When you think of American hockey teams you usually think of big, physical players that are able to manufacture goals by crashing the net with a few pure goal scorers mixed in. While this is still a very true assessment, the powers that be at USA Hockey have been focusing on speed, an active defense and an effective transition for at least the past five years since I've been covering their teams on various levels at various tournaments.
They knew that change was necessary if they were to find success, especially on the larger international ice surface, and we first saw this implemented at the US National Team Development Program and is part of the reason they've been so dominate at the U-18 World Championship over the past decade with six golds, three silvers and a bronze. As those players developed and rose through the ranks, the message has been transition, transition, transition and based on today's 7-1 win against Solvakia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, it looks like that message has finally gotten through.
When the team was announced in January, there were a lot of questions and concerns about who made it compared to who was left off, but if you look at how the USA teams have been built at the various World Championships the past few years…it was probably more disappointing if you are a fan of a certain player than surprising. This is a team built to utilize a larger ice surface and to some extent even a larger neutral zone, especially when you consider the defense. With the exception of Brooks Orpik, every single one of Team USA's blueliners protects the puck well, is positionally sound, good in their own end, has a great first pass and can easily jump into the play to contribute offensively. It's a great example of how Team USA is aiming to be a hybrid of their traditional hard-nosed North American style and the run-and-gun European style.
While this is just one game, it answered a lot of questions for fans of Team USA, especially those concerning offensive production. We saw scoring from all four lines, we saw the defense play a big part in the action especially in terms of transition and we saw a lot of chemistry. Three things to be very excited about, but there is also a lot of room for improvement in certain areas - mostly special teams, consistency and clearing rebounds in their own end. Granted the ice was tilted in their favor for most of the game and they didn't have many opportunities to showcase their skills in these areas, but I'm sure they will be a point of emphasis at tomorrow's practice.
It all, it was a great first game for Team USA as they were able to establish chemistry, get everyone into the game and maybe most importantly, gain some confidence not only in themselves, but also their teammates - a crucial ingredient for shot tournaments like this.
They face Russia on Saturday at 7:30am ET with coverage on NBCSN starting at 7am.
Julie
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