A Look Into S69 Team USA

[McLovin 388]

Team USA Announces WJC Roster

 

After weeks of waiting, GM's of the WJC have started to release their S69 rosters, but today we'll be focusing on the up and coming United States and the team they've assembled for this tournament. While there are plenty of topics of discussion about the team and management, the roster or whatever the case, we'll only be focusing on two major ones. The roster itself, and projection in the WJC,. Without further delay, let's get into the nitty-gritty.

 

The Roster:

While the team up front looks good, it's important to dive into the details of the players GM McLovin has selected to understand the thought process he put into making the roster. To start, hands down the best player on Team USA should be goaltender Virgil Ligriv @MMFLEX. After a couple of strong seasons in the VHLM, Virgil Ligriv has come to Helsinki and has played a seriously elite game. As of writing this, Virgil has 8 starts, going 7-1 with a .936 sv% and a staggering 1.62 GAA, with three seasons worth of solid VHLM production, this kind of strong goaltending at this early point in his career will have him stealing games for Team USA should he keep up the production.

 

Past that, the defensive depth on the roster is something to note. With the goaltending mentioned previously, and strong two-way defenseman Jacob Perry @Liberty_Cabbage playing with the company of players such as Aamon Grim @aCrypticPancake, Tony Bolonee @Tbeez99 & son of legendary defenseman Shawn Glade, Shawn Glade Jr @ShawnGlade, the defense looks to hold down the fort and give the team a legitimate chance at Gold. In addition to that, the forwards, who're highlighted by the playmaking Koda Adok @trevmi, with Jaxon Walker @hewasajazzman and Bud Knight @Dilly Dilly who're both producing very impressive numbers at the minor league level respectively, can breathe a sigh of relief knowing a low scoring game is not the end of the world, though don't be surprised if they end up turning up similar production and burning past defenders with their speed & skill.

 

Projection:

Taking a look at the raw skill and depth the team has in it's positions, it's hard to not say the US is at least a favorite for a medal. With an impressively well-rounded Canada, an offensively stacked Asia & Europe, and similarly defensive team in World, the USA has it's work cut out for them. The United States is going to rely heavily on goalie Virgil Ligriv and the defense to keep scoring low and games close, and the offense to pot goals when able and give the team a fighting chance. Whether the team can hold down the fort or find surprising offensive production is to be seen, but Team USA is hoping to come away from the tournament with something to show after back to back years of no medal following a Gold Medal victory over Canada in S66. It's safe to say though that the future of the USA is looking bright, and these young stars are hoping to play an elite game and bring home the Gold!

 

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521 words claiming for 12/9-12/15

Edited December 6, 2019 by ItsMcLovin