The United States hasn’t won the Gold medal in Ice Hockey since the miracle happened in 1980.  Their best finish since then was a Silver in 2002.  Olympic hockey is unlike NHL hockey in that the ice surface is considerably bigger which gives the advantage to younger offensively talented players with fresher legs that can use the extra ice to show off their skills.  Team USA has stocked their team with these types of players especially on offense.  Players like Mike Modano, who was a staple of the Olympics for the United States, weren’t invited to the team this go around as Coach Ron Wilson wanted to get younger and more athletic.  It looks like he has done so.

Roster

Forwards:

David Backes                                      St. Louis Blues

Dustin Brown                                     Los Angeles Kings

Ryan Callahan                                    New York Rangers

Chris Drury                                          New York Rangers

Patrick Kane                                       Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Kesler                                        Vancouver Canucks

Phil Kessel                                           Toronto Maple Leafs

Jamie Langenbrunner                    New Jersey Devils

Ryan Malone                                     Tampa Bay Lightning

Zach Parise                                         New Jersey Devils

Joe Pavelski                                        San Jose Sharks

Bobby Ryan                                        Anaheim Ducks

Paul Statsny                                       Colorado Avalanche

Review:

Team USA doesn’t have the depth or the talent of Team Canada or Team Russia.  There are no Alexander Ovechkin’s or Sidney Crosby’s in this bunch.  They will rely on Zach Parise, Bobby Ryan, and Patrick Kane to provide the bulk of their offense, but if these games come down to offense Team USA could be in trouble on the back end.

Defensemen:

Tim Gleason                                       Carolina Hurricanes

Erik Johnson                                       St. Louis Blues

Jack Johnson                                      Los Angeles Kings

Brooks Orpik                                      Pittsburgh Penguins

Brian Rafalski                                     Detroit Red Wings

Ryan Suter                                          Nashville Predators

Ryan Whitney                                    Anaheim Ducks

Review:

Certainly not a sexy bunch as your average hockey fan may have only heard of one or two of these players.  Once again Team USA has decided to go with youth on the bigger ice surface.  Outside of Rafalski you wonder if they another defenseman who can lead a rush out of the zone.  This is the team’s biggest weakness.

Goalies:

Ryan Miller                                         Buffalo Sabres

Jonathan Quick                                 Los Angeles Kings

Tim Thomas                                        Boston Bruins

Review:

For Team USA to win the Gold Medal Ryan Miller will have to be a brick wall in net, and while this looked like a possibility for most of the NHL season, Miller has been slumping for the past few weeks; it doesn’t look like he will be heading to the Olympics on a high note.  Quick is the backup but is unlikely to see a start in an important game, and Thomas is even colder then Miller as he isn’t even starting for the Bruins at this point in time.

Prediction:

Just not enough talent to compete with Team Canada or Team Russia.  Team USA is in the same boat as Team Finland and Team Sweden, they are good, but not great.  That being said, if Miller were to get hot in net, anything can happen.  Just like a hot pitcher in baseball, a hot Goalie can lead you to where you want to go.  Bronze Medal for Team USA.