PowerPlay περιοδικό

In 2006 USA suffered an 8th place finish mainly due to the fact that the aging veterans could not cope with the speed of the younger teams in the tournament. This year, the US team will have a much younger flavor and a they will be a force to be reckoned with. General Manager Brian Burke did not forget to add a few veterans to provide the always needed experience.

Brian Burke is one of the most respected GMs in the NHL. It only took him a few years to build a Championship team in Anaheim and now he has embarked on the same mission with the Toronto Maple Leafs. USA Hockey hired him because of his great resume and undisputed hockey knowledge. The US team will certainly want to make up for the disappointment of 4 years ago. Here are the men to do it.

Goalies

Ryan Miller

Miller is on track for a career year in Buffalo and could be heading for the Vezina Trophy when all is said and done. His numbers this season have been astounding and there is hardly a week when one of his saves doesn't make the highlight reel. Thanks to his great play, the Sabres are one of the top teams in the East and he has shown that he can carry the team on his back. With this man in the net, USA can beat anybody.

Tim Thomas

Last year's Vezina winner may have to settle for the number 2 position at the Olympics. His performances have been excellent again, but right now he is being overshadowed by Miller. Thomas has an unorthodox style and every time he is in the net he makes some spectacular saves. He is great to watch just for this reason. It doesn't matter how you do it, all that matters is to stop the puck from going into the net. And Thomas is very good at that.

Jonathan Quick

Quick is the new kid on the block. He has been the number 1 for the LA Kings who are looking to make the playoffs after several barren years. His good play earned him a spot of the third goalie. It is unlikely that he will actually play unless the Coach decides to rotate all goalies. Still the Olympics will be a great experience for him.

Defense

Brian Rafalski

The veteran blueliner has always been a member of winning teams. He started out his NHL career relatively late after one year in Sweden and three years in Finland as a New Jersey Devil. He won two Stanley cups there and then moved to Detroit where he got another one. He knows what winning is about. He is valuable on the power play and also in his own end despite his small size.

Ryan Suter

Suter comes from a hockey family. His father Bob won the gold medal in 1980 and his uncle Gary was a well-known defenseman in the NHL. He was selected 7th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and has been solid on the Predators blue line.

Paul Martin

Martin hasn't played much this season due to injury but he still got the call-up. It is uncertain whether he will recover in time. He is a more of a defensive minded player but his offensive abilities are not to be taken lightly. His main task will be to keep the opposition from scoring goals. Martin is a rather under-the-radar player that doesn't get much attention from the media.

Jack Johnson

This youngster has a lot of potential that is yet to be fulfilled. He can still be caught napping by the opposition and he is not yet fully fledged top flight defenseman. He has some international experience from the World Championships though.

Erik Johnson

No relation to the above mentioned player, Erik Johnson is yet more talented. He missed the entire previous season due to a fluke golf  injury. He is still only 21 and the injury doesn't seem to have slowed down his development. He is already a key man for the Blues and will also be important for this US team.

Brooks Orpik

Orpik is yet to score a goal this season but he is not in this team for scoring goals. He is in for his hard hitting and chippy defensive play. He has gradually developed into one of the leagues best hitters and his physical play should keep the opposition on their toes. You better keep your head up when he is on the ice.

Mike Komisarek

Komisarek is a similar type as Orpik. He is a physical shutdown man and Burke knows him well. He also has him in Toronto. Burke likes physical style of play so it is no surprise that he picked Komisarek. The last time he represented USA was at the 2006 World Championships.

Offence

Joe Pavelski

Pavelski is one of many Sharks players to play at the Olympics. The 25-year-old provides very good secondary scoring behind the top line and he is expected to do the same for team USA.

Zach Parise

Parise will be expected to take care of the goal scoring. He is the greatest threat on this team to the opposing goalies and he is also very solid without the puck. He had his breakthrough season last year and now he is backing it up with another great campaign. You will surely notice him on the ice.

Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel is another elite goal scorer on the team. He has been a little bit cold lately but it is only a matter of time before he snaps out of this slump. He has a dangerous wrist shot and very good stickhandling skills. He has already proved himself on international stage too.

Jamie Langenbrunner

The veteran presence will be represented by Langenbrunner. The 34-year-old is on pace for a career year which is very unusual at his age. Jamie will bring leadership, experience and character to the locker room. He was on the Olympic team in 1998 but missed both 2002 and 2006 games.

Paul Stastny

The son of the Godfather of PowerPlay Manager carries on the hockey tradition of his family. Paul has a lot of his father's hockey senses and has been a key player for the Avalanche for the past few years. Can he bring home a medal to add to the Stastny trophy room?

Patrick Kane

Kaner as they call him is now becoming an elite scorer in the league. Despite his small size he was picked first overall by the Blackhawks in 2007 and he is proving to be a good choice. He has improved not only his offensive game but also his play without the puck which makes him a more complete and valuable player. Needless to say he is one of the most exciting players to watch.

Dustin Brown

The fearless winger is known for hard (and frequent) hitting but besides that, he also has some offensive skills. He has already played at three World Championships and he is the captain of the LA Kings. He will certainly be a key player on this squad.

Bobby Ryan

It took Bobby Ryan a few years to step out of the shadow of Sidney Crosby but he finally did it. He was picked only one place behind Sid the Kid in the 2005 Entry Draft. Last year's breakout campaign brought him a Calder Trophy nomination and put him on the radar of the US Olympic staff.

Ryan Malone

Malone started off the season in great style and looked to smash all his personal bests. He may have slowed down lately but he is still on pace for almost 40 goals. Burke will be hoping that Malone will bring his A game to the Olympics and if that's the case, he may become the US trump card.

Ryan Kesler

Kesler is another guy on pace for his best season. He is a very good second line center for the Canucks. It took him a while to develop to this level but it is just in time for the Olympics. He will have the comfort of playing on home ice and he will surely get some good crowd support whenever he touches the puck.

Ryan Callahan

If you call "Ryan" in the US locker room, you will get response from no less than 6 guys. Callahan is one of the league leaders in hitting and he is called also for his shot-blocking ability especially on the penalty kill. He has been one of the few bright lights on the Rangers squad. He is a hard worker and can provide a little bit of scoring too.

Chris Drury

Callahan's teammate is not having such a good season. He is struggling in the offense and the Rangers fans don't like his big contract. Burke decided to pick him for his reputation of being a clutch player and for his leadership qualities. The question is whether he can perform like a clutch player in this sort of form.

David Backes

The hard hitting center is not afraid of some dirty work and when he puts his mind to it he can even be a scoring threat. Last season he broke the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career but he also collected 165 penalty minutes.

Omissions

Craig Anderson - The Avs goalie finally emerged as a starter and he has been great so far.

Andy Greene - The top scoring American blueliner was overlooked.

Tyler Myers - The young defenseman has almost Chara-like stature.

Tim Connolly - He is finally enjoying a healthy season and we know all about his skills.

Bill Guerin, Scott Gomez, Keith Tkachuk, Brian Gionta, Mike Modano - All of these veterans were left out but maybe some of them are still in consideration as backups.

Other notables -  Ryan Whitney, Zach Bogosian, David Legwand, Brian Rolston, Patrick O'Sullivan, Brandon Dubinsky, R.J. Umberger, Kyle Okposo.

If you look at the team you can see a lot of players who will be in for their first Olympic appearance. On their day, USA is a threat to any team. They are not coming in as favorites and that could work to their advantage. USA hasn't won the Olympic Gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980 but they have been in the finals on home ice in 2002. In fact their best results have always come when playing at home (Gold in 1960 and 1980, Silver in 1932 and 2002). Vancouver is almost home territory being close to the border. There will certainly be enough fan support for this team.