{"id":1009,"date":"2016-09-13T22:59:53","date_gmt":"2016-09-14T02:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2016-09-23T11:31:10","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T15:31:10","slug":"world-cup-of-hockey-group-a-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/09\/13\/world-cup-of-hockey-group-a-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup of Hockey Group A Preview: Canada, U.S.A. to Lead the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World Cup of Hockey\u00a0<\/strong>kicks off next\u00a0Saturday after several pre-tournament games that wrap up this week. With all the rosters set and ready to go, it’s time to preview this tournament. Here’s LWOH’s World Cup of Hockey Group A preview.<\/p>\n

World Cup of Hockey Group A Preview: Canada, U.S.A. to Lead the Way<\/h1>\n

Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everything. To be more specific, Canada has arguably the World Cup’s best lineup at forward, defence, and in goal.\u00a0John Tavares<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Steven Stamkos<\/strong>\u00a0are elite scorers,\u00a0Jonathan Toews\u00a0<\/strong>is the best two-way centre in hockey, and\u00a0Sidney Crosby\u00a0<\/strong>is just the best player in hockey. The blueline may not be quite as deep, but it has Norris Trophy<\/strong> winner\u00a0Drew Doughty\u00a0<\/strong>beside his severely underrated partner\u00a0Jake Muzzin<\/strong>,\u00a0and a Hockey Canada mainstay in\u00a0Shea Weber<\/strong>. With\u00a0Carey Price\u00a0<\/strong>in nets, it will be extremely difficult to score on this lineup.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are very few holes in the Canadian roster. If anything, their downfall could end up being overconfidence. There are perhaps a couple of spots on defence where a better choice could’ve been made, with both\u00a0P.K. Subban\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Kris Letang\u00a0<\/strong>absent, but regardless the lineup is solid almost the whole way through.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patrice Bergeron\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Ryan Getzlaf\u00a0<\/strong>are both known for turning it on while representing their country. It will also be fascinating to see how Muzzin performs, in just his second ever international appearance\u00a0after\u00a0the 2015 World Championships<\/strong>. If he’s on the top pairing with Doughty he will have an extremely crucial role. Finally, centre\u00a0Ryan O’Reilly\u00a0<\/strong>was a last-minute addition to the team with\u00a0Tyler Seguin\u00a0<\/strong>forced to pull out, so he will be forced to fit into the system quickly.<\/p>\n

Expectation<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Toronto, this tournament seems made for Canada to win gold. As always, anything less would be a disappointment.\u00a0Mike Babcock<\/strong>‘s team has no shortage of talent and is heavily favoured on paper, so should at the very least find themselves in the final.<\/p>\n

Czech Republic<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Czechs have a lot of chemistry with each other, with the majority of their team having represented the country internationally several times together. This is a short tournament, so getting off to a hot start due to better communication could give them an edge.<\/p>\n

There are also some key offensive weapons at forward on the Czech team, with\u00a0Jakub<\/strong>\u00a0Voracek\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Ondrej Palat\u00a0<\/strong>expected to lead the way in the attacking end of the ice.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The issue with the Czech team is that it could have been significantly better if some key eligible players were available.\u00a0Jaromir Jagr<\/strong>,\u00a0David Krejci<\/strong>, and\u00a0Jiri Hudler\u00a0<\/strong>could all bring a lot to the table and strengthen the team significantly.<\/p>\n

The roster is also fairly inexperienced at defence, without many NHL veterans.\u00a0Radko Gudas\u00a0<\/strong>is an excellent defenceman, but beyond him the pickings are slim.\u00a0Zybnek Michalek\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Roman Polak\u00a0<\/strong>are the veteran players, neither of whom are top-level NHL blueliners.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jakub Nakladal\u00a0<\/strong>is a free agent defenceman, who will likely be using this tournament as an audition for another NHL contract. Also interesting to see will be how\u00a0Vladimir Sobotka\u00a0<\/strong>performs in his first return to action against NHL players since leaving for his brief stint in the KHL. This will be a preview of what may be to come in his return to the\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/strong>\u00a0this season.<\/p>\n

Expectation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Czechs would be hard-pressed to get out of group A with two heavyweights favoured to go through. A mild success for them would be topping Team Europe<\/strong> in the standings and finishing third.<\/p>\n

Europe<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\n

This ragtag team made up of a handful of \u201cminor\u201d European countries is headlined by its veteran talent up front. Slovene Anze Kopitar<\/strong>, and Slovaks Marian Gaborik<\/strong>, and Marian Hossa <\/strong>are three elite NHLers who have earned a lot of respect from their peers over the years. Team Europe has a strong roster at forward, with the experienced players complemented by dynamic youngsters like German Leon Draisaitl <\/strong>and Slovak Tomas Tatar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

This team has relatively little to play for, not representing any specific country, and hasn\u2019t had much time to develop the chemistry that other teams will have. The defence is also a little thin beyond Roman Josi<\/strong> of Switzerland, with an ageing Zdeno Chara<\/strong>\u00a0likely the next-most effective on the roster.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pressure is on goaltender Jaroslav Halak<\/strong>, who will have to take on the starting job after Frederik Andersen <\/strong>was ruled out with an injury. The Slovakian contingent on the team is the largest, and they are likely the most significant group with any chemistry. Chara, Andrej Sekera<\/strong>, Hossa, and Gaborik have all played with each other internationally with Slovakia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Expectation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Team Europe has a lot more NHL experience than the Czech Republic, but will also be in tough to beat either Canada or the U.S.A..<\/strong> It\u2019s possible that they could surprise one, more likely the Americans, and advance to the semi-finals \u2013 which would be a best-case scenario for the Europeans.<\/p>\n

United States<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Strengths<\/strong><\/p>\n

The American team was picked to be versatile. They have scoring punch with Patrick Kane <\/strong>and Max Pacioretty<\/strong>, as well as a lot of toughness in players like David Backes<\/strong>, Dustin Byfuglien<\/strong>, and Ryan Suter<\/strong>. Goaltending is also an area of strength, as the U.S. boasts arguably the deepest pool in net of any team. Coach John Tortorella <\/strong>has Ben Bishop<\/strong>, Jonathan Quick<\/strong>, and Cory Schneider <\/strong>to choose between, all of whom are fully capable of stealing games.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

The United States has a few big holes on defence, with the talent level dropping away after the first pairing or two. The team also could\u2019ve made some better choices in filling out their forward pool, with notable absences in Phil Kessel <\/strong>and Bobby Ryan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe Pavelski <\/strong>shed his underrated tag during the Stanley Cup Playoffs<\/strong> by earning the admiration he\u2019s always deserved from hockey fans. He\u2019s always been a workhorse for Team U.S.A., and he\u2019s likely to continue to lead the way here. One who is not yet rid of the same label is Blake Wheeler<\/strong>, who had a career year in Winnipeg last season and could come out hot to start this season.<\/p>\n

Expectation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Americans are certainly expected to advance from Group A, although it seems more likely that they finish in second behind Canada. In the knockout stages they certainly fancy themselves contenders to win the whole thing, and there\u2019s every chance they do just that. They may not have the heavyweight power of Canada or Sweden<\/strong>, but they have great goaltending and it\u2019s a short tournament.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n