Could this team Canada take on an NHL team?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
48,464
369
South Cackalacky
:lol: :lol :joker:

ANY NHL team, even the Pittsburgh Penguins, would not only take this team to school, but you could put together the U20 world all-star team, and they would get smashed too.
 

Vlad The Impaler

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
12,315
644
Montreal
Epsilon said:
:lol: :lol :joker:

ANY NHL team, even the Pittsburgh Penguins, would not only take this team to school, but you could put together the U20 world all-star team, and they would get smashed too.

Actually, take a U20 world star team, let them play on a tour for a full month in Europe and against their peers and I think they can provide *decent* (not stellar) opposition to many NHL teams.

This is of course pure speculation on my part and the one month playing together is absolutely mandatory as far as I'm concerned. Forget it if you just assemble the team quickly and throw them to the wolves. But many of these guys could make the NHL this year and if you let them a month to get to know each others, you can probably provide decent competition to a NHL team.

I think they would be more talented than some NHL teams I have seen in recent years, and even the worse NHL teams DO get the odd win. Anyone wants to take a shot at assembling a world U20 lineup?
 

Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
48,464
369
South Cackalacky
Vlad The Impaler said:
Actually, take a U20 world star team, let them play on a tour for a full month in Europe and against their peers and I think they can provide *decent* (not stellar) opposition to many NHL teams.

This is of course pure speculation on my part and the one month playing together is absolutely mandatory as far as I'm concerned. Forget it if you just assemble the team quickly and throw them to the wolves. But many of these guys could make the NHL this year and if you let them a month to get to know each others, you can probably provide decent competition to a NHL team.

I think they would be more talented than some NHL teams I have seen in recent years, and even the worse NHL teams DO get the odd win. Anyone wants to take a shot at assembling a world U20 lineup?

Oh, they'd certainly be one of the most talented, I just don't think they could compete given a big lack of experience with the pro grame. Under your hypothetical situation though (playing together for a good while), I can see it happening. But only against a really mediocre NHL team without good goaltending.
 

Sting

Registered User
Feb 8, 2004
7,901
2,894
I disagree. I think this team would be able to take out several of the lesser NHL teams. They're more talented than most NHL teams...the only thing against them would be age/size.
 

hockeyfan125

Registered User
Jul 10, 2004
20,017
0
Pittsburgh/Chicago/anyone would tool this team. They are great, but compared to juniors, not grown men.
 

Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
48,464
369
South Cackalacky
Handsome B. Wonderful said:
The Penguins would make them look like...well...ummm...the...Penguins...

:cry:

I fully believe the Penguins would destroy them without much trouble.

If Lemieux was in the game the result would probably be something like 10-0 Penguins.
 

Brent Burns Beard

Powered by Vasiliev Podsloven
Feb 27, 2002
5,575
570
soilwork2004 said:
proclaimed the best team of the WJs, could this team compete with an NHL team and which one?
well, if many of htem are the size of Cam Barker or Jeremy Colliton, they should be start picking out their hospital beds. barker looked rail thin, but should keep in mind mono had an effect. still, looked like a kid in street clothes, not a professional level athlete. im sure he will put on the weight though, just saying right now, most those U20's are just not physically mature enough.

nhl'ers would crush the poor kids through the walls. can any of them fight ?

dr
 

gb701

Registered User
Feb 21, 2003
490
0
Visit site
Anyone doubting the huge gap that exists between junior and the pros has not been there. There is no question an NHL team would pick these guys apart, but that is not to say that there are not four or five of them ready to play at the next level - although not all of that four or five will see a regular shift yet. Overall, though - no doubt about the result.
 

saillias

Registered User
Sep 6, 2004
2,362
0
Calgary
The pros are just so much better. Way more boring, but the players are all undoubtedly MUCH better. These guys need to put on some muscle, and the NHL is very frustrating to a big group of kids to adjust to without a veteran presence. Maybe 3 of these guys will make the NHL next year- all likely with very small roles and little icetime.
 

I am Jack's Fish

Guest
Does this question need to be even asked?

Any NHL squad would mop up the ice with this jr. Team.

Remember, every player in the NHL is there for a reason that they simply are the best of the best, and a Jr. National team is full of players who arent even ready to show that they can even belong in the NHL (with the exception of a few players).

This is the same argument that a dominant NCAA College football team could beat a sad-sack NFL team, and it is the same answer in almost all cases.

No matter how great a Jr. World Championship team is, an NHL squad would smoke them, and even more, might even set back their development for decades....
 

MojoJojo

Registered User
Jan 31, 2003
9,353
0
Philadelphia
Visit site
Theyre 19, not 12. Quite a few of these players would dominate in the AHL, and some of the worst NHL teams are practically AHL teams with one or two high draft picks manning the top line. I think they would do well. Keep this team intact, give them two or three years to mature and learn, they could contend for the cup.
 

cassius

Registered User
Jul 23, 2004
13,560
706
Mark Fischel said:
Does this question need to be even asked?

Any NHL squad would mop up the ice with this jr. Team.

Remember, every player in the NHL is there for a reason that they simply are the best of the best, and a Jr. National team is full of players who arent even ready to show that they can even belong in the NHL (with the exception of a few players).

This is the same argument that a dominant NCAA College football team could beat a sad-sack NFL team, and it is the same answer in almost all cases.

No matter how great a Jr. World Championship team is, an NHL squad would smoke them, and even more, might even set back their development for decades....
Honestly. This thread is the epitome of homer glasses. Any average NHL blueliner would absolutely truck most of these junior players. Not to say that this team won't amount to anything.. but they still a couple years off from solid NHL players (most of them at least).
 

Tricolore#20

PK PK PK
Jul 24, 2003
8,255
2
Toronto
Visit site
MojoJojo said:
Theyre 19, not 12. Quite a few of these players would dominate in the AHL, and some of the worst NHL teams are practically AHL teams with one or two high draft picks manning the top line. I think they would do well. Keep this team intact, give them two or three years to mature and learn, they could contend for the cup.

Which players here would dominate in the AHL? You are underestimating the ability of players in the AHL. Look at the current rookies in the AHL, and compare them to the veteran players. While guys like Parise and Vanek (high end junior players) are having fairly good seasons right now in the AHL, they are no way near dominating. Also, an NHL club, even the most mediocre is far better than an AHL club. There was a discussion a few months ago whether the Penguins could beat the AHL champions, and most people agreed that the Penguins would easily win.
 
Last edited:

Epsilon

#basta
Oct 26, 2002
48,464
369
South Cackalacky
MojoJojo said:
Theyre 19, not 12. Quite a few of these players would dominate in the AHL, and some of the worst NHL teams are practically AHL teams with one or two high draft picks manning the top line. I think they would do well. Keep this team intact, give them two or three years to mature and learn, they could contend for the cup.

I doubt it, because there are a lot of players who won't adapt well to the NHL, certainly not to the point of being a Stanley Cup level team. And it would certainly take longer than 2 or 3 years. You think that Jeff Glass would mature more quickly than Roberto Luongo, Jose Theodore, or Kari Lehtonen.
 

Ratfinklives

Registered User
Nov 24, 2002
316
0
Visit site
Honestly folks, while the team is good I agree with the overwhelming sentiment of "no way in hell".

Besides above all else, does anyone here really think Jeff Glass (or even Beauchemin for that matter) could step in the NHL and win a game? You know if they were playing an NHL team with that Junior defense in front of them they would see shots... no way they could handle it at this stage of their development.
 

sunb

Registered User
Jun 27, 2004
3,232
0
Yale University
Tricolore#20 said:
Which players here would dominate in the AHL? You are underestimating the ability of players in the AHL. Look at the current rookies in the AHL, and compare them to the veteran players. While guys like Parise and Vanek are having fairly good seasons right now in the AHL, they are no way near dominating. Also, an NHL club, even the most mediocre is far better than an AHL club. There was a discussion a few months ago whether the Penguins could beat the AHL champions, and most people agreed that the Penguins would easily win.

Dion Phaneuf could possibly be a dominating AHL force. Mike Komisarek is a great example. Both big bruising defensemen who are strong and can deliver the big hit. Komisarek scored 30 points in 56 games in his first AHL season. Over 78 games, that is 42 points.

Phaneuf is a better skater, passer, shooter, hitter, defender and overall defenseman than Komisarek. There is no reason to believe he won't put up 42+ points and still play rock solid defense.
 

I am Jack's Fish

Guest
After more thinking, and by no means is this a negative towards Team Canada, but they would be hard pressed to even show up significantly against any of the AHL squads either.

Same could be said that Team Canada would have to really work hard to beat one of the ECHL teams out there.

The difference between pro hockey and a jr. Team (albeit an all-star team) is quite vast.

Remember, a good portion of these kids on Team Canada are slated for a few years of time in the ECHL and AHL before they can even begin to think about a sustained NHL career.

Now Team Belarus...there is a team with a future.
 

Captain Conservative

Registered User
Apr 1, 2004
3,842
1
My Blue Heaven
Just for my own pleasure, I made up my world U20 team(leaving out players who have little to no two way skills):


Ovechkin-Malkin-Bergeron
Crosby-Carter-Getzlaf
Eriksson-Olesz-Stewart
Vrana-Fritsche-Ruzicka

extra:Stafford

Phaneuf-Weber
Suter-Meszaros
Coburn-Smid



Schwarz
Montoya


I think, given Vlads set of rules, that this team could challenge the Caps(especially assuming Ovy plays for this team and not the Caps)

What changes would you guys make to this team?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->