WJC: 2023 Team Canada Roster Talk Part 2

[Stewie Griffin]

I'm late to the party but what a god awful game by Clarke. I hated the way he would constantly call for the puck just to make a dumb play that resulted in nothing at all. And that penalty was all time stupid. Finally, he left his man wide open in front on the tying goal.

I don't mind Zellwegger alot as some others. I think the main issue is he is being overplayed far too much. Hinds and Korchinski have looks fine so they should spread out the playing time there.

I think Gaucher has been playing really well and I like his high tempo.

 

[ORRFForever]

I disagree on Shane Wright being a disappointment. I've watched all the Canada games in person and at this point #15 is the only guy I trust not to f*** up the game. Even Bedard has some pretty obvious defensive shortcomings that make me nervous with his line out there. With Canada's defense as bad as it is Wright being that calming presence is a MAJOR contribution.

I completely agree on someone other than Bedard needing to contribute to the offense though. Stankoven and Wright and the only other guys consistently creating chances.

Fair enough. Maybe I'm being too hard on him - in my defense, I was hoping for/expecting U18 greatness.

P.S. How does last night's game rank when it comes to sporting events you've seen? (at the risk of asking an obvious question)

 

[jellybeans]

Clarke imagined himself blocking a shot without a helmet and Canada forever being in awe of his effort <- the hero complex.

Instead, he almost cost us the game. What an idiot.

You must feel like a real man telling a kid he's an idiot you must feel so powerfull bullying a kid behind your keyboard under a fake name your so mighty.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

You must feel like a real man telling a kid he's an idiot you must feel so powerfull bullying a kid behind your keyboard under a fake name your so mighty.

Lmao have you never seen anyone call a player an idiot online before? Are you surprised it happened after a Team Canada playoff WJC game? When said player (who is in the National Hockey League) broke a rule that is also in the NHL?

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I disagree on Shane Wright being a disappointment. I've watched all the Canada games in person and at this point #15 is the only guy I trust not to f*** up the game. Even Bedard has some pretty obvious defensive shortcomings that make me nervous with his line out there. With Canada's defense as bad as it is Wright being that calming presence is a MAJOR contribution.

I completely agree on someone other than Bedard needing to contribute to the offense though. Stankoven and Wright and the only other guys consistently creating chances.

agreed - he leaves a lot to be desired offensivly, particularly even strength.

But he is always the first guy back and positions himself very well to nullify scoring chances. Very quietly he has been effective this tournament. Very good details to his game.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

You must feel like a real man telling a kid he's an idiot you must feel so powerfull bullying a kid behind your keyboard under a fake name your so mighty.

I am sure Clarke will be okay.

 

[ORRFForever]

You must feel like a real man telling a kid he's an idiot you must feel so powerfull bullying a kid behind your keyboard under a fake name your so mighty.

You're right. My bad. I deleted it.

Lmao have you never seen anyone call a player an idiot online before? Are you surprised it happened after a Team Canada playoff WJC game? When said player (who is in the National Hockey League) broke a rule that is also in the NHL?

Thanks for the support. I appreciate it.

I am sure Clarke will be okay.

 

[Czechboy]

oh man, this team has flaws. but is a non-stop thrill ride. That's why we love junior hockey.

Instant classic.

I'm not overly confident Canada leaves Halifax with the hardware. If we make it to the GMG I think Cesko may be the favorite.

Would be a hell of a GMG, however!

Especially for our resident oiler fan @Czechboy.

but it could very easily be a USA v Cesko final.

We are starting down a 20 year losing streak to Sweden and a loss ths week to them. Favorites my ass.lol.

That game last night was one of my favs of all time at the tourney. Such a great game. Way to come out on the.other side. Good luck against US!

 

[TheBeastCoast]

We are starting down a 20 year losing streak to Sweden and a loss ths week to them. Favorites my ass.lol.

That game last night was one of my favs of all time at the tourney. Such a great game. Way to come out on the.other side. Good luck against US!

Sounds like you're due then!

 

[NordiquesForeva]

With the U.S. defense group being smaller and less physical, it will be interesting to see if, tactically, Williams rolls his four lines more than he did against Slovakia in an effort to assert some degree of physical dominance and establish a bit of a cycle game in the o-zone. Thinking back a few weeks, I (along with most others probably) figured that that is exactly why guys like Ostapchuk, Bankier, Schaefer, Dach and Dean made the team over other more skilled forwards. In particular, I thought Gaucher had a really good game yesterday. Sending those guys in hard on the forecheck early on (in a disciplined manner of course) would bear some fruit in the 3rd period, I'd have to think, along with opening up some ice for Fantilli.

But, realistically I can't see Williams run with four lines. The top-6, with a bit of the Gaucher line, has gotten Canada this far so its difficult to see them change course now. My concern with the U.S. game will be the pace at which the American teams plays, and players like Clarke, Zellweger, and all of our top-6 forwards being gassed towards the end of the game from just being played too much. In my ~30 years of watching this tournament, this is by far the most unbalanced forward group I've seen, and Williams appears to have little trust in the bottom 5 or 6 guys in the forward group.

The U.S. game is a good opportunity to go back to traditional Canadian-style hockey, in my view.

 

[Scotianhab]

agreed - he leaves a lot to be desired offensivly, particularly even strength.

But he is always the first guy back and positions himself very well to nullify scoring chances. Very quietly he has been effective this tournament. Very good details to his game.

The issue is he didn’t make the team to be a defensive specialist. 1 even strength point is pretty bad. It’s not just him though, his whole line hasn’t done anything outside of the PP. They all need to step up in the semis or it’s a bronze medal game for Can.

 

[JackSlater]

With the U.S. defense group being smaller and less physical, it will be interesting to see if, tactically, Williams rolls his four lines more than he did against Slovakia in an effort to assert some degree of physical dominance and establish a bit of a cycle game in the o-zone. Thinking back a few weeks, I (along with most others probably) figured that that is exactly why guys like Ostapchuk, Bankier, Schaefer, Dach and Dean made the team over other more skilled forwards. In particular, I thought Gaucher had a really good game yesterday. Sending those guys in hard on the forecheck early on (in a disciplined manner of course) would bear some fruit in the 3rd period, I'd have to think, along with opening up some ice for Fantilli.

But, realistically I can't see Williams run with four lines. The top-6, with a bit of the Gaucher line, has gotten Canada this far so its difficult to see them change course now. My concern with the U.S. game will be the pace at which the American teams plays, and players like Clarke, Zellweger, and all of our top-6 forwards being gassed towards the end of the game from just being played too much. In my ~30 years of watching this tournament, this is by far the most unbalanced forward group I've seen, and Williams appears to have little trust in the bottom 5 or 6 guys in the forward group.

The U.S. game is a good opportunity to go back to traditional Canadian-style hockey, in my view.

I believe you hit the nail on the head regarding what Canada should do. Honestly the way this team plays does not match the team that was picked, and while I know that the coaching staff alone does not select the roster it really should not be that way. Canada gave a much more balanced effort against Sweden and that should be the goal in this upcoming game. The depth lines pressuring the opposition opens things up for the top scorers later on in the game and using Korchinski rather than always throwing out Zellweger and Clarke can keep them fresher and limit mistakes somewhat.

 

[Sideline]

Fair enough. Maybe I'm being too hard on him - in my defense, I was hoping for/expecting U18 greatness.

P.S. How does last night's game rank when it comes to sporting events you've seen? (at the risk of asking an obvious question)

GSP fighting at the Bell Centre is the only thing close, but that was a favorite crushing his opponent.

This was a close game that could have gone either way. I'm usually pretty chill at these things. I've been to WJC gold medal games that Canada has won and lost. This was by far the most exciting game I have been to. Not sure if the noise translates on TV, but that crowd when Bedard scored was louder than I've heard at Sunday Night Football in New England, the Skydome when the Jays are in the wild card, and the Bell Centre when the Habs score in the playoffs.

 

[ORRFForever]

The U.S. game is a good opportunity to go back to traditional Canadian-style hockey, in my view.

Amen to that!

 

[TheBeastCoast]

GSP fighting at the Bell Centre is the only thing close, but that was a favorite crushing his opponent.

This was a close game that could have gone either way. I'm usually pretty chill at these things. I've been to WJC gold medal games that Canada has won and lost. This was by far the most exciting game I have been to. Not sure if the noise translates on TV, but that crowd when Bedard scored was louder than I've heard at Sunday Night Football in New England, the Skydome when the Jays are in the wild card, and the Bell Centre when the Habs score in the playoffs.

A lot of people I know were at the game last night. To a person they all said the stands were like noticably shaking after he scored and throughout the night. Definitely translated well through TV.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

I believe you hit the nail on the head regarding what Canada should do. Honestly the way this team plays does not match the team that was picked, and while I know that the coaching staff alone does not select the roster it really should not be that way. Canada gave a much more balanced effort against Sweden and that should be the goal in this upcoming game. The depth lines pressuring the opposition opens things up for the top scorers later on in the game and using Korchinski rather than always throwing out Zellweger and Clarke can keep them fresher and limit mistakes somewhat.

Yes, I agree there appears to be a disconnect between the coaching staff (Williams) and management group (Boyd), but unlike any best-on-best Olympic team its kind of murky as to who has/had responsibility for selecting the players on this team. Nonetheless, I can't say that (aside from Dean's sometimes undisciplined play) the bottom 6 have played poorly, its more that I haven't seen them be given ample opportunity to do their thing. Its one thing to be given a limited role on a national team, but Bankier, Schaefer, and Dach (before he was injured) were basically given NO role and their usage seems odd to me.

If I were Williams, Gaucher would take the opening faceoff on Wednesday night, flanked by Ostapchuk and Dean, and I'd look for them to get the puck in deep for a good, solid 45 second shift to set the Americans back on their heels to start. If they establish o-zone possession, Bankier et al would be next over the boards.

Agreed on the defense, Clarke has been just straight-up bad defensively, and his constantly banging his stick asking for a pass is irritating. Zelwegger has been better, but both of them need to play less in order to limit defensive mistakes. I've been very impressed with Hinds this tournament, and Allan has had a good showing too imo.

 

[ORRFForever]

Agreed on the defense, Clarke has been just straight-up bad defensively, and his constantly banging his stick asking for a pass is irritating. Zelwegger has been better, but both of them need to play less in order to limit defensive mistakes. I've been very impressed with Hinds this tournament, and Allan has had a good showing too imo.

Someone on the coaching staff needs to have a talk with Clarke - tell him to stop trying to be a hero and just play within himself.

 

[jellybeans]

Lmao have you never seen anyone call a player an idiot online before? Are you surprised it happened after a Team Canada playoff WJC game? When said player (who is in the National Hockey League) broke a rule that is also in the NHL?

Another karen you are

 

[ORRFForever]

Another karen you are

I deleted my comment so please let it go.

 

[57special]

Clarke is not nearly as bad as some on here are saying. He looked very impressive at times. Obvious mistake or two, but I am not going to write off a teenager who is playing for free to represent his country. The guy is trying hard. Also thought Zellwegger was vg. Like Hinds.

At this point, Fantilli has to embrace playing in the bottom six, and forget about trying to compete with Bedard. His speed and size are welcome on the forecheck.

Gaucher is great. Plays hard and nasty, but knows where the line is, and doesn't cross it. I've been watching Bankier, because he was drafted by my team. Very low event, but he doesn't make mistakes, plays a sound game, and has hit at least two posts after cleanly beating the goalie. As a 4th liner, he's fine.

TBH, I get Othmann and Ostapchuk mixed up, but in gneral, i like Ostapchuk.

Wright is playing fine. A bit ordinary, but solid.

This team needs players to embrace their roles, and not do stupid stuff. I find myself holding my breath when watching Dean, and a few of the dmen when handling the puck in their own zone. They seem slow and hesitant at times. I question whether going for size over skating, and puck handling was the right move.

Oh, and Milic was CLUTCH.

 

[TOGuy14]

Just want to say this seems like a very underwhelming tournament for Fantilli and Wright to me.

Expected these guys to show way more, especially Wright, a guy who turns 19 in a couple days and has a few NHL games under his belt.

 

[Remparts666]

Clarke is not nearly as bad as some on here are saying. He looked very impressive at times. Obvious mistake or two, but I am not going to write off a teenager who is playing for free to represent his country. The guy is trying hard. Also thought Zellwegger was vg. Like Hinds.

At this point, Fantilli has to embrace playing in the bottom six, and forget about trying to compete with Bedard. His speed and size are welcome on the forecheck.

Gaucher is great. Plays hard and nasty, but knows where the line is, and doesn't cross it. I've been watching Bankier, because he was drafted by my team. Very low event, but he doesn't make mistakes, plays a sound game, and has hit at least two posts after cleanly beating the goalie. As a 4th liner, he's fine.

TBH, I get Othmann and Ostapchuk mixed up, but in gneral, i like Ostapchuk.

Wright is playing fine. A bit ordinary, but solid.

This team needs players to embrace their roles, and not do stupid stuff. I find myself holding my breath when watching Dean, and a few of the dmen when handling the puck in their own zone. They seem slow and hesitant at times. I question whether going for size over skating, and puck handling was the right move.

Oh, and Milic was CLUTCH.

Cannot agree more. Clarke has been good all tournament except for those 2 obvious untimely mistakes after which he responded very well. Kid is a stud & made LA kings at 19 for a reason. Lets see how he responds in the semi after making those 2 mistakes.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

The issue is he didn’t make the team to be a defensive specialist. 1 even strength point is pretty bad. It’s not just him though, his whole line hasn’t done anything outside of the PP. They all need to step up in the semis or it’s a bronze medal game for Can.

Agreed - real strong two-way game has always been the hallmark to his game and a big reason as to why he went so high.

His offence concerns are why he didn‘t go first. He‘s a good, not great offensive player, he has a real good shot but isn’t a guy that can drive offence per say - he Is fantastic within 5’ of the net, very strong battling and good at creating time and space for himself in front of the net.

I feel some had misconceptions on the type of player Wright is, at the end of the day he is 18 years old - playing the game the right way. it’s not his fault he was a player that got caught up in the Canadian media hype machine.

 

[Scotianhab]

Cannot agree more. Clarke has been good all tournament except for those 2 obvious untimely mistakes after which he responded very well. Kid is a stud & made LA kings at 19 for a reason. Lets see how he responds in the semi after making those 2 mistakes.

He reminds of Subban when he was young. He does need to stop banging his stick all the time. Shits annoying and gives away his position.

 

[Scotianhab]

Canada was horrible at Faceoffs and that is one of Becks strengths. Even if he took the draw and then went off the ice after a defensive zone win. Doubt anything changes though.