grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted November 20, 2014 I watched one of the Subway Series games the other day in Kingston with the OHL-All Stars Vs Team Russia in a warm-up for the WJHC tournament and was really impressed by how dominant Darnell Nurse is at this level- very fluid skater, big frame and a very, very good first pas. Michael Del Colle looked pretty impressive too, the Islanders have another gem. They are going to be players to watch in the tournament. Who are some others that people are excited to see showcased by their respective countries? There will be many beyond the obvious McDavid and Eichel. Alexander Dergachev was a standout for the Russian team in the game that I saw- dominant big-body C and, Ivan Provorov who's out playing in Brandon looked like a stud lock-down D. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyers10 57 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Auston Matthews Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted November 22, 2014 Why is that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyers10 57 Report post Posted November 23, 2014 Why is that?Projected to be number 1 pick in 2016 and from Arizona. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted November 23, 2014 Cool. How's he playing in college/junior this year? Style of play? Position in the depth chart? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandits_5 18 Report post Posted November 30, 2014 With Conner McDavid out, I think it safe to say, Jack Eichel will be the best player in the tournament. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted December 1, 2014 Nothing is safe to say in this tournament, that's why it's interesting. Who is expected to be the best player in the tournament or projected to be drafted highest is often not the best player in this tournament. Last year was no exception with Teravainen and Foresberg running the tournament. Both great players and high draft picks, but on few people's radar in north america pre-tournament. With Conner McDavid out, I think it safe to say, Jack Eichel will be the best player in the tournament. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chadd 916 Report post Posted December 3, 2014 With Conner McDavid out, I think it safe to say, Jack Eichel will be the best player in the tournament. I saw on NHL Network yesterday that they expect McDavid to be ready for the WJC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted December 3, 2014 Yup, Hockey Canada expects him to play, per their management. I saw on NHL Network yesterday that they expect McDavid to be ready for the WJC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandits_5 18 Report post Posted December 3, 2014 I hope he does. It'd be nice to see the hype of he and Eichel going head to head. I cant wait! this is my favorite time of the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandits_5 18 Report post Posted December 11, 2014 watch list: Finnish Dman , Erik Autio. He's a solid blueliner who is a big part of Penn State's #1 ranking, in the B1G. The Finns will be weak on D this yr, so if theyre gonna make any noise at all, he'll need to be good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted December 13, 2014 I think David Pasternak for the Czech will be huge. He's playing down in Providence and was drafted 25th overall by the Bruins last year and Jakub Vrana who was 13th overall to Washington. They will have to be huge for the Czechs. Max Domi is going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder this year after two year of snubs by Hockey Canada and the way he's been playing this year in London, I think he wants to prove something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandits_5 18 Report post Posted December 24, 2014 off the list: Autio , shockingly cut by the Finns Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted December 28, 2014 And the Finns are looking pretty vulnerable right now. Not looking too solid or reliable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chippa13 1844 Report post Posted December 31, 2014 Attendance has been pretty poor for a lot of the games. Are they playing in Florida? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EJB 488 Report post Posted December 31, 2014 All I know, wish they were playing here....I'd be picking up scalped tickets to every game.Look forward to USA vs Canada tomorrow.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chippa13 1844 Report post Posted December 31, 2014 I'd love to see it held in the Boston area. There are plenty of quality buildings for both high demand and low demand games.The Canada/US game has become a New Year's Eve staple for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bandits_5 18 Report post Posted December 31, 2014 Noah Hannifin: best skater in the tournament. Unbelievably smooth. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IPv6Freely 2092 Report post Posted January 1, 2015 Max Domi is going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder this year after two year of snubs by Hockey Canada and the way he's been playing this year in London, I think he wants to prove something. He's been fantastic so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ibeck 38 Report post Posted January 1, 2015 One guy I've loved watching so far is Julius Honka from finland Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewie 721 Report post Posted January 1, 2015 One guy I've loved watching so far is Julius Honka from finlandHonka is the guy i wanted the wings to draft, but he got snagged the pick before. Cant be disappointed with Larkin's performance thus far, however. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted January 3, 2015 Wasn't overly impressed with Eichel in this tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if he drops to #3-4 in the draft. Plays a little too much of a perimeter game for me. He's got the frame to be more of a power-forward, but lacks that nose for the net to complement a good skill-set. I think Milano has a way more interesting skill-set to help an NHL club- more complete game from what I saw. Loving the Swedes game right now. Tightened up in a few areas and are really standing out. Nylander is looking full-value and their D is very mobile and moves the puck really well from the point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TeamHonda401 54 Report post Posted January 3, 2015 Haven't been overly impressed with Eichel in this tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if he drops to #3-4 in the draft. Plays a little too much of a perimeter game for me. He's got the frame to be more of a power-forward, but lacks that drive and fire, from what I've seen. This was pretty evident in the Russia game yesterday. When he had the puck he would rarely get his legs going, and instead relied on coasting and stickhandling when trying to go through guys. He didn't look like a top two overall pick yesterday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnmtnvt 18 Report post Posted January 3, 2015 I thought Noah Hanifin was the most impressive draft-eligible US player. I'd take him ahead of Eichel without hesitation, regardless of the needs of my favourite team. Very solid top-pairing D with offensive upside. He impressed me a lot more than Seth Jones at a similar stage.In my opinion, Nurse has been the best D overall, no question. Edmonton finally has a piece they can really build a solid D-corps around. Keeping him in the minors another year was a great move, really polished his game.Also, as a Habs fan I'm loving the development of Martin Reway on Slovakia and the way Jacob De La Rose has been playing for Sweden. This was pretty evident in the Russia game yesterday. When he had the puck he would rarely get his legs going, and instead relied on coasting and stickhandling when trying to go through guys. He didn't look like a top two overall pick yesterday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badkarma 4 Report post Posted January 4, 2015 I agree Nurse is good, but did you pay attention to Madison Bowey from Canada? #4...he is another big physical D man with cannon snapshots...the last game against Denmark, it looked like they moved Bowey to the first defensive pair with #7 Moressy...then the moved Nurse to the second pair with #6 Theodore... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
