World Juniors Signals Start of USA Hockey’s Decade of Dominance.
Team Canada just lost to the Czechs. In a conspiracy theory not getting nearly enough air time, Gary Bettman has somehow managed to avoid best-on-best competition since the World Cup of Hockey all the way back in 2016.
8 years!
Way back in 2016 at the last World Cup of Hockey, remember Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Nathan MacKinnon didn’t even play for their countries. They were still kids skating together on the young guns squad called Team North America.
Without seeing these coveted best on best matchups, the hockey world has been short changed. And USA Hockey fans, in specific, have been jobbed.
We’ve been denied the Hughes brothers, Tkachuk brothers, and more competing in best-on-best hockey clad in red, white, and blue.
Did Gary Bettman and the NHL do this on purpose, to protect Canada? Besides maple syrup and Nickelback, hockey is about all our neighbors from the North have. While we’re not sure the global pandemic was mixed up by Bettman (as opposed to a Wuhan wet market), the pure facts are Canada has been protected from best-on-best competition and facing Team USA’s best for far too long.
Bettman hinted recently that the World Cup of Hockey would be back in the near future, and Minnesota is on the list of finalists to host the World Juniors in 2026, so let’s all celebrate the 2024 World Juniors as the official start of USA Hockey’s Decade of Dominance.
Yes, expect Team USA to look a lot like Vito Corleone at the next Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Glance at the NHL scoring leaders, and you’ll see a list littered with Americans including J.T. Miller, Quinn and Luke Hughes, Auston Matthews, Jake Guentzel, and Jack Eichel. Not to mention bonafide American snipers like Brock Boeser and Chris Kreider. Goaltending won’t be a problem for Team USA either with Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger, Charlie Lindgren, Joey Daccord, and Mr. Reliable Connor Hellubuyck shutting the door. Add in the Tkachuk brothers, Adam Fox, and even our own Brock Faber on the back end, and all signs point to toasting Frangelico while eating Spumoni in Italy at the next winter games.
Yes, hockey is about to become America’s game.
Perhaps Justin Trudeau can make a panicked call to Bettman, and try to avoid best-on-best competition for another several years. But if they don’t, expect the red, white, and blue to take the stick right out of Canada’s cold dead hands.
While the Olympics and rebooted World Cup of Hockey are still some time away. Good news, you don’t need to wait that long to see the changing of the guard. Flip on NHL Network this week and watch a juggernaut Team USA competing for gold in the World Juniors.
The World Juniors is one of the greatest tournaments in the sport, showcasing the best players under 20 years old in the world. If like many American hockey fans, you only start paying attention to the World Juniors once the elimination round starts, you’re in luck! Pulltab Sports has you covered with 5 things to watch for in the World Juniors as Team USA starts its Decade of Dominance:
1) SPEED KILLS
When watching Team USA at the World Juniors, the first thing that will jump out at you is their overall team speed. USA forward Oliver Moore is heralded as having similar straight-line speed to Connor McDavid. The funny thing watching Team USA, is everyone on the team looks just as fast as Moore.
Team USA’s breakouts in the World Juniors look like the film has been sped up. Their up-ice rushes have more in common with a roller derby slingshot than hockey, as the entire team appears to be shot out of a cannon with regularity.
It can be a bit jarring to watch, as one can only imagine what would happen to a Team USA player if they had their head down at these insane RPMs. But don’t be silly, Team USA doesn’t have its head down, because this group has as much skill as it does speed. It’s an absolute treat to watch this next generation of the hockey elite show us what the game will look like as it continues to evolve. But don’t blink, or you might miss it.
2) SWAGGER FOR DAYS—TEAM USA’S ISAAC HOWARD
Team USA forward Isaac Howard announced himself as “the best looking guy here” at the NHL draft a few years back wearing a white suit and USA belt buckle.
Howard is tearing up the World Juniors. So, for anyone who might have cringed at his boldness at the draft, in many ways, he’s the perfect symbol for precisely the sort of swagger Team USA will have for years to come. The days of Team USA hoping to steal gold, or needing a “Miracle” to sit atop the podium are a thing of the past.
3) A NATIONAL GAME
Yes, it’s true that Team USA’s roster at the World Juniors is loaded with players from Boston College and the University of Minnesota.
But the days of USA Hockey being a traditional hockey market story dependant on the 3 M’s of Minnesota, Michigan, and Massachusetts are a thing of the past. Team USA’s World Junior roster boasts players from 11 states, including 4 from Florida, as well as Arizona and California.
While there are 6 Minnesotans on the roster, it’s clear that USA Hockey is pulling top talent from the entirety of the country as opposed to only hockey hotbeds, and this is certain to contribute to the decade of dominance we expect to see from USA Hockey in International competition for years to come.
4) NAZAR LAZERS
Maybe you’re a fan of the pass. Afterall, in hockey an assist is worth as much as a goal. If apples are your jam, you’re going to want to pay attention to USA forward Frank Nazar III as his performance is reminiscent of the playmaking ability of Trevor Zegras a few years back. We’re not sure if Nazar is Italian, but he could bottle his sauce after the couple weeks he’s been having in Sweden.
5) THE “ONE OF US” MINNESOTA FACTOR
If like most Minnesotans, you’re looking for the local interest to the story, look no further than “Top” Jimmy Snuggerud. Snuggerud is a true trigger-man in the mold of Brock Boeser. “Top” Jimmy has never seen a shot he doesn’t like, and when most of them go in, you’ll like them too.
If like another American hero, Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, you have “the need, the need for speed,” well, then look no further than the aforementioned Oliver Moore. Like a road runner on skates, Moore will remind Gopher fans of a young Sammy Walker, the only challenge is if his hands can keep up with his feet, and they usually do.
Of course, anything can happen in a single elimination international tournament. Host country Sweden is formidable, and nearly impossible to score against with their gigantic blueliners holding the fort. But barring a flat tire, expect Team USA to once again be chanting in the lockerroom and standing atop the podium. A position we don’t expect them to relinquish for many years to come.
Sorry Canada, hockey is ours now too.
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