Make USA Hockey great again.
The 1996 World Cup of Hockey was meant to be a coming-out party for the American men's hockey program, and while the three-game series win over Canada was followed up in later years by Olympic silver medals (2002, 2010), a fourth-place finish in 2014 and a complete flameout at the 2016 World Cup exacerbated the need to rethink the shaping of the roster in future tournaments.
Here, then, is a projected roster for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea - should NHL players indeed be made available for the tournament - with a distinct focus on skill over grit.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Gaudreau | Auston Matthews | Patrick Kane |
| Max Pacioretty | Alex Galchenyuk | Phil Kessel |
| Dylan Larkin | Jack Eichel | Joe Pavelski |
| Brandon Saad | Tyler Johnson | Blake Wheeler |
| Zach Parise | Vincent Trocheck |
- Out with the old, in with the youth. If the World Cup taught us anything, it's that speed and skill should win out over heart and grit, giving this forward corps a distinctly different look.
- Phil Kessel's infamous tweet should not be held against him, especially after a terrific performance in Sochi.
- A line of two Montreal Canadiens and Kessel is too good to pass up.
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Ryan Suter | Kevin Shattenkirk |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | Seth Jones |
| Jacob Trouba | Dustin Byfuglien |
| Justin Faulk | John Carlson |
- American defensemen are on the rise, led by the likes of Shayne Gostisbehere, Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba, and Justin Faulk.
- Ryan Suter, Dustin Byfuglien, and John Carlson are carryovers from the World Cup team, while Kevin Shattenkirk gets a much-deserved call to represent his country.
| G |
|---|
| Cory Schneider |
| Ben Bishop |
| John Gibson |
- Cory Schneider is arguably the best American-born goalie in the NHL, and should be rated as one of the best in the game. Giving him the starting nod in 2018 should be an easy call.
- Ben Bishop may have a Stanley Cup or two by then, while John Gibson is still considered to be USA's goalie of the future.
The question is, will USA Hockey take this route and load the roster with the best available talent? We concede that's unlikely, resulting in the addition of veteran leaders like Suter, Joe Pavelski, and Zach Parise, if not more.
The roster above, however, would give America a good shot at winning a medal, and that should trump any previously held philosophies, loyalties, or grudges.
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