So, I've had a bit of time to gather my thoughts, and they still boil down to this: what a team and what a tournament. I don't know if it was the collective letdown of Sochi and the World Cup, but those last two games were the most nervous I can remember being during the WJC. They came out on top in two WJC games for the ages to secure gold. What a team.
What would any of us have thought if someone told us the '97 birth group would win gold at the WJC, but they'd do so without Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin, Brock Boeser, and Christian Fischer? We collectively would have likely thought said person was crazy. And if that person told you the team would go 7-0 while defeating both Canada and Russia two times each? Gasp. That's not to say we would have thought the team wasn't a gold medal contender, but a lot of players had to step up to replace all of that talent, and boy did they ever deliver.
Full marks to Motzko and the coaching staff. I still would have made 1-2 different roster decisions, but that doesn't matter when you win gold. Motzko made confident decisions all tournament, whether it was his early line shuffle, his goalie rotation, or his choice to hand the reins to Parsons, he never wavered.
And the players. The '97 birth year will go down as one of (the?) greatest birth years ever for American hockey players. This was a veteran team, and they didn't miss a beat even without numerous superstars. They never wavered, and had a very "next man up" mentality it seemed.
Thank you to each and every player on the team for a great tournament. They all served a role, and they delivered gold and a WJC tournament for the ages. I hope one day the Mens National Team will finally deliver again as the WJC team has in my lifetime.
My thoughts on the players:
Forwards:
We knew this would be a strong forward group despite missing out on Matthews and Tkachuk. The unexpected losses of Fischer, Boeser, and Brown didn't change that either because USAH had a really, really deep group of forwards at their disposal. And overall, the forwards didn't disappoint. They finished second in scoring efficiency despite playing 4 of their 7 games against Canada and Russia. You could still nitpick 1-2 of the choices here in hindsight, but now is not the time.
Clayton Keller - The team needed him to be a dynamite offensive sparkplug and he was exactly that. I'm sure he would have liked to finish a few additional chances (his penalty shot, two shootout attempts, and overtime 2-on-1 tonight), but he was a dangerous force out there all tournament. I think he needs one more year at BU to get stronger, and if he's not in the NHL next year, I'm really excited to see what he can do at next year's tournament.
Jordan Greenway - A beast. He was damn near impossible to separate from the puck along the wall, even for the big Canadians, and his passing game was big as well. His development the last 12-18 months has been something else, and I hope he's still on an upward trend. What a tournament for him.
Colin White - Mr. Everything. Need a big goal? Face-off win? PK? Backcheck? He's your guy. He's just a damn good, complete, 200-foot hockey player. I imagine he'll be in the NHL next year, and I'd imagine Ottawa fans are excited about it.
Troy Terry - American hero. I kept doubting his chances to make this team, and he kept proving he deserved to make this team. And damn am I glad that he did. He started out on the top line, and looked good there, but was moved to the 4th line after the first game, and then he looked even better. Anderson was a comfortable fit on the top line, and Terry kick-started the 4th line to relevance. And the shootouts. 4-4. All five-hole. Two as must makes. Nasty. A kid that took his time developing, and it's paid off.
Jeremy Bracco - An enigmatic player that I'm really glad to see win gold. He loves USA Hockey, and I'm sure missing out on the team last year was devastating. He didn't light it up offensively, but he was a contributor as expected, and it's lost in the Terry shootout mania, but Bracco had an equally huge, must make shootout goal as well. He also battled defensively and along the boards very well this tournament, areas that have always been knocks for him.
Tage Thompson - I expected a bigger tournament from him after his camp performances and opening game, but he never seemed to get it going again after being moved to the Bellows/Roslovic line. His ice time went down as well, but he still produced, and he's a damn exciting prospect for the Blues.
Luke Kunin - Much like White, he's another Mr. Everything. His stat line doesn't tell the story as a little better luck and he would have been one of the team's top scorers. He was dangerous offensively, a shutdown centerman defensively, and fantastic at the face-off dot. Much like White, he's not far off from the NHL.
Kieffer Bellows - I was really happy to see him come up big in the gold medal game with 2 goals. Different expectations in the tournament, but his gold medal game redemption was reminiscent to Grimaldi in 2014. For a kid that's never had trouble lighting the lamp, this year has probably been pretty tough for him. He went from scoring 50 goals last year to a first round NHL draft pick to a healthy scratch more than once for BU. He started slow this tournament as well, but he slowly got better game by game. By the end, he was playing physical and generating chances. I imagine he'll have a strong final few months at BU.
Tanner Laczynski - He wasn't the prototypical fourth-line grinding center they typically choose for the team, but he played his role well. He's a good skater, and he was a pest all tournament. And he was fantastic at the dot, much like the entire team was all tournament.
Joey Anderson - He didn't show his offensive abilities here, and he wasn't noticeable in the first game, but he played his role really well after that with White/Keller. He did a lot of dirty work, he was tenacious and physical, and he was great on the PK. He'll be back next year, and I imagine he'll put up bigger offensive numbers as well.
Jack Roslovic - Probably an underwhelming tournament for him, but the skills are evident. His first game was bad, and he showed flashes throughout, but his line never really developed any chemistry. It happens, and when it does, it usually doesn't lead to good offensive numbers. That said, his adrenaline was through the roof these last two games and he was flying out there. In a lot of cases, he was almost going too fast and out-of-control, but it was great to see the jump. If he would have had a little more luck and potted a goal or two earlier on, I imagine his stat line would be a lot different.
Erik Foley - I was really high on Foley coming into the tournament, and I've been predicting him on my team's since before the summer camp. That said, I thought he really struggled. He was bumped down a line early on, and he struggled all tournament with turnovers and soft plays at the defensive blue line. I was surprised by the latter because he's a strong, sturdy player even though he's not a hulking player. I expected him to possibly be an unsung hero a la Terry and Cecconi, but it didn't materialize. He's better than his showing here.
Patrick Harper - Hard to read too much on his tournament as he didn't play much. Pretty odd tournament as he scored the first goal, and didn't touch the ice much after. The skill is evident and he looks like he's 12. His early turnover that led to Russia's opening goal in the semifinal basically ended his chance at future ice time, but it's also really hard to succeed when you don't get a chance to get yourself into a rhythm. That said, I imagine Harper was aware of this possibility as he was the 13th guy throughout. In fact, it may be a big reason why he made the team over a DeBrincat or Brown in that they believed he was willing to accept that role happily.
Defense:
What else to say? A much maligned group since before the summer camp, and yet they collectively delivered. Remember when we were all convinced that Werenski was a must have? And after we knew Werenski would be in the NHL because he dominated the AHL playoffs, how we were convinced that Cal Foote needed to turn down Canada for a guaranteed spot on this team? All for not because this group was great. The '97 d-man class was something else.
Charlie McAvoy - What a player. He played his best games when it mattered most, and was the stalwart #1 on the backend we all expected. He's so similar to Justin Faulk, but he's a more physical player. You would have liked less PIM, especially because you want him out there on the PK, but he was generally a rock for the team and played his best in the gold medal game. He'll also always be one of my favorite NTDP stories. Originally he wasn't invited to the tryout camp. The '97 d-man class was known to be special, and McAvoy was a replacement player at tryouts when the more heralded Troy Henley backed out because he committed to the OHL, a classy move by Henley to step aside by the way. McAvoy went on to make the team, but was largely overshadowed on the U17 squad as it was the Hanifin and Werenski show on the backend. After those two graduated early to the NCAA as 17 year-old freshmen, McAvoy got his chance to shine and took it. The rest is history.
Caleb Jones - Hell of a player. He had a couple rough stretches in games, but each time he turned it around in game very quickly. Along with McAvoy, he logged a ton of minutes and was a reliable rock on the back end. Like McAvoy, he's a fascinating story. He doesn't have his brother's size, but he was undersized when he made the NTDP. He had good tools and was a great athlete, but he was really raw. A lot of folks thought he mostly made the team because he was Seth's brother. Like McAvoy, he was overshadowed on the U17 team, but you could see him getting better all the time when his role increased on the U18 team, and his development curve has only continued with Portland. He's also grown, filled out, and his hockey sense has improved a lot (he used to be guilty of a lot of bad pinches). I think he's only going to get better.
Ryan Lindgren - He was everything I've come to expect him to be: strong defensively, chippy play, and shot blocking extraordinaire. I didn't notice him a ton in the tournament, and that's meant as a compliment. He was a big loss for the team in the gold medal game, especially given the opponent, but the team stepped up. I was wondering why his ice time dwindled as the game wore on in the semis, but it's pretty clear now he was trying to play through his illness. He'll be an anchor on next year's team.
Adam Fox - Definitely had his ups and downs this tournament, but overall he handled his shuffling around the lineup well. The question here wouldn't be his skill, but how his defense would hold up. He had three glaring gaffes (1 against Russia yesterday, 2 against Canada tonight) that ended in goals, but if you were to take those away, he was generally solid. Most impressively was the way he bounced back tonight. He moved past his mistakes on the first two Canada goals, and contributed 3 assists. He'll be a really important player next year, and this tournament will do wonders for his development. Remember, it was just last year's tournament when McAvoy barely played.
Casey Fitzgerald - Much like Fox, he had his ups and downs as well. I thought he had a poor opening game, but then he reeled off a few fantastic performances in a row to supplant Fox in the top 4. I thought he had some bad gaffes tonight as well, but overall he had a strong tournament. Despite his size, he was a physical pest all tournament for the opposition.
Jack Ahcan - He may be small, but what a hard nosed player. His offensive ability didn't shine in the tournament, but he played solid, physical defense all tournament. The way he battles in the defensive zone in the tough areas behind the net and in the corners is something else. There were multiple times tonight where I remember him shrugging off members of Canada's hulking Roy line to win puck battles. Reminds me a ton of Torey Krug.
Joe Cecconi - My unsung hero for Team USA. A lot of folks decried not only his invitation to the December selection camp, but his inclusion on the team. But I'd like to think everyone is proud of the way he performed. He was solid defensively all tournament, physical, and did so without taking a penalty all tournament. He also played a lot more than anyone probably expected, including 25 minutes in the gold medal game. His performance and role reminded me a lot of Connor Murphy from the 2014 team.
Goalies:
We all wondered who would end up being "the guy" in this tournament. The general consensus seemed to be that we had great depth, and three guys that could start, but that this team needed a brick wall in net like Gibson in 2014 to have a chance for the gold. We were certainly right on the first two counts, but we didn't get, nor did we need, a dominant performance a la Gibson as expected. One thing's for sure, next year's WJC team should be in very good hands with Woll and Oettinger.
Tyler Parsons - He wasn't dominant except when it mattered most, and that's all that matters. He was at his best in both overtimes and shootouts against Russia and Canada. His composure is excellent. Pretty remarkable run for a guy that was largely unheralded until last season in London, and had never played international hockey.
Joseph Woll - A lot of folks felt he should have been Motzko's pick to start in the knockout stages, and the truth is Motzko couldn't go wrong either way. He wasn't really tested against Slovakia, but he was very good against Canada on NYE. He seemed to handle the decision with grace, and I'm confident he could have led this team to gold as well. Looks poised to seize the WJC net next year.
Jake Oettinger - He was maybe, at least at one point, the most heralded of the three goalies in terms of their NHL prospects, and he never got to dress. That's how it goes sometimes when you have three guys capable of being your starter. I saw reports that he was a great teammate all tournament and did whatever was asked of him, which is a real testament to him. He'll be back next year, and ready to battle Woll to start.
