Wow, the US team is stacked!

[R S]

Watching the game against Germany yesterday i realized how crazily stacked the US team is. I couldnt believe all the names out their as far as top notch prospects go. Especially on the blueline, with names like Blum, Cole, Fairchild, Kessel, Shattenkirk, McDonagh and Ruth?!! This team has to be the favorite to win, even on Canadian soil. It was sweet to see my boy Shattenkirk with an 'A' as well.

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[BlackAces]

How many players were eligible to play in the WJC but were denied access from the NHL teams?

 

[Joey Moss]

No way.. The Canadiens have a stacked team. I think its the best team since the Crosby Bergeron Getzlaf squad. But i dont think the U.S wins.

 

[Johnny Snake Eyes]

How many players were eligible to play in the WJC but were denied access from the NHL teams?

bogosian, but he was injured, dont no if he could have played.

 

[STHLM*]

One word: HYPE!

The game wasn't that good. I could see clear weaknesses in Goaltending and defence. They played against Germany which is one of the weakest teams in this tourney. That play in escpecially first period will no be enough against the bigger teams. USA can take the gold but the hype is too much. I fear many US fans will be disappointed as almost every year. Every year USA is very overated, but their results aren't impressive at all.

 

[R S]

As far as on paper is considered, the US is the best team for sure IMO. But i could only imagine Canada's team with all the players who made NHL squads this year. (Schenn, Doughty, Turris, Stamkos etc.) I will agree that they had flaws against Germany yesterday, the Dzone coverage was downright awful.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

How many players were eligible to play in the WJC but were denied access from the NHL teams?

Yea.....Because whoever wins this U-20 tournament [aside from Canada] can't prove that they have the best U-20 talent and program.

Could you imagine this line-up?

Josh Bailey - Kyle Turris - John Tavares [Pure offense]
Sam Gagner - Steven Stamkos - Tyler Ennis [Pure offense]
Colton Gillies - Brandon Sutter - Stefan Della Rovere [Elite checking line]
Jordan Eberle - Cody Hodgson - Zac Boychuk [Most talented 4th line ever?]

Drew Doughty - Colten Teubert [Shutdown Pairing]
Luke Schenn - Thomas Hickey [Shutdown Pairing]
Tyler Cuma - Tyler Myers [Steady Pairing]
Alex Pietrangleo - Ryan Ellis [Offensive Pairing]

Dustin Tokarski
Chet Pickard

Now what team comes close to that......?

We all know what the offense can do. Brandon Sutter kills 5 on 3 penalties for Hurricanes.....The guy can shutdown talented players in WJ. Luke Schenn and Drew Doughty play 20+ minutes in the NHL against guys like Crosby, Ovechkin and Thornton.

 

[Konk]

One word: HYPE!

The game wasn't that good. I could see clear weaknesses in Goaltending and defence. They played against Germany which is one of the weakest teams in this tourney. That play in escpecially first period will no be enough against the bigger teams. USA can take the gold but the hype is too much. I fear many US fans will be disappointed as almost every year. Every year USA is very overated, but their results aren't impressive at all.

This year I guess it's Sweden's turn to be overrated?

We know, you have a huge hard-on for Sweden and you go soft at the mere mention of the U.S., we get it. You're trying so hard to knock the U.S. every chance you get, it's starting to look like you have some sort of complex.

So far, Sweden has lost against the only early tourney favorite they've played against (Canada) while the U.S. has beaten the only one they've played against (Russia). Meanwhile, Sweden struggled to get past an opponent they've have problems with in the past few years (Finland) while the U.S. pretty much walked right over theirs (Germany).

There's no reason for you to be knocking the U.S. as hard as you are right now, as they're doing everything their supposed to. They may have some chinks in their armor right now, but every team has weaknesses and Sweden is no exception.

 

[Novak Djokovic]

One word: HYPE!

The game wasn't that good. I could see clear weaknesses in Goaltending and defence. They played against Germany which is one of the weakest teams in this tourney. That play in escpecially first period will no be enough against the bigger teams. USA can take the gold but the hype is too much. I fear many US fans will be disappointed as almost every year. Every year USA is very overated, but their results aren't impressive at all.

To be fair, teams like Sweden and Canada weren't that good either. Canada played terrible in the first according to their standard. Sweden survived because of the stellar goaltending.

 

[STHLM*]

To be fair, teams like Sweden and Canada weren't that good either. Canada played terrible in the first according to their standard. Sweden survived because of the stellar goaltending.

AGREED! But is Sweden nearly that overated and hyped as USA?

 

[Konk]

AGREED! But is Sweden nearly that overated and hyped as USA?

More.

 

[VladNYC*]

Jenga is stacked too. Stacked doesn't mean success. I think we have learned this from the numerous Russian epic fails.

 

[parabola]

USA wasn't that impressive. Their goaltending is going to kill them.

 

[AgentNaslund*]

Jenga is stacked too. Stacked doesn't mean success. I think we have learned this from the numerous Russian epic fails.

losing to Canada 3 years in a row is not epic fail.

The stackness between the Canadian teams and Russians teams in the past were not even close. Maybe the first 3 players, can maybe go head to head, after that its note even close.

funny how the 11 players that could have been on this team, is now in the NHL, this Canadian team is pretty much a B team almost.

 

[STHLM*]

This year I guess it's Sweden's turn to be overrated?

We know, you have a huge hard-on for Sweden and you go soft at the mere mention of the U.S., we get it. You're trying so hard to knock the U.S. every chance you get, it's starting to look like you have some sort of complex.

So far, Sweden has lost against the only early tourney favorite they've played against (Canada) while the U.S. has beaten the only one they've played against (Russia). Meanwhile, Sweden struggled to get past an opponent they've have problems with in the past few years (Finland) while the U.S. pretty much walked right over theirs (Germany).

There's no reason for you to be knocking the U.S. as hard as you are right now, as they're doing everything their supposed to. They may have some chinks in their armor right now, but every team has weaknesses and Sweden is no exception.

Well first all: you can't compare Finland to Germany. As a Ghost Finland is much worser than Germany. When has Germany being a medal candidate at all???? Finland is much bigger problem for Sweden because the are much better than Germany.

Of course Sweden has weaknesses no doubt about that. But is Sweden nearly that big favorite as USA is every year? See people make threads about USA and my question is: are they that good they deserves this hype?

USA can take the gold no doubt about that, but also Canada and Sweden can take the gold so why all this hype for USA?

A question: is Russia really a favorite?

 

[zecke26]

USA wasn't that impressive. Their goaltending is going to kill them.

never ever question a wings prospect again!

it's hard to stay sharp in games vs bottom teams. so i wouldn't judge goalies until they played strong opponents. and i'm confident that mccollum will be sharp when it counts.

 

[STHLM*]

More.

Really? Have you looked at the poll results for the Gold medal winner? USA is far more hyped than Sweden like every year...

 

[Konk]

losing to Canada 3 years in a row is not epic fail.

The stackness between the Canadian teams and Russians teams in the past were not even close. Maybe the first 3 players, can maybe go head to head, after that its note even close.

funny how the 11 players that could have been on this team, is now in the NHL, this Canadian team is pretty much a B team almost.

Eleven? I thought it was eight? Nevertheless, some Canadians always get the excuse ready early on about all their missing talent. I don't know if you've heard, but it's called the World Junior Championship. Stamkos, Turris, Doughty, etc. are Pros now. Yeah, it's a huge testament to Canada's talent and depth, but they're not part of this tournament and aren't on Canada's roster.

They have a pretty damn good team without them, but it's not exactly a "B" squad. If they were the real "B" team, Tavares, Hodgson, Pietrangelo, Hickey, and their goalies would be on the "A" squad and team "B" would be pretty devoid of talent.

 

[VladNYC*]

losing to Canada 3 years in a row is not epic fail.

The stackness between the Canadian teams and Russians teams in the past were not even close. Maybe the first 3 players, can maybe go head to head, after that its note even close.

funny how the 11 players that could have been on this team, is now in the NHL, this Canadian team is pretty much a B team almost.

I was referring to Russian National Teams in general.

 

[Konk]

Well first all: you can't compare Finland to Germany. As a Ghost Finland is much worser than Germany. When has Germany being a medal candidate at all???? Finland is much bigger problem for Sweden because the are much better than Germany.

I didn't say Finland and Germany were the same talent-wise, go back and read my post again, you completely missed the point.

Of course Sweden has weaknesses no doubt about that. But is Sweden nearly that big favorite as USA is every year? See people make threads about USA and my question is: are they that good they deserves this hype?

I'm not talking about every year, I'm talking about this year. Yes, you and others have been hyping Sweden to death for the past month now.

Your question will be answered at the end of the tournament.

USA can take the gold no doubt about that, but also Canada and Sweden can take the gold so why all this hype for USA?

Why all the hype for Sweden or Canada? There's hype for all three, you just seem extra bent out of shape when someone mentions anything good about the U.S.

A question: is Russia really a favorite?

No, but IMO, neither are the Swedes. Russia doesn't have the talent this year and Sweden is relying on too many 18/17 year olds.

Really? Have you looked at the poll results for the Gold medal winner? USA is far more hyped than Sweden like every year...

Just because the U.S. has more votes in some poll means they're more hyped than Sweden?

All the hype for this tournament so far has been on Tavares and Hedman. The U.S. has gotten some mention, but you're just out to discredit anything positive about the U.S. and act like they're the only ones getting gold medal talk.

 

[voxel]

Watching the game against Germany yesterday i realized how crazily stacked the US team is. I couldnt believe all the names out their as far as top notch prospects go. Especially on the blueline, with names like Blum, Cole, Fairchild, Kessel, Shattenkirk, McDonagh and Ruth?!! This team has to be the favorite to win, even on Canadian soil. It was sweet to see my boy Shattenkirk with an 'A' as well.

Fairchild? Dude that guy was a disaster yesterday... him and his partner. I wouldn't brag about the blueline at all. The US forwards have crazy skill and size (minus Jordan Schroeder).

 

[In Exisle]

I still don't think they picked the best blueline possible. They seem to be missing that physical element (*cough*cough*Petrecki*cough*cough*) and all are pretty cookie cutter in terms of style (2-way).

They were pretty sloppy in their own end yesterday against Germany, but I'll give them a pass as they probably took the Germans lightly and probably are trying to sort out any kinks in the system and in the chemistry between partners.

 

[parabola]

never ever question a wings prospect again!

it's hard to stay sharp in games vs bottom teams. so i wouldn't judge goalies until they played strong opponents. and i'm confident that mccollum will be sharp when it counts.

Hey I'm sure he'll end up being a great player for the wings one day.

I'm just saying he sucked against Germany.

 

[zecke26]

Hey I'm sure he'll end up being a great player for the wings one day.

I'm just saying he sucked against Germany.

ah! much better. then you're welcome again on the wings board.

mccollum will be your fantasy goalie when ozzie is retired.

 

[STHLM*]

I didn't say Finland and Germany were the same talent-wise, go back and read my post again, you completely missed the point.

I'm not talking about every year, I'm talking about this year. Yes, you and others have been hyping Sweden to death for the past month now.

Your question will be answered at the end of the tournament.

Why all the hype for Sweden or Canada? There's hype for all three, you just seem extra bent out of shape when someone mentions anything good about the U.S.

No, but IMO, neither are the Swedes. Russia doesn't have the talent this year and Sweden is relying on too many 18/17 year olds.

Just because the U.S. has more votes in some poll means they're more hyped than Sweden?

All the hype for this tournament so far has been on Tavares and Hedman. The U.S. has gotten some mention, but you're just out to discredit anything positive about the U.S. and act like they're the only ones getting gold medal talk.

If Russia isn't a favorite then why you take that game as a example on why USA is better than Sweden? Strange!

First you said Sweden is more hyped than USA and now you said Sweden isn't a favorite? So you mean USA isn't a favorite too?

USA has got much more hype than Canada and Sweden. This thread is a great example on that.

Yes, that poll clearly shows which teams are the favorites. USA is far more hyped than Sweden.