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NFT: USA Olympic Hockey Roster

pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 3:32 pm
reminds me of the players invited to tryouts in Major League.

"I've never heard of half these guys and the ones I do know are well past their prime"

"Most of these guys never had a prime"

Reality is there are a couple good younger players on here, Jordan Greenway is a monster, Troy Terry is money in the shootout, Ryan Donato a decent college player, and US INTL team contributor, but most of these guys are juniors/AHL guys at best plus don't forget team captain Brian Gionta at 37 years old or whatever he is.

What a shit show for hockey.

They have since added two more goalies, but this guy on here is the starter.



Canada isn't much better  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 3:35 pm : link
but I believe many of their players have at least played in the NHL, but still a total shit show for hockey.

Quote:
Team Canada roster for 2018 Winter Olympics
Forwards

Rene Bourque, Djurgardens IF (SHL)
Gilbert Brule, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL)
Andrew Ebbett, SC Bern (NLA)
Quinton Howden, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
Chris Kelly, Belleville Senators (AHL)
Rob Klinkhammer, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)
Brandon Kozun, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
Maxim Lapierre, HC Lugano (NLA)
Eric O’Dell, HK Sochi (KHL)
Mason Raymond, SC Bern (NLA)
Derek Roy, Linkoping HC (SHL)
Christian Thomas, Wilkes-Barre Penguins (AHL)
Linden Vey, Barys Astana (KHL)
Wojtek Wolski, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Defensemen

Stefan Elliott, HV71 (SHL)
Chay Genoway, Lada Togliatti (KHL)
Cody Goloubef, Stockton Heat (AHL)
Marc-Andre Gragnani, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
Chris Lee, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Maxim Noreau, SC Bern (NLA)
Mat Robinson, CSKA Moskva (KHL)
Karl Stollery, Dinamo Riga (KHL)
Goaltenders

Ben Scrivens, Salavet Yulaev Ufa (KHL)
Kevin Poulin, Medvescak Zagreb (EBEL)
Justin Peters, Kolner Haie (DEL)
Sanguinetti  
figgy2989 : 1/11/2018 3:37 pm : link
I remember he was touted as a cant miss prospect, could never quite cut it at the NHL level. Shame because his size and skill set originally looked like a steal for the Rangers in the back end of the first in that draft.
Sanguinetti, Bourque, Gilroy...  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 3:46 pm : link
Hartford Wolf Pack REPRESENTIN'!


Is Donato Ted Donato's kid?
FWIW,  
Pete in MD : 1/11/2018 3:47 pm : link
Ryan Zapolski has the 4th best GAA in the KHL this season. (I don't follow the KHL, just found it on Wikipedia.)
hey, Zapolski went to my wife's alma mater  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 3:48 pm : link
.
I know some of those players  
Nomad Crow on the Madison : 1/11/2018 3:49 pm : link
Ryan Gunderson and Noah Welch are good players. Gunderson has been playing in the Swedish Elite league for a couple of years. That is an excellent league.
I wish they would use the World Junior rosters  
Jints in Carolina : 1/11/2018 3:49 pm : link
.
Two more  
Nomad Crow on the Madison : 1/11/2018 3:50 pm : link
Broc Little and Bobby Butler were dynamic college players.
RE: Sanguinetti, Bourque, Gilroy...  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 3:50 pm : link
In comment 13783392 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
Hartford Wolf Pack REPRESENTIN'!


Is Donato Ted Donato's kid?


Yes, plays for his dad at Harvard.

He has a younger brother Jack playing hockey at Harvard too.
I didn't realize Ted Donato was Harvard's coach  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 3:50 pm : link
Don't follow college hockey at all
Chad Kolarik  
Nomad Crow on the Madison : 1/11/2018 3:51 pm : link
played for the Rangers briefly a couple of years ago.
RE: Two more  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 3:53 pm : link
In comment 13783408 Nomad Crow on the Madison said:
Quote:
Broc Little and Bobby Butler were dynamic college players.


Those guys are almost 30 years old or more. College is far in the rear view for them.

Welch and Gunderson are mid-30's or late 30's.

It's not even like the old days, like '80 or even '84, etc. when it was kids playing.

these are mostly journeymen with a few exceptions.
RE: I didn't realize Ted Donato was Harvard's coach  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 4:04 pm : link
In comment 13783412 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
Don't follow college hockey at all


Yeah, he's been there a while, maybe 15 years or so and he was a Harvard alum.

Bourque is obviously the son of Ray Bourque.

It's amazing to me the # of legacies that make it in the NHL, not sure if it's nature vs nurture.

but with the juniors we saw Tkachuk and last year Tkachuk's older bother was on the team, and Bellows, and Donato, and a couple more I'm missing - Ted Drury has a son in the USNDT, so does Todd Krygier, and somehow it seems like a large percent of NHL players sons make it to the NHL or at least playing hockey at an elite level.
there do seem to be more of them in hockey than other sports  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 4:15 pm : link
Max Domi, Zach Parise, Darren Van Impe, Nick Foligno, Sam Gagner, Paul Stastny, Josh Manson, the Howes, the Hextalls, the Sutters, many others I'm not thinking of at the moment
Heard no Doc Emerick  
B in ALB : 1/11/2018 4:41 pm : link
announcing either. What a clown show this is turning out to be.
RE: there do seem to be more of them in hockey than other sports  
BrettNYG10 : 1/11/2018 4:49 pm : link
In comment 13783467 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
Max Domi, Zach Parise, Darren Van Impe, Nick Foligno, Sam Gagner, Paul Stastny, Josh Manson, the Howes, the Hextalls, the Sutters, many others I'm not thinking of at the moment


My theory is that coaching/experience at a young age is more important in hockey than other sports, and fathers with pro experience are more likely to put their kids on the ice more quickly. You're already on travel teams before your teenage years, and it's harder to improve if you're not on the best teams.
I believe this part is true  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 5:02 pm : link
Quote:
...fathers with pro experience are more likely to put their kids on the ice more quickly...


Just in my anecdotal experience. My daughter's first coach, in Mites (8 years old and younger) was a former NHL 1st round pick and bounced around a little after tearing an ACL, but had a decent career.

He has three kids two girls and a boy, and all of them were on the ice from about 2 on. And as a coach he had the benefit of getting them playing up, even though at that age it's all fundamentals.

Now his oldest is 10, same age/team as my youngest, and she's by far better than most of the other kids her age.

I'm sure it's true with boys too.

Probably have to worry about burn out a little though.
Or what Brett said.  
BrettNYG10 : 1/11/2018 5:06 pm : link
.
RE: Or what Brett said.  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 5:17 pm : link
In comment 13783573 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
.


like I said the first part I agree with, but I'm not sure it's harder to improve if you started at a more typical age.

that's where nature vs nurture comes in. Some of it could just be genetic. Part of it though is definitely connections (not hard to underestimate this - especially in hockey), and part of it is getting your kid on the ice sooner.
....  
BrettNYG10 : 1/11/2018 5:26 pm : link
I think you have to be on those travel teams by 12 or 13, otherwise it's so hard to catch-up. Those kids are getting the ice time, the best coaches, etc. If you're not there, the resources available are much worse and it compounds over time IMO.

Although I believe Ovechkin picked up the game at 8. So there are exceptions.

A kid who has a growth spurt or possesses sheer athleticism will get chances in basketball/football. Harder in hockey unless you have some base-line skating ability.
So maybe harder to improve isn't the right phrasing.  
BrettNYG10 : 1/11/2018 5:27 pm : link
But harder to catch-up and subsequently make the NHL. If you're not in Juniors at 16, your chances of making it are almost zero (if you're in NA).
Pretty sure Richard Park didn't play until he was 12 or so  
Greg from LI : 1/11/2018 5:31 pm : link
He lived in California before that and picked up the game when his family moved to Canada.
RE: ....  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 5:54 pm : link
In comment 13783619 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
I think you have to be on those travel teams by 12 or 13, otherwise it's so hard to catch-up. Those kids are getting the ice time, the best coaches, etc. If you're not there, the resources available are much worse and it compounds over time IMO.

Although I believe Ovechkin picked up the game at 8. So there are exceptions.

A kid who has a growth spurt or possesses sheer athleticism will get chances in basketball/football. Harder in hockey unless you have some base-line skating ability.


agree, 12 or 13 definitely - I was thinking you meant by 6 - 8, or you're not on anyone's radar and you're not being invited to the national camps/elite programs. Boys is so ridiculously competitive (and hence my connections comment - without those connections a kid may still be good but without the right exposure won't ever reach the elite levels).

Girls isn't so cut throat, but the opportunities are growing at a much faster rate.

my daughter is 10, and before one of her games the 12 years olds were playing and her head coach started pointing out people in the stands who were "scouts" for prep schools and high schools in New England.

they start getting girls to commit by age 13/14 to go there for prep/high schools.

Title IX is the best thing to happen to women's hockey. Her head coach said any of these girls (that have legit ability even if they're not superstars) that show the desire to play at the "next level" (meaning college) can pretty much do so with just dedication and commitment and get offers for prep school and money for college - even at the D1 level (for many).

Field hockey cancels football for most colleges, but for most of the new england schools they don't have another sport to cancel men's hockey or sometimes even golf, so girls hockey is getting a lot of new teams and interest.

they're hurting for girl hockey players.
...  
BrettNYG10 : 1/11/2018 6:07 pm : link
Yeah, definitely by 12 or 13. 6-8 is probably too early, but they should be on the ice by then.

There are exceptions, of course. Gladwell wrote about hockey players in Outliers and how your birthday impacts your pro chances. I forget the details, though.
I'm actually pretty excited  
csb : 1/11/2018 6:09 pm : link
The level of play here will surprise; and the fact that most of the US / Canada players are coming from a European game you will see a very European style of play in the Olympics. I actually think that the US will fare pretty well over there.
RE: RE: ....  
csb : 1/11/2018 6:11 pm : link
In comment 13783667 pjcas18 said:
Quote:
In comment 13783619 BrettNYG10 said:


Quote:


I think you have to be on those travel teams by 12 or 13, otherwise it's so hard to catch-up. Those kids are getting the ice time, the best coaches, etc. If you're not there, the resources available are much worse and it compounds over time IMO.

Although I believe Ovechkin picked up the game at 8. So there are exceptions.

A kid who has a growth spurt or possesses sheer athleticism will get chances in basketball/football. Harder in hockey unless you have some base-line skating ability.




The skating is the only thing that is tough to overcome though - however you look at Mike Komisarek, who didn't pick up hockey until 10, and he went on to have a pretty solid career as well. There are examples, it's just tougher because skating is such a tough thing to pick up at a later age.
RE: I'm actually pretty excited  
pjcas18 : 1/11/2018 6:18 pm : link
In comment 13783699 csb said:
Quote:
The level of play here will surprise; and the fact that most of the US / Canada players are coming from a European game you will see a very European style of play in the Olympics. I actually think that the US will fare pretty well over there.


No clue how they'll fare, I think their prelim draw is Slovakia, Slovenia, and Russia, so knowing nothing of the other teams you'd normally expect them in the QF's at least with that group.

But who knows now. I thought Russia couldn't even bring a team.

I think the women's hockey may be more interesting to be honest. Somehow USA and Canada got grouped together.
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