dlbalr Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 The 2016 World Juniors have started. The Habs will have a grand total of zero prospects participating after Noah Juulsen and Lukas Vejdemo were final cuts earlier this week. The StatTracker will be pretty easy this year... Lots of current Habs/IceCaps have played before with varying degrees of success. Here are the stats for those players: http://www.habsworld.net/2015/12/habs-at-the-world-juniors-2/ Canada and the USA aren't the New Years Eve game this year, they play this afternoon instead (1 PM EST). In the early action today, William Nylander looks to be concussed after taking a hard open ice hit from Switzerland's Chris Egri. Boston is leaning towards loaning David Pastrnak after the roster freeze lifts on Monday morning - I wonder if this might give them pause? All games (other than the relegation round) can be seen in Canada on TSN. It looks like the NHL Network (USA only) is carrying the bulk of the games as well, at least in the early going. Schedule/Standings Stats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 DeBrincat takes 5 and a game for a spear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stogey24 Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Habs and Penguins only teams without a prospect in the tourney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Story of the Habs.... Canada gets way more chances in close, can't score, US scores on some point shots and weak goaltending (particularly the fourth goal). Also can't score on a 5 minute PP. And like the Habs, they are without the number 1 goalie, who will play game 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I figured of the two hockey teams that I wanted to win today, our Junior team would have the better chance (not liking the odds of the Habs upsetting the Caps). That was a very disappointing effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 Some have suggested the defence is a strength of the Canadian team. I don't see it. Sanheim was okay today, Hicketts struggled, Fleury couldn't complete a pass to save his life at times, and Chabot was a lot more comfortable in the offensive zone than his own end. That's the top four and none of them were really impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I don't see a "strength" of this canadian team to be honest. As far as Canada's world junior teams go, they are very, very average. Last year was a great squad... that won the tournament despite the fact that they didn't always play at their best. This year's team is going to need much better efforts from Strome, Marner, Fleury, etc... etc.... if they want to win. They will need their big guns to play their best or they won't beat the likes of the US, Sweden or Russia. There are good squads in this tourney and they'll need to play up to their potential to win. Playing at 95% will be a loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Canada and Switzerland are tied at 2 after 2. The Swiss have given the Canadians all they can handle. I still don't like Canada's defence which seems to be morphing into the Joe Hicketts show. If they were tracking ice time, I'd think he's on pace for over 30 minutes which is insanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 This Canada team is not near as good as other years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Still finding their way, Commandant. They're still very much in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Should have lowered expectations this year, BRONZE would be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Patience grasshoppa..as long as they improve from game to game, stay alive, keep getting their chances, they could surprise a few. Strome is dialed in. Just need others to step up somewhat. Gotta say that they've given up some lucky goals, for sure. Big test coming up vs Sweden. Switzerland was battling for their lives, and are no longer a cakewalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine of Loving Grace Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Still finding their way, Commandant. They're still very much in it It's Canada. They are the superpower of the hockey world. Not being dominant against the majority of countries is an anomaly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 They are just short one good RH d-man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 They are just short one good RH d-man. I don't think Juulsen would have done a whole lot, especially since McKeown, the one RD they do have, is the 7th d-man. Juulsen would have just filled that spot. The coach (Lowry) trusts Hicketts more than anyone because he has him with his WHL team and for me, that's the biggest problem on their blueline right now. Whether Juulsen is there or not, the fact that they're overplaying Hicketts that much wouldn't change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Still finding their way, Commandant. They're still very much in it They might grind out a win somehow, but this team is not as talented as previous editions (like last years). I said that before the tourney too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Yeah you may be right, but it doesn't much matter how they stack up against previous teams. It's how they play this week, and right now, they're kinda hand-cuffed. Hopefully they'll grind it out, like you say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Boy, Canada is frustrating to watch. Everyone wants to pass and they'd rather look good passing instead of scoring some dirty goals. There are no style points in this tournament. Virtanen has been a big disappointment so far. I know he was scuffling with Vancouver but I expected he'd be much more of an impact player than he has been so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobin Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Canada looks like shit...dominated by Sweden... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEWATER77 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ok, now I'm thoroughly convinced...they're bums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brobin Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I am not sure what is worse.. The brutal reffing (how many interference calls can they ignore) or the mind boggling stupid passes by the Canadians. How many passes with zero pressure were behind the player or off the mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Simply do not have a good 'team'. Will be lucky to hang with the Finns, but can always hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I have a hard time getting excited about a tournament when Canada is the only country on the face of the earth that gives a rat's arse about it. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I highly doubt will be any empty seats tomorrow at Can-Finn game. And Sweden dosent give a rat's ass about hockey? Foolishness! Are you really that hung-over today sir? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 I highly doubt will be any empty seats tomorrow at Can-Finn game. And Sweden dosent give a rat's ass about hockey? Foolishness! Are you really that hung-over today sir? Could be...but I'm not saying other countries don't care about hockey, just about this tournament specifically. And hey, I'm not the only person to remark that Canada cares vastly more about this tourney than any other country, courtesy of TSN's decades-long promotion of it (and good for them for taking a non-entity and turning it into a big property in the domestic market). If that's changing, then that's a good thing, but the imbalance has long made me feel like we're trapped in the Tragically Hip song, 'Poets:' Aiming at the archetypal father Who says in such broad and tentative swipes, 'Why do you ever bother?' OK, off for a lie-down now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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