Toggle sidebar

Olympics: Team USA 2022

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
William H Bonney said:
Updated look at my roster at the end of this hockey season. You can view my prior projections here and here.

Forwards (x14):

Alex DeBrincat - Auston Matthews - Patrick Kane
Jake Guentzel - Jack Eichel - Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor - Dylan Larkin - Max Pacioretty
J.T. Miller - Vincent Trocheck - Matthew Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuk
Extra: Brock Nelson

Defenseman (x8):

Ryan McDonagh - Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin - Adam Fox
Zach Werenski - Brett Pesce
John Carlson
Extra: Seth Jones

Goalies (x3):

Conner Hellebuyck
John Gibson
Cal Petersen
​
Notes:
  • Assumption that tournament would be on NHL ice and I can't imagine the NHL would agree to participate without it.
  • Anything less than gold would be a disappointment and anything less than a medal would be a monumental failure. Canada is still the favorite until anyone else proves that shouldn't be the case, even if I think their roster will be weaker this go around.
  • Forwards:
    • Locks: DeBrincat, Matthews, Kane, Guentzel, Eichel, Connor
    • Considered: Johnny Gaudreau, Brock Boeser, Joe Pavelski, Conor Garland, Joel Farabee, Josh Norris, T.J. Oshie, Jason Robertson, Trevor Zegras, Bryan Rust, Andrew Copp, Alex Tuch, Jack Hughes
    • We need to take 5-6 centers and barring injury or performance collapses, we should have 8-10 centers capable of contributing here, which is a great problem to have for a change.
    • This lineup would have a great mix of goal scorers, speed, size, and piss and vinegar. The one thing I'd like to see more of, and we've talked about it in this thread, is playmakers. Kane and Eichel are the only true ones I have here.
    • A lot of folks are (or will be) projecting a bunch of the young guys like Hughes, etc. on the team and in past tournaments that would be likely, but USAH doesn't need to reach for young guys given our options. That's not to say some won't be in contention if they start next season strong, but right now it's largely unjustified. If I had to name one young guy to watch, I'd choose Zegras. His skill level is elite, his work ethic is high, we don't have a ton of playmaking options like him beyond Kane and Gaudreau, and he'll be in a starring role for Anaheim to start the season.
    • I wanted to touch on 2 omissions that I think will be the most contested:
      • Gaudreau - I know it's odd to leave him off after talking about the need for playmakers, and I expect he'll actually be there, but my reasoning is two-fold: I want to see him (a) bounce back to his admittedly high expectations, which he showed signs of to end the season and (b) do a better job of keeping his head in the game as it's too easy to frustrate him in the high intensity settings (playoffs, world championships, etc.) that he'll experience here.
      • Pavelski - He had an amazing bounce back season no doubt and his veteran leadership, face-off ability, and PP prowess would be beneficial, but I want to see him carry it forward to next season as he'll be 37 and he's never been fleet of foot. If he keeps it up though, I can't imagine him not here as the captain of the team.
  • Defense:
    • Locks: McDonagh, McAvoy, Slavin, Fox
    • Considered: Jeff Petry, Alec Martinez, Torey Krug, Brian Dumoulin, Ryan Suter, Quinn Hughes, Justin Faulk
    • This group is elite and deep and absolutely loaded with RHD options.
    • The 2 players I see as most tenuous are Werenski and Jones. Werenski is in a better position as our LHD options aren't as top-heavy as RHD and he'd pair well with an elite shutdown guy like Pesce. Jones probably doesn't deserve to be here based on last season and his general downward trajectory, but it wasn't too long ago that he was a top 5 defenseman, so he'll be tough to leave him home unless his slide continues next year.
    • I'm sure a lot of folks will expect Hughes here but it's probably 2 years too early for him because we don't need to bring a PP specialist with guys like Fox, Carlson, Jones, Werenski capable of running a PP, and also because the only RHD I'd pair him with for a regular 5-on-5 shift is Pesce and we don't need to select players we think we'd possibly shelter given our depth.
  • Goalies:
    • Locks: Hellebuyck
    • Considered: Thatcher Demko, Spencer Knight, Jake Oettinger, Alex Nedeljkovic, Jack Campbell
    • Hellebuyck is the clear #1 right now, although Gibson is so much better than the causal fan probably realizes because his stats are sorely hampered playing on that train-wreck Anaheim team. It'd be interesting to see him, and Hellebuyck as well, behind an elite defense here which they never have had in their NHL careers.
    • Petersen is my front-runner for the young/inexperienced goalie role unless one of the other guys steals it from him and/or his game falls off. He's been very good behind a very bad Kings team, and showing up to the WC and playing so well while winning a bronze counts for something.
Click to expand...

Not saying you're wrong, and I don't have any better predictions, but after seeing this on "paper", that is one hell of a boring team lol.
 
Rabid Ranger said:
What has Demko done to be considered a lock?
Click to expand...

Both Demko and Petersen play for bad teams with bad defense. Greens system is terrible on goalies as well.

The difference is Demko has shown levels that Petersen never has, more established, better stats, etc.

You should be asking what Petersen has done to be a lock over Demko?

Demko at his current level is a lock in

Anything can change in a year, but you simply go with better players instead.


William H Bonney said:
He was sensational, absolutely. But it was 4 games.
Click to expand...

Yet those 4 games is significantly better than anything Petersen has ever accomplished, and Petersen barely has any sample size to begin with in the national hockey league.

Not to mention, Demko took over the starters load, and won the Canucks plenty of games that they had no business winning in.

but sure take the inferior and less established goalie to fit your own bias.
 
Ace of Hades said:
Both Demko and Petersen play for bad teams with bad defense. Greens system is terrible on goalies as well.

The difference is Demko has shown levels that Petersen never has, more established, better stats, etc.

You should be asking what Petersen has done to be a lock over Demko?

Demko at his current level is a lock in

Anything can change in a year, but you simply go with better players instead.




Yet those 4 games is significantly better than anything Petersen has ever accomplished, and Petersen barely has any sample size to begin with in the national hockey league.

Not to mention, Demko took over the starters load, and won the Canucks plenty of games that they had no business winning in.

but sure take the inferior and less established goalie to fit your own bias.
Click to expand...

It's wild you could write all of this without even realizing it's Petersen with the better stats.
 
William H Bonney said:
It's wild you could write all of this without even realizing it's Petersen with the better stats.
Click to expand...

Might want to know who actually has the better save percentage this year.

Might want to know who actually who has shown to be more proven in general.

Might want to know who has more wins in their overall careers.

Its wild how uneducated you are on Demko.
 
Ace of Hades said:
Might want to know who actually has the better save percentage this year.

Might want to know who actually who has shown to be more proven in general.

Might want to know who has more wins in their overall careers.

Its wild how uneducated you are on Demko.
Click to expand...

None of your diatribe is anchored on "this year" so that's not relevant.

Neither is "proven" so that's not relevant either.

Wins is a team stat. Demko plays for a better team, he should have more wins.

I've been following Demko since before you even knew who he was and your favorite team drafted him. My Demko knowledge is just fine.
 
William H Bonney said:
None of your diatribe is anchored on "this year" so that's not relevant.

Neither is "proven" so that's not relevant either.

Wins is a team stat. Demko plays for a better team, he should have more wins.

I've been following Demko since before you even knew who he was and your favorite team drafted him. My Demko knowledge is just fine.
Click to expand...

Except I talk about last year and this year collectively.

One is more proven, than the other. You take the more proven player.

You might want to get your facts straight, since Vancouver is not a better team than LA, and the reason why the Canucks mostly won games was due to Demko.

Clearly not based on what you are saying.

You basically have yet to even show why Petersen is more deserving to be in the third stringer spot over Demko.
 
Ace of Hades said:
Except I talk about last year and this year collectively.

One is more proven, than the other. You take the more proven player.

You might want to get your facts straight, since Vancouver is not a better team than LA, and the reason why the Canucks mostly won games was due to Demko.

Clearly not based on what you are saying.

You basically have yet to even show why Petersen is more deserving to be in the third stringer spot over Demko.
Click to expand...

Yes, hence why we don't just look at their save percentages from this season only.

Neither is proven or more proven. You can keep stating this but it doesn't make it true.

There is no data to suggest Vancouver is a worse team than LA during the tenures of Demko and Petersen. Not even close.

I have stated my reasoning multiple times in this thread. Go read them. You may disagree, and that's fine, especially as Demko will be in heavy contention for the roster, but you don't need to make things up to justify Demko's potential inclusion.
 
Assuming health


Tkachuk-Matthews-Gaudreau
Debrincat-Eichel-Kane
Wheeler-Larkin-Connor
Boeser-Trochek-Guentzel
Pavelski-Miller

McAvoy-Carlson
Werenski-Fox
Petry-Slavin
McDonough

Hellebuyck
Gibson
Knight


Q. Hughes and Jones, after rather abysmal seasons, drop out. Keep an eye on Robertson and Pacioretty, strong starts could see them into the formation at the expense of perimeter players like Gaudreau and Wheeler
 
Mathieukferland said:
Assuming health


Tkachuk-Matthews-Gaudreau
Debrincat-Eichel-Kane
Wheeler-Larkin-Connor
Boeser-Trochek-Guentzel
Pavelski-Miller

McAvoy-Carlson
Werenski-Fox
Petry-Slavin
McDonough

Hellebuyck
Gibson
Knight


Q. Hughes and Jones, after rather abysmal seasons, drop out. Keep an eye on Robertson and Pacioretty, strong starts could see them into the formation at the expense of perimeter players like Gaudreau and Wheeler
Click to expand...

McDonagh is not going to be an extra so Petry can play his off side. I don’t think Petry makes it. You also have McAvoy playing his off side.
 
William H Bonney said:
Updated look at my roster at the end of this hockey season. You can view my prior projections here and here.

Forwards (x14):

Alex DeBrincat - Auston Matthews - Patrick Kane
Jake Guentzel - Jack Eichel - Blake Wheeler
Kyle Connor - Dylan Larkin - Max Pacioretty
J.T. Miller - Vincent Trocheck - Matthew Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuk
Extra: Brock Nelson

Defenseman (x8):

Ryan McDonagh - Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin - Adam Fox
Zach Werenski - Brett Pesce
John Carlson
Extra: Seth Jones

Goalies (x3):

Conner Hellebuyck
John Gibson
Cal Petersen
​
Notes:
  • Assumption that tournament would be on NHL ice and I can't imagine the NHL would agree to participate without it.
  • Anything less than gold would be a disappointment and anything less than a medal would be a monumental failure. Canada is still the favorite until anyone else proves that shouldn't be the case, even if I think their roster will be weaker this go around.
  • Forwards:
    • Locks: DeBrincat, Matthews, Kane, Guentzel, Eichel, Connor
    • Considered: Johnny Gaudreau, Brock Boeser, Joe Pavelski, Conor Garland, Joel Farabee, Josh Norris, T.J. Oshie, Jason Robertson, Trevor Zegras, Bryan Rust, Andrew Copp, Alex Tuch, Jack Hughes
    • We need to take 5-6 centers and barring injury or performance collapses, we should have 8-10 centers capable of contributing here, which is a great problem to have for a change.
    • This lineup would have a great mix of goal scorers, speed, size, and piss and vinegar. The one thing I'd like to see more of, and we've talked about it in this thread, is playmakers. Kane and Eichel are the only true ones I have here.
    • A lot of folks are (or will be) projecting a bunch of the young guys like Hughes, etc. on the team and in past tournaments that would be likely, but USAH doesn't need to reach for young guys given our options. That's not to say some won't be in contention if they start next season strong, but right now it's largely unjustified. If I had to name one young guy to watch, I'd choose Zegras. His skill level is elite, his work ethic is high, we don't have a ton of playmaking options like him beyond Kane and Gaudreau, and he'll be in a starring role for Anaheim to start the season.
    • I wanted to touch on 2 omissions that I think will be the most contested:
      • Gaudreau - I know it's odd to leave him off after talking about the need for playmakers, and I expect he'll actually be there, but my reasoning is two-fold: I want to see him (a) bounce back to his admittedly high expectations, which he showed signs of to end the season and (b) do a better job of keeping his head in the game as it's too easy to frustrate him in the high intensity settings (playoffs, world championships, etc.) that he'll experience here.
      • Pavelski - He had an amazing bounce back season no doubt and his veteran leadership, face-off ability, and PP prowess would be beneficial, but I want to see him carry it forward to next season as he'll be 37 and he's never been fleet of foot. If he keeps it up though, I can't imagine him not here as the captain of the team.
  • Defense:
    • Locks: McDonagh, McAvoy, Slavin, Fox
    • Considered: Jeff Petry, Alec Martinez, Torey Krug, Brian Dumoulin, Ryan Suter, Quinn Hughes, Justin Faulk
    • This group is elite and deep and absolutely loaded with RHD options.
    • The 2 players I see as most tenuous are Werenski and Jones. Werenski is in a better position as our LHD options aren't as top-heavy as RHD and he'd pair well with an elite shutdown guy like Pesce. Jones probably doesn't deserve to be here based on last season and his general downward trajectory, but it wasn't too long ago that he was a top 5 defenseman, so he'll be tough to leave him home unless his slide continues next year.
    • I'm sure a lot of folks will expect Hughes here but it's probably 2 years too early for him because we don't need to bring a PP specialist with guys like Fox, Carlson, Jones, Werenski capable of running a PP, and also because the only RHD I'd pair him with for a regular 5-on-5 shift is Pesce and we don't need to select players we think we'd possibly shelter given our depth.
  • Goalies:
    • Locks: Hellebuyck
    • Considered: Thatcher Demko, Spencer Knight, Jake Oettinger, Alex Nedeljkovic, Jack Campbell
    • Hellebuyck is the clear #1 right now, although Gibson is so much better than the causal fan probably realizes because his stats are sorely hampered playing on that train-wreck Anaheim team. It'd be interesting to see him, and Hellebuyck as well, behind an elite defense here which they never have had in their NHL careers.
    • Petersen is my front-runner for the young/inexperienced goalie role unless one of the other guys steals it from him and/or his game falls off. He's been very good behind a very bad Kings team, and showing up to the WC and playing so well while winning a bronze counts for something.
Click to expand...

Jones is still in the top 4 IMHO, i think he's going to look a lot better not in CBus. Also, I don't want Patches in the lineup. Much rather have Lee to be honest.
 
Mathieukferland said:
Assuming health


Tkachuk-Matthews-Gaudreau
Debrincat-Eichel-Kane
Wheeler-Larkin-Connor
Boeser-Trochek-Guentzel
Pavelski-Miller

McAvoy-Carlson
Werenski-Fox
Petry-Slavin
McDonough

Hellebuyck
Gibson
Knight


Q. Hughes and Jones, after rather abysmal seasons, drop out. Keep an eye on Robertson and Pacioretty, strong starts could see them into the formation at the expense of perimeter players like Gaudreau and Wheeler
Click to expand...

Under no circumstances would Kane be on the 2nd line. He's the most talented winger on the team, STILL, at 32
 
  • Like
Reactions: SanDogBrewin
x Tame Impala said:
Jones is still in the top 4 IMHO, i think he's going to look a lot better not in CBus. Also, I don't want Patches in the lineup. Much rather have Lee to be honest.
Click to expand...

I want to see how Lee rebounds from his ACL injury first, especially since skating is already his glaring weakness.

Jones is definitely not top 4 right now. The gap gap between McAvoy/Fox and Jones is fairly wide right now and I'd like to see Jones rebound first before we pretend he's the Jones of 3 years ago.
 
William H Bonney said:
I want to see how Lee rebounds from his ACL injury first, especially since skating is already his glaring weakness.

Jones is definitely not top 4 right now. The gap gap between McAvoy/Fox and Jones is fairly wide right now and I'd like to see Jones rebound first before we pretend he's the Jones of 3 years ago.
Click to expand...

Well thankfully we have this season for him to prove he deserves a spot.
 
Usa will propably play with juniors and players who play in leagues like KHL NLA SHL etc it would be surprising if NHL will be included in 2022 Olympics..
 
William H Bonney said:
Yes, hence why we don't just look at their save percentages from this season only.

Neither is proven or more proven. You can keep stating this but it doesn't make it true.

There is no data to suggest Vancouver is a worse team than LA during the tenures of Demko and Petersen. Not even close.

I have stated my reasoning multiple times in this thread. Go read them. You may disagree, and that's fine, especially as Demko will be in heavy contention for the roster, but you don't need to make things up to justify Demko's potential inclusion.
Click to expand...
Don't bother with this guy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: William H Bonney
DisbeliefInDW said:
Not saying you're wrong, and I don't have any better predictions, but after seeing this on "paper", that is one hell of a boring team lol.
Click to expand...
Does boring really matter?

Team Canada was kind of boring to watch in the 2014 Olympics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom