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WC: TEAM USA

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William H Bonney said:
Great move to invite Luke to get Alex on board! We tentatively only have 3 players so far but at least we have 2 impact guys. Hopefully we can get Mittelstadt from the Sabres, too. If the Devils get knocked out in the first round this is the move to try and get Jack, Quinn, and Luke.

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His announcement was mid-way through the clean out interview he gave. He's stoked to be playing with Luke for the first time and wants to do the country proud.
 
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Djp said:
He is entering final year of bridge so next summer he could be getting a higher contract for longer term.
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The odds are infinitesimal that anything would happen that would jeopardize a future contract. It'd be one thing if he was an RFA or especially a UFA but he has a contract and his excuse is feeble.
 
Am I missing something with Keller such as a late season injury or something? Would have to think he's a showcase piece they are trying to secure.
 
jj cale said:
Am I missing something with Keller such as a late season injury or something? Would have to think he's a showcase piece they are trying to secure.
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There was no mention of him or any other American players in the only Coyotes article I saw. Not sure if we should read into it one way or the other. They really need to get Keller, Schmaltz, and Boyd (and Cooley) from the Coyotes.

I could see him maybe declining given last summer was all rehab for him from his gruesome injury but it's a great opportunity for him to build on a great season.
 
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The Flyers have been so forgettable over the years I honestly forgot they burnt the first year of York’s ELC at his initial signing so he’s a pending RFA this summer. So probably not an option given how that usually goes.

Which sucks for USA Hockey as I’d imagine him & Cates would be guys who might have been more inclined to accept an invite if it wasn’t for their pending contract status this summer.

The Flyers obviously have a lot chaos going around them right now so I think the World Championship questions completely took a backseat this year during the exit media sessions. I don’t think I saw any mention from any player this year.
 
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Maybe we aren't sending a team this year?

Edit...just saw Tuch and Guentzel...really hope Guentzel shows up. Turn his phone off so nobody can tell him to head back to college..
 
The only way to get better participation is for the tournament to get more popular and that’s unlikely for the short term. Games are on NHL network which not everyone has and often at like 4 am in the morning. It just isn’t part of the USA hockey culture, and I don’t think players would go unless they think there’s a chance to win it and there won’t be a chance to win it as long as participation rates remain low. Regardless of the team brought, if we could ever get a USA vs. Canada for gold match, that could help build popularity.
 
That being said, 47 American skaters recorded over 40 points on the season, the roster will still probably be pretty decent at the end of the day with a strong chance to make the Semifinals (with Russia not there).
 
But for now, Alex Tuch and Jake Guentzel are much bigger names then Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain. Maybe we will be surprised and US will be this year stronger then Canada.
 
jaro said:
But for now, Alex Tuch and Jake Guentzel are much bigger names then Lawson Crouse and Jack McBain. Maybe we will be surprised and US will be this year stronger then Canada.
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Canada is getting commitments today so far.

For the US, I think it'll really depend on the next few names we hear about. We only have 3 so far, 1 of whom was only invited to secure Alex Tuch. And Guentzel wasn't a firm commitment, either.
 
Eye of Ra said:
Is Luke Tuch even any good? His stats in NCAA is not very impressive...
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He was only invited because of his brother.

Stylistically he could be passable on the 4th line if need be. Any higher than that and we're in trouble. But if they're able to build a decent team, he shouldn't even dress.

It's a smart invite. WC rosters are big and you have extras if you use all the spots. I'm fine burning a spot to secure Alex Tuch, who probably does not play otherwise as he has previously never accepted.
 
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William H Bonney said:
He was only invited because of his brother.

Stylistically he could be passable on the 4th line if need be. Any higher than that and we're in trouble. But if they're able to build a decent team, he shouldn't even dress.

It's a smart invite. WC rosters are big and you have extras if you use all the spots. I'm fine burning a spot to secure Alex Tuch, who probably does not play otherwise as he has previously never accepted.
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They brought guys like Watson and Hayden last year. Luke Tuch is a better skater than either of those guys at least.
 
William H Bonney said:
If I was in power at USAH I would:

1. Stop pretending like USAH can increase the player pool depth in a significant way in the near term to make the like 90%+ decline rates a non-factor. This seems to be their only real current approach.​
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2. Establish criteria for dictating inclusion on future Team USA rosters.​
- For example, if a player doesn't play in at least 33% of WCs when invited (without valid excuse like significant injury or baby birth within X weeks of tournament), they will not be under consideration for the next best-on-best tournament.​
- Or if no best-on-best tournaments are in place (like now), exclude players from inclusion in any Team USA roster for say 5 years if they decline 2 straight invites before they get another chance.​
- We'd probably lose players because of it but so be it. And in a world with no best-on-best tournaments, we need to start treating the tournaments that do exist seriously.​
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3. Start reporting on the invited players and their decisions as a federation. And leverage the media from there.​
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I dont blame Hockey USA or the players, I would rather put it on IIHF to actually build up the prestige of the WC tournament.

Hold them every 4 years to start like the soccer WCs. NOBODY declines the soccer WCs if they can walk.

Olympics every 4 years and WCs every 4 years with a year without a big international tournament in between and you will see the appreciation start to grow. That's just what I think.
 
I don't think people realize how little this tournament matters to American NHL players much less the general public (where it's a pin mark on a tick's behind). To me, lack of participation in the men's WCs is one of the major failures of the USNTDP. One of the stated goals when that program started many years ago was to create a pipeline that faciliates U.S. success at an advancing number of tournaments. In other words, guys would be together at the u18s, advance to the u20s, and then once they make the NHL participate in and have success at the men's WCs. It was trending that way at first but not anymore. Most guys that go through the program end up saying no and there appears to be little USA Hockey is interested in doing to address.
 
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Worlds has never been a priority for USA Hockey. It has always been about the U18s, U20s, Olympics and that the NHL would have as many American players as possible.
 
IMO World Championships > World Juniors, all other U18, U20 tournaments. Only in North America people care about World Juniors, in rest of the world IIHF WC > IIHF World Juniors.

USA Hockey should make something to get better rosters for this tournament.
 
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Johnny Tomala said:
IMO World Championships > World Juniors, all other U18, U20 tournaments. Only in North America people care about World Juniors, in rest of the world IIHF WC > IIHF World Juniors.

USA Hockey should make something to get better rosters for this tournament.
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The WJC is the closest thing to "best on best" at any relevant age group. The WC is meaningless without participation from the best players in the world.
 
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