GDT: Russia Vs USA - 12/25 - 9:30 PM ET - TSN/NHLN

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Knight's puckhandling is atrocious.

He's actually a pretty good puck handler. I've always liked his puck-handling more than Askarov's, but bad games happen.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Would have been good for the pregame but just saw it now.

 

[Leviathan899]

The NCAA is higher level competition due to age difference.

No, it’s not. Harder to play against perhaps, but less skill. It’s not better hockey or more skilled hockey. I don’t know when the perception became reality that ncaa hockey was better than CHL hockey. They’re stronger, but for the most part the talent level is lower in ncaa. If it were higher, they’d produce more nhl players than the entire chl, which they don’t.

 

[Leviathan899]

Canadian world junior teams typically play against Canadian U sports all star teams in the past for scrimmages during camp and often lose...

The WHL is not a tougher/better league than the NCAA, just stop.

And ncaa teams lose to the NTDP u18 team often, so the age difference doesn’t seem to matter. Canada doesn’t lose to the CIS teams often, they lose sometimes because those teams are good players too. Would beat ncaa teams as well, that’s a for sure.

 

[57special]

The best NCAA teams will beat CHL teams all day long. They are 3 and 4 years older, in many cases. College teams will lose the odd games to the USNDT, but most college teams treat those games as exhibitions, and play some of their lesser players. Also, I would like to see how the CHL teams fare against the USNDT.

 

[tictactoe]

I am talking about the non-existent russian D in the 3rd because they got complacent after going up 3 goals. It is a mindset thing clearly. Nothing about skill or ability. Happens to the best of them. And then it's hard to get focused again.

Hmmm I seem to remember chance after chance and one on one breakaways for the Russians in 3rd. If not for Wolf score would be 7:3

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Didn’t realize it had become a debate whether NCAA was better than the CHL

 

[Rubi]

The best NCAA teams will beat CHL teams all day long. They are 3 and 4 years older, in many cases. College teams will lose the odd games to the USNDT, but most college teams treat those games as exhibitions, and play some of their lesser players. Also, I would like to see how the CHL teams fare against the USNDT.

52% of NHL players played in the CHL. 33% played in the NCAA. And I would take a guess that most of the high end North American talent in the NHL came out of the CHL.

 

[snipes]

Canadian world junior teams typically play against Canadian U sports all star teams in the past for scrimmages during camp and often lose...

The WHL is not a tougher/better league than the NCAA, just stop.

Well I would hope players that are 20-24 years old in many cases could be able to beat teams with mostly 16-18 year olds on it like they are in the CHL.

 

[Northerner]

Can someone explain to me why Bobby Brink is on this team? and still more...why was he on last year's team?

He's tiny - and he's a bottom 6 player on these teams. Wouldn't USA have been better suited putting a larger player in his roster spot...more of a bottom-6 type of role?

 

[Cotton]

The NCAA is higher level competition due to age difference.

It’s a weaker league that is, in theory, more difficult because their are men. But the talent pool is a joke compared to the CHL.

That’s why the WJC is great, because you are typically seeing the very best of an age group from around the world. This year not so much.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Can someone explain to me why Bobby Brink is on this team? and still more...why was he on last year's team?

He's tiny - and he's a bottom 6 player on these teams. Wouldn't USA have been better suited putting a larger player in his roster spot...more of a bottom-6 type of role?

Can someone explain to me what game you watched? Other than Beniers and Boldy, can remember few forwards whose number I recall seeing involved in plays as much as I remembered seeing Brink's number twenty-four.

In fact if I hadn't looked at the scoresheet I would not have believed some players were on the ice more than 10 minutes.

If Brink is your takeaway from last night that's hard to believe. USA had too many passengers. He wasn't one of them.

 

[ffh]

52% of NHL players played in the CHL. 33% played in the NCAA. And I would take a guess that most of the high end North American talent in the NHL came out of the CHL.

most of that 33% is bottom 6 players too.

 

[Cotton]

Not a frigging chance a WHL team would beat an NCAA team of equal ranking.

Come on

The difference is that in a few years twice as many of the CHL kids with be in the NHL. The talent gap is vast.

 

[Northerner]

Can someone explain to me what game you watched? Other than Beniers and Boldy, can remember few forwards whose number I recall seeing involved in plays as much as I remembered seeing Brink's number twenty-four.

In fact if I hadn't looked at the scoresheet I would not have believed some players were on the ice more than 10 minutes.

If Brink is your takeaway from last night that's hard to believe. USA had too many passengers. He wasn't one of them.

Maybe the announcers just weren't calling out his name - I didn't see a ton of him on the ice last night. I also have Firestick so my connection wasn't perfect, but I didn't see him playing much of a role.

 

[Cotton]

The best NCAA teams will beat CHL teams all day long. They are 3 and 4 years older, in many cases. College teams will lose the odd games to the USNDT, but most college teams treat those games as exhibitions, and play some of their lesser players. Also, I would like to see how the CHL teams fare against the USNDT.

You are confusing better with more difficult.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

52% of NHL players played in the CHL. 33% played in the NCAA. And I would take a guess that most of the high end North American talent in the NHL came out of the CHL.

That's the top end. The bottom end of CHL players are 17-18 year olds who would get dominated every shift against 22-23 year old collegians.

Top end, CHL easily better. But a college TEAM would beat any CHL team.

 

[NyQuil]

What's funny is when you see the CIS all-star team beat the WJC Team Canada in their tune-up games.

Age matters.

CIS all-stars upset Canadian world juniors in shootout - TSN.ca

EDIT: Already mentioned, my mistake!

 

[NJ Fan 12]

It’s a weaker league that is, in theory, more difficult because their are men. But the talent pool is a joke compared to the CHL.

That’s why the WJC is great, because you are typically seeing the very best of an age group from around the world. This year not so much.

Not sure how you come to that conclusion. The top end teams in the WHL, and for that matter most of the CHL, feature a handful of high end NHL prospects. Far more players take advantage of their CHL packages and may play some college hockey, lower end minor pro, or head to Europe.

Similarly, for all the elite CHL imports who make it to the NHL, many more are never drafted or signed and head back to Europe.

 

[David Suzuki]

NCAA is clearly better then the CHL lol

 

[jj cale]

this chl-ncaa stuff again? Let's get back on the Russia-U.S game.

 

[PanniniClaus]

If I am the USA staff I am not overly concerned. The goaltender mishandling pucks, Russians stretching behind the D, goaltender not stopping pucks, breakouts to the pocket where the center isn't ready....all can be addressed.

I remember when Jimmy Howard was the guy for the USA and he sucked hard, leaving the net for Bobby Goepfert. I would let Wolf play and not look back at this point. USA will be heard from in this event, I also liked the Russians puck control. You have to give the Jackets credit...Chinakhov is a steal... he's got it all.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Maybe the announcers just weren't calling out his name - I didn't see a ton of him on the ice last night. I also have Firestick so my connection wasn't perfect, but I didn't see him playing much of a role.

Possibly could have stuck out because I kept having to look at the roster because I forgot who 24 was because I didn't know much about him.

 

[majormajor]

No, it’s not. Harder to play against perhaps, but less skill. It’s not better hockey or more skilled hockey. I don’t know when the perception became reality that ncaa hockey was better than CHL hockey. They’re stronger, but for the most part the talent level is lower in ncaa. If it were higher, they’d produce more nhl players than the entire chl, which they don’t.

They're just older and bigger.. not better. I'll take speed and skill any day over age and size.
Wolf sees way more skilled goal scorers playing the in the WHL than Knight does playing for Boston College.

I would define "better" as the team that would be expected to win, and that is a by a good margin the NCAA teams. There really isn't any question about that.

If you want to more narrowly argue that the shot difficulty that Wolf faces in the WHL is harder than the shot difficulty Knight faces in Hockey East, I don't have an obvious answer to that question, but I can give you a couple reasons why Knight would be the one facing better shooters.

1) There's more total future NHLers in the CHL but the talent of the CHL is evenly diluted across 60 teams, with the OHL having a disproportionate number of the best scorers. In the NCAA the talent is concentrated in the Big Ten and in Hockey East.

2) The CHL is mostly teenagers with significantly less power, and that matters for everything including shooting.

 

[GreatSaveEssensa]

No i ve never seen that! I m sure that would be contrary TSN show us the US-Empty netter.

Its a very regular occurrence for TSN or any sports highlight show for that matter, to leave out empty net goals.

Judging by your complete shock and rage at your new discovery of this absolute tragedy to the game, you are really going to blow your top when one day you also notice that they actually leave out goals scored on goalies at times as well.