Projecting Canada & United States 2018 Olympic Hockey Rosters In Seoul

Projecting Canada's 2018 Olympic roster

ESPN INSIDER

Just when you think the world is catching up to Canada in hockey, they make a statement like they did in winning gold in Sochi. Dominating performances against Team USA and Sweden earned Team Canada its second consecutive Olympic men’s hockey gold medal.

If NHL players return for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Canada would be the favorite for a three-peat (even despite the improvements on the way for Team USA, as we explored Saturday. An early look at a projected 2018 Team Canada shows why:


[h=3]Forwards (14)[/h]
Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars -- Cemented his place as one of the game’s best players with a big-time performance against the Americans.

Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins -- A warrior whose versatility and penchant for playing big in big moments earns him a spot even as he climbs into his 30s.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins -- Who are we going to gripe about early on in the tournament without Crosby? With his gold-medal game goal against the Swedes, Crosby proves again that his Olympic timing is impeccable.

Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche -- Really grabbed the attention of Hockey Canada during an impressive World Championship last spring. Got valuable experience in Olympics this year, earning time following John Tavares’ knee injury.<!--offer--> His international resume is growing.

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning -- There might not be a player in the world who wants the NHL to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics more than Stamkos.

Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers -- Giroux will be 30 when the next Olympic games roll around. That might be his last shot at making the team.

John Tavares, New York Islanders -- Among the near-locks to make this team, assuming Garth Snow lets him go.

Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks -- He’s got two Stanley Cups and two gold medals in last two Olympics. Another absolute lock.

Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars -- His 56 points this season mean that he and Giroux where the highest scoring Canadians not to play in the Olympics (tied with Taylor Hall and Joe Thornton). As he continues to mature and establish himself as an NHL player, his international stock will rise.

Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers -- At 22 years old, he’s entering his prime as an NHL scorer. Assuming the Oilers surround him with better talent, the next four seasons could be extremely productive for Hall.

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche -- He’ll be 22 years old in 2018 and Team Canada traditionally doesn’t bring along anyone unless they’re absolutely ready. But we’ve seen enough from MacKinnon this season to expect he’ll be very much in the conversation.

Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks -- A hand injury likely cost Couture a spot this year, but we love his two-way game and the way he contributes all over the ice.

Connor McDavid, Erie Otters (OHL) -- Hard to keep Ryan Getzlaf off this team, but McDavid is supposed to be a generational talent. If he’s good as the early hype, he’ll make it on to this roster.

Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks -- Even without Getzlaf, Perry makes this team. He’s miserable to play against.


[h=3]Defensemen (8)[/h]
Drew Doughty (R), Los Angeles Kings -- He’s Canada’s best defenseman. He’s also just 24. He’ll have a nice collection of medals when he hangs up the skates.

Alex Pietrangelo (R), St. Louis Blues -- He will be 28 for the next Olympic games, and will have four more seasons of experience building chemistry with Olympic and NHL partner Jay Bouwmeester.

P.K. Subban (R), Montreal Canadiens -- Marginalized a bit on Team Canada in 2014, he’d lead many other countries in ice time. It could be a different story in four years.

Shea Weber (R), Nashville Predators -- As long as he has that cannon that keeps shot-blockers from other countries up at night, he has a spot on the team.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic (L), San Jose Sharks -- His selection was criticized, but at 26 years old he gained valuable Olympic experience and will be even better in four years as his game continues to blossom under Larry Robinson in San Jose. His skill set complimented Doughty perfectly at the Sochi games.

Ryan Murray (L), Columbus Blue Jackets -- Hard for a young player to crack this defense, but Murray plays with the kind of calm that is beyond his 20 years. Can’t imagine how he’ll be at 24 years old.

Duncan Keith (L), Chicago Blackhawks -- Great skater who is a perennial Norris Trophy contender with tons of international and postseason experience. Team Canada’s gold is further proof that you need a stable of defensemen who can contribute offensively in the Olympic tournament. Keith is a big part of that.

Jay Bouwmeester (L), St. Louis Blues -- Another great skater whose reputation continues to improve with each appearance on the big stage. In the next four years, bet on him adding a Stanley Cup ring to the trophy case.


[h=3]Goalies (3)[/h]
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens -- We’ve seen the Canadian goalie baton passed from Martin Brodeur to Roberto Luongo to Price. Price might hang on to it for a while.

Jonathan Bernier, Toronto Maple Leafs -- By the next Olympics, Bernier won’t be sharing starts with James Reimer. He might not be doing so by the end of next month.

Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues -- This might be a reach since he’s not even playing in the NHL this season, but the Blues love him. He’ll either be starting in St. Louis or traded at some point in the next four years, giving him a shot to establish himself in the NHL.

Projecting USA's 2018 Olympic roster

ESPN INSIDER

There’s no guarantee that NHL players will be participating in the 2018 Winter Olympic games, but the impact stateside of Team USA’s fourth-place finish, even if it’s disappointing, makes a strong case for it. The Olympics draw the attention of casual American sports fans unlike anything the NHL does.

T.J. Oshie went from a cult favorite of Blues fans to an American darling. Two countries paused for a few hours Friday afternoon to take in one of the best rivalries in sports when the Canadian and American men’s teams put on nearly as good a show as the women.

And considering the result of this tournament and that game, there’s no doubt Team USA’s NHL players will want another crack at the Canadians and the rest of the field in four years. What would that team look like?

Suddenly the forwards are starting to age, but the defense and goaltending will be coming of age and Team USA’s strength. Here’s a look at a projected 2018 Team USA.


[h=3]Forwards (14)[/h]David Backes, St. Louis Blues -- He’ll be 33 years old for the next Olympics as some of the American’s core starts to show its age. Because of their physical style of play and the way they put their bodies on the line every game, it’s hard to project the return of both Backes and Dustin Brown. In four years, that’s a lot of additional mileage, but Backes’ ability to play center puts him on this squad.

Derek Stepan, New York Rangers -- He was an extra on this year’s team, but he’ll be hitting his stride in the league at 27 during the next games, armed with valuable experience from Sochi.

Jack Eichel, USNTDP - He’ll be 21 years old for the next games and not only is he going to make this team, he’s a strong candidate to center one of the top two lines.

Chris Kreider, New York Rangers -- Kreider is a strong skater who will be 26 years old and an established NHL player when the next Olympics arrive. <!--offer-->His game needs to keep growing, but he has the skill set.

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks -- Arguably the most dynamic American forward alive, Team USA might want to win a gold before he hits his 30s.

Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks -- Injuries and mileage will threaten to derail another Olympic bid, however he remains a heart-and-soul guy on Team USA.

Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs -- The improvement from the 2010 games to 2014 was remarkable. No reason to believe he can’t keep it going the next four years since he’s still just 26 years old.

T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues -- We flip-flopped between Oshie and Callahan in this spot, but wonder just how much Callahan’s body will hold up in the next few years with his selfless style of play. Oshie’s shootout success is a valuable weapon to have, too.

Bobby Ryan, Ottawa Senators, -- Let’s go ahead and correct this wrong.

Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild -- Give him the "C" again and let him take another run at it.

Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks -- His versatility has made him a key part of the American core, but we wonder how his skating will be at 33. It just seems un-American to keep him off this team.

Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal Canadiens -- If his game continues to round out, he and Eichel give the Americans a dynamic at center they haven’t had.

James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs -- At 28 years old, he will be in his prime with even more chemistry with Kessel.

Brandon Saad, Chicago Blackhawks -- Stan Bowman fought for him to make this year’s team, and it’s quite possible Bowman is picking the next American team. Regardless, Saad is on it.


[h=3]Defense (8)[/h]Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild - He’s the Chris Chelios of his generation, an anchor on every Team USA defense in which he plays.

John Carlson, Washington Capitals -- Outside of Team USA’s top pair, Carlson was the best American defenseman against Team Canada. He’s building up a strong international resume.

Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes -- He was thrown into the fire against Canada, but it was great experience for a defenseman who will still just be 25 when the next Olympics roll around.

Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks -- When he plays with confidence, he can play with anybody. Four more years of experience, presumably with a couple of long playoff runs in there, will really benefit Fowler.

Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers -- He was outstanding paired with Suter in this tournament. His offensive game continues to grow and could be even more complete in the next Olympic games.

Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes -- He gets a slight edge over Kevin Shattenkirk here because he brings the kind of offense from the back end few other American defenseman do.

Jacob Trouba, Winnipeg Jets -- He just exudes confidence when he’s on the ice, a valuable asset when you’re playing Team Canada.

Seth Jones, Nashville Predators -- He wasn't quite ready this time around. Could be on the top pair in 2016.


[h=3]Goalies[/h]Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings -- He rewarded Dan Bylsma’s faith with a strong tournament. Quick was great against Team Canada, although he probably should have gotten a breather the next day against Finland with Ryan Miller fresh and ready to go.

John Gibson -- The fact that he got an invite to this summer’s Olympic orientation camp shows you just how highly USA Hockey thinks of him. He’s the future of American goaltending.

Cory Schneider, New Jersey Devils -- Body of work gave Jimmy Howard an edge this time around. Schneider has four years to change that.