Canada only dominates with centers these days ?

[ViD]

If you think about it, Canada does not have the depth that excels at every position like they used to. Center clearly is the position where they are by far the best.

Other than that

I will take Russia wingers over Canada

I will take USA and possibly Sweden defense over Canada

Not much there is to say about Canada goaltending, it’s top 5 at best.

What do you think ? The world has caught up or Canada slightly declined ?

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[jigglysquishy]

The popularity of the sport has plummeted in Canada, particularly Quebec.

Take a look at your average suburban Canadian elementary school classroom. NBA and NFL have overtaken the NHL in popularity amongst youngsters.

The development of goalies has collapsed and in the worst position its been since before World War I.

Other countries have caught up. But by far the biggest reason is hockey losing its privileged position in Canada.

 

[Mathieukferland]

I will take USA and possibly Sweden defense over Canada

Would disagree, top 2 defenseman of the last two cup teams and already one of the best defenseman of all time leading the line, in addition to recent top 5 Norris finishers Morrisey and Hamilton, I take them over anyone, perhaps Sweden is the closest but i don’t think they have any atrocious defensively they have to hide like Klingberg or Q.Hughes/Jones


But goaltenders you’re 100% right it’s a failure across the board from the CHL, Hockey Canada etc that goaltending has become far behind Russia and the other top countries

What do you think ? The world has caught up or Canada slightly declined ?

A bit of both, not unlike the years around the turn of the century when Canada lost two best on best tournaments consecutively for the first time ever, although now it hasn’t been visible due to the lack of tournament. Several strong drafts though since 2020 (including a generational talent) and more to come and I think the lull is starting to end in terms of talent production

 

[Eye of Ra]

Would disagree, top 2 defenseman of the last two cup teams and already one of the best defenseman of all time leading the line, in addition to recent top 5 Norris finishers Morrisey and Hamilton, I take them over anyone, perhaps Sweden is the closest but i don’t think they have any atrocious defensively they have to hide like Klingberg or Q.Hughes/Jones


But goaltenders you’re 100% right it’s a failure across the board from the CHL, Hockey Canada etc that goaltending has become far behind Russia and the other top countries





A bit of both, not unlike the years around the turn of the century when Canada lost two best on best tournaments consecutively for the first time ever, although now it hasn’t been visible due to the lack of tournament. Several strong drafts though since 2020 (including a generational talent) and more to come and I think the lull is starting to end in terms of talent production

Klingberg would not take a spot on Team Sweden right now. We have better players.

 

[Nucks2001]

Like others have said, hockey is declining in Canada. In large part, it's Hockey Canada's failure to grow the game. Plenty of kids from immigrant families love to watch hockey, collect cards, play street hockey or even join ball hockey leagues. Thing is, most of their parents can't afford to put there kids in ice hockey and so you have the typical white privileged kids taking up all of the ice time at the rinks, getting the best gear, attending camps and such. Hockey Canada pushes these things under the rug like they always have and fail to make the game more affordable or market it appropriately. It wasn't so much of a problem in the past as the inflation in Canada wasn't as bad, other countries still lagged behind Canada in terms of player development and the pool of players to choose from was larger. Now, European countries have surpassed Canada in some areas of development such as goaltending. Additionally, USA hockey has done a great job of implementing cost-effective programs across the country to increase player enrolment.

That being said, I don't think the situation is as grave as you're making it out to be. Canada has always produced more centres than wingers. If you look at the 2016 WCOH team, you'll see that a majority of the players were centres: Crosby, Toews, Getzlaf, Bergeron, Tavares, Stamkos, Thornton, Giroux, Duchene and Couture. The only true wingers on the team were Marchand and Perry. Canadian hockey has always emphasised strong two-way play and forechecking and thus, more centres are produced than wingers. It's not like Canada doesn't have elite wingers right now either. Huberdeau, Marner, Stone, Marchand and Kyrou are all natural wingers.

I see a future where USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are on par with one another. They'll be periods where one is stronger than the other, but I think it's safe to say that Canada's run of being the sole hockey superpower is coming to an end.

 

[Gold Standard]

There are only 4 countries that will compete for Gold Medals at international tournaments in the next 20 years. And the OP's team isn't one of them. That's what he should be concerned with and nothing else.

 

[Nucks2001]

There are only 4 countries that will compete for Gold Medals at international tournaments in the next 20 years. And the OP's team isn't one of them. That's what he should be concerned with and nothing else.

LMAO. He's definitely on one though when Canada can roll a PP of Crosby-McDavid-MacKinnon-Point-Makar and still leave guys like Morrisey, Theodore, Ekblad Hamilton, Marner, Marchand, Stamkos, Barzal and Huberdeau off.

Bedard, Fantilli, Celebrini, Cozens, Thomas, Power and Byram will fill in the vet's shoes 2-3 years from now. Man oh man, will that be a fun team to watch. 30 year-old MacKinnon, 29 year-old McDavid, 27 year-old Makar, and a 22 year-old Bedard.

Goaltending is shite though.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Centers can easily play as wingers but not vice versa. Forward group is not really a problem for Canada. Their defense isn't as good as it once was yet it's still pretty f***ing good. Goaltending could be an issue. Then again Canada can hold on to the puck very well so the opposing team won't get much scoring chances.

 

[Hanji]

There are only 4 countries that will compete for Gold Medals at international tournaments in the next 20 years. And the OP's team isn't one of them. That's what he should be concerned with and nothing else.

Why so defensive? Are yall so insecure you need to resort to the Don Cherry "Russia suckz. That's what you should be concerened with." middle school reponse?

It's just some legitimate food for thought from the OP.

 

[Czechboy]

Taking the pure Russian wingers over the Pure Canadian wingers would be close. But what about the 4, 5 and 6th centre who is playing Wing for Canada? Those are some elite forwards and Canada has that kind of depth.

I also don't think Canada's lost its grasp on the brass ring at all.

 

[McNuge]

The only position Canada is lacking on is goaltending. The forward group is easily the best out of any country. We also tend to take a lot of C's and just slap them on the wing, while also having great-elite level 2 way wingers like Marner, Stone, and Marchand.

The D core is also very very good. Toews-Makar pairing competes with any D pairing on any other team. USA might be slightly deeper on D but its not a big gap IMO.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Canada always converts centers to the wing for international tournaments, but that's not the issue. I think at this point the U.S. is slightly deeper at defense and forward, and imo it's only going to get more pronounced as the much larger and wealthier country (at the high end of the wealth/income bracket) will continue to produce more and better players. My prediction is that the U.S. will clearly overtake Canada as the pre-eminent hockey superpower sometime in the next 20 years, and never look back.

 

[Golden_Jet]

If you think about it, Canada does not have the depth that excels at every position like they used to. Center clearly is the position where they are by far the best.

Other than that

I will take Russia wingers over Canada

I will take USA and possibly Sweden defense over Canada

Not much there is to say about Canada goaltending, it’s top 5 at best.

What do you think ? The world has caught up or Canada slightly declined ?

Canada just moves centres to wing, but ya the world, mostly USA is catching up, even though Canada is still usually the favourite.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I still think Canada is #1 due it's center depth, excellent blueline, and intangibles. I don't think they are a tier above the competition though. For instance, even though the U.S. doesn't have the depth at center Canada does we can still put out Matthews, Eichel, Hughes, and Thompson (among others). We also have very good wingers.

 

[jj cale]

I still think Canada is #1 due it's center depth, excellent blueline, and intangibles. I don't think they are a tier above the competition though. For instance, even though the U.S. doesn't have the depth at center Canada does we can still put out Matthews, Eichel, Hughes, and Thompson (among others). We also have very good wingers.

The U.S is pretty much in the same position as Canada now, you guys are gong to have to leave off some very good players.

It makes for agonizing calls but overall it's a pretty nice problem to have aside from the endless hand wringing it causes fans and management.

You're in new territory with all it's pluses and minuses, welcome to the club.

 

[ORRFForever]

Oy... Canada has a handful of (late teen) bad drafts and posters are throwing dirt on our graves - what else is new?

Canada has Gold at the World Juniors, The World Championships, the Best on Best World Cup, the Best on Best Olympics, etc.

Can't we give this stuff a rest?

 

[WarriorofTime]

Canada still produces a plurality of NHL players/points produced, so I think they will be fine in a hypothetical (maybe again some day) "best-on-best" competition. The gap is the smallest it's ever been in an NHL sense, but it's probably another 20 years at the earliest until it's possible USA will match Canada in terms of players as Canadian Juniors will remain the primary fueler of NHL talent with the NCAA not too far behind.

 

[Dingo]

Centers can easily play as wingers but not vice versa. Forward group is not really a problem for Canada. Their defense isn't as good as it once was yet it's still pretty f***ing good. Goaltending could be an issue. Then again Canada can hold on to the puck very well so the opposing team won't get much scoring chances.

ya, i was going to go this route, too. Canada is strong at forward, just that the best skaters play centre. Lots of talent up front, for sure.

And defence is great, its only that Sweden and the USA have progressed a lot in that regard.

And I would say that Canada is weaker in goal, but I also think the other countries have improved tremendously in that category. There was a time when having Sean Burke was an advantage over everyone else.

 

[Nucks2001]

Taking the pure Russian wingers over the Pure Canadian wingers would be close. But what about the 4, 5 and 6th centre who is playing Wing for Canada? Those are some elite forwards and Canada has that kind of depth.

I also don't think Canada's lost its grasp on the brass ring at all.

Canada hasn’t “lost its grasp on the brass ring.” It’s just more countries have gotten better (which is a good thing!) and Hockey isn’t growing like it has in the past in Canada. It’s more so, more countries have a strong chance of “grasping onto the brass ring” with Canada.

 

[Nucks2001]

Canada still produces a plurality of NHL players/points produced, so I think they will be fine in a hypothetical (maybe again some day) "best-on-best" competition. The gap is the smallest it's ever been in an NHL sense, but it's probably another 20 years at the earliest until it's possible USA will match Canada in terms of players as Canadian Juniors will remain the primary fueler of NHL talent with the NCAA not too far behind.

Canada still produces a plurality of NHL players/points produced, so I think they will be fine in a hypothetical (maybe again some day) "best-on-best" competition. The gap is the smallest it's ever been in an NHL sense, but it's probably another 20 years at the earliest until it's possible USA will match Canada in terms of players as Canadian Juniors will remain the primary fueler of NHL talent with the NCAA not too far behind.

It’s already like that tbh. 38% of this year’s draft was Canadian and 22% was American. In 20 years, I could easily see a 35-25% split between Canada and beyond that, it may be an even 30-30 with Canada edging out the States in some years.

 

[WarriorofTime]

It’s already like that tbh. 38% of this year’s draft was Canadian and 22% was American. In 20 years, I could easily see a 35-25% split between Canada and beyond that, it may be an even 30-30 with Canada edging out the States in some years.

It was 33-24, 32-26, and 33-28 in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but I think COVID made the numbers look a bit more "traditional" as teams reverted to the perceived safer CHL drafting patterns. Now we will see going forward.

One interesting note (not sure to what, if any relevance it has on this particular topic) is how many more Canadian kids are going the USHL -> NCAA route. I think with Tenders, a lot more Ontario kids in particular are controlling their own fate by signing with a particular USHL team and then a particular NCAA team, rather than leaving their destiny in the hands of an OHL draft, where they could go to London, but could get stuck on Niagara... You've always seen a lot of Western kids go to the BCHL or AJHL -> NCAA.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Nobody can afford it kids play football up here in Canada not hockey

 

[nucksflailtogether]

Would disagree, top 2 defenseman of the last two cup teams and already one of the best defenseman of all time leading the line, in addition to recent top 5 Norris finishers Morrisey and Hamilton, I take them over anyone, perhaps Sweden is the closest but i don’t think they have any atrocious defensively they have to hide like Klingberg or Q.Hughes/Jones


But goaltenders you’re 100% right it’s a failure across the board from the CHL, Hockey Canada etc that goaltending has become far behind Russia and the other top countries





A bit of both, not unlike the years around the turn of the century when Canada lost two best on best tournaments consecutively for the first time ever, although now it hasn’t been visible due to the lack of tournament. Several strong drafts though since 2020 (including a generational talent) and more to come and I think the lull is starting to end in terms of talent production

Lmao...this is still a thing in your imagination?? Unreal.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Lmao...this is still a thing in your imagination?? Unreal.

I don’t think his own zone défense is good, plays too far away from the middle of the ice and often loses positioning in front of the net. Transition défense has gotten better over the years though

 

[nucksflailtogether]

I don’t think his own zone défense is good, plays too far away from the middle of the ice and often loses positioning in front of the net. Transition défense has gotten better over the years though

You should watch him closer. Also Transition defense has always been his bread and butter and among the best in the league.