United States WJC Roster Announced

If you want the full roster in list form, peek here. A quick rundown of all the players, and a couple snubs, below:

Goalies

Jack Campbell  – Has struggled a bit in the OHL so far this year, so hopefully he can re-capture some of last year’s magic.

Andy Iles – The Cornell Freshman has USA Hockey experience in the past, and the ability to fill in for Campbell like Campbell did for Mike Lee last year.

Defensemen

Brian Domoulin – Huge, mobile, great positioning. Domoulin was a shoo-in to make the team. Hopefully the problems that have plagued BC’s defense lately don’t bite him in this tournament

Justin Faulk – Great shot. Has gotten more credit for his  defense lately but I still like him as an offensive defenseman first and foremost. Probably a good fit with Domoulin given his stature and their differing games.

Derek Forbort – Hasn’t shown the offensive side of his game yet at North Dakota, but he’s 6’5″ and physical, and also a very smart player who moves the puck well.

Nick Leddy – He’s played in the NHL this year, so he’ll have a leg up on nearly everyone in the tournament.

Jon Merrill – Probably the best offensive defenseman on the roster, I think he’d make a good partner for either Forbort or the next guy on the roster:

John Ramage – Was a surprise addition to last year’s team, and responded by playing great. I would reward him by making him team captain this year.

Patrick Wey – Definitely was a surprise invite to camp, and he played his way onto the team. He was BC’s best defenseman last year in the later part of the season, so I wouldn’t be surprised at any ice time he earns next week.

Forwards after the jump:

Nick Bjugstad – I didn’t think he would make the team initially, but he got a lot of ice time and played well in their exhibitions. Probably going to be the team’s 2nd or 3rd line center.

Ryan Borque – a returnee, Borque is a solid two way player who will be more of a defensive contributor, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see some goals out of him. Honestly I wasn’t terribly impressed with him last year but it is rare for USA Hockey to not invite someone back.

Chris Brown – I am really happy Brown made the team. He’ll probably be a fourth liner, but he’s a great defensive forward and is possibly the best shutdown forward on the roster, if not in the tournament.

Mitchell Callahan – I haven’t seen Callahan play, but his physical game has gotten rave reviews, and I think he’ll end up being a good presence on the team.

Charlie Coyle – Coyle has played well for BU this year and to me seems like a very solid, but perhaps not spectacular player. Though I do like his combo of size and skill.

Jerry D’Amigo – D’Amigo had a rough camp, bt he had 6 goals in the US’s 7 games last year and hopefully he can recapture that magic.

Emerson Etem – Great speed, good size. Etem is my pick to lead the team in goals.

Chris Kreider – Slightly sad that Kreider made the team (ok I’m kidding, but I don’t want to have to hear Pierre McGuire talk about how awesome a skater he is 50,000 times)

Jeremy Morin – Was thankfully released by the Blackhawks, and will be a fixture on the top line and PP.

Brock Nelson – Shocked Nelson made the team. He hasn’t really done anything at North Dakota this year, but apparently had a good camp. Still, this move seems like a mistake to me.

Kyle Palmieri – Scored both goals against the Czech Republic in their exhibition, and after being more of a two way guy last year I think he has a chance to be a major offensive contributor this year.

Drew Shore – Having a great year at Denver this year. Probably will be this year’s equivalent to Derek Stepan.

Jason Zucker – Great energy guy, but also having a really good year offensively at Denver. I was a fan of his last year and I think he’ll be one of the best players on the team this year.

Surprise omissions :

Rocco Grimaldi – Might as well get it out of the way early. Grimaldi would have been the youngest guy on the team, and has two years left, but I thought his offensive ceiling would have been too high to ignore. He didn’t play too well in the exhibitions, but I still would have taken him.

Brandon Saad – Not sure why Saad didn’t make it, but this forward group is probably deeper than I have ever seen, so someone good had to get the axe.

Adam Clendening – Having a good year, but he is just slightly worse at his skill set than some other guys are at theirs.

Connor Brickley – Another guy having a good year, but he is basically Mitch Callahan, so only one could get taken.

While I would have made a couple changes (like Grimaldi for Nelson) this team is definitely the deepest and most talented in the field. They have only been the favorite once before, and they firebombed in that tournament, so hopefully they can acquit themselves better in this one.