I mean…. it’s ight I guess.
I’ll give some benefit here, there are some guys I’m excited for. First and foremost, Matty Beniers and Jason Robertson. I’m a University of Michigan and Dallas Stars fan so I’ve been watching these guys all season and they’re awesome. Beniers is an 18-year-old center, eligible for the NHL draft this year. He has had a great year, played 24 games with Michigan and put up 24 points (10G 14A), then he did all 7 games at the Men’s World Juniors to help the US win the gold medal. Anytime you can watch this kid, do it, he’s great. As for Robertson, I believe he has a strong bid for the Calder. The 21-year-old played 51 games with Dallas and he had 45 points (17G 28A). They also have goalie Jake Oettinger who was great in Dallas this season. Matt Hellickson is another kid I’m excited to see more of.
There is, of course, some good guys from the NHL/AHL like Conor Garland, Ryan Donato, Justin Abdelkader, Kevin Labanc, Colin Blackwell, and so on. They’re decent, a good mix of experience between ’em. Brian Boyle is making a return to the big stage again. But aside from the younger guys I’m excited to see and the mix of player who have bounced around the league- this roster doesn’t really scream World Champs to me. Like when you look at the women’s roster, it’s clear as day that they’re made to fuckin win.
For this one, I don’t get that same feeling. I think they’ll do decent but this isn’t a roster that I think can take the US to a Gold medal. Not up against the likes of Sweden, Canada, or even Finland. Most of the top guys that usually play in these games are probably taking the time to rest because they’ve had to turn out so many games in a short amount of time and they don’t want to risk the injury. That’s totally understandable with things being what they are. I feel like the US got stuck with the young guys and some odds and ends to slip in. Regardless, I’ll cheer them on but I don’t think they’ll make it all the way to the gold, I’ll take anything better than 7th again.
These games go from May 21st to June 6th, they will be broadcast on NHL Network.
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