Claimed: World Cup Strengths/Weaknesses

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

 

So far, five of the six Season 54 World Cup teams have been announced, with only the Mercenaries left to decide. And as somebody who loves the World Cup, I couldn’t be more excited – it’s a chance to shake up the teams, get players an opportunity to play with other they would normally be against, and give some newcomers or those stuck on rebuilding teams a time to shine.

 

This World Cup should be particularly interesting, because of the parity present among the teams. Sure, some have more packed rosters than others, but taking an early look I wouldn’t call any of these teams a surefire champion in the making. In fact, they each have strengths and weaknesses that could propel them to victory or knock them out early.

 

Team Canada

 

Strength: The First Line – The backbone of the past two championship teams is the Tom Lincoln and Unassisted connection, while the backbone of this year’s European Conference champion is Black Velvet. There’s a reason Canada won it all in Season 52, and it’s this trio that has dominated the World Cup since they came into the league about seven seasons ago. Add in King Lee Snatch and Vincent Virtanen, and they probably have the highest first line by TPE in the tournament.

 

Weakness: The Second Line – But those five players can’t go 60 minutes on the ice. One you get past that star power, no other defenseman or winger on the team has a higher TPE than Xander Finn’s 372. Canada does have a few young players, but assuming this is Lincoln, Unassisted, Velvet and Virtanen’s final World Cup, there may be some lean years ahead for Team Canada. That will be tested here.

 

Team USA

 

Strength: In Goal – Quebec’s Apollo Skye broke out this season, leading Quebec to the best record in the North American conference with a .933 save percentage and 17 shutouts. We also know he’s good under pressure, given Quebec’s run to the VHL finals this season. When your backup is last year’s VHL championship goalie, you know you have strength between the pipes.

 

Weakness: Offensive Depth – Everybody knows Diana Maxwell is a star, but beyond her, Team USA may have trouble finding goals. Centers William Covington III and Travis Gowecny both underperformed their TPE this season, finishing with 71 and 68 points respectively, and the team features VHLM winger Gabriel McAllister in a role that’s probably over his head. In the end, the team may only go as far as presumptive Rookie of the Year John Locke takes them.

 

Team Scandinavia

 

Strength: Youth – In the Season 56 and 58 World Cups, Team Scandinavia is going to be a terror. With Mattias Forsberg, Torstein Ironside, Verner Reinholdt and others just beginning to grow as players, this team will come into its own in time. While this World Cup may be a bit early in their lifecycles to begin making noise, this is an event where we’ve seen people break out for the first time.

 

Weakness: Roster Pool – Simply put, fewer players are coming from the Scandinavian region these days. While USA and Canada have a multiple of players to choose from, and Western Europe and the World have a multitude of countries, Scandinavia has probably the weakest pool of any non-Mercenaries team this year. And unless youth development begins to rise there, we won’t see a return to the 30’s glory days of Scandinavia in the World Cup.

 

Team Western Europe

 

Strength: Offensive Firepower – If there’s one team that can rival Canada’s first line, it’s this one, particularly when it comes to puck movement. Kohler, Shankly and Ravenwing are all pass-first specialists, meaning that any team without solid defense (most of them) will be caught lunging as their trio moves the puck through the zone. And that’s not even counting 102-point man Lukas Muller, who might be the best second-line forward in the whole tournament.

 

Weakness: Goalie – There’s no other way around it; Western Europe’s goalie situation is poor, likely even worse than the Mercenaries’ Team World cast-offs. Key Perought hasn’t even yet played a game in the VHL, and even though this is his draft year, he’ll likely be back in the VHLM next season as well. He may be a good one in time, but for now he’s raw, and certainly not on the level of other VHL goalies.

 

Team World

 

Strength: In Net – Team World has the opposite issue of Western Europe, with an astounding six goalies above 400 TPE from which to choose. Jakab Holik is the presumptive starter, as even in his old age, he put up an almost MVP-worthy showing in his first season with the Americans. The second goalie selected was Edwin Reencarnacion, which is interesting to me – used to being the backup, he’ll get a chance to show his stuff on the big stage.

 

Weakness: Offensive Depth – It says something when Team World is forced to roster four different centers, one of which (Rudy Ying) is still in the VHLM. Outside of Pietro Maximoff, the only other winger rostered is Conrad Jenkins, who finished with 68 points for the high-powered Vikings. Franchise Cornerstone and Maximoff should be able to hold the team’s offense over, but if the defense focuses on shutting them down, watch out.

Edited May 22, 2017 by CowboyinAmerica

[CowboyinAmerica 2,889]

Tagging @Higgins for having preemptively done a WC article

[Higgins 3,618]

Lil fucker

 

+3 uncapped TPE