2012 U.S. WJC Camp: Sweden, Finland Bringing Many of Their Best to Lake Placid

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Chris Peters

The National Junior Evaluation Camp has become an annual must-see event for prospect junkies. With 45 of the best Americans, most of which are drafted by NHL teams, there is a great look at the U.S. player pool. However, the event is made even better by the presence of full rosters from Finland and Sweden.

Each year, the Finns and Swedes tend to bring a good portion of the best players in their Under-20 pools. This year is no different. Between Finland and Sweden, there will be seven first-round draft picks in Lake Placid.

Most NHL fans don’t get a lot of opportunities to see their European draft picks play, as they’re typically based out of their home country’s professional leagues. Outside of NHL camps, the actual World Juniors or if they got time in the NHL, this is the best opportunity to get a look at these guys.

Finland and Sweden will play a total of four games apiece in the camp, with two games against each other, each will play a game against one of the U.S. split squads and each will meet the full U.S. roster after cut-downs. All of the games will stream live on FASTHockey.com.

Sweden is the defending gold medalist at the World Junior Championship, while Finland took fourth, so there’s some serious pedigree coming into Lake Placid.

Coming up after the jump, a look at some of the top players from Sweden and Finland.

Continue reading →

Posted in Junior Hockey, NHL, NHL Draft, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 2 Comments

2012 U.S. WJC Camp: An In-Depth Look at the Goaltenders

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Chris Peters

Over the last three World Junior Championships, the U.S. has been able to rely on the goaltending of Jack Campbell, who always seemed to up his game in the USA jersey. Now the torch has been passed to the very capable John Gibson who saw action in one game at last year’s WJC. He’s the odds on favorite to start, with three goalies in camp vying for that second goalie spot.

Goaltender used to be the nightmare position for the U.S. National Junior Team, but it appears those days are mostly behind the Americans. It seems as though every year there are no less than four or five guys that could step in and be a World Junior goalie and handle the job.

The same is true in this camp. There is actually an overabundance of adequate candidates that there could be a couple of guys not in camp that can emerge throughout the first half of next season to push for a spot.

The only one who should probably be written in ink on the projected roster is Gibson.

Coming up after the jump, an in-depth look at the four goaltenders in camp.

Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on 2012 U.S. WJC Camp: An In-Depth Look at the Goaltenders

2012 U.S. WJC Camp: An In-Depth Look at the Forwards (Team White)

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Chris Peters

On Saturday evening in Lake Placid, the first intrasquad game among the 45 players invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp will be played, formally opening the competition. Each team will play a total of three games, two against each other and one each against Sweden or Finland, before the first cuts are made. That just means each player has to be ready to go from the drop.

Earlier, I previewed the group of forwards placed on Team Blue. The teams were split up on a somewhat modified alphabetical basis. It just so happened the alphabet put the majority of the highly-skilled guys on Team Blue and a lot more of the north-south and grittier forwards on Team White.

There are 24 forwards total in camp, and Team USA is going to need a good balance of skill and grit, so it should be interesting to see which team has more success in the split-squad games before the cut downs.

USA Hockey is going to know pretty quickly which guys are going to be able to do which jobs based on this camp, so there’s no question the split-squad games are going to be pretty exciting to watch.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the forwards placed on Team White.

Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 1 Comment

2012 U.S. WJC Camp: An In-Depth Look at the Forwards (Team Blue)

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Chris Peters

Twenty-four American forwards were invited to the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp, which begins Saturday in Lake Placid, N.Y. Last year at the World Juniors, with a very deep crop of forwards, Team USA struggled to generate a lot of offense. The inability to produce at a high enough clip to have success is certainly a concern even this year, but there are a few players in camp that could ease some of those worries.

The forwards bring both intrigue and plenty of question marks. There is a lot of versatility within the group, which is a good thing, but there are so many wild cards that are tough to project. The decisions will be tough as a result.

Since there are 24 forwards, I’ve broken down the preview in half. Lucky for you, but luckier for me, USA Hockey released it’s split rosters Wednesday. The 45 players invited are split into two teams in camp, each with two goaltenders and 12 forwards, while one has nine defensemen and the other has eight.

Those rosters can be found here: Team White — Team Blue

Related: An in-depth look at the defensemen in camp

To kick off the forward previews, here’s a look at the 12 forwards placed on Team Blue.

Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 1 Comment

Roster for Inaugural All-American Prospects Game Unveiled

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Chris Peters

On Sept. 29, 40 of the top American players for the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft will be showcased at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres, in the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game. Now we know who they’ll all be as USA Hockey unveiled the roster earlier Wednesday and it should be a good one.

Four goaltenders, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards will be split into competing squads at a later date, but the list USA Hockey has compiled gives us the first indication of the best the 2013 American draft class has to offer. All the players invited are either in their first or second year of NHL Draft eligibility.

A lot will change over the course of the season as many of these players will rise and fall throughout the year, but by being selected to this game, the players participating will have a great opportunity to make an early statement in their all-important draft-eligible season.

Coming up after the jump some brief thoughts on the roster.

Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 1 Comment

2012 U.S. WJC Camp: An In-Depth Look at the Defensemen in Camp

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Chris Peters

When the U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp kicks off in Lake Placid, N.Y., Saturday, 45  players will compete with and against each other in hopes of impressing the onlooking staff. Seventeen of them will be defensemen, which is the group of players Team USA’s brass will have the toughest time cutting down.

This defensive crop is awfully deep, with a good balance of size and differing skill sets. With such a versatile group, head coach Phil Housley should be able to put together a well-rounded D corps for the final roster in Ufa. There is often talk of snubs when creating a camp roster like this, but you’d be hard pressed to find players not in camp much better than those invited. I don’t really think there were any “misses.”

Coming up after the jump, a look at each of the 17 defensemen invited to camp, including what each needs to do to give himself a chance at the final roster.

Continue reading →

Posted in Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 1 Comment

2012 U.S. WJC Camp: What To Watch For in Lake Placid

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Chris Peters

Starting Saturday, 45 American players will begin the process of competing for spots on the 22-man roster for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. The National Junior Evaluation Camp kicks off Aug. 4 in Lake Placid, N.Y., and has become a must-see event for prospects and/or World Junior junkies.

There’s not only the 45 Americans, there’s also full teams from Sweden and Finland, which both use the USA Hockey invitation as a bit of a World Junior camp of their own. Almost all of the attendees have been drafted by NHL teams, and there are several still draft eligible for 2013.

With so many elite prospects in action, playing some highly competitive games, it’s a pretty nice reprieve from a hockeyless summer.

Throughout the week leading up to the camp, I’ll have a few in-depth previews of the U.S. players that will be participating, but here’s a quick look at what you’ll want to watch for in general during the National Junior Evaluation Camp.

Continue reading →

Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 1 Comment

MacGyver: America’s Forgotten Hockey Hero

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Chris Peters

The early 1990s ushered in a new era for American hockey. Guys like Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios, Mike Modano and Tom Barrasso were staking America’s claim as a certified hockey nation with their play in the National Hockey League.

As the clocks turned to 1992, a group of rag-tag kids were looking to bring Olympic glory back to American hockey. It had been 12 long years since Mike Eruzione scored the goal that ended Communism and brought peace to the world beat the mighty USSR squad in the Miracle on Ice.

The 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, with eyes on ending the gold drought, had a lot going for it. Size, grit, speed, and that American spirit.

Something was missing though. This team needed something, or perhaps someone, to put it over the top. Someone a little more outside the box, or at least someone that could get out of that box with nothing more than a couple of everyday items on his person.

The answer was clear. This team needed an honorary captain. More accurately, they needed him:

They asked. He answered.

Continue reading →

Posted in U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, Whimsy | 6 Comments

Finding a Light Amid Darkness, What We Learned From Jessica Redfield

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Chris Peters

Her name was Jessica Ghawi, but most hockey fans and bloggers knew her has Jessica Redfield. She was an aspiring sportscaster and appeared to have a very bright future in that field. Sadly, Jessica was among those killed in the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., early Friday morning.

The reaction to this news has been widespread and overwhelmingly heartfelt.

Jessica made her presence known in the hockey community, starting out as an intern for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage and later working with the You Can Play Project, networking with professionals from all angles of the hockey profession and blogging for her own site as well as Busted Coverage.

One of the wonderful things about social media is that, while somewhat impersonal, there is a sense of connection that it brings. The hockey community’s already strong bond has only intensified via outlets like Twitter, where the sharing of ideas and thoughts, constructive debates and genuine friendly conversation give way to expanding one’s network of friends and colleagues.

Few seemed to know how to do that better than Jessica, whom I never met in person, but whose personality shone through in her work.

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

UConn Hockey Team Stepping Up in More Ways Than One

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Chris Peters

The University of Connecticut hockey program grabbed headlines earlier in the summer when it was announced that the Huskies would be joining Hockey East in 2014-15. It will be a significant move for the program, going from relative anonymity in Atlantic Hockey to one of college hockey’s most prestigious conferences. However, before that big announcement was made, the UConn players stepped up in a different, but no less significant way.

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the You Can Play Project, which has gained the support of the National Hockey League and has involved many of its biggest stars. The organization founded by, among others, Patrick Burke, a Philadelphia Flyers pro scout and son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, promotes respect and equality for all athletes, regardless of sexual orientation.

As we’ve been reminded recently, the organization’s work is just as important now as when it launched in March of this year.

You Can Play’s highly successful series of filmed public service announcement has included many NHL superstars and has been produced by some of the best in the business like HBO. Many of the videos have been put together directly by the You Can Play Project.

However, early in the organization’s existence came a video that was unsolicited, but more than welcome.

Continue reading →

Posted in NCAA | 1 Comment