What are the chances for 6?

I don't have a list of Team Canada returnees handy, but I think even more important than that will be the immense pressure the team will be under. The 'drive-for-five' was great and all, but it's been done once before. The 6th one would be setting the bar one step higher and I think the pressure will be enormous to deal with. It will have to be a special bunch of kids to pull it off.

I think that next year team will be more talented than the one that just won gold. Imagine next year's team with Matt Duchene, Brayden Schenn, Taylor Hall and Jared Cowan. And then then add returnig players such as Rayn Ellis, Tlyer Ennis, Tlyer Myers and Evander Kane.

There will also be other players on the bubble who can play on the team but not play due to the NHL are John Tavares, Cody Hodson, Jordan Elberle, and Zach Boychuck.

Personnly, i think that they will win at least the next two years before they won't win gold. They have alot of great players coming up that will take the team to the next level.

I think that next year team will be more talented than the one that just won gold. Imagine next year's team with Matt Duchene, Brayden Schenn, Taylor Hall and Jared Cowan. And then then add returnig players such as Rayn Ellis, Tlyer Ennis, Tlyer Myers and Evander Kane.

There will also be other players on the bubble who can play on the team but not play due to the NHL are John Tavares, Cody Hodson, Jordan Elberle, and Zach Boychuck.

Personnly, i think that they will win at least the next two years before they won't win gold. They have alot of great players coming up that will take the team to the next level.

Interesting spelling of Mr.Myers' and Mr.Ennis' given name.

When is the schedule announced for the next WJ in Regina/Saskatoon. I want to buy tickets but I want to know the games. If anyone could help it would be appreciated!

How about we wait a year. See how the team looks like and we'll go on from there.

What does our goaltending look like over the next couple years? That was our biggest question mark about this year anyone know who will probably be our goaltender?

I think Evander Kane will be huge next year. He just got better and better as the tournament rolled on and I cant wait to see what another year of development will do for this kid!!

Interesting spelling of Mr.Myers' and Mr.Ennis' given name.

why? what is wrong with the spelling. I mixed up the letter in their names. the Y goes before the L or what?

why? what is wrong with the spelling. I mixed up the letter in their names. the Y goes before the L or what?

Yeah, it's T-y-l-e-r.

Though, is Ennis still eligable?

Interesting spelling of Mr.Myers' and Mr.Ennis' given name.

It's a typo - we've all made them. We generally don't point out obvious ones - why bother?

A little soon? Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis and Evander Kane will tear it up that's for sure. but we're not sure about the rest.

What does our goaltending look like over the next couple years? That was our biggest question mark about this year anyone know who will probably be our goaltender?

Pickard could, I dunno if Tokarski will be elligible thought

Pickard could, I dunno if Tokarski will be elligible thought

Tokarski will be too old. So Pickard and someone else.

Tokarski will be too old. So Pickard and someone else.

Murphy?

Pickard could, I dunno if Tokarski will be elligible thought

With another year of development hopefully he may be one of the better goaltenders in the tournament, we should probably be in a fairly good position for next year then.

EDIT - About Pickard, as stated above Tokarski will be too old

Yeah, it's T-y-l-e-r.

Though, is Ennis still eligable?


Yeah, it's e-l-i-g-i-b-l-e.:laugh:

with the amount of talent coming out of canada they should be locks for at least a couple more years. they will always contend.

Canada should be great yet again. 10 eligible returnees, even more talent on paper, and on home ice for another year (does that bug anyone else?).

Yeah, it's e-l-i-g-i-b-l-e.:laugh:

I was just correcting seeing as he asked.

And thanks, English isn't my first language.

No chance, Russia gets gold :sarcasm:

What does our goaltending look like over the next couple years? That was our biggest question mark about this year anyone know who will probably be our goaltender?

Pickard and Olivier Roy maybe? Who knows. Pickard should be a given since he was there this year.

Our chances at 6 are good but all it could take is 1 loss/bad game and we could take home a different medal. It's hard to say. How many thought Russia would beat us? I didn't think we'd need a goal with 5 seconds left to advance but we did.

canada favorites
russia is a contender as usual
sweden should have a decent team too
i dont know how usa will look considering they had a veteran team this year

Canada should be great yet again. 10 eligible returnees, even more talent on paper, and on home ice for another year (does that bug anyone else?).
Switzerland was supposed to host the 09-10 tournament, but they backed out. So the IIHF went to Canada, since they know a tournament in Canada equals a lot of cash. Not as much as this year's tourney, since Saskatoon's rink can't accommodate as many fans as Ottawa's. But it will still be more cash than any other country in the world.

As for Canada's chances, they're strong. And Sweden will likely be the toughest foe. Canada has 10 players eligible to return next year: Tavares, Hodgson, Eberle, Kane, Della Rovere, Cormier, Pieterangelo, Ellis, Myers and Teubert. Tavares and Hodgson most likely won't be back. The others probably will, although I wouldn't be shocked if Pieterangelo, Kane and Eberle are in the show. Expect five to eight players back next year. And the crop of 90 and 91 players is excellent. Tyler Cuma, who probably would have been on the team if not for an injury, is a 90, and he's eligible to play next year, too.

I don't think it will be as dangerous as this year's entry, but there is still a lot of skill.

Both of our goalies this year were 89s, so they won't be back. There isn't a goaltender who stands out for next year's team. That's okay, though. After we won gold in North Dakota, few had heard of Justin Pogge. A year later, everyone in Canada had heard of Pogge.

Rabid, you're a knowledgeable U.S. fan who isn't afraid to be critical. How do the Americans look for next year? I noticed they had only three players eligible to return next year. (One of those players, Schroeder, could be in the show next year). Is that reflective of a strong crop of 89s? A weak crop of 90s? Both? Or do the Americans have strong 90s and 91s who can fill the void?

why? what is wrong with the spelling. I mixed up the letter in their names. the Y goes before the L or what?

It's a typo - we've all made them. We generally don't point out obvious ones - why bother?

Its not a typo when the person is not familiar with the actual spelling of the word. Just saying. :p:

for the answer to canadas chances at winning 6...

1 -See the thread that was started before this tournement regarding the drive for 5
2- Use the same answers people gave for why canada will lose to USA, sweeden, russia etc...
3- Canada beats everyone again, and then people blame the loss of their home country on everything but being outplayed by canadians (ie refs, or cheating)
4- Everyone asks, "can they win (insert number) in a row?"
5- Return to step 1

Pickard could, I dunno if Tokarski will be elligible thought

Tokarski will be too old. So Pickard and someone else.

Pickard and Olivier Roy maybe? Who knows. Pickard should be a given since he was there this year.

Our chances at 6 are good but all it could take is 1 loss/bad game and we could take home a different medal. It's hard to say. How many thought Russia would beat us? I didn't think we'd need a goal with 5 seconds left to advance but we did.

Pickard is too old as well. There will be a new face in goal for Canada at next years tournament.

As for Canada's chances, you can pump them up all you want but it all depends on the NHL teams and who they decide to keep. We had a similar thread to this last season and a ton of guys we assumed would be back were held on to by their NHL clubs. If this is a continued trend it's going to eventually be too much for Canada to maintain it's dominance of this tournament.

However I will say Canada is looking very good for next year right now. They'll probably return around 6 guys when all is said and done. The biggest thing for me however is that other countries are getting weaker by the looks of things. The usual contenders all are going to be losing significant parts of their team and don't project to be as good as they were this year on paper.

Looking back it's hard to believe the drought Canada was in before the drive for 5 started. It seemed like we were falling short at every turn; junior and senior. But over the years I've noticed a change in philosophy with a greater emphasis on skill. We always had heart and soul but now our skill appears to have caught up with the europeans. This wasn't always the case..

In the late 90s early 2000s, it seemed like Canadians were content winning with heart and letting the euros dominate the skill-game. We would dump the puck aimlessly in the corners and chase it like robots. It was very frustrating. Anyone remember the Canada/Russia gold medal game in Winnipeg? (think it was 98) The Russians came in and just totally outplayed/outskilled us. It was around that time that our drought had started. Looking back on those years from 98-02 it just seemed like we were losing our game and it felt that way too. But now the kids who are coming up through the ranks are doing things in games that they didn't do in the past. Just little things like the John Tavares move from last night where he undressed the swedish defender through the legs for a shot on goal. Our kids are showing more creativity and skill on the ice and the best part is we haven't lost our drive to be the best.

Canada should be great yet again. 10 eligible returnees, even more talent on paper, and on home ice for another year (does that bug anyone else?).

To be honest, it definitely takes away some of the credibility of the tournament, when it leaves Canada after it takes place in Alberta, it should take at least a 3-4 year hiatis from being in Canada.

Unfortunately it won't, because lets be totally honest, it makes way more money than probably any other two years in Europe or the US combined.

The chances are 100%
The chances of a fair game is 0%
You can start printing t-shirts now, it´s a done deal.

Switzerland was supposed to host the 09-10 tournament, but they backed out. So the IIHF went to Canada, since they know a tournament in Canada equals a lot of cash. Not as much as this year's tourney, since Saskatoon's rink can't accommodate as many fans as Ottawa's. But it will still be more cash than any other country in the world.

As for Canada's chances, they're strong. And Sweden will likely be the toughest foe. Canada has 10 players eligible to return next year: Tavares, Hodgson, Eberle, Kane, Della Rovere, Cormier, Pieterangelo, Ellis, Myers and Teubert. Tavares and Hodgson most likely won't be back. The others probably will, although I wouldn't be shocked if Pieterangelo, Kane and Eberle are in the show. Expect five to eight players back next year. And the crop of 90 and 91 players is excellent. Tyler Cuma, who probably would have been on the team if not for an injury, is a 90, and he's eligible to play next year, too.

I don't think it will be as dangerous as this year's entry, but there is still a lot of skill.

Both of our goalies this year were 89s, so they won't be back. There isn't a goaltender who stands out for next year's team. That's okay, though. After we won gold in North Dakota, few had heard of Justin Pogge. A year later, everyone in Canada had heard of Pogge.

Rabid, you're a knowledgeable U.S. fan who isn't afraid to be critical. How do the Americans look for next year? I noticed they had only three players eligible to return next year. (One of those players, Schroeder, could be in the show next year). Is that reflective of a strong crop of 89s? A weak crop of 90s? Both? Or do the Americans have strong 90s and 91s who can fill the void?

Don't get me wrong, Canada does a great job putting on and supporting these types of events. It's just that in short tournies like the WJC's, every little advantage helps, so being on home ice for two years in a row seems like a bit much. I understand the reasoning though, and thanks for reminding me about the Swiss situation.

As for the U.S., I think it could go either way. It will be a pretty young team, but on the other hand expectations will be lower. I will be interested in seeing how the U.S. brass responds to what were goaltending and game management debacles on behalf of the coaching staff this year. Rolston should not be the head coach again. Here's some names to look for that are eligible out of last summer's eval camp:

Goaltenders: Mike Lee, Brandon Maxwell

Defensemen: John Carlson, Adam Comrie, Jake Gardiner, Cam Fowler, Sean Lorenz, Aaron Ness, Greg Pateryn, David Warsofsky

Forwards:

Ryan Bourque, Robbie Czarnik, Justin Florek, AJ Jenks, Tyler Johnson, Danny Kristo, Phil McRae, Jeremy Morin, Kyle Palmieri, Vinny Saponari, Jordan Schroeder, Mitch Wahl, David Wohlberg

Out of this list, here are the players I think have a strong chance of making the team (in bold were on this year's squad):

Lee, Maxwell, Carlson, Gardiner, Fowler, Ness, Warsofsky, Bourque, Johnson, Kristo, McRae, Morin, Palmieri, Saponari, Schroeder, Wahl

It might actually be a more talented team overall, but not a ton of grit. I'll be interested to see how it's built.

Yeah, it's T-y-l-e-r.

Though, is Ennis still eligable?

No he's not eligible because he was born in 1989.

Players born in 1990 will be the oldest players in next years tournament.

My question is how did Canada look on paper when they were going for 6 straight in '98 and ended up 8th?

Were they considered a "lock" then too?

My question is how did Canada look on paper when they were going for 6 straight in '98 and ended up 8th?

Were they considered a "lock" then too?

Great question! I'd love to know this, as well.

Although thanks to the Swiss, we get home ice advantage again next tournament. :handclap:

1998 team was only good at defence and goal, at the forward, except for a couple of forwards.....2010 team will be really good....

is tyler myers eligible next year?

My question is how did Canada look on paper when they were going for 6 straight in '98 and ended up 8th?

Were they considered a "lock" then too?
THN picked Team Canada to win the 97-98 WJC, but that was almost on reputation. You could tell before the tournament that this was not a good team. They lost their opening games to Finland and Sweden, and there was a small chance they could have been relegated. If they would have lost their final round-robin game to the Czechs (they didn't), and other things would have happened, Canada would have finished last in their pool, and played the last place team in the other pool (Slovakia) in the relegation round. (That was back when one team was relegated, and in 1998, the top four teams from each pool advanced to the next round).

The thing that people forget about that 98 Team Canada is how close they came to playing for a medal. They took silver medallist Russia to OT in the quarter-final. A Canadian player hit metal (either the post or the crossbar) in the final minute of OT, and the Russians went down the ice and scored with 15 seconds remaining. Canada lost to the U.S. in the first consolation round game, and then lost to Kazakhstan. Both games were contests that meant nothing to Canada, but that first game meant something to the U.S., and it meant the world to the Kazakhs, especially Nik Antropov.

It was going to be a tough tournament for Canada. That team was going to rely on their 1978-born players. 1978 will probably go down as one of the worst birth years ever for Canadian talent, or talent anywhere, for that matter. It showed in the absolutely dreadful 1996 draft. To make matters worse, 1979 was a shallow year for Canadian talent. An excellent top-end, but little depth. Which shows in the hit-or-miss 1997 draft. And our two best offensive 1979-born players, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, were already in the NHL when the 1997-98 WJC arrived.

Coaching was an issue for Canada in that tournament, too. The coach was the bench boss from some middling QMJHL team (he wasn't Don Hay, that's for sure), and a team that lacked talent for various reasons was further behind the 8-ball because their coach was a dweeb.
Canada has a very deep pool of 1990 and 1991 born talent to choose from. So an eighth place finish likely won't happen in Saskatchewan.

is tyler myers eligible next year?

Ye myers is eligible.

1990 born.

As good as anybody elses .I read on TSN or somewhere today that Ottawa promised the IIHF 14 mill in profits , i know Saskatoon probably wont make that much , it also said Buffalo only promised 4 mill , i can see the IIHF soon demanding the WJC only be held in major Canadian cities for North America the greedy SOBs .Lets face it , the IIHF is all about the bling .

The chances are 100%
The chances of a fair game is 0%
You can start printing t-shirts now, it´s a done deal.

Wow. January 2009 sign up, only 18 posts, and already all of this:

No need to have a rematch, we just let them handle over the goldmedals to you before the match because we´re not allowed to win.


Seems like 90% of the canadiens feels that they won fair and square.

I wonder who is going to win next year?
Ohh, i forgot that has already been decided.


No need to go to Saskatoon, we already knows who will win in 2010.



The teams are not supposed to get the same number of pp, they should get the powerplays they deserve.
I thought you would know that, coming from canada.

I´m not saying that Sweden was better in this game, but the canadiens could have won without all the dirty tricks.


The best thing we could do is to give the goldmedals to canada forever.
There´s no point in playing those games because canada doesn´t have to obey the rules.

And, let's not forgot...

Canadians should stick to playing hockey, because they sure as hell don´t know anything about brewing beer.

I heard that Bulanov got a great time in the shower with the canadian team afterwards.

:shakehead

My god! Are you not done crying yet!?

I expect Eberle to be there next year, Oilers have alot of young small guys on the squad already. We don't have room for Schremp and Brule this year, and if they are Oiler Property come next season we will have to find room for them.

No need to rush Eberle.

On another interesting note...

Eberle scored 6 goals this year, anyone think he has a chance at 6 next year being a year stronger/faster? Could Eberle tie Tavares/Carter for most goals at the Juniors as a Canadian?

F- Kane, Della Rovere, Cormier, Hodgson, T.Hall, G.Nemiscz, K.Beach, Schenn, Kadri, Duchene, N.Deschamps, L.Ferraro, Eberle

D- Pietrangelo, Ellis, Cuma, Myers, Cowen, Teubert, Del Zotto

G- Jake Allen, Chris Carrozzi

F- Kane, Della Rovere, Cormier, Hodgson, T.Hall, G.Nemiscz, K.Beach, Schenn, Kadri, Duchene, N.Deschamps, L.Ferraro, Eberle

D- Pietrangelo, Ellis, Cuma, Myers, Cowen, Teubert, Del Zotto

G- Jake Allen, Chet Pickard
For the final time, Pickard is not eligible. He was born in 1989. Only those born on or after January 1, 1990, are eligible to play in next year's WJC.

Canada should be great yet again. 10 eligible returnees, even more talent on paper, and on home ice for another year (does that bug anyone else?).

Canada, Canada, Usa, Canada..


That's who's hosting the future WJC:s, this year included.

But ofcourse Canada aren't given advantages:sarcasm:


On topic. Sweden comes back with a better team next year, but since Canada will also have a better team I guess they'll win their 6:th. Especially since we tend to suck when it matters along with yet another home ice advantage for Canada.

As good as anybody elses .I read on TSN or somewhere today that Ottawa promised the IIHF 14 mill in profits , i know Saskatoon probably wont make that much , it also said Buffalo only promised 4 mill , i can see the IIHF soon demanding the WJC only be held in major Canadian cities for North America the greedy SOBs .Lets face it , the IIHF is all about the bling .
There has been talk about that since Winnipeg hosted the tournament in 1998-99. A lot of people didn't think Halifax would get the tournament because of Winnipeg's success. They did. And I didn't think Saskatoon/Regina would get the tournament again, either, after Vancouver's success. But they did. Now, Saskatoon/Regina were lucky that the Swiss backed out, and the only other bids were recent hosts Winnipeg and Halifax.

I think the days putting the tournament in cities like Red Deer (primary host in 1995), Kamloops (beautiful rink out there), Kelowna and Kelowna are over. But cities like Halifax, Saskatoon and London, which have arenas that can accommodate fairly large crowds (between 8,000 and 12,000 people) will still get a shot at hosting this tournament every once in a while.

Canada, Canada, Usa, Canada..


That's who's hosting the future WJC:s, this year included.

But ofcourse Canada aren't given advantages:sarcasm:


On topic. Sweden comes back with a better team next year, but since Canada will also have a better team I guess they'll win their 6:th. Especially since we tend to suck when it matters along with yet another home ice advantage for Canada.

Canada has won gold 15 times - 11 of those times were on foreign soil. And although Canada has won 4 times at home, they've also failed to win gold 4 times at home as well.

Sure, it's probably better to win at home, but they really don't need this "advantage" to win.

As for the original poster. Yeah I think we can do it. We did 5 in a row no? You think the kids had immense pressure on them? You bet. Next year's team will be better. Out of the 5 straight teams that won gold you coudl say the '06 and the '09 teams were good, but if there were years where you could understand if they didnt win Gold it was those two years. But they did. And there should be a lot less eligible guys in the NHL next year. I can't see Duchesne, Schenn, Kadri making it. Kane either. Hall will be there. Myers, Pieterangelo maybe. Ellis too. Not to mention new faces that will step up. They will be on home ice next year and will have an improved team. Yeah they should do it

Anything is possible, with the guys we will potentially have we should be a more talented team, but talent isnt everything, as many teams proved this year.

Too early to tell. A win can never be guaranteed, especially with elimination games involved. The early look on paper tells that the forward group should be awesome, even with possible losses of Tavares and Hodgson. Things are much fuzzier on defense and in goal IMO. By the looks of it, the best canadian shutdown D, Myers and Teubert, would be playing in the NHL. They look ready. Will Cowen be able to pick up the slack? I do not know. And there is always a chance for a team, however talented, to have a bad game. USA lost to Slovakia, and Canada was 5 seconds away from losing to Russia.

Great question! I'd love to know this, as well.

Although thanks to the Swiss, we get home ice advantage again next tournament. :handclap:

Only thing I remember is that it was the last time the Canucks had a high end center prospect playing for Canada, in Josh Holden. Maybe it explains a little while we're so high on Hodgson :)

Too early to tell. A win can never be guaranteed, especially with elimination games involved. The early look on paper tells that the forward group should be awesome, even with possible losses of Tavares and Hodgson. Things are much fuzzier on defense and in goal IMO. By the looks of it, the best canadian shutdown D, Myers and Teubert, would be playing in the NHL. They look ready. Will Cowen be able to pick up the slack? I do not know. And there is always a chance for a team, however talented, to have a bad game. USA lost to Slovakia, and Canada was 5 seconds away from losing to Russia.
I don't think Teubert's close to being ready. Not only do I think he should be in junior next year, he should be in the minors the year after that. He's solid, a strong defensive defenceman in the making, but he's still only 18. Unless he makes tremendous strides, and wow's the Kings in camp, he'll be in the Dub next year.

As I said in my post-tournament takes, Myers was our most improved player. I can't remember the last time a guy made those kinds of strides over the course of a tournament. He was our best defenceman (by a wide margin) in the final two games. Maybe our best (aside from Tokarski) in the gold medal game. But he's still a pretty raw player. I think he'll be back in junior next year, and then I think he'll need a couple years in the minors. He's one of those guys who'll take a while to adjust to being a pro, because he's going to have to learn that he can't just dominate because he's so big, yet very mobile.

Don't get me wrong, Canada does a great job putting on and supporting these types of events. It's just that in short tournies like the WJC's, every little advantage helps, so being on home ice for two years in a row seems like a bit much. I understand the reasoning though, and thanks for reminding me about the Swiss situation.

As for the U.S., I think it could go either way. It will be a pretty young team, but on the other hand expectations will be lower. I will be interested in seeing how the U.S. brass responds to what were goaltending and game management debacles on behalf of the coaching staff this year. Rolston should not be the head coach again. Here's some names to look for that are eligible out of last summer's eval camp:

Goaltenders: Mike Lee, Brandon Maxwell

Defensemen: John Carlson, Adam Comrie, Jake Gardiner, Cam Fowler, Sean Lorenz, Aaron Ness, Greg Pateryn, David Warsofsky

Forwards:

Ryan Bourque, Robbie Czarnik, Justin Florek, AJ Jenks, Tyler Johnson, Danny Kristo, Phil McRae, Jeremy Morin, Kyle Palmieri, Vinny Saponari, Jordan Schroeder, Mitch Wahl, David Wohlberg

Out of this list, here are the players I think have a strong chance of making the team (in bold were on this year's squad):

Lee, Maxwell, Carlson, Gardiner, Fowler, Ness, Warsofsky, Bourque, Johnson, Kristo, McRae, Morin, Palmieri, Saponari, Schroeder, Wahl

It might actually be a more talented team overall, but not a ton of grit. I'll be interested to see how it's built.
If it were me, Gardiner and Carlson would be locks, they had dimensions this years D simply did not have. Our forwards are taking a big step back, though I am looking forward to seeing Morin and McRae on the team.

Goaltending once again is an issue.

I wouldn't be shocked to see a 3rd straight Canada vs. Sweden final.

Olivier Roy
Jake Allen

Tyler Cuma
Ryan Ellis
Tyler Myers
Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch
Jared Cowen
Del Zotto

Matt Duchene
Evander Kane
Jordan Eberle
Patrice Cormier
Brayden Schenn
Taylor Hall
Nazem Kadri
Greg Nemisz
Nicolas Deschamps
Joe Colborne
Corey Trivino
Kyle Beach
Philip McRae

This would be my team as of now...seems like there is way too many centers though.

Even a weak team can steal one playoff game in a series. In this tournament format it is too easy to get knocked out of the Gold medal game. Russia came with seconds of doing that.
I give them like a one in four chance, even if they have the most talented team. It wil be good for the tournament for the Gold to be passed on.

If it were me, Gardiner and Carlson would be locks, they had dimensions this years D simply did not have. Our forwards are taking a big step back, though I am looking forward to seeing Morin and McRae on the team.

Goaltending once again is an issue.

Disagree on the goaltending. Both Lee and Maxwell are excellent prospects. Both should take another step forward next year.

Olivier Roy
Jake Allen

Tyler Cuma
Ryan Ellis
Tyler Myers
Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch
Jared Cowen
Del Zotto

Matt Duchene
Evander Kane
Jordan Eberle
Patrice Cormier
Brayden Schenn
Taylor Hall
Nazem Kadri
Greg Nemisz
Nicolas Deschamps
Joe Colborne
Corey Trivino
Kyle Beach
Philip McRae

This would be my team as of now...seems like there is way too many centers though.

McRae's American.

I don't think Teubert's close to being ready. Not only do I think he should be in junior next year, he should be in the minors the year after that. He's solid, a strong defensive defenceman in the making, but he's still only 18. Unless he makes tremendous strides, and wow's the Kings in camp, he'll be in the Dub next year.

As I said in my post-tournament takes, Myers was our most improved player. I can't remember the last time a guy made those kinds of strides over the course of a tournament. He was our best defenceman (by a wide margin) in the final two games. Maybe our best (aside from Tokarski) in the gold medal game. But he's still a pretty raw player. I think he'll be back in junior next year, and then I think he'll need a couple years in the minors. He's one of those guys who'll take a while to adjust to being a pro, because he's going to have to learn that he can't just dominate because he's so big, yet very mobile.

Likewise I was impressed by Myers, but I disagree about him being not ready. Physically he is not as strong as he can be, but his stickwork, mobility and positioning are already at the level that he will not look out of place in the NHL. He will not be a physically intimidating presence, but it's not a big part of his game anyways IMO. Sabres may send him back to juniors for sure, kind of like Nucks did with Hodgson, who could IMO play in the NHL right now. I think it would be a similar situation with Myers next year, it's a tossup. I think Teubert's situation is pretty much the same, he relies more on physical game, but he is also further along physically than Myers. He could stick with the Kings next year, but it's less likely in his case, because Kings already have many rookies on D, and Voinov looked better anyway.

McRae's American.
Doesn't that suck...why wasn't he given any consideration this year for USA? Also, Wohlberg has 15 points in 20 games as a freshman at Michigan. He went through the USDP and when I seen him play, looked like he could have played this year for Team USA. How deep are USA at center and left side for next year.

Olivier Roy
Jake Allen

Tyler Cuma
Ryan Ellis
Tyler Myers
Colten Teubert
Patrick Wiercioch
Jared Cowen
Del Zotto

Matt Duchene
Evander Kane
Jordan Eberle
Patrice Cormier
Brayden Schenn
Taylor Hall
Nazem Kadri
Greg Nemisz
Nicolas Deschamps
Joe Colborne
Corey Trivino
Kyle Beach
Philip McRae

This would be my team as of now...seems like there is way too many centers though.
I wouldn't put Beach on the team. At least not at this stage in his development. If he gets his head on straight, then yeah, I'd take him on Team Canada. He's the big, talented centre who would look great on North American-sized ice. But he's too inconsistent, too tempermental. We have a lot of talent to draw from for next year, so I don't think it's worth the risk to pick Beach.

I wonder who's going to be our best challenge

I wouldn't put Beach on the team. At least not at this stage in his development. If he gets his head on straight, then yeah, I'd take him on Team Canada. He's the big, talented centre who would look great on North American-sized ice. But he's too inconsistent, too tempermental. We have a lot of talent to draw from for next year, so I don't think it's worth the risk to pick Beach.
I would actually play him on the wing with Cormier, he seems like he could manage on the wing better.

Can Dido return next year, or is he too old?

For Russia, might be the best depth since 2003 gold team.


Daniil Alistratov -90
Alexander Pechursky -90

Maxim Chudinov -90
Vyacheslav Voinov -90
Dmitri Kulikov -90
Dmitri Kostromitin -90
Valeri Vasiliev -90
Dmitri Orlov -91
Georgi Berdyukov -91
Dmitri Molotilov -91

Kirill Petrov -90
Nikita Filatov -90
Anton Lazarev -90
Dmitri Kugryshev -90
Evgeny Grachev -90
Maxim Trunev -90
Pavel Chernov -90
Andrei Loktionov -90
Sergei Ostapchuk -90
Maxim Kitsyn -91
Vladimir Tarasenko -91
Kirill Kabanov -92

I was quite dissapointed with Tuebert. HIckey was ok i thought. But asking a 5'10 defencemen to play offence, and shut down role is pretty tough.

Yeah, it's T-y-l-e-r.

Though, is Ennis still eligable?

I'm sorry, whenever someone corrects another posters spelling mistake while harbouring one of their own, I have to call them out.


E-l-i-g-i-b-l-e.

I'm sorry, whenever someone corrects another posters spelling mistake while harbouring one of their own, I have to call them out.


E-l-i-g-i-b-l-e.

Welcome to last Tuesday.

Welcome to last Tuesday.

It was only like 2 days ago..

It was only like 2 days ago..

2 days ago was last Tuesday.

2 days ago was last Tuesday.

You just made it seem like it was a while ago

After seeing the final they played in Canada I think they have a very big chance no matter who the opponent is or who they ice them self. Canada have managed to create an almost football (soccer) like atmosphere in their arenas that act like a a 7th player. They are hard on opposition "star" players and seeing it is not adults we talk about here the effect is even bigger and they also put a lot of pressure on the referees.
It really is a Canadian game and they are given advantages they dont really need.
No other nation can year after year produce so many skilled players with a high work ethic and the ability to adjust their game to better exploit the other teams weaknesses and also take away their strength then the Canadians can. The players are not schooled in just one system even do high tempo and north to south seem to be what they prefer but they can change their tactics to do even better.
Their strong home advantage doesnt seem to be a burden either since they are all raised up to believe that they are the best and having loud, passionate people in the stands is the norm. And I cant think of any other nation who use their role players as well as Canada. They seem to have one guy for each situation. From psychos to goal scorers, they are all represented in the Canadian team and that is why they are winning. Man do I want to see Sweden win next year but I highly doubt it. Canada is simply to good and powerful on all fronts.

Doesn't that suck...why wasn't he given any consideration this year for USA? Also, Wohlberg has 15 points in 20 games as a freshman at Michigan. He went through the USDP and when I seen him play, looked like he could have played this year for Team USA. How deep are USA at center and left side for next year.

I'm sure he was given consideration. He's been a mainstay on international teams and was at the evaluation camp last summer. I had him making the team, and was disappointed when he, Carlson, and Petrecki weren't on it. As for next year, my guess is McRae is a lock and Wohlberg is probably close.

I'd put it at about 50/50, Canada should have the best team and chance to win, but even the best team loses from time to time. Lets not forget how close Canada was to not even making the gold medal game.

For Russia, might be the best depth since 2003 gold team.


Daniil Alistratov -90
Alexander Pechursky -90

Maxim Chudinov -90
Vyacheslav Voinov -90
Dmitri Kulikov -90
Dmitri Kostromitin -90
Valeri Vasiliev -90
Dmitri Orlov -91
Georgi Berdyukov -91
Dmitri Molotilov -91

Kirill Petrov -90
Nikita Filatov -90
Anton Lazarev -90
Dmitri Kugryshev -90
Evgeny Grachev -90
Maxim Trunev -90
Pavel Chernov -90
Andrei Loktionov -90
Sergei Ostapchuk -90
Maxim Kitsyn -91
Vladimir Tarasenko -91
Kirill Kabanov -92

oh wow. very nice. i would think Filatov is full-time CBJ next season

My Early Team

Olivier Roy
Jake Allen

Tyler Cuma
Ryan Ellis
Tyler Myers
Patrick Wiercioch
Jared Cowen
Brayden McNab
Colby Robak

Matt Duchene
Evander Kane
Jordan Eberle
Patrice Cormier
Brayden Schenn
Taylor Hall
Nazem Kadri
Scott Glennie
Carter Ashton
Zach Kassian
Nicolas Deschamps
Jimmy Bubnick
Landon Ferraro

I'd put it at about 50/50, Canada should have the best team and chance to win, but even the best team loses from time to time. Lets not forget how close Canada was to not even making the gold medal game.

Same thing happened in 2007

I would actually play him on the wing with Cormier, he seems like he could manage on the wing better.
But his attitude still sucks, and consistency is a big issue. And in these short tournaments, you need players who can bring that effort on a nightly basis. At this stage in his career, you can't rely on him to be a nightly performer, and you can't have him as a 13th forward because he doesn't have the attitude to be a spare part.

He has the talent to be a difference-maker in the WJC, but he doesn't have the attributes you'd want.