Decent piece on the Future of American hockey

[xander]

What would the potential USA Team look like in Vancouver 2010 Olympics..

This seem right...

Zach Parise
Dustin Brown
Ryan Kesler
Erik Cole
Scott Gomez
Phil Kessel
Chris Drury
Mark Parrish
Chris Higgins
Brian Gionta
Bobby Ryan
Jeff Halpern
Drew Stafford
RJ Umberger

Ryan Suter
Brian Rafalski
Jordan Leopold
Jack Johnson
Paul Martin
Tim Gleason
J-M Liles
Bryan Berard

not predicting that he'll be there, but Al Montoya has looked pretty good down in hartford, reports of his demise are starting to look premature. Of course DiPietro is probably going to have that spot rapped up for some time, but it's not inconceivable that we could see Montoya in a backup role. Then again, this is all so rediculously far in the future, so who knows.

 

[AmericanDream]

2010 is definitely a long ways away. I agree that in the next 4-6 years American hockey "could" be just as good as the Canadian teams like it was in the late 90's. A lot of the names being thrown out for the US team for 2010 is great and all, but Canada has so many young guns putting up the numbers in the NHL now, that it really is way to hard to even compare. I am an American, and damn proud of it, but this country has had way too much of a gap for the past 6-8 years without any front line players coming up in our ranks. Legwand has been a bust for a #2 pick. They have Spezza, do i need to say more there? Connolly I love, has great skills like Legwand, but it hasnt happened. They have Nash....... Tanabe?? Again tremendous talent, no production... Bouwmester hmmm....... Gomez, Drury, York, Parrish, Malone, Arnason, and Cole have been our best young players who I am sorry really cant compare to what Canada has produced. Vinny, Nash, Heatley, Bow-m, Richards, Spezza, etc.... times need to change soon.

Kelser, Brown, Higgins, Eaves, Ballard, Gleason,Bochenski, Whitney, Lisle, Leopold, Suter, Martin, Parise, Gionta, and Dimitrakos all give me hope, but they need to start putting up the numbers and be in the top 10 to 20 overall in goals,points, and assists before we start really comparing. All of this said, the US should have a great team by 2010 just by the sheer numbers of top end players that have or will be drafted in a 4 year span. So what the heck, here is my list

Forwards
Erik Cole
Phil Kessel
Bobby Ryan
Jack Skille
Zach Parise
Robbie Schremp/Patrick O'Sullivan-toss up here both talented pivots
Dustin Brown
Ryan Kesler-Joel Otto type player
Peter Mueller
Pat Eaves
Brian Boyle/Blake Wheeler-One of these power forwards will pan out, maybe both
Drew Stafford
Scott Gomez
Ryan Malone

Defense
Ryan Suter
Jordan Leopold
John-Michael Liles
Ryan Whitney
Jack Johnson
Paul Martin
Erik Johnson
Keith Ballard

Goalies
Rick Dipietro
Ryan Miller
Jimmy Howard

Honorable mentions- Chris Higgins, Danny Fritchse, Hugh Jessiman(if he puts it all together),Mark Parrish and Chris Drury...Tim Gleason, Bryan Berard, Paul Mara, Mark Stuart, David Hale, Mike Komisarek, and Noah Welch...Robert Esche and Al Montoya

Wild Card-Eric Nystrom-might be another Joel Otto type player that every team needs, future captain in the NHl, also Chris Chelios...I loved the Chelios addition in the previous post, you just never know....
We shall see in 5 years how many of these guys pan out.

 

[therealdeal]

Forwards
Erik Cole
Phil Kessel
Bobby Ryan
Jack Skille
Zach Parise
Robbie Schremp/Patrick O'Sullivan-toss up here both talented pivots
Dustin Brown
Ryan Kesler-Joel Otto type player
Peter Mueller
Pat Eaves
Brian Boyle/Blake Wheeler-One of these power forwards will pan out, maybe both
Drew Stafford
Scott Gomez
Ryan Malone

Defense
Ryan Suter
Jordan Leopold
John-Michael Liles
Ryan Whitney
Jack Johnson
Paul Martin
Erik Johnson
Keith Ballard

Goalies
Rick Dipietro
Ryan Miller
Jimmy Howard

This team is entirely too young, and most of the guys you listed haven't even played an NHL game yet, and some haven't even been drafted, and they're supposed to be able to compete against the best players in the world in 4 years? Make no mistakes, the team you just named will get dominated, the average age is like 22 years old.

There needs to be more guys that are like in they're late twenties and early thirties rather than having a whole team thats under the age of 23.

 

[AmericanDream]

This team is entirely too young, and most of the guys you listed haven't even played an NHL game yet, and some haven't even been drafted, and they're supposed to be able to compete against the best players in the world in 4 years? Make no mistakes, the team you just named will get dominated, the average age is like 22 years old.

There needs to be more guys that are like in they're late twenties and early thirties rather than having a whole team thats under the age of 23.

what? are you saying to just throw players that are above a certain age in there just for the sake of doing it? hahahaha

who cares that these guys are young, because I got news for you, the American team in 2010 WILL BE YOUNG! Tkachuk, Guerin, Modano, Rafalski, Leetch, Amonte, Leclair, Weight, Smolinski, Roenick, will all be too old by then, or just on the tail end of their careers. Who then makes the team with some experience? I said Parrish, Drury, Legwand, Gionta, Connolly, Halpern all have to step up, and those guys arent elite forwards. Who would you play? There really isnt that many options out there, and in 5 years most of the guys on my list will have played atleast 4-5 years in the NHL by then. I did forget one guy who might be around by then who would make that team, and thats Mike Knuble.

The whole point of this topic was to profect a team 5 years from now, and most of these guys if they stay on the track they have been on will be the best American players bar none.

 

[AmericanDream]

This team is entirely too young, and most of the guys you listed haven't even played an NHL game yet, and some haven't even been drafted, and they're supposed to be able to compete against the best players in the world in 4 years? Make no mistakes, the team you just named will get dominated, the average age is like 22 years old.

There needs to be more guys that are like in they're late twenties and early thirties rather than having a whole team thats under the age of 23.

16 of these players on this list are currently in the NHL now, or have been at some point this year. 16 players! Thats more then half the team, and if you add 4-5 years from now to their birthdates most will be in their prime age of 25-27 years old with only a few exceptions. Only a few guys would be under the age of 23 by then, not even close to a whole team of 23 and unders.

 

[xander]

this is somewhat of a gap period for American hockey. Most of the establish American stars are well into they're thirties and will not be able to play in 2010. At the same time the heralded youth is, for the most part, really young! There arn't alot of guys right now who are going to be in that prime 25-32 age range in 2010.

 

[cagney]

All of these lists make me miss Adam Deadmarsh even more.

 

[AmericanDream]

All of these lists make me miss Adam Deadmarsh even more.

Amen. What a great talent, who hopefully might pop back up next year and play again in a more wide open game. Man he would dominate right now. Dale Tallon, please make the call and get him back into the game as a Blackhawk!

 

[Big Phil]

Yeah no way the USA is on par with Canada by 2010. I'll admit they have a good future coming up but its hard to believe they will surpass Canada who will still have a potent and relatively young line up by even then.

Thornton, Spezza, Richards, Lecavalier, Staal, Nash, Heatley, Crosby, and that just some of the forwards.

Kessel is good but so far Crosby is ahead of him because he's doing very well in the NHL not COLLEGE HOCKEY. Put Kessel in the NHL and then see how he does. But even in the future I can't see the Americans having better players than Cormier, Esposito, Tavares in the upcoming drafts.

 

[Alberta Yote]

I think E. Johnson and Ballard should make a push for the team as well. Johnson will be young but if he pans out and moves quickly he will be hard to pass up.

Paul Mara will be in his prime.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Yeah no way the USA is on par with Canada by 2010. I'll admit they have a good future coming up but its hard to believe they will surpass Canada who will still have a potent and relatively young line up by even then.

Thornton, Spezza, Richards, Lecavalier, Staal, Nash, Heatley, Crosby, and that just some of the forwards.

Kessel is good but so far Crosby is ahead of him because he's doing very well in the NHL not COLLEGE HOCKEY. Put Kessel in the NHL and then see how he does. But even in the future I can't see the Americans having better players than Cormier, Esposito, Tavares in the upcoming drafts.

I guess we'll have to see. IMO, Canada will always be ahead where overall depth is concerned, but that doesn't have as much to do with being able to ice a winning squad as some around here would like to believe. Countries like the United States, Russia, and the Czech Republic will all ice excellent squads by 2010, even if the overall depth doesn't match Canada's.