hasn't looked like much of a threat for the Americans. And beyond that I find all the excuse making to be annoying. It's never that Caufield needs to get into a better position to score or pick his shots better. It always seems to circle back to the fact that he's an elite goal scorer and he needs to be with Zegras to utilize that. I mean maybe that's true in a bubble, but if he's such a premier goal scorer, why does he need the team's best playmaker to feed him pucks in order to score? If that's the case, is he really that elite? It's just the breaks that he's been put into a secondary scoring role and until he had the time and space of a 5 on 3 off a Zegras feed, he hasn't been able to provide it yet.

Hearing about how the coach is wrong for not giving Caufield what he's supposedly entitled to has gotten old. He's had ample opportunity to earn that top line spot and until last night he's done little to do so.