Team USA Brings Home Gold From WJC

I just want to say how awesome it was to actually watch live hockey again, despite having to wake up at 3 in the morning it was worth it to watch these young players battle it out and leave it all on the line. After all the blood, sweat and tears of the tournament two teams stood above the rest; Team USA and Sweden. The powerhouse and defending World Junior Champions team Sweden vs. the underdog Americans.

Going into the 2013 World Junior's not many people gave the Americans a fair shake at winning the tournament after their 7th place finish in 2012 and having

only 3 returning players on the roster. But defenceman Seth Jones believed in his team when no one else did stating "We're the best team!". People scoffed at his comments, but it turns out the draft-eligible defenceman was right- the Americans really were the best team in the 2013 World Junior Championships and to prove it they skated away with the gold medal.Team USA came into the tournament with little pressure, other than themselves no one expected them to make it to the medal round. But they worked hard and battled to the end in every game to advance to the semi-finals.

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Team USA celebrates after wining the 2013 World Junior Championships[/caption]

In the semis they beat a Canadian team that they had earlier lost to and surprised the Canadians who thought it would be a easy victory. The Americans earned their spot in the gold medal game. They then relied on strong goaltending and heroics from lesser known prospects to get them the win over the Swedes.

Besides goaltender John Gibson- who was hands down the best player in the tournament, the best player in the finals was American forward Rocco Grimaldi. At the beginning of the tournament the NCAA freshman had been placed on the Americans first line, then a few games later he found his butt glued to the bench after head coach Phil Housley benched him. After getting let out of the "dog house" Grimaldi did not disappoint scoring 2 big goals for the Americans in finals- including their first goal which gave them life and the go-ahead goal. After Grimaldi gave them the lead Gibson was able to shut the door the rest of the way, leaving Sweden stymied.

Now lots of things had to come together for the Americans to claim the gold medal- team chemistry, good coaching, staying out of the box, timely goals and timely saves. But the two of the biggest reasons they were able to capture their 2nd gold in 4 years is because they didn't have politics when picking their roster and the emergence of Gibson as a elite goaltender.

I touched about the lack of politics when picking the team in my last post, but it goes deeper than just cutting big name players. Housley showed faith in NCAA players and they didn't disappoint. Jake McCabe was an excellent captain leading the Americans to a win over rivals Canada in the Semi's and ranked

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John Gaudreau celebrates after scoring.[/caption]

3rd among defenceman with 6 points. For his efforts he was also named to the all-star tournament team. Next to McCabe, the biggest forward for the Americans turned out to be one of their smallest- John Gaudreau. Gaudreau had a fantastic tournament and really showed how valuable he can be to a team. Johnny hockey had 3 multi-point games in a row leading up to the semi's including 7 goals in 3 "must-win" games and led the tournament in scoring, proving it doesn't matter how "big" a player is as long as they can score! Of course we already talked about benefit that Rocco Grimaldi had in the finals, heck if it wasn't for his 2 goals the Americans may be wearing silver around their necks. Jones also stepped up playing a major leading role on the blue-line despite his inexperience, he showed maturity with the puck and may have solidified top spot in the 2o13 draft.

But the biggest story for the Americans was the play of John Gibson. When watching the Anaheim Ducks prospect throughout the tournament you just sit back and marvel at some of the big time stops he was able to make. Finishing the tournament with the best Save Percentage (.955) and Goals Against

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John Gibson makes a save in the finals against Sweden[/caption]

Average (1.36) which also gives him the highest Save Percentage of any American goaltender at the World Juniors. To say Gibson stood on his head would be

an understatement, he led the Americans to victory and stood tall against the opposition time after time. His play earned him tournament MVP, top goaltender and a gold medal. His play was somewhat reminiscent of Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller during the 2010 Olympics. The Americans were the underdogs in the Olympics much like this tournament but the strong play of Miller between the pipes led the team right to the gold medal match against Canada- closer to a gold medal than anyone thought the Americans would come. The only difference between the two is Gibson was able to lead his American squad to a gold medal where Miller fell just short in OT.

Congrats to team USA on winning gold in the 2013 World Junior Championships, it was a well deserved championship that reminded everyone never to count the Americans out.

Team USA UnderDogs in WJC

Considering the US junior team failed to advance from the round robin play in the 2012 World Junior Championship, they have a lot of work to do in order to get themselves back into the "elite" division in World Junior hockey. But one American defenceman believes that won't be an issue at all;

"I think we're the best team! We have a lot of speed up front, we're great defensively and we have good goaltending so I think we have all the pieces to win the gold medal." ~ Projected first overall pick and defenceman Seth Jones

[caption id="attachment_1547" align="alignright" width="300"] Seth Jones[/caption]

A bold prediction from the young defenceman suiting up in his first World Junior tournament. It will be no easy task for the boys in blue and white to reclaim the gold medal with only 3 players on the roster with World Junior experience and only 2 players who would likely be up in the NHL if not for the lockout. Jones who many are saying will be taken first overall in the 2013 draft, is by far the biggest name on the roster and may end up as the top shutdown defenceman for the Americans.

Outside of the rookie Jones, J.T Miller, Jacob Trouba and John Gibson are the 3 returning players from last years disappointing 7th place finish. These 3 will have to lead the team and help the younger rookies adapt to the pressures of the playing in the World Juniors.

“J.T. is key for us on and off the ice and we really listen to what he has to say." ~Jones

If the Americans have any shot of challenging for the gold medal they will need Miller to step up and lead this team in scoring. Miller is the only member of the team playing in the AHL and well on his way to a NHL career. Despite his slow start with the Connecticut Whale the New York Rangers junior team he's racked up 14 points in 26 games and will need to further elevate his game to lead the Americans to victory. He still has a bitter taste from last years tournament and will be looking to win big this year to erase last years pitiful performance.

In addition to the scoring threat of Miller, Sarnia Sting forward Alex Galchenyuk will be another dangerous offencive weapon. The third overall pick in the 2012 draft, he's the highest drafted player in the Americans line up and is virtually ready for his shot in the NHL. He's been lighting up the OHL in recent weeks racking up 19 goals and 40 points in his last 18 games and is 2nd in OHL scoring behind team Canada's Ryan Strome. If Miller goes quit look for Galchenyuk to pick up the slack and perhaps lead the team in scoring.

[caption id="attachment_1549" align="alignright" width="300"] Jacob Trouba[/caption]

On the back end the focus will fall on Jacob Trouba and Jones to shut down the opposition. Jones has lofty expectations for his team on the backend stating he wants the team to "Give up the least amount of goals in the tournament". A lofty goal which puts added pressure on the defence and goalies. While Jones has something to prove for the upcoming draft and facing off against fellow top ranked prospects Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon, Trouba has already been drafted and is one of 3 returning players. Trouba's job will be to lead the defence and set the tone of play. Trouba was taken in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets and has had previous success with the U17 and U18 American team. After the dismal showing last year look for Trouba to be motivated to bring home a medal.

Between the pipes the US will turn to John Gibson who was the back-up netminder during last years tournament. Gibson got a first hand look of what it takes to win games from last years tournament and has the added benefit of a second chance to fix mistakes. Playing in 20 games this season with the Kitchener Rangers he's won 13 games and has a solid .929 Save Percentage. After playing second fiddle last year, Gibson is ready to take on the starting role and hopefully propel the Americans back into medal contention. He will have the benefit of playing behind a team that is focusing mainly on defence but will still need to stay sharp and come up big during the penalty kill.

While games against their rivals Canada and Russia will be big games, the Americans will have to stay sharp and get the "easy" wins against teams like Slovakia and Germany to insure their inclusion in the medal round. In addition to some of the big names up front the Americans will be relying on some of their smaller players to help give them a boost. Rocco Grimaldi is the smallest player on the roster at 5 foot 6 and wont add much in terms of physical play but if he's given the time and space, the big ice surface will give him room to do his thing and could add another offencive weapon. Speed kills in the World Junior tournament and Grimaldi has tons of that.

This years American team has an added focus on defence and is looking to play close games like their overtime win over Sweden in the pre-competition.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Team USA will need to band together and stay out of the box[/caption]

Much like team Canada they will need to adapt to the way international refs call the game, the ruff, tough, hard hitting hockey played over in North America isn't

usually welcomed in Europe and the Americans have already found themselves in penalty trouble. The key for the Americans is to stay out of the box and play sound defensive hockey. While most people aren't expecting team USA to make it to the finals, they have the potential to be a surprise team. Coming in as the underdogs there is no room to slack off.