We are in the golden age of American Hockey. For the first ever Four Nations Face-Off, the United States have put together a roster which many analysts see as equal with Canada. This team has best-in-the-world talent with players such as Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck. Without a best-on-best tournament in eight years, every player will be going all-out, making this a can’t-miss event.
Starting in net for the United States is arguably the best goaltender in the world this past year. Connor Hellebuyck will be a force for the States. After winning the Vezina Trophy last season, Hellebuyck has somehow improved, with career highs in GAA, SV%, and tied his career best in shutouts with six. Backing him up will likely be Jake Oettinger, a goaltender who has played well on a deep Dallas team this past few years. He is a playoff performer in the NHL and has played with the US National Team at just about every level available to him. Jeremy Swayman will be the third goaltender on this team. After a lengthy contract dispute this summer, Swayman has had a bad start to the year, with Boston also playing poorly in front of him. Despite the struggles, he can be a dependable goaltender at this level if needed.
The United States Defense Corps is loaded with Norris-Level talent, and speaking of, Quinn Hughes, will look to lead this team from the back end. His skating and elusiveness make him an offensive creator and a disruptive defender. The teams’ success will heavily depend on Quinn Hughes’ play. Next up is Adam Fox, who will be happy to be away from the Rangers for a few weeks and will look to capitalize on the chance to win gold with his near-perfect first pass, and offensive smarts.
Zach Werenski is playing like a Norris Trophy candidate in the NHL this season and will continue to play like a fourth forward in the offensive zone at this tournament. Alongside him, Charlie McAvoy will be wearing an “A” at this tournament and has played with the United States National team at every possible level, like Jake Oettinger. McAvoy plays a hard, defensively minded game and will be a limiting factor for opposition’s offense. Likely on the bottom pairing, Jaccob Slavin plays elite neutral-zone defense due to a high level of anticipation and a strong stick. Brock Faber plays a similar style to Slavin. He reads opponents so well and can eliminate any threat with suffocating pressure. I have Hanafin as the defensive scratch because I don’t think he has any elite attributes, unlike the rest of the defensemen.
While I believe the United States Defense and Goaltending is ranked #1 for this tournament, there are some questions about the Forward Group. These problems certainly don’t start at the top line with a projection consisting of Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. All three players are elite in their own right: Hughes being an elite offensive driver, Matthews being the best goal scorer in the world, and Tkachuk playing a hard, power-forward style of game, while also having a playmaking and goal-scoring knack. All three are also high-IQ defensively minded players.
My second line has a similar build with a mix-up of different skill sets. Kyle Connor being a speedy, goal-scoring winger brings a deceptive shot off the rush. Jack Eichel, at center, brings an elite hockey IQ which allows him to be a world-class playmaker while possessing smooth skating and a hard wrist shot. On the other wing, Matt Boldy, again, has an elite hockey IQ, allowing him to play a similar style as Mitch Marner. His playmaking is his best asset, with a bit of goal scoring and a strong two-way game.
These third and fourth lines emphasize the team’s biggest weakness. As talented offensively as they are, these players cannot be relied upon to play heavy, shutdown minutes against other nations top lines. The third line of Jake Guentzel, Dylan Larkin and JT Miller again has a diverse skill set which should score goals in this tournament. The fourth line of Brady Tkachuk, Brock Nelson and Vincent Trocheck is lesser offensively talented and no more reliable defensively. This limits head coach Mike Sullivan in his matchup deployment, as he will be forced to play the Matthews/Eichel lines against other top lines instead of allowing them to feast on bottom sixes.
I have Chris Kreider scratched because I think his game is very one-dimensional and will not be a good fit in the bottom six.
This United States team is currently betting-odds favourites to win this tournament. Their defensive core and goaltending are, in my opinion, the best in the tournament. However, their top forwards will have to carry their weight (and more) if the States want a chance to beat the Canadians.
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