Surprise players to make the next best on best tournaments

[therealdeal]

Doesn't matter unfortunately. You'll see.

USA Hockey has hurt you too many times Rabid.

 

[SomeDude]

Brian Rust for sure.

The morale of the story is if Sully is involved, US isn’t medaling.

 

[dalewood12]

I could see Johnny Gaudreau having a hot start to the season and getting selected for Team USA.

 

[ORRFForever]

Marchessault and Byram.

Marchessault should get a look for our next best-on-best team and he is someone that is rarely talked about in that context. Natural winger, great goal scorer, can play off of elite centres, and has the Conn Smythe proving his ability to raise his game in the playoffs.

If Byram can put his injury issues behind him and settle back in to a top-3 role with Buffalo, I think he has a shot. He needed a change of scenery away from Colorado. If he can return to the form he demonstrated in the 2022 playoffs (and there is no reason he can't), I like him for a roster spot. Maybe he's a depth piece, but I would still like him. Needs to prove it for another season before I pencil him in though.

The thing with Hyman is he can contribute on any of the 4 forward lines, on either wing. That in itself is pretty valuable.

I think Byfield will make the next best-on-best team, but by that point it won't be a surprise to anyone. Johnston, Lafreniere, and Jarvis are all good picks also.

Byram is a GREAT pick. He also crossed my mind.

The morale of the story is if Sully is involved, US isn’t medaling.

I don't know what that means but it made me laugh - first thing that came to mind is "Sully" the pilot.

I could see Johnny Gaudreau having a hot start to the season and getting selected for Team USA.

Not sure. He's getting up there in age. Maybe.

maybe, Nugent-Hopkins likely would have too based off last seasons numbers but would he right now?
likely same for Hyman.
good on Hyman it's impressive as hell to put in 50. but I kinda just throw him with Cheechoo till he does it away from McDavid.

I really believe that if you take Hyman and put him on almost any other team, he would likely put up numbers closer to what he did in Toronto.

Hyman, yes, RNH, no.

 

[ORRFForever]

Suzuki is being left off a ton of teams. I think he gets selected as the 4th line centre. Has the ability to move up the lineup if necessary, and the intelligence to shift to the wing.

A lot of posters, myself included, are not fans. I'm not sure why.

As long as you guys dont ask for Nurse to be on this team.

Amen, brother.

 

[waitin425]

A lot of posters, myself included, are not fans. I'm not sure why.


Amen, brother.

Exactly why he will be a surprise!

 

[ORRFForever]

Exactly why he will be a surprise!

View attachment 842342

Touché.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Absolutely, but the thing with Hyman is he has a bit of a scoring touch and plays in the area that most star players refuse to play in. If he can even remotely replicate what he has done this year he would be a good addition to a best on best simply as the guy who will play in that gritty net front area

thats one thing he has going for him, his style of play. and he's proved he can play with McDavid so Im fine with him being there just we all might not think hes worth the spot depending how his next couple seasons go. might be someone else we arent even thinking of more worthy too

I feel fairly confident that McDavid will make team Canada as well so what does this really matter?

He brings a unique skill set and built in chemistry. Long as he can produce the 2nd most goals in the league riding shotgun with our best player he's useful. We also need grit.

right now he does but this is in what 2026? might not be worth the spot by then. I wouldnt be against it if he can put up these kinda of numbers but this is still 2 years away so we will see.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Byram is a GREAT pick. He also crossed my mind.


I don't know what that means but it made me laugh - first thing that came to mind is "Sully" the pilot.


Not sure. He's getting up there in age. Maybe.


Hyman, yes, RNH, no.

I said last year, easy to sit there and say that now since you know how this season has gone but I bet some would have him in there. was a 100+ point player

 

[ORRFForever]

I said last year, easy to sit there and say that now since you know how this season has gone but I bet some would have him in there. was a 100+ point player

Fair enough.

 

[Crosby2010]

I am trying to think of a guy no one has said yet, and this is going to be a stretch, but how about Mack Celebrini? A lock for the 1st overall pick in 2024. He'll have an entire season to prove it and then part of the next one. Hence, this thread is called "longshots" so he would be one of them. Not impossible though. He is a real gem, and we all hated that Crosby never got a shot on the 2006 team and he had only played 30 games up until that point that they picked the team. Celebrini will have about a year and a half. Hey, you never know. If he plays the way Bedard is playing there is no doubt he gets a long look in the fall of 2025.

As for Nick Suzuki, here is my thought with him. He's a Montreal Canadien. He is a classic good player on a bad team guy. He gets forgotten, maybe wrongly forgotten. He's 24 now, is he going to get a lot better than he is right now? Hard to say. He certainly is that 4th line type we often pick, but I just feel there are many options ahead of him. Hasn't played a playoff game yet.

By the way, love the Marchessault pick. For some reason my guess is he doesn't get picked, but he is a classic big game player and would fit great on the wing.

 

[Eye of Ra]

höglander

 

[ORRFForever]

I am trying to think of a guy no one has said yet, and this is going to be a stretch, but how about Mack Celebrini? A lock for the 1st overall pick in 2024. He'll have an entire season to prove it and then part of the next one. Hence, this thread is called "longshots" so he would be one of them. Not impossible though. He is a real gem, and we all hated that Crosby never got a shot on the 2006 team and he had only played 30 games up until that point that they picked the team. Celebrini will have about a year and a half. Hey, you never know. If he plays the way Bedard is playing there is no doubt he gets a long look in the fall of 2025.

As for Nick Suzuki, here is my thought with him. He's a Montreal Canadien. He is a classic good player on a bad team guy. He gets forgotten, maybe wrongly forgotten. He's 24 now, is he going to get a lot better than he is right now? Hard to say. He certainly is that 4th line type we often pick, but I just feel there are many options ahead of him. Hasn't played a playoff game yet.

By the way, love the Marchessault pick. For some reason my guess is he doesn't get picked, but he is a classic big game player and would fit great on the wing.

For me, Celebrini is too soon.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

USA Hockey has hurt you too many times Rabid.

Just pick the best players available.

 

[Three On Zero]

Welcome to international

f***….

 

[Mathieukferland]

Hasn't played a playoff game yet.

I wouldn’t have Suzuki on my team (is not consistent enough night to night with off puck implication) but he has definitely played in the playoffs

 

[Crosby2010]

I wouldn’t have Suzuki on my team (is not consistent enough night to night with off puck implication) but he has definitely played in the playoffs

Ah right, the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.

Just pick the best players available.

Herb Brooks' character from the movie "Miracle": I am not looking to pick the best players, just the right ones. He's sort of right, and he might have thought that way in real life. But at the end of the day sometimes there are guys too good to leave off the team.

For me, Celebrini is too soon.

Probably. If he goes the path of Bedard the comparison would be if we would pick Bedard in the 2025 Olympics if they had one. I am thinking we would. But this is a guy at 18 years old who is a point per game already, so that might be hard to match.

 

[ORRFForever]

Ah right, the 2020 and 2021 postseasons.



Herb Brooks' character from the movie "Miracle": I am not looking to pick the best players, just the right ones. He's sort of right, and he might have thought that way in real life. But at the end of the day sometimes there are guys too good to leave off the team.



Probably. If he goes the path of Bedard the comparison would be if we would pick Bedard in the 2025 Olympics if they had one. I am thinking we would. But this is a guy at 18 years old who is a point per game already, so that might be hard to match.

I don't know what to think when someone is that young.

Could we have used Crosby in 2006. YES! But, to my eye, Celebrini is not Crosby, even if Bedard is.

The problem : We are so loaded up front, why would we replace someone who is in their mid 20's, their prime, both physically and as an athlete, with a kid like Celebrini?

I wouldn't.

Anyway, we'll have a better perspective in a year or 2.

 

[Crosby2010]

I don't know what to think when someone is that young.

Could we have used Crosby in 2006. YES! But, to my eye, Celebrini is not Crosby, even if Bedard is.

The problem : We are so loaded up front, why would we replace someone who is in their mid 20's, their prime, both physically and as an athlete, with a kid like Celebrini?

I wouldn't.

Anyway, we'll have a better perspective in a year or 2.

We are likely too loaded up front to do this, yes. Even in 2006 I personally believe Crosby is a better pick than others that made it but you have to remember Eric Staal didn't make it and Spezza didn't either. Both perhaps had a bit more seasoning to them. Paul Kariya was a surprising afterthought by then. Not that I'd pick Marleau, but he was another one down the depth chart who wasn't there. I guess when you look back at it at the time there was this nervousness that Crosby just didn't have enough time under his belt. He'd have been fine of course, as he tore up the World Championships three months after the Olympics, but I guess the thought was he was green.

Here is a name....................and for a couple of reasons (well, one really) he might be considered a longshot but two years is a long ways away.

Carter Hart.

 

[ORRFForever]

We are likely too loaded up front to do this, yes. Even in 2006 I personally believe Crosby is a better pick than others that made it but you have to remember Eric Staal didn't make it and Spezza didn't either. Both perhaps had a bit more seasoning to them. Paul Kariya was a surprising afterthought by then. Not that I'd pick Marleau, but he was another one down the depth chart who wasn't there. I guess when you look back at it at the time there was this nervousness that Crosby just didn't have enough time under his belt. He'd have been fine of course, as he tore up the World Championships three months after the Olympics, but I guess the thought was he was green.

Here is a name....................and for a couple of reasons (well, one really) he might be considered a longshot but two years is a long ways away.

Carter Hart.

If we could send unlimited players, fine, but if you're gonna bump a 25 year old for a kid who is 19, I think that is a recipe for disaster. Unless the kid is generational, I'd prefer players who are a little more mature.

Whether Hart plays for Canada, again, is beyond his control.

 

[Crosby2010]

If we could send unlimited players, fine, but if you're gonna bump a 25 year old for a kid who is 19, I think that is a recipe for disaster. Unless the kid is generational, I'd prefer players who are a little more mature.

Whether Hart plays for Canada, again, is beyond his control.

Lindros is perhaps the only example of a teenager who definitely fit in on a best on best tournament in 1991. Sakic, Yzerman, Francis, Oates, Gilmour, you name it, lots of guys down the middle with plenty more seasoning to them that were left off the team. Lindros turned out to be the right choice I think. I often wonder how Lemieux would have fared in 1984 had he made that Canada Cup team. There isn't really another option. 1972 and 1976 did not have teenagers. Gretzky was 20 in 1981, but its Gretzky. Doughty was 20 in 2010. Good choice too. Mike Green perhaps is the guy he takes the spot away from. Sid in 2006, we'll never know. But I can't imagine him not making an impact.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Depends on time and year.

Looking at Sweden, we’ve usually had some SHL (or in the case of Kenny Jönsson in 2006, Hockeyallsvenskan) representation at the Olympics. Iirc, Jimmie Ericsson was on the 2014 roster, who was a gritty leader on cup winner Skellefteå. I can’t remember why Mika Hannula made the 2006 roster, but in 2002 there was Mattias Johansson for instance, who was a great defensive center for powerhouse Färjestad. I could see one spot going to a dedicated two-way forward from a powerhouse in the SHL, but it’s near impossible to predict who that would be a year or two into the future… And for the four nations tournament, I doubt there will be SHL representation.

We’ve also seen coaches’ pets getting on the national teams. Victor Hedman was snubbed in 2014, but Henrik Tallinder at the twilight of his career made the team, apparently because of his qualities as a locker room presence. The Hedman snub was also because they wanted to keep D-partners together. Jonathan Ericsson and Johnny Oduya weren’t better than Hedman in 2014, but they had chemistry with Kronwall and Hjalmarsson respectively.

Finally, sometimes there are promising young players up for consideration, bringing them on to watch and learn and so on. I guess it’s less likely that Dahlin and Elias Pettersson makes best-on-best rosters age 17 or 18, but hyped prospects like that will at least be up for consideration.

It’s beyond a long shot, we never produce that kind of talent here, but I’d love it if Jakob Ihs Wozniak finally would bring Luleå an offensive superstar prospect who they’d give a 13th forward spot in 2026.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Based on brief stat watching from this season, some candidates from Sweden would be Kevin Stenlund, Marcus Pettersson, Mikael Backlund, Leo Carlsson and (as previously mentioned) Gustav Nyquist, who’s actually 6th among Swedes in scoring.

Carlsson doesn’t seem as much as a long shot a year from now however.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Kevin Stenlund,

Why?

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

Why?

Has more short handed ice time than any other Swedish forward, has a high faceoff percentage. Swedish coaches tend to bring a pure shutdown 4th line.