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Draft Eligible Americans At The U18's |
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The Americans have been a dominant force in junior hockey for several years now, this includes some excellent near victory performances and some Gold to show for their efforts. Amazing goaltending, timely scoring and an overall team game has been their keys to success. A lot of people wonder why the USA is so good at the U18 tournament….well it’s bloody simple.
1. It is conceivable that America is actually very good at producing hockey talent these days.
2. The U18 squad is 90% of their USNDP team with a few star players smudged in.
This is a team that is a joy to watch because they have the kind of chemistry no other can build because they play together for a few years. Some find this a “cheat” as it were, but I really like it, it allows a large group of talented young players to be familiar with each other and should one day help them in the NHL.
The USA lost a very hard fought game to the Canadians which ended their 4 year Gold streak at this tournament. If I had to say their largest problem this year, it was probably the lack of a real “star,” the USA usually has one or two big name, big game players (Your Kane’s, Kessel’s, JVR’s, Trouba’s, Seth Jones and so on), but this year their best player was JT Compher which should be no insult to him he’s a fine player, but not in some of those other guys league. I like that the USA isn’t afraid to bring really short players and give them a chance, something that Canada is often loath to do. They usually get excellent goaltending, but that wasn’t the case this year, it was pretty brutal, but Thatcher Demko their starter is eligible for 2014 so he’s still extremely young. It looked like the USA wouldn’t even make the medal rounds, but they clutched it out, so good on them and this great rivalry.
JT Compher – As mentioned earlier I thought he was the USA’s best player and certainly most well balanced and talented. He’s an interesting prospect because before an injury which made him miss some time at the start of the year and end of last he was considered an easy candidate for the first round and was usually the top-ranked American. He’s got some elite scoring skills and a really strong overall package. He’s pretty fast, pretty good at shooting in all positions, pretty strong on the puck, pretty good defensively…you get it. He’s just solid all around. His hard work and smart play will see him go far, I really like his game. Some scouts have him around the 20-30 mark, but his offensive game has really picked up so you might see him be the first American system player to go in the draft.
Tyler Motte – First time I got to see him play, small and lightning fast with a nasty fast wrist shot. He led the USA in goals and points with 5 and 7 though he can be invisible. I don’t really have much to say about him, which is odd considering his stats, but he was invisible without the puck. When he doesn’t have it he’s sort of floating waiting for it. I don’t know how much of an NHL future he has with his perimeter game, but his natural speed and shot is the kind of thing you use as a stepping stone. I’m not a big fan, but good on him for having those great stretches, he’s expected to be a late 2nd or early 3rd rounder.
Hudson Fasching – SHOOOOOOOOOOT. Sorry about that, Fasching has all the tools but he doesn’t shoooooot. 6’3 215 and he is impossible to take off the puck and stop when he goes to the net, but he has no shot on the fly. He’s an easy pick in the 2nd round because of his strong defensive game and power forward build. I don’t get to see a lot of American system games (USHL/USNDP/NCAA) so I’m not sure if his poor accuracy outside of the ten feet range is usual or just an anomaly of a small tournament, but people should be slightly worried. He’s a late birthday and his physical build at that age is pretty nuts, with some development he could be a major steal.
Mike McCarron – He’s massive. They list him at 6’5 229 and usually listed heights can be misleading, but McCarron is huge. He was easily the most physical American player and one of the hardest hitters in the entire tournament. He played the “Big Buff” role on the PP standing in front of the net and being a pest…one that you can’t move. His movement is a bit of an issue and he’s not going to win any races, but people drafting him will be looking at that size and the fact that he actually uses it, most have him pegged around 28-34 and that usual “Next Lucic” is being thrown out a lot.
Will Butcher – Butcher is one of the best skating defenders in the tournament, he’s extremely swift and has excellent quickness. He’s primarily an offensive defender and he was abused a few times by larger forwards as he’s pretty small for a dman (5’11 176). He’s got a big shot and nice movement patterns on the PP, I really like that he is always moving and trying to drag players out of the lanes. He led the US defense in points and goals and was probably the second best defender for them. He’s a project pick and probably going to go in the mid-second…plus come on…his name is awesome.
Steve Santini – The best shutdown defenseman in the tournament…bar none. Santini is just…perfect. I counted one mistake in the 5 games I saw him, one…and that was his partner at the time Chris Lewis throwing him a suicide pass and his baubling it. Expect no offense from him and you’ll be fine with his game, he’s just positionally amazing and extremely intelligent. He won the “Best Defenseman” award, though I think it’s slightly unfair that he did despite his great play. He’s not very physical compared to many classic “shutdown” defenders, though he does finish his checks and play a tough game. He reminds me a lot of Dan Girardi/Josh Gorges kind of players that are top-4 quality shutdown players that can complement a more talented defenseman. I’d expect him to go early in the second round.
Thanks for reading.
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