WJC: 2015 — USA Roster Talk

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Mickey the mouse

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Jun 30, 2013
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Chill man, Justin Bailey wouldn't have changed ****.

We miss Santini but Carlo has blown my expectations out of the water. I don't think we need Santini as much as we need better wingers on the Matthews line.

What have you been watching ?

Santini is NOT replaceable period. The D are the biggest problem.

Thank Goodness for Demko tonight.

Carlo and Collins were waaaaay out of their league tonight and have been all tournament. Motte, Compher, Hayden, Louis and Smaltz have not contributed like they were expected to. In Smaltz defense, he's a center and needs open ice and more options, basically can't play on wall.

I agree that there were a lot of questionable personel decisions but it's USA hockey !
 

cagney

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Jun 17, 2002
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The biggest problem the team has up front is not the players that aren't there but the players that were expected to lead. We're all beating up on whoever else is on the Eichel-Tuch line while ignoring the fact that the latter two really haven't been great so far in the tournament. They both have to step it up regardless of who's on the other wing in the next game or there will be no medal game for this team.

I was always very impressed with Schmaltz's skill but I'm really seeing the reason there were question marks about him around the draft last summer. He was a total non-factor tonight against a fast, physical team. If he's not bringing it offensively, he's useless. He's been a massive disappointment.

I expected much more from Compher as well. Obviously his role has been limited but he's not forcing the coaching staff to give him a larger one, which I really expected him to do. He just doesn't seem to have his head in the game the way he always has in the past when wearing a US jersey.

I'm a huge Matthews fan. I actually like his all around game and approach more than I liked Eichel's last season. That said, he just doesn't look like himself here so far. He's a player that has success by winning all his battles and he's lost more than he's won so far. He's too young to blame for this team's issues but I had hoped for more from him.

Honestly, the only forward who has exceeded my expectations is Larkin. The players who I expected to lead this team just aren't getting it done.
 

ZeroPT*

Guest
Nah, what we could have used was someone like Josh Morrissey.




Also, there is a huge defensive problem on Matthews' line: De Leo and Schmaltz are trash defensively and it doesn't seem like a good plan to have a 17 year old double underager match up against McDavid without any help on his wings. There were multiple times where Matthews was down low trying to clear the puck and his wingers were nowhere to be found or constantly beaten to the puck.

*cough* JT Compher *cough*

I hate the fact that he's playing 4th line minutes.
 

fmrdh

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Mar 5, 2013
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Good luck against Russia. Only way I see USA losing is if the Russian goalie plays like he did in the exhibition game against Canada which isn't likely. Hoping for a rematch CAN USA gold medal game.
 

William H Bonney

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Feb 27, 2002
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What is your grudge against wood? He has been playing fine given his ice time.

No grudge. He's done better than most have expected but he's not up to par for this tournament. It's not Wood's fault though. Why USAH expected a 19 year old prep player who's played all of 3 games so far this season pre-camp to be ready for this level is beyond me.
 

wings5

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Jan 6, 2008
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No Bailey is the biggest shock to me, Connor and Bracco omissions slightly less.
 

Juxtaposer

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Dec 21, 2009
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What have you been watching ?

Santini is NOT replaceable period. The D are the biggest problem.

Thank Goodness for Demko tonight.

Carlo and Collins were waaaaay out of their league tonight and have been all tournament. Motte, Compher, Hayden, Louis and Smaltz have not contributed like they were expected to. In Smaltz defense, he's a center and needs open ice and more options, basically can't play on wall.

I agree that there were a lot of questionable personel decisions but it's USA hockey !

TEAM DEFENSE was the biggest problem. Not individual personnel. And as I said, the lack of defensive responsibility from the wingers was the biggest problem. I can't believe how poorly Schmaltz and Tuch, specifically, were defensively. They just stood around waiting for Matthews and Eichel to get the puck to them and often blew the zone before the US actually had possession of the puck.

Collins blows, I agree. And Carlo has certainly made mistakes. But Carlo is fine as long as he's not matched up against Reinhart and Domi. I'm not saying that Santini is replaceable, because we do miss him, but I personally don't think he's as big an issue as the wingers. Besides, I'd much rather another puck-mover than a shutdown D. Possession was the issue, not defenseman.

*cough* JT Compher *cough*

I hate the fact that he's playing 4th line minutes.

It's not like Compher showed he deserves a bigger role today. He's played well against the small fish but hasn't against Finland or Canada.
 

ZeroPT*

Guest
I really liked his jump. He made some nifty stick lifts and was a waterbug all night. He was solid.

It's hard to impress with 4th line minutes. Especially against Canada. If he were on Matthews wing he'd be much better. I'd like to see this next game:

Milano-Eichel-Tuch
Motte-Larkin-Fasching
Compher-Matthews-Schmaltz
Wood-De Leo-Hayden
 

orangeandblack

Registered User
Nov 27, 2004
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No grudge. He's done better than most have expected but he's not up to par for this tournament. It's not Wood's fault though. Why USAH expected a 19 year old prep player who's played all of 3 games so far this season pre-camp to be ready for this level is beyond me.

Exactly, he may turn out to be a really nice player, he's not there yet and it's not his fault. I also don't mean to rag on certain players who are seemingly playing their game to their potential, my problem lies in that I think there are probably 6 forwards left at home that would be upgrades, especially in a fast, physical game like Canada, and probably Sweden. I also don't like how some guys were just given the keys to the car, and placed in certain roles without much of a competitive battle.

Motte is a solid player, probably good to battle for a 4th line spot on this team. Instead he got put with Eichel in a summer scrimmage and all the sudden he's penciled in. Nick Schmaltz had a free path onto the second line. I'm sure Erne, Connor, Dvorak or even a Kevin Labanc would have at least liked a shot, Bc I don't think they gave Erne a shot from the start, he was doomed from the beginning. Auston Matthews will be a stud, but if the coaching staff can't see Larkin is a better center now, that's a big problem.

I can't knock the defense. They've done well with what they have. Could you imagine if they didn't bring DeAngelo? You can knock Collins, but unless 2-3 guys get hurt, he won't get any time. There isn't anyone out there that would be an upgrade from Carlo. He's big and sometimes awkward and his puck handling is average, but he's fine as a 6
 

William H Bonney

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Feb 27, 2002
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New lines I'd like to see:

Milano - Eichel - Tuch

I don't get why this hasn't happened yet when there's been no apparent chemistry in the lineup. This line played together the last two years. I hated hearing during an earlier game from the announcers that Osiecki didn't want to use this line because he knew it would work and he wanted to see what else he has. That's asinine in a short tournament.

Matthews - Larkin - Fasching

I'd like them to lower some of the burden on Matthews by giving him some more responsible linemates. Matthews/Larkin can switch between center as needed.

Motte - Compher - Hayden

"Grind" line. Probably won't bring much offensively but hopefully can give solid minutes in the opposition zone.

Wood - De Leo- Schmaltz

Make Schmaltz earn back his minutes. This line shouldn't get a ton of ice now that the games matter.

Louis

Have Louis rotate in on the 3rd/4th lines.

*A big issue with the lines is there are a few outliers on the squad. It's unfair to expect anything more than 4th line duty from Wood. Louis' offensive isn't elite enough to play top 6 minutes against the best of the best yet he's not well rounded enough to be a good fit for the bottom 6, which is why he was an odd choice. Schmaltz is worthless if he's not producing offensively, especially so when his intensity disappears like tonight. Motte/Hayden/De Leo are best suited for 4th line duty and Compher hasn't played anywhere near his potential, which has left some obvious holes.
 

Juxtaposer

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Dec 21, 2009
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Auston Matthews will be a stud, but if the coaching staff can't see Larkin is a better center now, that's a big problem.

Matthews may nominally be the #2C but Larkin has better wingers and I highly doubt his line is seeing less time than the Matthews line. Matthews is getting the #1PP time, but frankly the PP as a whole is bleh. I really don't think the coaches are blind.
 

Bps21*

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Am I the only one unwilling to forgive 4 bad Milano plays for every good one? I'm done with him. I know he makes a great move every so often...but man does he do some brain dead **** before we get there
 

Joe Zanussi

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Jul 15, 2011
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I thought Hanifin played well....he can certainly keep up with a fast pace. I was disappointed to see that Werenski looked like he was over his head at times.
 

Mickey the mouse

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Jun 30, 2013
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Exactly, he may turn out to be a really nice player, he's not there yet and it's not his fault. I also don't mean to rag on certain players who are seemingly playing their game to their potential, my problem lies in that I think there are probably 6 forwards left at home that would be upgrades, especially in a fast, physical game like Canada, and probably Sweden. I also don't like how some guys were just given the keys to the car, and placed in certain roles without much of a competitive battle.

Motte is a solid player, probably good to battle for a 4th line spot on this team. Instead he got put with Eichel in a summer scrimmage and all the sudden he's penciled in. Nick Schmaltz had a free path onto the second line. I'm sure Erne, Connor, Dvorak or even a Kevin Labanc would have at least liked a shot, Bc I don't think they gave Erne a shot from the start, he was doomed from the beginning. Auston Matthews will be a stud, but if the coaching staff can't see Larkin is a better center now, that's a big problem.

I can't knock the defense. They've done well with what they have. Could you imagine if they didn't bring DeAngelo? You can knock Collins, but unless 2-3 guys get hurt, he won't get any time. There isn't anyone out there that would be an upgrade from Carlo. He's big and sometimes awkward and his puck handling is average, but he's fine as a 6

I'm not saying that Carlo won't be a good player in the future but there were at least 2 bigger, over 6 ft, ( Ausmus and Thompson ) and maybe 2 or 3 ( Belpedio for sure, Clifton and Snuggerud ) under 6ft that are definitely better puck movers, skaters and much more mobile and harder to play against than Carlo and Collins.

ANY of those 5 are an upgrade over whats there now.

But , they are not there so they better figure something out !
 

The Sweetness

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Jul 15, 2010
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Am I the only one unwilling to forgive 4 bad Milano plays for every good one? I'm done with him. I know he makes a great move every so often...but man does he do some brain dead **** before we get there
I agree. He made a few good plays last night but when the pace and physicality pick up he tends to go missing. He seems to be a bit off the pace physically and needs to play with more intensity. I think he needs to build up some more muscles to make a difference against a team like Canada.

That being said, he's certainly skilled but I was expecting a bit more. It seems he's at least 2-3 yrs away from the NHL.
 

AmericanDream

Thank you Elon!
Oct 24, 2005
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I'm not saying that Carlo won't be a good player in the future but there were at least 2 bigger, over 6 ft, ( Ausmus and Thompson ) and maybe 2 or 3 ( Belpedio for sure, Clifton and Snuggerud ) under 6ft that are definitely better puck movers, skaters and much more mobile and harder to play against than Carlo and Collins.

ANY of those 5 are an upgrade over whats there now.

But , they are not there so they better figure something out !

why are you even comparing Carlo to some of those names? His role isn't an offensive one and from everything I have seen, Carlo has been one of the strongest dmen by far for me. Most of those people you named are well below Carlo in terms of overall skill, potential, and two way play.

Collins blows, and I agree that most of the names above would be better suited, but they went with a guy that had size and hopefully could take a few pucks to the berries if needed...Santini not on this team is the biggest lose period. Kid was the only rock out there, and I am sorry but McCoshen has become near invisible again. I am not expecting him to lead the rush like DeAngelo, but man is he pretty vanilla in his play in back to back WJCs.
 

AmericanDream

Thank you Elon!
Oct 24, 2005
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Am I the only one unwilling to forgive 4 bad Milano plays for every good one? I'm done with him. I know he makes a great move every so often...but man does he do some brain dead **** before we get there

I have no beef with Milano at all...he is being completely misused. put him where he belongs with Eichel and Tuch and enjoy the results.
 

AmericanDream

Thank you Elon!
Oct 24, 2005
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I thought the US played solid again...I see a lot of overreacting and some legit issues.

we usually have a hard time with Canada on New Yeas Eve, no shock to me, but the overall game was pretty damn even and a few bounces here or there and we are winning.

Coaching staff needs to stop the bs experimenting now and go with the guys that work. that means Milano with Eichel and Tuch.

that means putting the hottest hand you have in Larkin with the next best wingers you can find, and for me I would just put him with Matthews and Schmaltz and let those two just feed him all day.

Motte with Compher and Fasching as your eergy grind line, and DeLeo with whoever else is left!

so what I want to see is this

Milano - Eichel - Tuch
Matthews - Larkin - Schmaltz
Motte - Compher - Fasching
Wood - DeLeo - Hayden
Louis

this isnt the answer to everything, but I think it is the most logical and what they should be doing asap!
 

AmericanDream

Thank you Elon!
Oct 24, 2005
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Chicago Manitoba
I cant blame the selection process yet as it is easy to do so right now, but damn would Erne look better then some of the names here...I understand he underperformed, but the kid needed to be here with his size and skill...and seeing how they are even trying to give the stick boy a shot to play wing on the top line, I sure wish Erne was here for that chance well over Louis, Motte, or Wood..

again not *****ing, just saying that Erne should be here and I think they made a mistake even though he didnt perform as well as hoped in camp...so I guess I am *****ing then!!
 

UncleSam19

Registered User
Jun 16, 2013
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like most i dont understand why coach hasnt made line adjustments... alot of people want the eichel milano tuch line, which i would love but to me, in this tourny based on how everyone has played id love to see..
eichel larkin fashing.
give eichel a break, larkin and fashing have been the best onthe team as far as ive seen. and u add him as the winger.
milano matthews tuch,
bassically replace eichel as there center, matthews has played well as center but has much bettter wingers
motte compher schmatlz
great line with speed and grind with the skill of schmaltz. compher gets real ice time with a skilled guy and a grind guy like him self
then wood de leo louis or w/e the 4th line gets 4th line min, stop rotating and give the top9 a real look. make them scary vs every one.
this team is this team, **** the 4th line unless we have a lead, but that top 9 is very scary and even the 4th is good enough. make the top group scary to play vs and then if we need the others, use them
 

cagney

cdojdmccjajgejncjaba
Jun 17, 2002
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Lineup is out and there are no significant changes. Looks like they're riding their concept of how the team should be configured to the end. Hopefully it clicks today.
 
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