Tag Archives: Auston Matthews

Beer League Hero, Corey Mitchell, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft

2016 BLH Mid-Season NHL Mock Draft

Auston Matthews

It’s that time ladies and gentlemen. We are looking down the barrel of a shotgun named playoffless for a tenth straight season and unless the return of Connor McDavid, Oscar Klefbom, and Brandon Davidson can propel this team past the likes of a surging Anaheim Ducks, the ever-present Arizona Coyotes, or the unpredictable Vancouver Canucks, we’re starting at a top 5 pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft… Again.

So it behooves me to introduce you to some of the prospects that could be available  in the form of a mock draft. Now, I had my amazing prospects writer, Corey Mitchell (@corn_cwm), help me out a bit here by doing up a mock of his own to which I will comment on each of his picks.

From here I’ll turn it over to Corey.

I used Craig Button’s most recent draft rankings to conduct my draft. I’ve included the player’s current team, as well as Button’s draft ranking. My selections, with standings as of the All-Star break, are as follows. Note: this does not take into account any future trades, or the draft lottery itself.

1. Columbus Blue Jackets – Auston Matthews, Zurich ZSC, Swiss A (1)
CM – Matthews is the consensus number one pick in all the draft rankings I’ve seen. This is a no brainer.

BLH – I agree. Ryan Johansen is gone and they need a true no.1 franchise centerman. Matthews is their man.

2. Buffalo Sabres – Jesse Puljujarvi, Karpat, SM-liiga (2)
CM – Large right-winger, currently the overwhelming favorite to go number 2 in the draft, despite only 18 points in 38 games.

BLH – I wonder if the Sabres go with Puljujarvi’s sharp shooting teammate Patrik Laine here. Eichel’s the setup man with Laine sniping… Either way the Sabres need some scoring from the wing and they can definitely pick that up at this year’s draft.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs – Matthew Tkachuk, London, OHL (4)
CM – This is where I go a bit off the board, only because of the chemistry Tkachuk has with Leafs prospect Mitch Marner.

BLH – I like Tkachuk here too but not because of his chemistry w/ Marner but because of the Mark Hunter/London Knights connection. I’m torn here though, what about Toronto’s mediocre depth on defense or would they take Jesse Puljujarvi due to his exquisite puck possession skills. We know Kyle Dubas is an analytics monster, how heavy will his opinion weigh on the final say and what about William Nylander’s brother, Alex, who we’ve heard could be better than William?

4. Edmonton Oilers – Jakob Chychrun, Sarnia, OHL (7)
CM – For the Oilers, it’s about drafting for need, not best available. A large blue liner to help fill the lack of depth they continue to have.

BLH –  I love Chychrun here. He’s a helluva skater, he can quarterback the powerplay, he’s got mad poise, and he’s drawn comparisons to Rob Blake. If Chychrun is gone at this point and Matthew Tkachuk is available, lock it in. Tkachuk will be an Oiler. Edmonton needs to add some character and Tkachuk has it in spades. Also, I’m not a fan of Laine’s history of mental lapses and injury history.

5. Winnipeg Jets – Patrick Laine, Tappara, SM-liiga (3)
CM – The Jets would be ecstatic to see this large body forward still be available to them at number 5.

BLH – I dig this pick for the Jets too. His countryman Jesse Puljujarvi has drawn comparisons to former Jet, Teemu Selanne, but I see Laine becoming a great scorer alongside Kyle Connor and Nik Ehlers someday. I’ve heard him compared to Stamkos in regards to his scoring ability.

6. Calgary Flames – Alexander Nylander, Mississauga, OHL (5)
CM – The Flames take the best player available to the at number 6, an offensive minded forward to fill the ranks with their young core.

BLH – I don’t see the Flames going with Nylander here. They’ve got Bennett and Monahan to cover the bases for the time being and Nylander doesn’t seem like a Burke/Treliving kinda guy. I could see his linemate in Mississauga, the lightning fast Michael McLeod going here or perhaps Boston University defenceman Charlie McAvoy. Burkie loves a good American boy and McAvoy did very well in the Ryan Suter role at this year’s World Juniors.

7. Anaheim Ducks – Olli Juolevi, London, OHL (6)
CM – The top ranked defence man at the moment, the Ducks would be more than happy to add him to a system that could be lacking in top blue liners soon.

BLH – Here is a Ducks team that has Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore, Jacob Larsson, Cam Fowler… There’s no shortage of great young dmen there. They’re looking to add some top six scorers and I say they go after Alexander Nylander here or Julien Gauthier. It’s either skills to thrill (Nylander) or Mac truck power (Gauthier). Either way, they’d be adding a major threat to their offense.

8. Philadelphia Flyers – Pierre-Luc Dubois, Cape Breton, QMJHL (10)
CM – The Flyers take Dubois two spots higher to add some youth, size, and offense to their forward prospects depth chart.

BLH – PLD wowed at the top prospects game and I can’t help but like him at this spot too. The Flyers are building a nice looking team here with the likes of Sam Morin, Ivan Provorov, and Travis Konecny coming in. Dubois fits right in here.

9. Arizona Coyotes – Mikhail Sergachev, Windsor, OHL (9)
CM – Taken right were Button feels he should be to help add depth to the blue line.

BLH – The Coyotes are so boring so it makes perfect sense that they’d grab the least of the flashy defencemen here. Warren Rychel compared him to a former teammate of his, Alexei Gusarov, in that he’s Captain Cool out there and nothing fazes him.

10. Carolina Hurricanes – Tyson Jost, Penticton, BCHL (12)
CM – With Eric Staal rumours about, the Canes could be needing to draft for need. In my mind, Jost is the best centre available to them.

BLH – I am in agreeance that the Canes will be looking at adding to their forward corps. but I’m not sure it’ll be Jost. Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about him, I reckon that Ron Francis would prefer to go for a Michael McLeod or Julien Gauthier if they’re still around when they pick.

11. Ottawa Senators – Dante Fabbro, Penticton, BCHL (8)
CM – Fabbro drops a few spots because of teams drafting for need, and the BCHL being overlooked a bit. Decent size and offensive instincts could make him a dangerous addition to the Senators.

BLH – Where the ‘Canes need offense, the Senators need defense. If one of Juolevi, Sergachev or Fabbro are still here then I could really see the Sens selecting them. Each add their own special spice to the game but they would definitely be a great help to Ottawa down the road. The Senators did very well with their selection of Thomas Chabot last year, you can have faith if they go a similar route this year.

12. Montreal Canadiens – Julien Gauthier, Val-d’Or, QMJHL (15)

CM – The Canadiens love to take their French-Canadian players, and Gauthier is the best available to them, with good size, and offensive numbers.

BLH – Love the pick of Julien Gauthier here. I’m a sucker for romantic narratives like the French-Canadian leading the Habs to success or the local Toronto boy heading up the Leafs. That being said, they could use a bit of help at all positions. One has to wonder about Clayton Keller here too. The Habs are having trouble scoring and Keller is a crafty playmaker…

13. Nashville Predators – Clayton Keller, US NTDP, USHL (11)
CM – After dropping a few spots, Nashville would be quick to take Keller to help with their issues of depth down the middle.

BLH – Not sure if the Preds would take Keller here now that they have Johansen and there’s Kevin Fiala coming up too. I like Kieffer Bellows here. Son of former NHL sniper, Brian Bellows. He’s lighting the USHL up right now with 32 goals in 40 games. A very tenacious player and would be a great fit in the Predators system.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (PIT) – Michael McLeod, Mississauga, OHL (17)
CM – Decent sized centre playing for his hometown Steelheads, and having a very productive year.

BLH – McLeod would be a lovely selection here for the Leafs but I’m still enamoured by the Mark Hunter/London Knights connection and if I were the Leafs I’d go for Max Jones. A very dangerous power forward with NHL size (6’3″ 200+lbs). He’s trapped behind some great talents in London at the moment but when all of those players left to play at the World Juniors, he stepped up his game. He’s a bulldog out there and might have a dusting of the Wendel Clark to him…

15. Vancouver Canucks – German Rubtsov, Russia MHL, RusJr (13)
CM – The Russian centre drops a few spots, but with a young forward core ready to take over, I see the Canucks taking a chance on him.

BLH – I do like the Russian here. He’s a very responsible two-way player and add him to the likes of McCann and Horvat and you’ve got some sweet depth in the making. God know the Canucks are going to need it when the Sedins are gone… Best plan of attack might be to have the best defensive team in the league.

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16. Colorado Avalanche – Kieffer Bellows, US NTDP, USHL (14)
CM – Another drop in the rankings, Bellows could be another productive addition to an already impressive young group of forwards in Colorado.

BLH – If I’m the Avs, I do what I can to add to the defense here. Be that by taking offensive dynamos Jake Bean or Samuel Girard, the aforementioned Charlie McAvoy or the yet to be mentioned Kale Clague. This team needs to shore that part of the organization up and pronto.

17. Boston Bruins (SJ) – Dillon Dube, Kelowna, WHL (18)
CM – An offensive minded centre, if a bit on the small side at 5’ 10”, the Bruins are looking to fill organizational needs.

BLH – The Bruins are solid in regards to their prospect depth with Pastrnak, DeBrusk, Zboril, Subban and Morrow coming up. I think if they went with the best player available here it wouldn’t be a surprise. Two names pop out at me, Logan Stanley (6’7″ 220lbs) and Max Jones (if available). The inevitable Chara comparisons come out with Stanley and justly so. He’s a bit stay-at-home dmen with an edge. Jones’ comparison is obviously close to Milan Lucic and surely Bruins fans could get on board with that.

18. New Jersey Devils – Jake Bean, Calgary, WHL (19)
CM – Always keen on defencemen, the Devils take Bean, although not the highest ranked player still on the board, because of his size, and his offense.

BLH – This team is bereft of any prospect depth with the highlights being Pavel Zacha, MacKenzie Blackwood, and Steve Santini. They are in dire need of some help everywhere and I’d like to see them go with Connor McDavid’s former linemate in Erie, Alex DeBrincat here. Devils fans from many moons ago will remember Steve Sullivan… DeBrincat is an elf of a player but he can put the puck in the net. If you’re a Devils fan, wouldn’t you like to see some more scoring?

19. Boston Bruins – Alex DeBrincat, Erie, OHL (21)
CM – Although on the small side, DeBrincat is having a stellar year for the Otters. Has the ability to play centre or wing.

BLH – Here we are with the Bruins second pick in the first round and fifth first rounder in two years. I maintain, if Logan Stanley or Max Jones are still lingering here, they should go that route. If not then why not take a chance on Tyler Benson (injuries have derailed a promising junior career but he’s got mad character and loads of potential) or the towering Logan Brown (6’6″ son of former NHLer Jeff Brown).

20. New York Islanders – Vitalii Abramov, Gatineau, QMJHL (20)
CM – Abramov doesn’t move out of his current ranking, and could be a dynamite player for the Islanders, as he’s lighting up the QMJHL at the moment.

BLH – I don’t see a lot of weaknesses on the Islanders pro squad depth or it’s prospect cupboard. The could very well take the talented Russian but I wonder if they’d take a chance on the top ranked goalie Carter Hart here. Then again Garth Snow is fairly unpredictable, maybe he’d go as far as to double-down on this pick and take Sean Day at this point?

21. Minnesota Wild – Riley Tufte, Blaine, High School (25)

CM – A big body forward, the Wild draft this local product a few spots higher because of the size he brings up front.

BLH – I like the Wild’s depth on D right now so I reckon they could be after a forward. More specifically a center and Tufte fits right in. Big guy, can skate like the dickens, and has an innate ability to get his shot off anywhere. Mikko Koivu isn’t going to be there forever and the next guy in line right now is Jarret Stoll… That being said Joel Eriksson-Ek is an outstanding center too and he’ll be giving Koivu a run for his money sooner than later.

22. Detroit Red Wings – Mitchell Mattson, Grand Rapids, High School (23)
CM – A large forward at 6’4”, the Red Wings have a knack for finding hidden gems in the draft. This local product could be another one.

BLH – The Red Wings have some lovely prospects coming on the wing in Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Svechnikov. I don’t see them adding there. But they could use a guy like Kale Clague on defense. Very cool and collected, doesn’t get fazed and has a very good hockey IQ. Perfect for the Detroit system.

23. Tampa Bay Lightning – Samuel Girard, Shawinigan, QMJHL (16)
CM – I have Girard dropping down because of his size. But with so much potential upheaval in the organization, Tampa takes the best player still on the board.

BLH – Sam Girard could very well go to the Lightning but with Anthony DeAngelo and Slater Koekkoek coming would he be a good fit? The Lightning’s roster is deep and varied in every sense of the word. It’s hard to say what kind of player they’d lean towards. Are Stamkos and Drouin still with the team this summer? Maybe Yzerman dips into his Swedish contacts and goes with two-way forward Rasmus Asplund or the gritty Carl Grundstrom.

24. Arizona Coyotes (NYR) – Charlie McAvoy, Boston U, NCAA (22)
CM – Good size for a defenceman, with some offensive upside. Arizona has a nice set of young forwards already, and continue to build the blue line.

BLH – I’m with Corey on this one. If McAvoy is still available I think the Coyotes would be best served taking him.

25. Florida Panthers – Logan Stanley, Windsor, OHL (24)
CM – With one of the best young groups of players in the league, and drafting in unfamiliar territory, the Panthers look to add size to their blue line.

BLH – This is definitely a team I could see picking Carter Hart. Goalies in the first round isn’t always a sure thing but the way he’s dominating the WHL this year. The Panthers’ roster is more or less set for the foreseeable future so they can afford to take a chance here on what could be a very good goalie in the future.

26. Carolina Hurricanes (LA) – Brett Howden, Moose Jaw, WHL (30)
CM – With a second pick, the Canes go off board a bit, taking 30th ranked Howden at 25. Big body centre with nice offensive upside to help shore up the middle.

BLH – I had to take a second look when I saw Carolina picking here, I forgot they got LA’s 1st rounder in the Sekera deal. I like the skilled and amazingly named Sam Steel here. Great at creating offense and isn’t that just what the ‘Canes could use? If not him, then why not a flyer on Top Prospects game star, Pascal Laberge?

27. St. Louis Blues – Tyler Benson, Vancouver, WHL (26)
CM – Benson stays on track, having fallen down the list over the season. A nice addition to the forward group in St. Louis.

BLH – Tyler Benson would be a great addition to the Blues and it’s hard to gauge where this team will be and what the make-up of it will be in 3-4 years when this prospect develops but if not Benson, why not a PP quarterback like Chad Krys?

28. Dallas Stars – Markus Niemelainen, Saginaw, OHL (33)
CM – Things get interesting, as the Stars overlook a handful of players to take the large defenceman from Sarnia.

BLH – Woof! Another team that has a great NHL roster and a deep prospect cupboard. Corey has them taking the Finn, I’d like to see them take a Canadian. Power forward Nathan Bastian makes up 1/3 of the Mississauga Steelheads top line with Alex Nylander and Michael McLeod. He’s a big boy (6’3″ 195lb) and we know the Stars do alright drafting big wingers…

29. Chicago Blackhawks – Carter Hart, Everett, WHL (32)
CM – The only goalie to go in the first round. He has sensational numbers this year, and could be the goalie of the future for Chicago.

BLH – Rough goalie depth for the Hawks right now. I agree with Corey, if Hart is there, they should take him.

30. Washington Capitals – Will Bitten, Flint, OHL (27)
CM – The best player on the board with a few teams going for later ranked players, Washington would love to have this skilled player available at number 30.

BLH – What a name?! Will Bitten. I’m not sure if the Caps go for him, he’s a great two-way center but I think they’d likely want to re-stock the defense here. Libor Hajek is a wonderful blueline who models his game after LA Kings dman Drew Doughty. He’s got good hands and hockey sense and he’s willing to play a physical game.

Well there it is! 3000 words later we’ve come to the end. Let us know in the comments below if you agree with our picks!

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Beer League Hero, Prospects

The BLH 2015/16 World Junior Hockey Championships Group A Preview

Can the Canadians win their second gold medal in a row in 2016?

The World Junior Hockey Championships are almost here! It’s by far one of the best times of the year for any hockey lover. So many memories of hockey come from this little tournament. My all-time favorite being the year Eberle scored that goal to tie the game versus Russia and send it to OT. What about you?

Before getting into this year’s version of the World Junior Hockey Championships, why don’t we watch a little recap vid from last year. The year of Max Domi, Darnell Nurse, and none other than Connor McDavid.

The Teams

Sweden

Led by this generation’s version of the Bure brothers, the Nylanders, Sweden will be looking for retribution after losing last year’s bronze medal game to the upstart Slovakians. The Swedes will be a tough opponent for anybody coming up against them. They’re big, physical, and have moves like Jagr.

Player(s) to keep an eye on: The Nylanders, William (TOR) and Alexander (Mississauga Steelheads), are going to tear this tourney up. William has led the AHL in scoring at times this season and Alexander the same but for rookie scoring in the OHL.

Notable draft eligible(s): Alexander Nylander, Rasmus Asplund, and Carl Grundstrom.

Denmark

Last year the Danes managed to take the Russians, the Swiss and the Czechs to extra time during the group phase of the tournament largely on the back of the netminder George Sorensen and the scoring of Nik Ehlers (WPG) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (CLB). They lost to Russian and the Czech Rep. but did find a way to beat Switzerland giving the team their first win in the U20 WJHC ever.

This year they’re projected to be cannon fodder for the likes of Canada, the USA, and Sweden.

Player(s) to keep an eye on: Normally we’d put Nik Ehlers here but I’m uncertain of his status. So we’ll put his cousin in instead. Alexander True of the Seattle Thunderbirds is a hulking presence on the ice sitting at 6’4″. He’s putting up reasonable stats for Seattle (19 pts in 29 games) and he’ll be relied upon to do the majority of the scoring for the Danes.

Notable draft eligible(s): Matias From, Nikolaj Krag Christensen, and Daniel Nielsen. I don’t have much info on these guys but let’s be honest. How many of you are going to be tuning in to see the great players from Denmark? We’ll watch when they do something of note I suppose.

Switzerland

Ah the Swiss. They sure have come a long way from being the pinatas of the WJHCs. Now they are a team that gives everyone a helluva challenge. They always play a very defensive North American style that gives teams fits except last year when they were leaking goals like crazy. They managed not to get relegated after a two game series with Germany where they outscored the Germans 10-4.

This year it appears the team will be stocked with a few more veterans. Noah Rod (SJ), Timo Meier (SJ), Jonas Siegenthaler (WAS), and Pias Suter are on their way to Helsinki to prevent the team from falling into a relegation battle again.

Player(s) to keep an eye on: Not Kevin Fiala. Nashville didn’t loan him to Switzerland for the tourney. But you can rejoice in watching the wrecking ball that is Timo Meier. Anybody that knows him from his play in Halifax knows that he’s a beast. He hits, shoots, and causes havoc.

Notable draft eligible(s): Nico Hischier is a 16 year old center who is eligible for next year’s draft in 2017. Hischier is already playing in the top flite in for SC Bern because he was dominating the U20 division. He’ll be the youngest player at the tournament. Some say he’s better than Roman Josi and Mark Streit at the same age… So we’ll see.

USA

Team USA was stacked last year and couldn’t find a way to make it past the Russians in the quarter finals. This year will be even harder without the likes of Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Paul Bittner. They will however have goaltender Brandon Halverson, defensemen Brandon Carlo and Zach Werenski and the lock for first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, 18-year-old Auston Matthews.

Player(s) to keep an eye on: Matthews of course. We saw glimpes of his brilliance last year but he was simply overwhelmed by the occasion and the competition. This year won’t be the case and you can expect him to dominate.

Notable draft eligible(s): Matthew Tkachuk, Alex Debrincat, and Auston Matthews. This is apparently the line that will lead the Americans in Helsinki and what a line it is! At the moment Debrincat and Tkachuk are destroying the OHL. Alex Debincat (Erie Otters) is 1st in goals (33 in 30 games) and Tkachuk (London Knights) is 2nd league scoring (14g 45a 59pts).

Canada

Team Canada ripped through the tournament with ease last year. The only real threat came to them in the gold medal game when the Russians mounted a serious comeback bid in the 2nd period. Canada ultimately held on to win the gold medals.

This year the team will be led by a new group of stars including Mitch Marner (TOR), Dylan Strome (ARI), and Matthew Barzal (NYI). Returning will be Joe Hicketts (DET), Lawson Crouse (FLA), Brayden Point (TB), and Jake Virtanen (VAN).

Player(s) to keep an eye on: Toronto Maple Leafs draftee Mitch Marner is going to electrify you. He’s got skills to thrill and I think you’ll see him battling the likes of William Nylander and Auston Matthews for the scoring crown. If you like gritty little guys that can wheel then Anthony Beauvillier and Travis Konecny are your guys.

Notable draft eligible(s): Julien Gauther (Val D’or) is a massive 6’4″ 225lb winger from Val D’or of the QMJHL. He’s already racked up 29 goals and 37 points in 33 games. This kid can absolutely fly out there. He’s got the speed, size and an NHL shot already. Look for him to make an impact.

Kris Hansen

BLH Edmonton Oilers Weekly Roundup Oct 25th-Nov 1st

Sigh. Oilers did not do well this week. I predicted them to go 1-3 this week, but losing all three games by one goal is a kick in the pants. Especially that heartbreaker against Calgary last night. That was unbelievable.

Oil Country is probably in a foul mood today and rightfully so.

Edmonton Oilers Three Stars

3. Connor McDavid

McDavid is still in the three stars because he’s been that great. Against Montreal, he was the straw that stirred the drink by pitching in two assists, including a great play to a wide open Benoit Pouliot. That said, there’s two others that out performed McDavid this week.His so far career high seven game point streak was snapped last night against Calgary, although he came awfully close twice to continue that streak.

2. Leon Draisaitl 

Draisaitl was recalled earlier this week and had to catch a flight for the game on Thursday against Montreal. Draisaitl, with a lack of sleep, only scored two goals including the game winner in that game where the Oilers were down 3-0 after one. Draisaitl kept up his “clutch” factor by scoring the game tying goal and two helpers against Calgary last night. Two games in and it will be a very difficult task to send him back to Bakersfield.

1. Taylor Hall

Has been on fire. He only had three points last night. Sure, he had some turnovers and the Hall Character Problem club will be all over that, but he was our strongest player this week. He has nine points in his last five games. He’s playing like one of the best Left Wingers in the NHL that we know he is. This season would be a lot worse without Taylor Hall on the left side.

Edmonton Oilers Rumors 

So, the Edmonton Oilers are completely decimated with injuries at the moment. Stop if you heard that one before. Out are: Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz, Griffin Reinhart, Matt Hendricks, Rob Klinkhammer. I’m biased but I think losing Reinhart hurts the most because we are forced to watch a god awful Ference and Gryba pairing without a capable puck mover in sight. Reinhart isn’t known for his puck movement abilities but sure is a helluva better bet than Ference and Gryba who handle the puck like a grenade.

There’ll be some tough questions: Who will get sent down? Who will get put where? Most importantly though, and one would hope Chiarelli is watching carefully: That defence is horrendous, even when healthy. Right now, the Oilers cannot move the puck out one bit out of their end. Who knows what is out there but one would have to think that it’ll get remedied quickly.

Also, the third and fourth lines scoring is non existent. Lander has vanished. If someone could find his game, please let the Oilers know.

Around the League

 

Highlights and Videos

Some saves of the week

 

Dylan Larkin scored a nifty goal

 

Mats Zuccarello scored his first career hat trick

 

Camera Man had his lens broken by a shot

 

The Week Ahead

The Oilers have three games this week and it’s a doozy:

Tuesday at home versus Philadelphia and Friday at home versus Pittsburgh.

Sunday they visit Chicago.

That’s your weekly recap for this week! Follow me on Twitter.

Beer League Hero, NHL

2016 World Cup of Hockey: Team North America

I love the idea of having a team comprised of U-23s to compete against the older players. Putting together the greatest emerging hockey players in North America is so appealing to me and I imagine to countless others because I’m a huge fan of the younger players in the NHL these days. They bring so much creativity and athleticism to the game that has been lacking for some time.

I seen that TSN’s Craig Button has taken a stab at Team North America’s roster for the upcoming World Cup in 2016. If you’d like to check that out it is here.

I’d like to throw my projections out there too! So here goes nothing!

Goaltending:

This was the hardest to pick and most likely will be the team’s achilles heel due to a lack of experience and the fact that there are no Carey Prices out there right now. The closest thing we have to a sure bet between the pipes is probably playing in Lethbridge right now for the Hurricanes. A guy named Stuart Skinner.

Anyways, I went with the following trio: John Gibson (ANH), Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), and Laurent Brossoit (EDM).

I tossed around the idea of adding Malcolm Subban (BOS), Matt Murray/Tristan Jarry (PIT), and there’s also Thatcher Demko (VAN) to consider but I felt in the end that what little performances I’ve witnessed at the NHL level were what I had to go on and reputation of course.

Gibson and Hellebucyk are locks leaving Brossoit as the third man in. Its probably a bit of a homer pick because I’m exposed to him more than the other players and I’m well aware of what Matt Murray did in Wilkes-Barre this past season and it was hard not to pick him but where’s the fun in copying Button’s team player for player? Brossoit is a stellar netminder and we seen a flash of that last season when he stonewalled the San Jose Sharks stopping 52 shots in a loss. That’s a hell of a lot better than Subban’s introduction to the pros…

Defense:

On defence I’ve got Aaron Ekblad (FLA), Darnell Nurse (EDM), Seth Jones (NSH), Doug Hamilton (CGY), Morgan Reilly (TOR), and Jacob Trouba (WPG) as the starting 6 with Noah Hanifin (CAR) and Cody Ceci (OTT) on the taxi squad.

Pairing these guys up was a bit of a chore but I like them as such:

Reilly/Ekblad
Jones/Hamilton
Nurse/Trouba

With these pairings we’ve got skill, we’ve got meat and potatoes, and we’ve got down guys who’ll lay the smack down on some candy asses. These are the new era of defencemen. The blueliner that can skate and think the game like a forward but are big and strong enough to handle to toughest assignments. They move the puck well and are or will be top pairing defenders on their respective NHL clubs.

I struggled with Darnell Nurse being on this squad. He hasn’t played even a half season of professional hockey to date but he’s teeming with talent and in my opinion has a ceiling that would match the other 4 players above him. Remember the WWF tag team “Demolition” or “The Road Warriors”? That’s what I think about when I think about a Nurse/Trouba pairing… They’ve got an… Appetite for Destruction.

The Forwards:

As it always is with these teams, there are far too many talented forwards and some notable names will be left off. Here are my forwards for Team North America:

Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (EDM), Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett, Johnny Gaudreau (CGY), Brandon Saad, Boone Jenner (CLB), Mark Scheifele (WPG), Nathan MacKinnon (COL), Jack Eichel (BUF), Curtis Lazar (OTT), and Auston Matthews (USA).

On the taxi squad I’ve got Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA), Sean Couturier (PHI), and Alex Galchenyuk (MTL).

I like the bigger forwards to go on the smaller ice surface and the NHL officiating. Also a number of the players are actually natural centers giving the team more options on the faceoff dot when going up against some of the best in the game.

I really couldn’t see Sam Reinhart on the team. I think he’ll play in the NHL this year but he’s a couple years from becoming what everyone is expecting of him. The Strome brothers were on my mind as well and surprisingly it was Dylan who I was considering more than Ryan. I rate the younger Strome’s size and faceoff ability over the elder. Mitch Marner was also bugging me a bit. I think he’s going to be an amazing hockey player for Canada/North America someday but not at this World Cup. There was Jonathan Drouin but he’s got a ways to go before any GMs give him a look at an international roster spot. Bo Horvat and Warren Rychel were also on my short list. Did I miss anyone?

Oh and you’re probably wondering about Auston Matthews. Look, this guy was only a few days from being drafted this year and the pundits had him giving Eichel and McDavid a run for no.1. That tells us something. It tells us he’s ready to go now and by the time next summer roles round and he’s got a year of professional hockey under his belt, that he’ll fit right in with the rest of these guys.

I’ve re-written the lines over and over and it’s been hard to come to a conclusion but I’ll let you in on my final lineup.

Saad – Nugent-Hopkins – MacKinnon
Gaudreau – Monahan – Matthews
Bennett – McDavid – Scheifele
Jenner – Eichel – Lazar

I reckon the offense is pretty spread out here and as I said earlier there are multiple centers on each line. I tried to include a two-way player and a bigger body on each line. Slotting Matthews above McDavid and Eichel is probably something I’d consider changing. Perhaps swapping him with Bennett or Jenner. I don’t want to take him out because I think he’s that good. A pure sniper in every sense of the word. Maybe the American Stamkos would be a good way to describe him.

I don’t know if this squad could come out of the group stages but I can see them giving the other teams in Group B (Finland, Sweden, and Russia) a helluva time and if there’s one team that could surprise anyone, it’d be this band of rowdies.

I found some jersey mock-ups online courtesy of HockeyJerseyConcepts.com and Icethetics.com. Check ’em out below.


I’m thinking the ones that are actually used will be better and possibly influenced by a major sponsor of the tournament. Think back to the All-Star game last year which was sponsored by Draft Kings… The color scheme of the sponsor’s website and the jerseys looked awfully similar…

If you’re heading out to the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto next summer you should do it in style. The Beer League Heroes Merch Shop has all your favorite players in 16-bit and on a t-shirt. But not only that, they come in a plethora of color and sizes! Men’s, women’s, and kid’s styles are all available!

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the piece. Let me know in the comments section who you’d put on your U23 Team North America!

Take Care!

BLH