successfulblackman Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Which country's pose the most threat to team Canada on their quest for gold. your thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flames1217 Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Russia has a beast of a team, or potential to have a beast of a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
successfulblackman Posted December 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Russia has a beast of a team, or potential to have a beast of a team. Did I mention that the name Nail Yakupov makes be crap my pants If canada is going to win goald they nedd 2 scoring lines and 2 shut down lines, as well as mobile d men that can knock you on your @$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crzydrvr Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Which country's pose the most threat to team Canada on their quest for gold. your thoughts considering there are only 10 teams playing in the WJC, I don't see how there can be 10 threats for team Canada's junior team. Unless you mean by players, in which case I shall happily oblige you with my opinion. Mark Visentin/Tyler Bunz/Luois Domingue/Scott Wedgewood: They're not playing against Canada, but they will be major factors into whether or not Canada breaks a 2 year gold medal drought. How they perform against some strong teams will be just as important as how other players perform against Canada. Sven Bartschi: He's going to be coming to a Calgary team next year that could very well have a really young and/or really weak roster, in which case Bartschi will have to get used to being the best of an average bunch. How he fares in this tournament against teams like the US and Russia will be key in whether or not he is a true-blue-chipper. He definitely has the skill, and he is definitely the most dangerous player on that Swiss roster by a long shot. Evgeni Kuznetsov: Still young enough to participate in the WJC this year again for Russia, I think it's a given that he's a favourite/in contention for Best Forward of the tournament right now. Canada's gold medal hopes could very well fare on whether their D can hold up against the Traktor Chelyabinsk star. Nail Yakupov: Whether or not management decides to go with him, Yakupov is probably the player that most scouts want to see at this tournament. Currently in a dogfight for the top ranking for this year's draft, Yakupov will be a major factor should he make the Russian team with his speed and feistiness. Mikael/Markus Granlund: I listed the two as one because reports are that Mikael is raring to go for the Finns and really, they've been two of the best young forwards this year in the SM-Liiga. Mikael is obviously the most talented forward they've produced since the Koivus broke into the NHL, and it cannot be understated that Markus has been having a fantastic rookie season for HIFK with 16 points in 26 games, good for a tie for 47th in all of Finland. They lead an improved Finnish squad that will be looking to really challenge the top dogs and steal a medal slot. Jack Campbell: While he may or may not be a bit of a disappointment stats wise over his OHL career, he finds ways to turn up his game to another echelon when it matters most, a trait that most coaches, scouts, and GMs salivate for. Arguably the most clutch goaltending prospect outside the NHL, Campbell and Gibson are both great goalies and significant threats should they turn hot against the rest of the world. Derek Forbert: A depth defenseman on previous US squads, Forbert (drafted 15th overall in 2010) is now a top dog for the Amerks this time around. Not exactly lighting the world on fire with his play since being drafted, he has a big chance right now to prove that he is a legitimate prospect with a strong showing, and if the Americans have any shot at that Gold medal, they'll need Forbert and Merrill to anchor a rather blue-collar defense. Victor Rask: Carolina's second rounder currently leads the Hitmen in goals with 15 to go along with 11 assists in 32 games. A guy who'll be relied upon by Sweden to be a major part of their offense on a team that is more two-way than pure out offensive up front. Rask could very well be a threat against Canada, or he could very well turn invisible. Another guy that could use a confidence booster, if he gets hot he could very well win a medal for the Swedes on his own. Jonas Brodin/Oscar Klefbom: The two Farjestads blueliners will need to contribute to the national team in a way they haven't really done over the course of the Elitserien season. While they still provide strong two-way play, neither Brodin nor Klefbom have taken the leap to becoming catalysts on the back end the way some expected after they were drafted 10th and 19th respectively. They'll have to really step up at both ends of the ice if Sweden is to medal in the tourney. Tomas Jurco: The leader up front for a rather average Slovakian team. He's really stepped up to the plate, contributing offensively for the Sea Dogs despite missing names like Huberdeau and Galiev for the large majority of the season and sitting a few games due to injury himself. While he still is a work in progress in terms of two-way play, he has been a consistent contributor this season compared to just 56 points in 60 games last year. I think those guys are probably the big names to watch at this WJC. Other names to watch: Tomas Hertl, CZE; Mika Zibanejad, SWE; Joel Armia, FIN; Emerson Etem, USA; Martin Marincin, SVK; Alessio Bertaggia, SUI; Nikita Kucherov, RUS; Zemgus Girgensons, LAT; Nicklas Jensen, DEN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Don Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 1. Russia 2. USA Sweden/Finland and the rest will be missing out on the medals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoKombaT Posted December 16, 2011 Report Share Posted December 16, 2011 There is only one threat, and that is the dreaded Latvians. Beware Canada, Beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
successfulblackman Posted December 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2011 I just checked out team USA's team, and it looks pretty strong to me. They have powerful forwards with size and speed, but it seems to me their Achilles heel is hand skill. In my opinion Canada has the Upper hand in skill up front, speed, and defense. USA has the upper hand in goal tending, and size. If they can play a very disciplined game, then there is a good chance that they can beat team Canada IMO 'top threats Russia- a roster full of forwards that can dominate USA- A well balanced roster of defense and forwards backed up by the best goalie in the tournament Finland- A first line that contains a future nhl all star flanked by chemistry Sweden- another well rounded team out for team Canada's blood. Switzerland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
successfulblackman Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 do you guys think that Canada will beat the Russians? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flames1217 Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 do you guys think that Canada will beat the Russians? Yepp, The game i am really interested about seeing is Finland and Sweden today. Easy the two teams we have to worry about the most. Sweden has a good overall team much like canada but finland has the most talented center in the tourny and not to sound cocky but i really dont think his little brother is all that far behind him in terms of skill. I am really happy with Markus's game and can see why feaster picked him up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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