WHC 2015 - Prague/Ostrava

[tade]

Hi all!

I was thinking that It would be nice to create once again a thread about upcoming World Championship which will be held in Czech republic, specifically in Prague and Ostrava. We had this thread last year and the year before so I hope It's not the problem if I start this.

This year we have a lot of players attending.

Voracek - CZE - confirmed
Raffl - AUT - confirmed
Giroux - CAN - confirmed
B. Schenn - CAN - confirmed
Couturier - CAN - confirmed
Streit - SUI - confirmed
Lauridsen - DEN - confirmed

Mason - declined an invitation, wants to rest his knee
Bellemare - out, he needs shoulder surgery
Del Zotto - no info about if he was invited, but he needs contract extension so that alone makes it quite unlikely

Click to read more...

 

[CodyTheHuman]

Mason isn't very unlikely, he rejected the offer. He is going to be resting his knee this offseason.

 

[tade]

Mason isn't very unlikely, he rejected the offer. He is going to be resting his knee this offseason.

Yeah that's right, I got it. Sorry.

 

[Larry44]

Hi all!

I was thinking that It would be nice to create once again a thread about upcoming World Championship which will be held in Czech republic, specifically in Prague and Ostrava. We had this thread last year and the year before so I hope It's not the problem if I start this.

This year we may have a bunch of players attending.

Voracek - CZE - 100%
Bellemare - FRA - 100%
Raffl - AUT - 100%
Streit - SUI - very likely

Giroux - unlikely (but I would be very happy to see him there)
Mason - very unlikely
B. Schenn - ?
Couturier - ?
Del Zotto - ?

Schenn, Couts and DelZotto will all likely get an invite. Couts was hurt but I think both Schenns, Read and Simmonds played last year.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Schenn, Couts and DelZotto will all likely get an invite. Couts was hurt but I think both Schenns, Read and Simmonds played last year.

It was B. Schenn, Read, & Coburn last year. The year prior to that it was Giroux, Simmonds, Read, & L. Schenn.

 

[tade]

Well, Giroux is now confirmed to play for team Canada at WC. That's quite surprising but awesome news for me. I guess I am going to visit Prague in May.

Apparently team Canada should be very entertaining and scary good. Among others confirmed players: Hall, RNH, Seguin, Duchene, Spezza, Ekblad, Eberle... Jamie Benn will most likely join the team and maybe even Doughty lol.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Since Mase was good to play so much down the stretch I wish he would go, will help for future bigger tournaments. This Canada team will be really good though

 

[RoDu]

But Mason really does need some time to rest. Too bad he was really on his game

 

[GKJ]

Good to see Giroux is going. I'm glad the tournament exists when it does, at least gives some guys a chance to get the bad taste of a lost season out of their mouths.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

USA is going to be trotting out some college kids (Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, Jimmy Vesey, & Mike Reilly).

 

[tade]

USA is going to be trotting out some college kids (Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin, Jimmy Vesey, & Mike Reilly).

Yeah like always but I am looking forward to see them (especially Eichel & Larkin). Gonna be fun.

Couts is now unlikely as Cody Eakin was selected. B. Schenn would be good addition given his recent play. I'm curious about Del Zotto.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

It was confirmed again today that Mason declined an invite in order to rest his knee.

Yeah like always but I am looking forward to see them (especially Eichel & Larkin). Gonna be fun.

Yeah their roster isn't looking too bad given the circumstances. The pull just isn't really there for NA players & the US doesn't have the depth like Canada to somewhat make up for it.

Justin Faulk & Jake Gardiner will be there & it looks like Corey Schneider might be going so they might have a better chance for a medal than they normally would.

 

[Jtown]

i wonder if they will kick giroux off the team once crosby joins.

 

[PALE PWNR]

i wonder if they will kick giroux off the team once crosby joins.

That ***** will never play in a WC

 

[FLYguy3911]

Gostisbehere would have been a shoe-in for the US if he wasn't hurt.

 

[Chinatown88]

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/First-group-named-for-2015-mens-worlds

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/First-group-named-for-2015-mens-worlds

USA Hockey released their's as well, peep that dynamo forward core.

http://mensworlds.usahockey.com/news_article/show/502141?referrer_id=780184

 

[Coffe]

Sweden looks to be getting some NHL help. Following players are joining:

Elias Lindholm
Victor Rask
Anton Lander

Oliver Ekman-Larsson
John Klingberg (confirmed to pre-tourney games, should make the WC squad)
Oskar Klefbom

Jhonas Enroth


Landeskog was invited but has a wrist injury. No word yet on other players whose teams are eliminated. Interesting first round exits are the Sens, Pens, Caps and Canucks.

 

[Jtown]

USA Hockey released their's as well, peep that dynamo forward core.

http://mensworlds.usahockey.com/news_article/show/502141?referrer_id=780184

Dylan Larkin is by far their best forward.

 

[GKJ]

Americans always have a rough go of it finding people at the Worlds. Once you get past top-level players, it gets to slim pickings pretty fast, and then consider that the tournament in America probably means less here than it does in just about every other country.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I thought Eichel was playing.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I thought Eichel was playing.

It was reported he would but I guess he didn't give a definite answer yet. They still have 10 spots to fill so he could be in that second wave of players.

 

[thelos]

Will Lindblom make team SWE?

 

[FLYguy3911]

Will Lindblom make team SWE?

Doubtful.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Americans always have a rough go of it finding people at the Worlds. Once you get past top-level players, it gets to slim pickings pretty fast, and then consider that the tournament in America probably means less here than it does in just about every other country.

It's their forward depth that really kills them. At least with defense & goaltending (although it was pretty bad last year despite the defense being one of the top unit's in the tourney) there's some solid 2nd/3rd & beyond options.