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Is going to be absolutely dominant. Seth Jones has been amazing so far at the pro-level. Team USA is going to have stellar goal tending (Quick, Anderson, or Howard?), a wall of a defense-Suter, Jones, Carlson, Byfuglien, Leddy, Shattenkirk, and Yandle to name a few.
The offense might not be as high octane as Canada, but goaltending and defense have proven many times that it is capable of making up the deficit (see the NJ Devils for years and years and years).
Team USA has released their Olympic Roster.
It's interesting to note that of the defensemen you highlighted earlier, none of Byfulgien, Yandle, Leddy or Jones made the team.
It looks, to me, like they were looking for a very steady, low risk blueline. Both Yandle and Byfuglien are great and more offensively dynamic than probably anyone on the roster, but that style of play does carry an element of risk. Jones, being as young as he is, may have been seen as something of a gamble, too.
In goal, the trio of Miller/Quick/Howard is hardly surprising, but is probably among the better groups in the tournament.
The forward group looks okay, though not spectacular. I think that's partly due to the lack of Bobby Ryan, though the group seems slightly underwhelming generally - I'm not sure why, exactly.
This article is well circulated by now but if you missed this and are a fan of US hockey, this is a must read. There's likely never been an article of this scope and depth about hockey in the US media...ever. It's all about the selection of the Olympic team. Yandle went down to the wire and it appears that Burke heavily influenced his cut toward the end. There is legitimate criticism to his game, though. On a larger surface he may be a liability over some other guys.
We've discussed the US Team at length, so I figured I might as well throw out my thoughts on the rest as I wait for the official announcement for Team Canada.
Finland
Might be a tough tournament for the Finns, as neither Koivu will be going. Mikka's out with a broken ankle and Saku apparently declined an invitation to play. They've still got some skill up front and Selanne can fill the leadership void left by the elder Koivu, but those two will be missed.
They've still got the best goaltending in the tournament with Rask and Neimi.
Switzerland
Hiller was the obvious choice in net, and he's solid, I think. Berra's a moderately capable backup, though I wouldn't want to have to rely on him.
The Swiss defence is not bad, though not quite elite. I think the place they're most lacking though is up front. Neiderreiter's good, but there's not much else to cheer about.
Norway
There's not much to say except that they're a big step behind the front runners. They've got Zuccarello, I guess.
Slovakia
They're perennial underdogs, though they're creeping closer to the front runners every tournament. They've got some serious talent on this team, though perhaps less depth than is ideal.
Budaj and Halak are a solid goaltending duo.
The defense shows the lack of depth a little bit. There's Chara and Visnovsky up front, but it falls off rather quickly from there.
The first couple forward lines have some serious talent, too, but again, it drops off rather quickly.
Sweden
I'm surprised to say that I don't think the Swedes look all that great it net. Lundquist hasn't been very good this year. I'm not certain they've even got him pencilled in as the starter. Gustavsson's been solid in Detroit, though not spectacular. Enroth rounds out the trio in good, but not great, fashion.
There's not much to say for the Swedish skaters. All those expected are there, they're very good and I don't see any holes. This will be a tough team to beat.
Austria
I'm still a little surprised to be looking at an Austrian team. I like this team better than Norway, but not by much. Vanek's the obvious standout. Grabner's okay. After that, things fall off pretty quickly. I'm expecting the Austrians to battle for the basement.
Czech Republic
The days of dominant Czech goaltending are past. The day you take Ondrej Pavalec to the Olympics is the day you've got a problem in net.
The forward group can play with anybody here, and Jagr apparently doesn't age. The defense should be solid, if unspectacular.
Slovenia, Latvia, Russia and Canada yet to come.
So far, I like the Swedes a lot. The Finns aren't quite as good as hoped, but still dangerous, especially given their goaltending. On paper, the Czechs don't look as dangerous as at past tournaments.
Granted, the games 8 years old, but I always owned world tournaments on NHL 05 with the Slovakian team. Elias, Gaborik, Chara on defense. Now that I look back on it, I'm surprised they didn't have more success. They were young in the mid 2000's, but most of that first & second line back them turned out to be pretty damn good NHL players.
A lot can change obviously between now and the end of February, but I'd have to think Russia, Canada & Sweden are the 3 favorites to medal, with Czech Republic, USA & Finland the next tier. Switzerland Slovakia are my dark-horse candidates.
Are the US games going to be aired live or on replay and does anyone know if they'll be streaming online? I'll be working during the game against Russia & Slovenia while the game against Slovakia happens too early that I won't be able to find a place open that will show the game (if it's aired live).
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