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Some Sens players have opportunities to make splashes this year. Curtis Lazar will presumably play a big role on a checking line and penalty-kill, as well as hopefully score a few goals. My best guess at his linemates would be Scott Laughton and Fredrik Gauthier.
Quentin Shore has a good shot at making USA, and as an older player, you never know where he might end up in the lineup. I recall the year the tournament was in Saskatoon, Leafs prospect Jerry D'Amigo, who was only a 7th round pick, ended up on USA's top line.
Marcus Hogberg is the only under-20 goalie to have played even a minute in a Swedish pro league this year, and he's played ten games in Allsvenskan. His numbers there aren't great, but his numbers from the few games he's played in junior are more than enough to prove he's the best eligible goalie currently playing in Sweden, but his competition for the starting job will be stiff, coming from the older and higher-drafted Oscar Dansk.
Will be fun to see if 2015 eligible phenoms Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel make team Canada and USA, respectively, plus a kid named Jonas Siegenthaler for the Swiss and a Mikko Rantanen for the Finns, and what they will do with the opportunity if they do make it. There's also gonna be a handful of good prospects for this years draft including (if they all make it, which is far from assured) Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad for Canada, Anthony DeAngelo for USA, Anton Karlsson for Sweden, Jakub Vrana for the Czechs, Leon Draisaitl for Germany, Ivan Barbashev for Russia, Kevin Fiala for Switzerland and Kasperi Kapanen for Finland.
It looks as if this is going to be one of those really well-balanced years, where all four of the usual contenders will have very strong teams, but no one looks to be really dominant. It was looking last year like Finland was starting to creep into that big four group and turn it into a big five, but with Barkov and Maatta staying with their NHL clubs, they'll have a tough time competing for a medal, although Teuvo Terravainen could end up being the best player in the tournament, and I believe Buffalo will make Ristolainen available, but I'm not certain. So they'll likely still be the 5th best team, even if they're just outside the pack of true contenders.
A lot of Canada's hopes will rest on the condition of Jonathan Drouin. I haven't heard anything lately, but if he's playing, then he's the heavy favorite to win MVP and we'd have to be the favorite to win gold. If he's unable to go, it will have to be more of a group effort offensively, as although we have a lot of good forwards, it's one of those years where most of our dangerous forwards are just 18 year-olds. We'll have all kinds of skill, but a lack of experience and size up front could hurt. Our defense and goaltending are sure to be solid.
Russia, it seems, will have Zadorov and Grigorenko made available, which will come as a huge relief to them, cus short of those guys their team, while deep as ever, would have been lacking in elite level talent. That is, of course, outside of Andrej Vasilievsky, who, if made available by his KHL club, should end up being the best goalie in the tournament.
Sweden could be the most dangerous team offensively, led by Burakowski, Collberg, Wennberg, Nick Sorensen and Gustav Possler, and their D will be solid, headlined by Ludwig Bystrom and Robert Hagg and their goaltending could be sensational. They may not have the best single goalie in the tournament (probably Gillies or Vasilievsky), but it would be hard to argue that any other team can boast a tandem quite as good as Hogberg-Dansk.
USA will be loaded with depth, but lacking true superstars at any position. Jon Gillies would be the best bet to have any kind of spectacular performance. Nick Kerdiles was my best guess coming into this season to be their star forward, but he's had a mediocre showing in college this season, so Riley Barber will likely be looked at to lead the charge. But really it's going to have to be a group effort, and the defense has even less star-power. But with the amount of size, grit and depths at all positions, the USA just can't be counted out.
Quentin Shore has a good shot at making USA, and as an older player, you never know where he might end up in the lineup. I recall the year the tournament was in Saskatoon, Leafs prospect Jerry D'Amigo, who was only a 7th round pick, ended up on USA's top line.
Marcus Hogberg is the only under-20 goalie to have played even a minute in a Swedish pro league this year, and he's played ten games in Allsvenskan. His numbers there aren't great, but his numbers from the few games he's played in junior are more than enough to prove he's the best eligible goalie currently playing in Sweden, but his competition for the starting job will be stiff, coming from the older and higher-drafted Oscar Dansk.
Will be fun to see if 2015 eligible phenoms Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel make team Canada and USA, respectively, plus a kid named Jonas Siegenthaler for the Swiss and a Mikko Rantanen for the Finns, and what they will do with the opportunity if they do make it. There's also gonna be a handful of good prospects for this years draft including (if they all make it, which is far from assured) Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad for Canada, Anthony DeAngelo for USA, Anton Karlsson for Sweden, Jakub Vrana for the Czechs, Leon Draisaitl for Germany, Ivan Barbashev for Russia, Kevin Fiala for Switzerland and Kasperi Kapanen for Finland.
It looks as if this is going to be one of those really well-balanced years, where all four of the usual contenders will have very strong teams, but no one looks to be really dominant. It was looking last year like Finland was starting to creep into that big four group and turn it into a big five, but with Barkov and Maatta staying with their NHL clubs, they'll have a tough time competing for a medal, although Teuvo Terravainen could end up being the best player in the tournament, and I believe Buffalo will make Ristolainen available, but I'm not certain. So they'll likely still be the 5th best team, even if they're just outside the pack of true contenders.
A lot of Canada's hopes will rest on the condition of Jonathan Drouin. I haven't heard anything lately, but if he's playing, then he's the heavy favorite to win MVP and we'd have to be the favorite to win gold. If he's unable to go, it will have to be more of a group effort offensively, as although we have a lot of good forwards, it's one of those years where most of our dangerous forwards are just 18 year-olds. We'll have all kinds of skill, but a lack of experience and size up front could hurt. Our defense and goaltending are sure to be solid.
Russia, it seems, will have Zadorov and Grigorenko made available, which will come as a huge relief to them, cus short of those guys their team, while deep as ever, would have been lacking in elite level talent. That is, of course, outside of Andrej Vasilievsky, who, if made available by his KHL club, should end up being the best goalie in the tournament.
Sweden could be the most dangerous team offensively, led by Burakowski, Collberg, Wennberg, Nick Sorensen and Gustav Possler, and their D will be solid, headlined by Ludwig Bystrom and Robert Hagg and their goaltending could be sensational. They may not have the best single goalie in the tournament (probably Gillies or Vasilievsky), but it would be hard to argue that any other team can boast a tandem quite as good as Hogberg-Dansk.
USA will be loaded with depth, but lacking true superstars at any position. Jon Gillies would be the best bet to have any kind of spectacular performance. Nick Kerdiles was my best guess coming into this season to be their star forward, but he's had a mediocre showing in college this season, so Riley Barber will likely be looked at to lead the charge. But really it's going to have to be a group effort, and the defense has even less star-power. But with the amount of size, grit and depths at all positions, the USA just can't be counted out.
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