WJC: Could Team Canada Jrs beat an AHL/ECHL team?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa

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May 16, 2009
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Good question, and one I have often wondered myself. I am always pondering these types of things...could this team beat that one? What would the score be, etc.

Considering many ECHL and AHL players are guys just out of junior or college (and therefore similar in age), and many of the Canada juniors could likely play for ECHL or AHL teams right now, I would say thay could compete, simply because they are the best 18 and 19 year olds in Canada.

Plus, when you think of it, a lot of guys in the minors are ones that will never see NHL ice or are late round draft choices, whereas many of the juniors will become NHLers and are first rounders.

With that said, the jump from playing against teenagers to playing against guys over 20 is not a simple one. Most AHL teams have some pretty grizzled veterans.

I would say against ECHL competition they would win more games than not, and against the AHL competition they would be in tough, losing more than they would win.
 

KristoLeblanc*

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Yes they could.

They could even beat the Habs the way they are playin lately (Washington game).

But an ECHL team? In a blowout.

Would be close against an AHL team.
 

ponder

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Jul 11, 2007
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The 2005 WJC Team Canada could probably have done pretty well even against some low end NHL teams.
 

SirKillalot

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Feb 27, 2008
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Against an AHL-team? I think they would lose on goaltending, strength, positioning and grit. And, because of it, play too much in the defensive zone.
 

Defensive Forward

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I don't think that people give enough credit to the WJC teams. I would expect the AHL team to win, but if they faced each other over a long period of time, say 82 games, Team Canada would get a fair share of wins.

If you put an AHL team in the NHL, it is the same, they would get wins. People just don't understand that these guys aren't just scrubs, they have talent. The experience of the AHL teams would win it for them in the end though.

In a one game series I would guess AHL team would win 4-2 or so.
 

Nakawick

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Apr 5, 2010
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Russia Beat a KHL team but Canada couldnt beat Russia so im going to say... no. It would be close though, Depending on the team.

This years Canada did beat Russia 6-3 and probably beats that team 7 or 8 times out of 10. however, it would be teenagers against men, so I would assume any junior team would have a lot of trouble beating an AHL team.
 

copperandblue

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I say no and I don't think it would be particularily close. There is something to be said about the physical and mental maturity that AHLers posses over Jrs.
 

Mizral

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This board highly underestimates the AHL as a league in general. I think even a bad AHL team would wreck our Junior team. Maybe if we had Duschene/Hall/Taveres et al it would be closer.
 

ed bruin

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Feb 14, 2010
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No, theres a reason why a lot of Junior players transitioning to the AHL struggle, they are professionals and fully grown men
 

Oilerfan120582

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The AHL is a good league full of physically mature, experienced pros. I think an AHL would wreck the 2011 juniors and win against almost any world junior team. 2005 is the only year that I'd pick the juniors to win in a close game, and that was a freak year due to the combination of a ridiculously strong draft year + the lockout.
 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa

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May 16, 2009
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No, theres a reason why a lot of Junior players transitioning to the AHL struggle, they are professionals and fully grown men

Struggle is too strong a word. Most elite juniors don't struggle. The third and fourth rounders, maybe.

Remember, the guys going into the AHL are ones that get sent down from NHL teams, or who never even went to the NHL camp. Many of the Canadian juniors will not be sent down. They'll be playing in the NHL when it is there time to go pro.
 

RewBicks

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Feb 10, 2007
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Size, strength, and speed of the AHL game is much higher than the junior game. Assuming they're decent, the AHL team would win a lot more than they lose, IMO.
 

RewBicks

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Struggle is too strong a word. Most elite juniors don't struggle. The third and fourth rounders, maybe.

Remember, the guys going into the AHL are ones that get sent down from NHL teams, or who never even went to the NHL camp. Many of the Canadian juniors will not be sent down. They'll be playing in the NHL when it is there time to go pro.

How many of the guys off of this year's team do you see playing in the NHL next year? I don't think there will be many. After Schenn, Gudbranson, and possibly Ellis it's hard to say. The only reason any of the top-3 picks next year may end up in the NHL will be that the team that picks them is severely undermanned. None of them will have an impact in their rookie year, if they make it. Couturier, RNH, etc. will not be impact NHL players next year.
 

ed bruin

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How many of the guys off of this year's team do you see playing in the NHL next year? I don't think there will be many. After Schenn, Gudbranson, and possibly Ellis it's hard to say. The only reason any of the top-3 picks next year may end up in the NHL will be that the team that picks them is severely undermanned. None of them will have an impact in their rookie year, if they make it. Couturier, RNH, etc. will not be impact NHL players next year.

agree bro
 
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaa

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May 16, 2009
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How many of the guys off of this year's team do you see playing in the NHL next year? I don't think there will be many. After Schenn, Gudbranson, and possibly Ellis it's hard to say. The only reason any of the top-3 picks next year may end up in the NHL will be that the team that picks them is severely undermanned. None of them will have an impact in their rookie year, if they make it. Couturier, RNH, etc. will not be impact NHL players next year.

I agree with the guys you mentioned (not sure Ellis will ever be an NHLer), but first rounders are at least going to get a shot in most cases. I don't see any huge impact players, but definitely 6-8 guys who will make the big clubs. Add Cowen, de Haan, Kassian, Eakin and maybe Louis LeBlanc to the list of guys I think will at least get a crack at the show next year. Ashton, Barrie and Olsen are longshots from the 2009 class.
 

Bank Shot

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Jan 18, 2006
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It depends on the team that season I suppose. The more I think about it though, the more I am led to believe that the World Junior team would beat an AHL team more times then not.


Look at last season's team:

ALLEN Jake GK 13-5 record in AHL this year. .945 sv percentage
TEUBERT Colten D AHL 23-1-3-4
HAMONIC Travis D AHL 19-2-5-7 NHL 20-0-5-5
HALL Taylor F NHL 40-12-11-23
SCANDELLA Marco D AHL 26-1-10-11 NHL 14-0-2-2
ELLIS Ryan D -Juniors
BOURQUE Gabriel F AHL 40-6-7-13
KADRI Nazem F AHL 18-7-11-18 NHL 17-0-6-6
SCHENN Brayden F AHL 7-3-4-7 NHL 8-0-2-2
HENRIQUE Adam F AHL 32-9-10-19
EBERLE Jordan F NHL 37-9-14-23
McMILLAN Brandon F AHL 16-4-2-6 NHL 23-3-5-8
NEMISZ Greg F AHL 40-11-8-19
KOZUN Brandon F AHL 35-9-10-19
DELLA-ROVERE Stefan F AHL 31-5-6-11 NHL 5-0-0-0
ADAM Luke F AHL-12-10-22 NHL 16-3-1-4
COWEN Jared D -Junior
de HAAN Calvin D -junior
CARON Jordan F AHL 14-3-6-9 NHL 20-3-4-7
PIETRANGELO Alex D NHL 37-5-13-18
CORMIER Patrice F AHL 11-2-3-5 NHL 7-1-1-2
JONES Martin GK AHL 14-3 .943%

If you look over that roster, you've got three players in Eberle, Hall, and Pietrangelo who are solid NHLers and would be superstars at the AHL level.

Then you've got 9 other guys who have seen NHL time this year, most of them being impact AHLers.

Your two goalies are excelling at the AHL level.

The only question marks are on defence where you have a couple of guys still in junior.

I think this team could challenge for the Calder Cup.
 

WarriorofTime

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Jul 3, 2010
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The fact that they are still playing in Juniors in the first place means they weren't ready to be in the NHL for that particular year. Bringing up the 09 team's professional stats this year doesn't really make sense as those players are a year older and further in their development. I would give the edge to the experience of the AHLers. It's the same reason why World Junior teams take so many 19 year olds over 18 year olds, older players are just going to be better and more posed at this stage.
 

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