WJC Update: Team USA After Two Games

Through two games Warsofsky has 2 Assists & a Plus-4 Rating.

So I was finally able to watch my two recorded Team USA games. I did not get to the Canadian blowout of Latvia or the Sweden game, so no in depth news on Allen, Pietrangelo, or Rundblad.

I can however give you some details on Warsofsky and McRae.

Game 1: USA vs Slovakia
Defensemen David Warsofsky was alright, but did have a few rough spots. He did not wear an “A”. Warsofsky failed to clear the puck twice which allowed Slovakia to maintain pressure. He also lead a forward in to a big hit twice in one shift. I will say that he showed good poise and patience working the puck around the offensive blueline and battled well for his 5’9 size. He did skate very well (the whole team can) and had a couple nice medium range passes. He made a few shifty plays on the point to get around pressure. Similar to what Russell from Columbus did to the Blues earlier this season. He made a nice move to get a passing lane to find U.S. Captain Derek Stepan open in the high slot for a nice goal.

Phil McRae didn’t see much ice time. I think he skated as well as any other US player but didn’t make much of an impact. He made a nice move with speed on his off wing to crash the net which turned out fruitless.  Hard to get a read on his game when he doesn’t play much. Physically he battles and skated hard.

The rest of the team? I was really impressed with Jason Zucker. Quick, aggressive, played with an edge. He was wrongly allowed to stay in the game after a 5-minute high sticking call was given to Tyler Johnson instead. Jordan Schroeder showed he is a man amongst boys in my opinion. His experience at this level showed. He was flying and making plays. I was also impressed with 2009 Anaheim draft pick Kyle Palmieri. Fowler and Donovan combined to be a very solid pairing who can skate and move the puck. Fowler will be a good one, watch for him in the draft this summer. I was not impressed with Goalie Mike Lee. His lateral control was poor and gave up too much open net on rebounds. I thought St. Louisan John Ramage played a solid game. He seems like he will develop in to a steady, safe defender. Overall, I was impressed with the US blueline and their ability to move up ice. John Carlson is a heck of a player and will fit in with the Caps system when he gets his chance. Warsofsky was paired with Carlson.

There was a quick pace and hellascious hitting by both teams. Lots of hits and plays on both sides that would have gone for penalties in the NHL. Slovakia went for the BIG hit every chance they had.

Game 2: USA vs Switzerland
Warsofsky did wear an “A” for this game. I think he had a much better game vs. Switzerland than vs. Slovakia. He stayed positionally sound on his man throughout the game. Chances were created by the man he covered, but they were sharp angles and low percentage chances. He was very active with his stick, think of how Roman Polak uses his stick defensibly. His defensive style was similar to Pietrangelo. He was very patient and calm on the offensive blueline again. Making good plays in tight spaces to keep the play in the zone. He carried the puck up the ice with speed and created the pressure that created the third US goal. He was good on the power play showing soft passing hands to get the puck to the slot for chances. He has also had two or three shots go through from the point with the man advantage.

McRae saw more ice time but that didn’t develop in to much offensively. He had speed and worked hard, but nothing really created. The Swiss defenders were tight on him. It’s nothing to be worried about, just other players created better chances. Phil was in more of a energy role anyways. Similar to how Brett Sonne played for Canada last year.

Overall Team USA came out slow in the first period again. The second period forward was total domination. If it wasn’t for the goaltending of Conz, the Swiss would have lost 10-0. The Fowler-Donovan pair had another good game in all facets. The “Original 6″ line of D’Amigo-Stepan-Kristo did very well all game. Schroeder wasn’t as on as he could have been.  The US blueline was the story in my opinion. They all played well, especially John Ramage on the penalty kill. Campbell had a 1st period full of work, making 14 saves. Many of which were difficult and really tested him. His game was much better than Lee’s. Watch for the Swiss goalie Benjamin Conz. The Swiss are developing a reputation for having goalies make strong WJC showings and turning them in North American Professional possibilities. He was the 8th ranked Euro Goalie in the 2009 NHL Draft, he was not drafted. He is small, but played very well.

Some quick thoughts on US players and who they reminded me of in terms of playstyle:
Palmieri – TJ Oshie
Fowler – Sergei Gonchar/ Nik Lidstrom
Donovan – Dan Boyle / Alex Goligoski
Carlson – Mike Green
Ramage – Mike Weaver

I will get to the Canada vs Switzerland game later tonight for an update on Pietrangelo and Allen.