Are we looking at the 4 Nations Face-Off favourites?
Scour this lineup; you won’t find a weak spot.
The United States has obviously been a high-level hockey nation for a long time, but the best indication of where this world heavyweight sits right now might be the names of some players who won’t make this squad. We could see 40-goal or 75-point guys who don’t make the grade.
The Americans are elite at every position and will be extremely motivated to take this tournament. For all the success the U.S. has had at the world junior and U-18 levels, the United States hasn’t won a best-on-best event since the 1996 World Cup and it annually falls short at the World Championship. Having all this talent is great, but at some point the American grown-ups have to beat the best professional players other countries have to offer.
That could start next February with some version of the roster below.
FORWARDS
Matthew Tkachuk—Auston Matthews— Alex DeBrincat
J.T. Miller—Jack Hughes—Jason Robertson
Jake Guentzel—Jack Eichel—Brady Tkachuk
Kyle Connor—Tage Thompson—Clayton Keller
Brock Boeser
Dylan Larkin
Cole Caufield
Vincent Trocheck
Patrick Kane
If the tournament started today, Brock Boeser is obviously on the team. The only American with more goals than him right now is Auston Matthews. But this is what we’re talking about in terms of guys who could actually be left off this roster. Given all the extreme skill at the top, could offence-only guys like Boeser or Clayton Keller fall short of the mark if GM Bill Guerin and the U.S. brain trust opt to go with slightly more rounded players on the third and fourth lines? Maybe that’s where a Dylan Larkin squeezes somebody out.
Tage Thompson is having a miserable year, but we’re assuming he gets back closer to the form he showed the past two seasons. When you’re six-foot-six and have scored as much as Thompson has the past two years, you have to work pretty hard to play your way off the team.
The top couple lines are a menacing mix of skill, size and snipe. Obviously, it’s not hard to imagine somebody like Kyle Connor joining a top unit depending on how the squad wants to deploy its troops or how chemistry forms.
DEFENCE
Quinn Hughes-Adam Fox
Zach Werenski-Charlie McAvoy
Jaccob Slavin-Jacob Trouba
Brock Faber
Luke Hughes
John Carlson
Jake Sanderson
It’s very easy to see a world where Brock Faber and Luke Hughes — even as NHL sophomores next year — wind up being locks for this team, squeezing out the likes of Jacob Trouba or even Zach Werenksi. Basically, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy are locks, Jaccob Slavin’s name is written in 90-per cent dry cement and the remaining spots could conceivably go to any two of about a half-dozen guys.
Trouba might seem like a long shot, but there’s something to be said for adding that six-foot-three veteran whose spent nearly a decade drawing the toughest matchups in the NHL.
The top four is straight terrifying, with loads of play-driving capabilities and two-way know how.
GOALIES
Connor Hellebuyck
Thatcher Demko
Jeremy Swayman
Jake Oettinger
It’s too bad you can only play one goalie at a time because the U.S. depth at the position is astonishing. Seriously, there’s a world where the three Vezina Trophy finalists this season are all American goalies.
Right now, Hellebuyck probably gets the slight edge over Demko, but it’s more or less a coin flip and will likely come down to who is playing his best hockey when the tournament begins. Anyone of the four guys listed above could give himself a leg up on the conversation by backstopping his club to a deep playoff run this spring.
