Some thoughts on the team:
Forwards:
Outside of the big three, a real disappointing performance from this group. This group had the makings of a unit that could roll four lines, wear down the opposition, and get production from every line, but it never materialized.
- Casey Mittelstadt: Clear team MVP. A lot was expected of him and he delivered throughout. Would have been interesting to see him on a team with some secondary scoring to occasionally relieve the pressure he was under.
- Kieffer Bellows: He redeemed himself in last year's tournament with 2 goals in the gold medal game after being a major disappointment, but that wasn't necessary this year. His skating has improved and he was one of the top 3 forwards. I'm not sure his impact was as great as his stats may indicate, but he's a goal scorer and he delivered goals.
- Brady Tkachuk: Probably opened a lot of eyes for folks that have never seen him play. He's the complete package. Most impressively, he was composed all tournament. If he's not in the NHL, he should be the captain of this team next year.
- Joey Anderson: I thought it was an average tournament at best for him. His stat line is really kind to his performance in my opinion. His patented effort, hustle, and grit were lacking all tournament and his offensive output more a byproduct of his linemates and ice time than his play.
- Kailer Yamamoto: The biggest disappointment. He's so skilled and can absolutely fly, but you wouldn't know it having watched this tournament. A real bummer for a guy we all thought would be a huge contributor.
- Ryan Poehling: If it wasn't for Yamamoto, he'd be the biggest disappointment. He's an old '99, is in his 2nd NCAA season already, has a lot of international experience, played a ton of minutes, and was basically a non-factor throughout.
- Trent Frederic: He showed some flashes where you thought he may step up into that needed secondary scoring role, but it never materialized until the last game. He was good in the other areas of his game.
- The rest of the forwards (Harper, Norris, Tufte, Jones) were all okay. You would have liked to see an unexpected contributor emerge out of your bottom line guys, but it didn't happen for any of them.
- A real bummer to lose both Lockwood and Brown basically for the tournament. I'm not sure either of them change things, but it certainly didn't help the chances.
Defense:
The defense played well. They gave their team a chance to win, and for a group lacking a true #1 like some of the more recent teams, they performed about as well as you could have hoped.
- Adam Fox: He's getting a lot of praise for his tournament, and while I thought he was good overall, I think the praise is a bit over-the-top. It was patented Fox nonetheless. Some fantastic vision and stickhandling followed by him forgetting he's a defensemen or his skating getting exposed wide.
- Dylan Samberg: Our best d-man all tournament. He was a rock in his own end, physical, and did really well advancing the puck. This tournament should be a real confidence booster for him as he's a very inexperienced d-man. He'll anchor the top pair next tournament.
- Quinn Hughes: Disappointing tournament for him and you could see the frustration on his face. That said, Motzko and company did him no favors. He was great in the opener (yes, it was Denmark), but was having a rough game against Slovakia like most everyone else and that was the end of it for him. He'd get sporadic shifts from there on out, so it's tough to expect much. In today's game, he finally started getting ice time again and looked pretty good, and then gets benched for sticking up for himself. Motzko should apologize for that one.
- The rest of the guys played their roles and did so well.
Goalies:
Underwhelming for what had been a really promising group a year ago.
- Joseph Woll: He was average at best. The hopeful side of me thought he could really have a great tournament as he'd be motivated to play for something given how so-so he's been for BC, but it was more of the same for Woll. He wasn't awful, but he wasn't good, and too often he put his team in a hole with a soft goal.
- Jake Oettinger: He was average as well in limited minutes. Yes, he beat Canada, but he allowed a pretty soft goal in that one too and wasn't overly tested.
- Jeremy Swayman: Feel for him. I still don't think he should have been there, but not because of his talent; it made no sense to bring a guy that can't return and not play him. That said, I was really disappointed in Motzko today. Your team is up 7-0 heading into the third. Bring in Swayman. What was the point of waiting to do so until there was only 3 minutes left?
Coaches:
- Motzko has delivered for USAH. He deserves a ton of credit for back-to-back medals, but I found a lot more fault in his decisions this year than I did last year, which comes with the territory when you don't win gold I guess.
- From his passive coaching when the team was down and struggling to score to his handling of Hughes and the goalies, I sure wish he would have coached with a bit more urgency.
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All-in-all, this tournament doesn't define any of these players, good or bad. They all had their ups and downs, but they're bringing home bronze and a lifetime of memories. As always, it was a fun ride.
