NHL
It has been over eight years since NHL players participated in a best-on-best tournament on the international stage and a lot has changed since then. The 4 Nations Face-Off may only be a taste of international competition, but it is the first opportunity for teams to show how they have adapted and evolved stylistically.
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That’s especially true for Team USA.
Not only have playing styles progressed since 2016, but so has team development in the NHL. Today’s game emphasizes speed, skill and possession.
After years of constructing a team that prioritized grinding two-way talent, Team USA’s identity finally reflects the shift in how teams are built. That should help them compete with some of the best in the world after falling behind the star-studded curve set by Canada in both the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2014 Olympics.
When Team USA last opened a best-on-best tournament, they fell flat and were shut out 3-0 by the makeshift Team Europe. The Americans lost all three round-robin games for an early elimination after scoring just five goals and giving up a combined 11 to Europe, Canada and the Czech Republic.
Team USA was far from perfect in 2016. And the flawed roster wasn’t fully optimized in those three games, either. But the team wasn’t without talent. Patrick Kane, coming off a league-leading 106-point season in 2015-16, headlined the team. Blake Wheeler, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Palmieri and James Van Riemsdyk helped form a deep forward group.
But USA didn’t have the same up-tempo, high-scoring energy as the eventual winner, Team Canada. With Ryan Kesler, Zach Parise, Brandon Dubinsky, Justin Abdelkader, Derek Stepan and David Backes in the fold, the team had an identity that emphasized physical and grinding play, driving to the net, two-way ability and character.
Team North America’s presence in the tournament may have had something to do with USA’s identity because rising stars Jack Eichel, Johnny Gaudreau, Dylan Larkin and Auston Matthews were on the 21-and-under squad. But even if they had been eligible for Team USA, there was no guarantee those up-and-comers would have been selected.
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The 2016 World Cup of Hockey was not the first iteration of this team built around hard-nosed, two-way players. Just look back at the 2014 Olympic roster, which featured Backes, Kesler, Stepan, Parise, Ryan Callahan and Dustin Brown.
While the USA’s construction had flaws, it somewhat fit the era when grinding depth helped fuel championship runs for teams like the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings. However, after two disappointing tournaments, it was clear Team USA needed to reconstruct its roster and identity.
As Bill Guerin, general manager of the Minnesota Wild and Team USA, explained, the game has evolved and different skills are now prioritized.
“We did not model this team after any previous U.S. hockey team. … We’ll have different players with different rules,” Guerin said. “The game has changed a lot. So we just have to create our own identity.”
This isn’t the first time USA hockey has been revamped. This shift seems to mirror the transformation in the NHL, with scoring and pace on the rise.
“I know there’s big moments for USA that kind of changed the tide,” Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk said. “It started with the ’96 World Cup. It sparked something special for USA hockey.”
After an eight-plus-year absence from the international stage at this level, this represents the next wave for the USA.
“Our ’96 World Cup team was a skilled team. Brett Hull was on that team, Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios, Keith (Tkachuk). We had skill,” Guerin said. “It’s just the game now, it’s a different skill. The things they do with the puck, these little tricks and moves. It’s a high, high level of skill, higher than it’s ever been. So you’ve got to be able to play that game.”
The star-powered USA forward group looks up to the task.
Team USA is stacked with talent up and down a lineup that brings a lot of versatility. Between the 13 forwards selected, seven can play center. That starts with Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel, two of the best puck-movers in the league; both can quarterback their team’s offensive attack with their transition game and playmaking. Then there’s Matthews, one of the best goal scorers in the world who can beat goalies in all different ways.
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Matthews and Eichel, in particular, are two players who represent the change in team-building from years past. In a tournament setting, it helps to have a jack-of-all-trades who can be leaned on in any situation. In 2014, Brown and Callahan were prime examples of that. But in today’s game, even the best scorers can take on different roles. Matthews and Eichel have built up their all-around games and are tasked with taking matchup minutes against the opponent’s best to turn defensive situations into scoring opportunities. The two are both deployed in short-handed situations now that teams are leaning on more offensive threats to add dimension to penalty kills.
Behind that duo, USA has another play-driver at the 3C position in Larkin. Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson bring more dimension, likely at 4C.
On the wing, Matthew Tkachuk is a unicorn who brings elite skill and peskiness to the team. His brother, Brady, adds size and a physical edge without sacrificing skill. Chris Kreider, who uses his size in a net-front role, bulks up the forward group. But like most players on this team, he brings more than one element. In Kreider’s case, it’s speed to the bottom six. J.T. Miller adds another motor to the middle-six; he’s an energy player who can also pour the points on. All of these players represent how much Team USA has changed, as roles are dedicated to energy or role players. So many high-end talents can contribute to all the different elements of the game, which raises Team USA’s ceiling.
USA gains even more scoring and shooting threats with Jake Guentzel, Kyle Connor and Matt Boldy, which should help both at even strength and on the power play. Unlike in 2014 and 2016, more power plays are now comprised of four forwards and one defenseman. With so many offensive options, this team has the depth to fill out two highly capable units up front.
The stylistic differences extend to the back end, where a shift has been front and center in the NHL over the last few years. A new wave of blueliners has completely transformed how the position is thought of and analyzed.
Defense can no longer be judged alone by ice time, plus-minus, blocks or reputation. The best defensemen control play from the back end, regardless of their size or physicality.
Quinn Hughes and Adam Fox are two examples of that; so is Zach Werenski, who has embraced a rover role in Columbus. Hughes is an elite skater who dominates play in his minutes. Werenski is a catalyst for the Blue Jackets from the back end. And while Fox can’t match the footspeed of those two, his anticipation makes him a threat. As much as the three are known for being gifted offensively, they use their two-way skill to out-possess and shut down their opponents.
While Charlie McAvoy is a throwback defensive defenseman, Brock Faber, Noah Hanifin and Jaccob Slavin all shut down play in a modern way with their skating, positioning and, especially in Slavin’s case, discipline.
It makes for a blue line that brings more dimension than in years past and adds another level of support to the team’s forward group. And elite talent in net makes for one of the most dangerous iterations of Team USA in years.
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The 4 Nations Face-Off may not be the perfect best-on-best tournament, but it is the first opportunity for these four teams to show just how much they have changed since 2016 — and that is especially important for USA Hockey after falling so far behind the modern curve. The Team USA that will take the ice next week represents a new identity and has the skill to be a true contender.
“There’s a tremendous amount of pride to wear the crest, more importantly, to represent our country in something bigger than yourself,” Brady Tkachuk said. “There are opportunities ahead to make real statements and really make our mark, and just see if we’re a global powerhouse.”
The Athletic’s Julian Mackenzie and Joe Smith contributed to this story.
(Top photos of Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews: Ethan Miller, Claus Andersen / Getty Images)
Shayna Goldman is a staff writer for The Athletic who focuses on blending data-driven analysis and video to dive deeper into hockey. She covers fantasy hockey and national stories that affect the entire NHL. She is the co-creator of BehindtheBenches.com and 1/3 of the Too Many Men podcast. Her work has also appeared at Sportsnet, HockeyGraphs and McKeen’s Hockey. She has a Master of Science in sports business from New York University. Follow Shayna on Twitter @hayyyshayyy
