I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, after all, the US Under 18 team was a below average USHL team, finishing below .500 and missing the playoffs by finishing fifth in a six team division. So losing in the quarter finals wasn’t a total shock for the team that usually wins the spring Under 18 tournament, but it still stings. First of all, the tournament was at home, in suburban Dallas. Second of all, they were knocked out by an average Swedish squad, falling 5-2 tonight. Remember this is the same Sweden team that lost 12-1 to Canada earlier in the tournament.
The sad reality is, this US team was likely not in the top six, as Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) and Belarus both looked very good through the tournament. The US was too small, lacked desperation, and really looked like a subpar USHL team. When you consider a lot of the NHL picks from the program have underperformed after being drafted the past few years (for example, Jack Hughes), has the program run its course? Or did the death of Jim Johannson have that big of an impact? There is no doubt he was one of the great hockey minds and hockey people in the country.
There will be lots of talk, at least among those who were aware the tournament was going on. But right now, there are more questions than answers.
No comments:
Post a Comment