cagney
cdojdmccjajgejncjaba
- Jun 17, 2002
- 3,817
- 39
After a very disappointing tournament it's time to turn the page and start considering next year's tournament.
First priority for me is to find the best coach available. It's very hard to predict just who USA Hockey will choose but they really need to press to find someone who can get the most out of what should be an older, veteran team with a good amount of talent available to it. It would be interesting to see a former pro coach like Bylsma try his hand at this, especially considering he saw the core group of players first hand this year, but I'm sure he'll be hoping to land a pro job which could complicate such a plan.
I suspect the selection process will remain the same with the summer evaluation camp and pre-tournament camp. If possible, I'd like to see a game against the Russians in the summer. It's clear that they represent a major issue to US teams at this tournament and getting a bit of familiarity with them could only help. The way groupings are coming together for next year it's quite possible the US could face them again in the quarters and a third consecutive defeat to them in such a situation would be a nightmare.
Potential returnees...
Forwards
Eichel - Probably won't be available but it'd be nice to see him redeem himself after what I consider to be a disappointing showing this year.
Milano - Needs to gain strength and make better decisions but with his talent there's no question he could be a major contributor next year. I think it's possible he'll be in the AHL which will raise questions about his availability.
Tuch - I'd like to see him improve his skating as I think he looked slow out there this year. There's a lot of upside with his skill set and size so if he can improve he could also be a major contributor.
Matthews - Had a decent tournament considering his age this year but expectations will be much higher next year. I love his game and I expect him to be a force with added strength and maturity.
Schmaltz - Very disappointing this year but has lots of skill. If he can raise his compete level and improve his skating he could be a leader next year. It's also not out of the realm of possibility he goes the way of Adam Erne.
Larkin - Best player on the team this year so you'd expect/hope that his play will carry over to next year.
Defense
Hanifin - Had a very nice tournament this year and could be the rock of the defense next year - if he's not in the NHL. I still don't believe the latter is a sure thing though and if the team that takes him makes the responsible decision and gives him one more year at BC I think it'd be better for him and them long term.
Werenski - Was OK this year considering his age but he needs to work on his skating as there were numerous times he was beat wide and unable to win battles for the puck because of it. I also hope he'll be less tentative on the power play next year. Shouldn't be in the NHL next year if the team that drafted him is responsible.
Carlo - Seemed to be a polarizing player with his showing this year. He was better than I expected but still not great. He made mistakes on a couple of important goals and he didn't bring the physical edge I wanted from him but he should be better next year. Needs to work on his puck handling though as he really struggled with it at times.
Collins - I thought he may have turned the corner in his development after positive showings late last year and over the summer but he was totally over his head here. His play was problematic enough this year that I'm not sure he'd even be a good bet to get a spot next year. Has to seriously improve all aspects of his skating and mobility.
Goaltenders
Halverson - Was fine in limited action this year. Will compete for the starters role next year.
Nedeljkovic - Disappointing in exhibition showings but will be in the competition to start next year.
Potential camp invites courtesy of William H Bonney...
Lots of options up front but it should be interesting again on defense as the '96 defensive group is pretty mediocre and there's no high end depth in the '97 group after Hanifin and Werenski. I'd like to see a veteran team which is what I think will happen given all the potential returnees and solid '96 forward group. There are a few players I haven't seen a lot of that I'm intrigued by, like Dvorak and Garland. If I had to put together an early guess, without Eichel, here's what it'd be...
Milano - Matthews - Tuch
Connor - Larkin - Schmaltz
Dvorak - White - Bracco
Bittner - MacInnis - Bjork/Fischer
Fischer/Tkachuk/Garland?
It's a veteran group of mostly 19 year olds. Five of the top six are returnees with the speedster Connor added to the mix. I'm giving Dvorak the benefit of the doubt here despite my lack of viewings and it seems he could fit in nicely with the younger NTDP duo of White-Bracco. Fourth line is big and will hopefully provide some energy and solid defense. The extra forward would be up in the air in my mind depending on what they're looking for.
Hanifin - Belpedio
Werenski - Carlo
Fortunato - Dougherty
Collins/MacLeod/Siebenaler?
I went with more of an offensive minded group but it's possible they go in a different direction. More question marks than definite answers amongst this group overall though and potentially losing Hanifin could confuse matters even more.
Halverson
Nedeljkovic
Opilka
Ned could get the nod but I'll give Halverson the edge as of now.
It's looking like they'll get a tough match up regardless of where they finish in group play as next year's groups will likely be massively uneven, with the US in the far weaker group. I refuse to call this team a favorite after this year and I certainly plan to take all pre-tournament results and showings with a big grain of salt. The Canadians, Russians and Swedes own this tournament in my eyes and this group will have to be ready to battle to earn a medal.
First priority for me is to find the best coach available. It's very hard to predict just who USA Hockey will choose but they really need to press to find someone who can get the most out of what should be an older, veteran team with a good amount of talent available to it. It would be interesting to see a former pro coach like Bylsma try his hand at this, especially considering he saw the core group of players first hand this year, but I'm sure he'll be hoping to land a pro job which could complicate such a plan.
I suspect the selection process will remain the same with the summer evaluation camp and pre-tournament camp. If possible, I'd like to see a game against the Russians in the summer. It's clear that they represent a major issue to US teams at this tournament and getting a bit of familiarity with them could only help. The way groupings are coming together for next year it's quite possible the US could face them again in the quarters and a third consecutive defeat to them in such a situation would be a nightmare.
Potential returnees...
Forwards
Eichel - Probably won't be available but it'd be nice to see him redeem himself after what I consider to be a disappointing showing this year.
Milano - Needs to gain strength and make better decisions but with his talent there's no question he could be a major contributor next year. I think it's possible he'll be in the AHL which will raise questions about his availability.
Tuch - I'd like to see him improve his skating as I think he looked slow out there this year. There's a lot of upside with his skill set and size so if he can improve he could also be a major contributor.
Matthews - Had a decent tournament considering his age this year but expectations will be much higher next year. I love his game and I expect him to be a force with added strength and maturity.
Schmaltz - Very disappointing this year but has lots of skill. If he can raise his compete level and improve his skating he could be a leader next year. It's also not out of the realm of possibility he goes the way of Adam Erne.
Larkin - Best player on the team this year so you'd expect/hope that his play will carry over to next year.
Defense
Hanifin - Had a very nice tournament this year and could be the rock of the defense next year - if he's not in the NHL. I still don't believe the latter is a sure thing though and if the team that takes him makes the responsible decision and gives him one more year at BC I think it'd be better for him and them long term.
Werenski - Was OK this year considering his age but he needs to work on his skating as there were numerous times he was beat wide and unable to win battles for the puck because of it. I also hope he'll be less tentative on the power play next year. Shouldn't be in the NHL next year if the team that drafted him is responsible.
Carlo - Seemed to be a polarizing player with his showing this year. He was better than I expected but still not great. He made mistakes on a couple of important goals and he didn't bring the physical edge I wanted from him but he should be better next year. Needs to work on his puck handling though as he really struggled with it at times.
Collins - I thought he may have turned the corner in his development after positive showings late last year and over the summer but he was totally over his head here. His play was problematic enough this year that I'm not sure he'd even be a good bet to get a spot next year. Has to seriously improve all aspects of his skating and mobility.
Goaltenders
Halverson - Was fine in limited action this year. Will compete for the starters role next year.
Nedeljkovic - Disappointing in exhibition showings but will be in the competition to start next year.
Potential camp invites courtesy of William H Bonney...
Forwards (x24):
Brock Boeser
Paul Bittner
Anders Bjork
Jeremy Bracco
Kyle Connor
Christian Dvorak
Jack Eichel
Christian Fischer
Connor Garland
Ryan Hitchcock
Luke Kirwan
Luke Kunin
Ryan MacInnis
Adam Marsh
Auston Matthews
Sonny Milano
Tommy Novak
Jack Roslovic
Matthew Tkachuk
Alex Tuch
Dominic Turgeon
Brendan Warren
Colin White
Dennis Yan
Defense (x14):
Louie Belpedio
Brandon Carlo
Joseph Cecconi
Ryan Collins
Jack Dougherty
Brandon Fortunato
Jack Glover
Noah Hanifin
Aaron Haydon
Josh Jacobs
John MacLeod
Blake Siebenaler
Zach Werenski
Goalies (x4):
Brandon Halverson
Alex Nedeljkovic
Luke Opilka
Michael Lackey
Lots of options up front but it should be interesting again on defense as the '96 defensive group is pretty mediocre and there's no high end depth in the '97 group after Hanifin and Werenski. I'd like to see a veteran team which is what I think will happen given all the potential returnees and solid '96 forward group. There are a few players I haven't seen a lot of that I'm intrigued by, like Dvorak and Garland. If I had to put together an early guess, without Eichel, here's what it'd be...
Milano - Matthews - Tuch
Connor - Larkin - Schmaltz
Dvorak - White - Bracco
Bittner - MacInnis - Bjork/Fischer
Fischer/Tkachuk/Garland?
It's a veteran group of mostly 19 year olds. Five of the top six are returnees with the speedster Connor added to the mix. I'm giving Dvorak the benefit of the doubt here despite my lack of viewings and it seems he could fit in nicely with the younger NTDP duo of White-Bracco. Fourth line is big and will hopefully provide some energy and solid defense. The extra forward would be up in the air in my mind depending on what they're looking for.
Hanifin - Belpedio
Werenski - Carlo
Fortunato - Dougherty
Collins/MacLeod/Siebenaler?
I went with more of an offensive minded group but it's possible they go in a different direction. More question marks than definite answers amongst this group overall though and potentially losing Hanifin could confuse matters even more.
Halverson
Nedeljkovic
Opilka
Ned could get the nod but I'll give Halverson the edge as of now.
It's looking like they'll get a tough match up regardless of where they finish in group play as next year's groups will likely be massively uneven, with the US in the far weaker group. I refuse to call this team a favorite after this year and I certainly plan to take all pre-tournament results and showings with a big grain of salt. The Canadians, Russians and Swedes own this tournament in my eyes and this group will have to be ready to battle to earn a medal.