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U18: Semi-Finals at the U18!

EK47 said:
Is it part poor age group for Canada and part players missing due to various playoffs, or is it mostly one of them or is it all one of them?
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A little from column A and a little from column B. Missing Bedard for example or Yager hurts up front, but the defensemen struggled to make the right play far too often. They'd be able to run track meets on team, just blaze up with firewagon hockey, but they still don't have the blueliners in this particular age group. Maybe some of these guys step up, but they struggled almost to a man as a unit.
 
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Every so often we have a team that gels and wins at the U18's but most(?) years, we don't even medal. This year, I'm going to assume a bronze so... Well done boys.
 
ORRFForever said:
The team is missing great players, thrown together a few weeks ago, on the big ice and they'll finish 3rd. They did fine.

If the team plays poorly in 2 years at the WJR's, then you can blast them.
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This team absolutely has the talent to go up against USA and Sweden. The on ice execution was atrocious and didn't improve throughout the tournament. That's all on the coaching staff.
 
EK47 said:
Of the top of your head, how many Canadian players stuck in the playoffs would clearly make this team?
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You(?) asked if this was a week class and it is not.

How many times have we seen U18 teams <bleep> the bed and then win the WJR's 2 years later - considering how few times we win this tournament, lots.

Again, it is not our best team (it never is), they were thrown together less than a month ago and it's on the big ice. Give the kids a break.
 
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Chainshot said:
Benson is in the playoffs, I doubt Winnipeg would want him to go. Yager had just finished up and would've missed the start of the tournament. Gauthier's been done for 10 days, not sure there.
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EP showed Benson at 7 GP in the playoffs so assumed he had been eliminated. So been stopped to play some games due to an injury/suspension I assume?
 
ORRFForever said:
Every so often we have a team that gels and wins at the U18's but most(?) years, we don't even medal. This year, I'm going to assume a bronze so... Well done boys.
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A bit easier to medal with Russia not there as they're usually in the top 4. Surprising to see Canada has only medalled 8 times (this year is the 23rd U18 tournament) since they have the second most Golds at four. Would have to check how many times they have lost the Bronze game.
 
NotProkofievian said:
This team absolutely has the talent to go up against USA and Sweden. The on ice execution was atrocious and didn't improve throughout the tournament. That's all on the coaching staff.
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But the U.S. players have been playing together for a long time. I can't speak to the Swedish team but they tend to play a system and they are likely more familiar with each other than Canada.

I am happy with bronze.

Again, in 2 years, if this group does not play well at the WJR's, then you can dump on them.
 
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ORRFForever said:
You(?) asked if this was a week class and it is not.

How many times have we seen U18 teams <bleep> the bed and then win the WJR's 2 years later - considering how few times we win this tournament, lots.

Again, it is not our best team (it never is), they were thrown together less than a month ago and it's on the big ice. Give the kids a break.
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Don’t be so defensive I was genuinely curious because I didn’t know.

Ok I get it was a plethora of things but I can for the most part(?) disregard the age group thing?
 
WarriorofTime said:
A bit easier to medal with Russia not there as they're usually in the top 4. Surprising to see Canada has only medalled 8 times (this year is the 23rd U18 tournament) since they have the second most Golds at four. Would have to check how many times they have lost the Bronze game.
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I'm not surprised - we tend not to medal at the U18's.

The reason I said this tournament's results is par for the course and not a better than average is because Russia is not here.

EK47 said:
Don’t be so defensive I was genuinely curious because I didn’t know.

Ok I get it was a plethora of things but I can for the most part(?) disregard the age group thing.
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???

I didn't think I was being defensive. I thought I was just answering the question.
 
ORRFForever said:
I'm not surprised - we tend not to medal at the U18's.

The reason I said this tournament's results is par for the course and not a better than average is because Russia is not here.


I didn't think I was being defensive. I thought I was just answering the question.
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Ok, my bad then.
 
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ORRFForever said:
But the U.S. players have been playing together for a long time. I can't speak to the Swedish team but they tend to play a system and they are likely more familiar with each other than Canada.

I am happy with bronze.

Again, in 2 years, if this group does not play well at the WJR's, then you can dump on them.
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I'm not dumping on the group. This age group has plenty of talent. I'm dumping on this coaching staff. Other teams don't have an NTDP and manage to have their players looking like a team, with roles and responsibilities on the ice.

This peculiar Canadian combination of arrogance and low expectations really gets under my skin. You even said that we rarely medal. There are structural reasons for this and Hockey Canada refuses to do anything about it. We are the 4th country in this tournament because we refuse to be better.
 
I looked it up.

Canada has 4 Golds, 1 Silver and 3 bronzes in 24(?) years at the U18's.

Would we have medaled, this year, if Russia was here? Not sure but this is better than average so...

Well done, boys.
 
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ORRFForever said:
I'm not surprised - we tend not to medal at the U18's.
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For what it's worth, they only had three Medals from 1999-2011 (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze). And from 2012-2022 (with no 2020 tournament) they have 2 Gold, 0 Silver, 3 Bronze, 5 No Medal... so a bit better than just 3/13 medals prior to that.

Edit: deeper look, Canada didn't even send a team 1999, 2000 and 2001, with their first team being sent in 2002. And considering they lost to Belarus that year, I'm guessing they didn't take it even remotely serious back then.
 
WarriorofTime said:
For what it's worth, they only had three Medals from 1999-2011 (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze). And from 2012-2022 (with no 2020 tournament) they have 2 Gold, 0 Silver, 3 Bronze, 5 No Medal... so a bit better than just 3/13 medals prior to that.
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This is par for the course for Canada - again, if Russia was here, we might not have medaled so I am happy with a bronze.

NotProkofievian said:
I'm not dumping on the group. This age group has plenty of talent. I'm dumping on this coaching staff. Other teams don't have an NTDP and manage to have their players looking like a team, with roles and responsibilities on the ice.

This peculiar Canadian combination of arrogance and low expectations really gets under my skin. You even said that we rarely medal. There are structural reasons for this and Hockey Canada refuses to do anything about it. We are the 4th country in this tournament because we refuse to be better.
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But we dominate at the summer U-18 tournament so...

Hockey Canada's priority in April is the Memorial Cup. I can't fault them for that.
 
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It's too bad there is nothing at the U18 level where Canada and USA are both taking it seriously. The Gretzky summer tournament is a big joke to USA Hockey. I guess it makes it that much more anticipated when they can go at it in the U20 group when both sides feel strongly about their groups.
 
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WarriorofTime said:
It's too bad there is nothing at the U18 level where Canada and USA are both taking it seriously. The Gretzky summer tournament is a big joke to USA Hockey. I guess it makes it that much more anticipated when they can go at it in the U20 group when both sides feel strongly about their groups.
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The only IIHF event I take seriously is the WJR's.
 
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ORRFForever said:
This is par for the course for Canada - again, if Russia was here, we might not have medaled so I am happy with a bronze.


But we dominate at the summer U-18 tournament so...

Hockey Canada's priority in April is the Memorial Cup. I can't fault them for that.
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We haven't medalled yet, bud.

ORRFForever said:
The only IIHF event I take seriously is the WJR's.
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I bet you would if we actually won more often. It's easier to take solace in being the best ''best on best'' country, especially since that hypothesis never has to be tested.
 
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