Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

[Hokydad]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Why would they want to take worn-out, tired MJ guys when they could take fresh, better-rested college players?

Dylan Olsen being cut is one thing, whatever, but Leblanc honestly surprised me. The Canadians could not climax fast enough over him at the draft. I suppose because they still thought he would trade a Harvard education for MJs.

I do not agree with you there my friend.

Not one other team had any interest in leblanc at that level and Montreal would not have either if he was not a French Canadian kid. They picked him at that level, in front of the hometown fans because the Montreal Candian fans are predjudiced against all players but French Canadians. He is a good player but several selected after him, John Moore for one will have far superior NHL carears and Montreal knows it.

He didnt make the team because he is not good enough, period. Very good player, should do very well at harvard but compared to the top F's they had to pick from, he is not there. Eberlee is 2 levels above him and he is not even there top F

[MaizeRage]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Honestly, the US didn't live up to expectations last year because they had a goalie whose "mid-season form" couldn't stop a beach ball. Plus, they got bullied into taking Tyler Johnson who brought absolutely nothing and Eric Tangradi who was worse than nothing, putting his stick into that Canada guy's face after a goal.

I have a hard time believing more guys like that is the answer.

[GuyF]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Hey maybe I didn;t make my point clear because I wasn't trying to slam NCAA players. I went out of my way to point out that THERE IS NO BIAS because this is the first time in 13 years there isn't a NCAA player on the team.

Toews, Cammalleri, Heatley, Turris... lots of big contributors over the years.

But they ARE at a disadvantage coming into camp with less game action than their CHL countrymen. Those guys were just good enough to overcome that disadvantage.

Look at it this way... Who is more prepared for the tournament? Louis Leblanc with 8 games played or Louis Leblanc with 35 games played? Honestly tell me that the first Leblanc is more in mid-season form than the latter.

That is my point. Pat Quinn (Canada's captain last year) said that was the case with Riley Nash.

This is not about CHL/NCAA... which is a better path to the NHL. It's simply about a 10 day U20 tournament.

I also think it's pretty telling that Team USA is adding more and more CHL content every year. I think it's for 2 reasons: there are more and more top quality Americans playing in the CHL and that USA Hockey is identifying them as having the ability to help USA challenge.

Jim Johannson was on the show this week and pretty much said that was the case.

Those of you that are familiar with The Pipeline Show know that we are anything but Canadians who thumb our nose at the NCAA game. Far from it. But for the WJC... is it beyond reasonable doubt that this might actually be a reason that the U.S. always fails to live up to expectations? (aside from that 1 gold medal).

[Runninwiththedogs]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Louis Leblanc came to camp with all of 8 games played this year. Blame his ridiculous ECAC schedule just the same way Riley Nash was so far behind his CHL counterparts last year at camp time.

Olsen was the last defenceman cut. My understanding is that it came down to him and Calvin de Haan.

this is the first time since 1997 (other than during the lockout and that don't count for obvious reasons) that there is zero NCAA content on Team Canada. There is no bias, but the NCAA guys are at a disadvantage because they play half as many games (or a quarter if you're ECAC) than the CHL guys.

Why would they want to take worn-out, tired MJ guys when they could take fresh, better-rested college players?

Dylan Olsen being cut is one thing, whatever, but Leblanc honestly surprised me. The Canadians could not climax fast enough over him at the draft. I suppose because they still thought he would trade a Harvard education for MJs.

[Pucknut]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Well, Double F I’m not Canadian but I do have relatives who are and while visiting them a couple of years ago I too was up at all hours of the night watching the juniors while they were in Europe. I get pumped every year about this tourney and please as heck all the games are on the NHL Network. GO USA!!!!!

http://www.usahockey.com/world_junio...tailedNews=yes

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Louis Leblanc came to camp with all of 8 games played this year. Blame his ridiculous ECAC schedule just the same way Riley Nash was so far behind his CHL counterparts last year at camp time.

Olsen was the last defenceman cut. My understanding is that it came down to him and Calvin de Haan.

this is the first time since 1997 (other than during the lockout and that don't count for obvious reasons) that there is zero NCAA content on Team Canada. There is no bias, but the NCAA guys are at a disadvantage because they play half as many games (or a quarter if you're ECAC) than the CHL guys.

For once it isn't the ECAC that is to blame. Even though they play hockey in the ECAC, the Ivy League dictates when their member teams can begin play, not the ECAC. The non-Ivy ECAC teams - Q'pac, Colgate, RPI, Clarkson, Union, SLU - play a full D1 compliment of early games.

[brianvf]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Its almost like watching Gwozdecky outcoaching Hakstol, but without the thrill of defeating North Dakota.

Nothing like that at all, but whatever.

[dggoddard]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Crap, Swami beat me to it by a whole minute.
And his answer was more thought-out and better stated.

Its almost like watching Gwozdecky outcoaching Hakstol, but without the thrill of defeating North Dakota.

[brianvf]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Crap, Swami beat me to it by a whole minute.
And his answer was more thought-out and better stated.

Once again, I bow to the Swami.

[brianvf]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

There is no bias, but the NCAA guys are at a disadvantage because they play half as many games (or a quarter if you're ECAC) than the CHL guys.

Yeah, Toews certainly showed that disadvantage a few years ago. Same with Parise on the US team a few years before that.

I agree that I doubt there is a bias...most teams will want to pick the best players that will give them the best shot at winning. But I doubt the number of games plays any part of it. If a player is highly skilled like these youngsters are...playing in 40 games or 20 games isn't going to make that big of a difference at all.

[Puck Swami]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Louis Leblanc came to camp with all of 8 games played this year. Blame his ridiculous ECAC schedule just the same way Riley Nash was so far behind his CHL counterparts last year at camp time.

Olsen was the last defenceman cut. My understanding is that it came down to him and Calvin de Haan.

this is the first time since 1997 (other than during the lockout and that don't count for obvious reasons) that there is zero NCAA content on Team Canada. There is no bias, but the NCAA guys are at a disadvantage because they play half as many games (or a quarter if you're ECAC) than the CHL guys.

Guy:

You are a smart hockey man with a wonderful hockey show. You also have a better grasp of the US college game than most Canadians do.

But I think your answer here needs more scrutiny. Major Junior kids do play more games, but I don't think that really, in and of itself, puts anyone more ahead or behind anyone else. First, the uber talented player in either system is going to stand out no matter where he plays. Secondly, the NCAA players get more practice time than the major junior players do. When you talk to elite coaches, at least as many value practice time at this level as just as important as games for the development of the position player.

What it comes down to is this - Hockey Canada has a vested interest in developing the major junior player, because that is the primary development system in the country. I get that, and that's why there will always be more MJ players on Team Canada. That's what the NHL wants, that's what the CHL wants and that's the way it should be in Canada. There are also more major junior players to choose from than college players.

For the Canadian coaches, they will never be faulted for picking the MJ player over a college player. But if they do pick a college player, he really needs to be that much better to take the slot from an MJ guy competing for the same slot. The fact that only three college players were even invited to camp tells you everything you want to know about their preference for MJ players.

In other words, I don't think MJ players are more "ahead" of NCAA players by virtue of the number of games played - I think Hockey Canada chooses more of them because the talent pool is larger and because its in their interest to pick players from the development system in their own country.

[GuyF]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Louis Leblanc came to camp with all of 8 games played this year. Blame his ridiculous ECAC schedule just the same way Riley Nash was so far behind his CHL counterparts last year at camp time.

Olsen was the last defenceman cut. My understanding is that it came down to him and Calvin de Haan.

this is the first time since 1997 (other than during the lockout and that don't count for obvious reasons) that there is zero NCAA content on Team Canada. There is no bias, but the NCAA guys are at a disadvantage because they play half as many games (or a quarter if you're ECAC) than the CHL guys.

[Dirty]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

At least it gave Johnny the opportunity to swear on television. That was a plus.

[brianvf]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

Stupid Frazee. Can you stop a single shot from Toews?

The correct answer is No.

[Dirty]

Re: Team Canada cuts Harvard's Leblanc and UMD's Olsen

So like I said, tremendous pressure to get the team right. If a great player is in the NCAA, he plays, like Jonathan Toews -- who will forever be a hero in Canada for his World Juniors performance a few years ago.

Stupid Frazee. Can you stop a single shot from Toews?