WJC: 2021 Team USA Roster Talk

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Someone like Matthew Knies should get a decent look for this team, really good player that can play in all situations and is a very good, agile skater. Makes plays at top speed really well. I think he’d be a nice asset in the bottom 6 or 4th line.

We don't take under-ager players that often. We should. We prefer to give spots to bad grinders. USAH way. And we have no success with it either. We haven't won one of these big tournaments in a long time, and always seem to lose important games.

 

[SK94]

 

[themelkman]

I think Bordeleau might play a bigger role for USA than people thought

 

[NewHampshire]

I think Bordeleau might play a bigger role for USA than people thought

 

[William H Bonney]

 

[novisor]

Any chance Hughes plays? Doesn't seem like the NHL is starting January 1.

 

[William H Bonney]

Any chance Hughes plays? Doesn't seem like the NHL is starting January 1.

I'm sure USAH is trying. If there's no positive NHL news soon, I imagine Hughes would want to play as long as New Jersey is supportive.

 

[ORRFForever]

I'm sure USAH is trying. If there's no positive NHL news soon, I imagine Hughes would want to play as long as New Jersey is supportive.

I don't understand why the NHL hasn't been more transparent. They've been frustratingly quiet on the subject.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Would both Hughes play? Is Jack older?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Would both Hughes play? Is Jack older?

Whose the other Hughes? Are you suggesting Luke? He’s not on the Camp roster. We’ve stopped taking players younger than 18 to this tournament.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Whose the other Hughes? Are you suggesting Luke? He’s not on the Camp roster. We’ve stopped taking players younger than 18 to this tournament.

One plays D on Vancouver and one plays for NJ.

 

[Hagstrom]

One plays D on Vancouver and one plays for NJ.

Quinn Hughes is 21 and it's a U20 tournament

 

[57special]

Maybe start another thread for 2022. It gets confusing otherwise.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Whose the other Hughes? Are you suggesting Luke? He’s not on the Camp roster. We’ve stopped taking players younger than 18 to this tournament.

I think that is a mistake in Luke's case. Best D-man in the program since Seth Jones in my opinion. I would have liked to see him get a chance to make this team, I know it is early but to me his is a special talent that should have been at least given camp to make the case.

I don't think they would ever do that but it would be interesting if Jack made clear a part of what would intrigue him about going would be playing with his brother wink wink nudge nudge...

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

1. I think Hughes and Samoskevich have to be at the Selection Camp. If they don’t earn a spot on the team, fair enough, but this idea that there are 40+ better players, I’m not buying it. With Hughes, if he goes 1OA, it’s going to look really bad that guys who aren’t real NHL prospects made the camp ahead of him. With Samoskevich, how can a guy whose probably your best center for the 2022 WJC not at least make the selection camp? I like Matt Knies game more than most, but if this guy is at the camp and these two aren’t, you have to really question the selections.

2. Beecher absolutely cannot be the 3C. He’s playing 1C for Michigan this year, and is 16th on the team in points so far this season. It’s a small sample size, but three of his Michigan teammates are better 3C options than him. Draft position and a prior spot on the team cannot give Beecher the 3C spot. I think he’s cutting it close to not making the team, but have him as the 4C. And I’m somewhat concerned that the coach is going to do what the coach from last year did and not allow Zegras to play center. Beecher at 3C would be bad. Beecher as a top six center is a disaster.

3. I can’t see how Hunter Skinner makes the team when he hasn’t played all year, so unless Faber makes a strong push or they invite Powell, we are going with 1 right shot defenseman. I don’t like it, but you can’t take such inferior players. And generally, I think all the CHL’ers are at a big disadvantage to make it. Someone like Hanas now has no shot at making it this year. It’s not great either that Wolf, Robertson, and Kaliyev haven’t played this year, although they’ll obviously make it. Zegras and Turcotte haven’t played this year either. And we may not get those four forwards, if their NHL teams decide against it, so we might not be in as bad a shape as Canada with this, but it’s not good that if our best players even play this year they’ll be coming into the tournament having not played since March, or a few games for Robertson in August.

 

[Adam da bomb]

That Hughes family is something really special.

 

[JiggsNY]

1. I think Hughes and Samoskevich have to be at the Selection Camp. If they don’t earn a spot on the team, fair enough, but this idea that there are 40+ better players, I’m not buying it. With Hughes, if he goes 1OA, it’s going to look really bad that guys who aren’t real NHL prospects made the camp ahead of him. With Samoskevich, how can a guy whose probably your best center for the 2022 WJC not at least make the selection camp? I like Matt Knies game more than most, but if this guy is at the camp and these two aren’t, you have to really question the selections.

2. Beecher absolutely cannot be the 3C. He’s playing 1C for Michigan this year, and is 16th on the team in points so far this season. It’s a small sample size, but three of his Michigan teammates are better 3C options than him. Draft position and a prior spot on the team cannot give Beecher the 3C spot. I think he’s cutting it close to not making the team, but have him as the 4C. And I’m somewhat concerned that the coach is going to do what the coach from last year did and not allow Zegras to play center. Beecher at 3C would be bad. Beecher as a top six center is a disaster.

3. I can’t see how Hunter Skinner makes the team when he hasn’t played all year, so unless Faber makes a strong push or they invite Powell, we are going with 1 right shot defenseman. I don’t like it, but you can’t take such inferior players. And generally, I think all the CHL’ers are at a big disadvantage to make it. Someone like Hanas now has no shot at making it this year. It’s not great either that Wolf, Robertson, and Kaliyev haven’t played this year, although they’ll obviously make it. Zegras and Turcotte haven’t played this year either. And we may not get those four forwards, if their NHL teams decide against it, so we might not be in as bad a shape as Canada with this, but it’s not good that if our best players even play this year they’ll be coming into the tournament having not played since March, or a few games for Robertson in August.

I really hope these guys are at camp. Nothing more infuriating with USA Hockey then them voluntarily leaving skill home for lesser players to play certain roles. WJC is a tournament of skill shootout, just stack the teams.

 

[LeafChief]

Would make no sense to not at the very least have Luke Hughes at camp just for the experience. He's going to be a big part of the program.

 

[OldScool]

Some delusions going on here that Hughes and samoskevich deserve invites. Let’s not forget that 01 class is probably best ever class in the USA. They will probably both make it next year but they aren’t close to making this years team.

 

[duxfan1101]

Thought it was worth mentioning that Henry Thrun took an illegal high hit on November 7 and has not played since (tonight will be his 2nd missed game as Dubuque had a long stretch without playing). Since he is playing in the USHL, I haven't heard anything about him recently.

 

[William H Bonney]

No surprise on these guys:

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Some delusions going on here that Hughes and samoskevich deserve invites. Let’s not forget that 01 class is probably best ever class in the USA. They will probably both make it next year but they aren’t close to making this years team.

So Matt Knies, a worse prospect than both eligible for the same draft, should be at the camp?

The 2001 age group being great doesn’t mean we have 40 2001 players that should keep them out of this camp.

Are you suggesting that every player who will be at this camp deserves a spot more? Why do other teams have success taking some younger players or at least giving them a chance to make the team? Why do we need more Parker Ford’s or Jack St. Ivany’s on the team, not to mention the players at the camps who aren’t even as good as the worst players on the team?

 

[Statsy]

Some delusions going on here that Hughes and samoskevich deserve invites. Let’s not forget that 01 class is probably best ever class in the USA. They will probably both make it next year but they aren’t close to making this years team.

This current team may be stacked up front, but that’s certainly not the case on the back end. Hughes may not have made the cut, but it seems like a mistake to not bring him in for the camp to get him primed for next year’s event.

I know less about Samoskevich (though I did see he has a pretty nifty stat line this year with 12 points through 6 games), but I do again agree with Pavel Buchnevich that a camp spot may have been beneficial even though he’s a long shot to actually be on this team.

 

[TheDoldrums]

It’s not great either that Wolf, Robertson, and Kaliyev haven’t played this year, although they’ll obviously make it. Zegras and Turcotte haven’t played this year either. And we may not get those four forwards, if their NHL teams decide against it, so we might not be in as bad a shape as Canada with this, but it’s not good that if our best players even play this year they’ll be coming into the tournament having not played since March, or a few games for Robertson in August.

It's a good point, but at least in Robertson's case he's in a pretty good situation. He stayed in Toronto to skate and practice around the Leafs and their development staff. That might serve him better than being in junior at this point anyways.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Bottom of the roster is for mediocrity. We can't invite younger players to this camp. And the bottom of the roster when the roster is settled might find it's way into top spots ahead of the best players on the team. College hockey coaches love their grinders.