2016 World Cup of Hockey Report (Day 2)
For the second day in the tournament, an unknown team made a statement as it was Team North America’s chance to show what type of team they were going to be.
In Day 1 the Europeans took a win against the USA in a game that many thought of as a shocker, except for the Europeans.
In Day 2 it was a match-up of the two youngest teams in the tournament that exposed another created team to the world.
It may not have been the most shocking of games though as for many North America, made up of the best under-23 players from USA and Canada, had already made people notice.
A team so experienced was expected to struggle but in the pre-tournament, they looked like a team that needed to be watched.
The speed on the team was better than any other team even the Canadians.
They had shown in meaningless games that they were ready to compete but when the tournament began and the lights got brighter some wondered if their inexperience would shine through.
It certainly didn’t seem to as the North Americans got out to an early lead against the Finns, another young team, to show that they meant business.
When Europe won it was proof that a group can get together even after playing each other for years and rarely on the same team.
The North American win shows something a little bit more about the NHL in general than the European team did.
After all, the European team was made up mainly of NHL veterans with a few good young players thrown in.
The North American team may only include players from USA and Canada but they are the future of the league.
This team is made up of the best young players in the league including some players that have yet to play in the league.
They are the future of what the league is going to be and their win only proved that the NHL is getting younger and better.
It has been happening for years as teams continue to draft players and bring them up immediately because they can actually have an impact on the game.
It never used to be like that but now it is that way and North America is a team expressing exactly that.
They are a team made up of the top picks in recent drafts that haven’t really come into their own yet.
Most haven’t even grown fully into their bodies and yet they remain some of the best players in the league right now.
To think about the future means thinking about a new group of player that can take the level of play up.
With players like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Aaron Ekblad, and first overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews Team North America represents that future.
The team is going to be watched closely all tournament as the skill level is massive in this group of players.
They proved it against Finland as the speed was too much even for a team that was just as young and had some top prospects on the team.
They have a chance in this tournament and if they win the entire tournament it will be an eye opener for all hockey fans.
It will expose the fact that the young talent in the NHL is better than it has ever been before and that no matter the amount of experience talent can overcome.
Whether that is true will come down to how well this prospects team can do through the next two weeks.
Finland is not their biggest test of the tournament though as they still have to take on the Russians and the Swedes.
Sweden just beat Russia in Day 2 as well, meaning their game against each other could be the most important in the round robin for both teams.
The North American team is a glimpse into the future of the NHL as these players will be the stars of the near future and might even take over the league next year as this could be the best warm-up the NHL has ever had.
Day 1:
Sweden 2-1 Russia
– It was not a game without controversy as Alex Ovechkin scored what seemed to be the tying goal but the goal was disallowed giving Sweden the win which is a big blow for the Russians as winning the group just got a lot tougher
North America 4-0 Finland
– The North Americans sent a message becoming the second team to do that in the tournament as they went after the Finns quickly and had a young team overwhelmed early to take an important first win in the tournament
Day 2:
Europe vs. Czech Republic (Monday, September 19th; 3:00 pm ET)
– Europe gets back to it as they look for their second win against a Czech team that hopes to get over and embarrassing loss to the Canadians in their opening game of the tournament as they try to get back and win their first game
Russia vs. North America (Monday, September 19th; 8:00 pm ET)
– The North Americans had an easy win in their first game of the tournament while the Russians were devastated by a late disallowed goal and now the Russians look to take their anger out on the young team while the North Americans hope to send another message to every team
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