The United States has always been one of the stronger hockey nations, boasting multiple Hall Of Famers and a long history of success on the international stage. That said, the United States has never truly ascended to the status of the supreme power of the hockey world. They have always either been second fiddle to Canada or the former USSR save for the famous gold medal of 1980. However, in late 2023, there is every reason to believe that the United States is entering an era that promises success not yet equaled in the history of American hockey. The amount of talent gracing the NHL coming out of the USA is simply staggering. So many of the games stars today are candidates to grace the stars and stripes come the 2026 Winter Olympics should NHLers take part, making the USA an early gold medal favorite in that scenario. If the World Cup Of Hockey should make a comeback in 2024 or so, Team USA again promises to be extremely dangerous. The scariest part is how young so many of these players are, meaning they have the potential to dominate the rest of the 2020’s and into the 2030’s.
Forwards:
To put it simply, there are so many good American forwards in today’s NHL that some very strong players would be left out as only so many would fit into four lines. Here is how I would fill my four lines for Team USA as of today. Afterwards, we will talk about other players worthy of consideration.
B. Tkachuk - A. Mathews - M. Tkachuk
J. Robertson - J. Hughes - A. DeBrincat
T. Thompson - J. Eichel - C. Keller
J. Guentzel - J.T. Miller - K. Connor
There are simply too many good players to cram in and if you disagree with some of the selections you probably have a valid point given the sheer level of talent available to whoever coaches Team USA in the coming years. For example, I was unable to cram in Trevor Zegras, Logan Cooley, Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Brock Nelson, Josh Norris, Joe Pavelski, Johnny Gaudreau, Troy Terry, Brock Boeser, Dylan Larkin etc. Even on this honorable mentions list I probably neglected to mention some guys that could probably make most other national teams. Never in American history has there been this kind of depth of forwards.
Defensemen:
With most national teams, the challenge is coming up with three elite defensive pairings. With today’s crop of American NHLers, the challenge is to decide which ones you leave out. Here are my three pairings but again, there will inevitably be some guys that could have made the list and for whom there are strong cases also.
A. Fox - J. Chychrun
Q. Hughes - C. McAvoy
J. Sanderson - J. Faulk
Here we have three elite pairings here that would probably turn any team into a Stanley Cup contender. And yet, there are glaring omissions, a testament to the staggering depth that America now enjoys on the hockey scene. I didn’t include Luke Hughes, Seth Jones, K’Andre Miller, Zach Werenski, Neal Pionk and others. I could form a pretty capable defensive corps with those omissions. Furthermore, Sanderson and the Hughes brothers are all younger than 25. Fox and Chychrun are not yet 30 and young, impressive defensemen like Cam York are coming also. There is plenty of depth to choose from in these coming years.
Goalies:
The USA has a long history of strong goaltending and in this decade, there is no exception. There is good depth to choose from and at least two legit number one options. Here are my three picks.
J. Oettinger
C. Hellebuyck
J. Swayman
These three are probably the consensus best goalies for the USA but there are other NHL caliber goalies that can hold down a number one role in the league. (Yes, Jeremy Swayman would be the easy number one on most teams) Jake Oettinger will probably win a Vezina at some point and you all know what Connor Hellebuyck is as a top of the line goalie. The Americans are in a good place here also.
Summary:
Obviously, the games have to be played and a short tournament can go in any direction. That said, it is hard to argue that the USA is not a clear favorite if not the favorite going into a World Cup Of Hockey or Olympics in these coming years. There is a glut of talent that could fill two national teams or even more and still be NHL caliber. But most glaringly of all, much of this talent is young and more is coming. They are also coming from all over the country. From traditional hotbeds like Michigan and Minnesota to places like Arizona and Florida, the United States is pushing out elite hockey talent like never before. The term ‘golden generation' is sometimes over-used, but in this case, it could prove a logical descriptor for the men who could usher in America’s hockey golden age.
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