US Team East vs Team West

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I built these teams based on where these guys were born.

Which group do you take in a best of 7 series?

US TEAM EAST

Gaudreau - Eichel - Boldy
JT Miller - J Hughes - Tuch
Kreider - Trochek - Kane
Zegras - Beniers - Coyle

Q Hughes - McAvoy
Hanifin - Fox
L Hughes - Pesce

Hellebuyck*
Gibson

US TEAM WEST

Robertson - Matthews - M Tkachuk
Guentzel - Thompson - Keller
B Tkachuk - Larkin* - Caufield
Connor - Schmaltz - Debrincat

Slavin - Jones
Werenski* - Faber
Sanderson - Faulk

Oettinger
Demko

*I split Michigan down the middle, giving team West the skaters (Werenski and Larkin) and team East the goalie (Hellebuyck).

Some stats over last 3 year:

East (average skater size 6'1 196)
Defense 0.70 ppg average
Forwards 0.89 ppg average
Total: 0.83 ppg average

West: (average skater size 6'1 200)
Defense 0.55 ppg average
Forwards 1.01 ppg average
Total: 0.88 ppg average

Click to read more...

 

[insomniac]

Team East is either better or even with Team West everywhere but the first forward trio. Even Matthews can’t make up for the difference.

 

[CanadienShark]

East

 

[Bounces R Way]

West would slaughter them with Tkachuk power

 

[SillyRabbit]

East, but swap their 1st and 2nd lines.

 

[Ratelleitlikeitis]

No Miller or Trouba on the blue line?

 

[MasterofGrond]

Biggest gap between these teams is on D, and it’s big. East.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Why are they called east and west, I was expecting players from west conference versus east US players.

 

[Raspewtin]

Why are they called east and west, I was expecting players from west conference versus east US players.

it looks like it's based on where they were born in the US. as evidenced by Q. Hughes being on East (born in FL)

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

No Miller or Trouba on the blue line?

No because they suck. Also is Minnesota and Michigan east or west?


Anyway it’s EASTAINEC the blue line just shits all over the west.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

No because they suck. Also is Minnesota and Michigan east or west?


Anyway it’s EASTAINEC the blue line just shits all over the west.

Minnesota = West

Michigan I split down the middle (because not doing so left an imbalance in available players). I gave East Hellebuyck from Michigan and West Larkin + Werenski

 

[Machinehead]

Look at that defense on Team East tho. That's 3 of Team USA's top 4. Easy choice.

 

[David Suzuki]

East. That goaltending and defense would dominate.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Look at that defense on Team East tho. That's 3 of Team USA's top 4. Easy choice.

East. That goaltending and defense would dominate.

Team East is either better or even with Team West everywhere but the first forward trio. Even Matthews can’t make up for the difference.

Biggest gap between these teams is on D, and it’s big. East.

If I had chosen to give Michigan goalies to the WEST, the EAST's goaltending would have looked a fair amount weaker:

Gibson
Stalock
Quick

and would have given the WEST Hellebuyck and Oettinger in net.

I wonder how that would have effected your voting?

I was literally split on how to designate Michigan but ultimately I think dividing it up made the most sense to keep things even. I reviewed the sample of the top 200 scoring US born skaters with >50gp from the last 3 seasons, and with Michigan's 26 skaters, the WEST team a 117-83 edge in the total number of eligible skaters, which seems lopsided.

So from a fairness / geographical perspective, it may have been better to put Michigan in the EAST (would have given them a smaller edge of 106-94), but I have always considered it more "Midwest", which does have the word west in it.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Yeah I probably would have flopped to vote West if the East didn't have Helle, the dropoff there is huge, bigger than the gap in D.

For trying to create a balanced choice, I think you made the right call.