On Monday, USA Hockey announced their preliminary roster for the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championships in Alberta. 29 players are
on the preliminary roster, and by December 22, they will be trimmed to a final
22. There are eight players returning from 2011's team, but it's some of the
newer players that could be the biggest surprises. Here are five new guys on
Team USA to watch in this year's tournament.
1. John Gibson, Goaltender
Last year, Jack Campbell and Andy Iles shared goaltending
duties on the roster, but Campbell was the main man in net, as Iles spent just
over nine minutes on the ice in total. Campbell's high draft selection (11th
overall by the Dallas Stars in 2010) could be attributed to his impressive
first appearance on the international stage, playing for USA in 2010's
tournament. He followed it up with another amazing performance in 2011, hence
Iles' limited ice time.
But if there's anyone that could challenge Campbell for the
primary spot in the net for the tournament, it's John Gibson. A second round
(39th overall) selection by the Anaheim Ducks in 2011, Gibson cut his teeth
with the U.S. National Development Team starting in 2009. This fall, he headed
to Kitchener, Ontario to become the starting goaltender for the Kitchener
Rangers. Through 19 games played with the Rangers, he has 12 wins, a 2.58 goals
against average, and .931 save percentage -- better statistics than Campbell.
The Pittsburgh native also has international experience. He
was the starting goaltender for Team USA in the 2010 World U-17 Hockey
Challenge, and recorded the best GAA and save percentage of any goaltender in
the tournament. Though Gibson admits he didn't even know the World Juniors
tournament existed until last year, any opportunity to represent the USA is
something he takes seriously. "It's important to me," Gibson told The
Record (Kitchener). "Any time I can represent my country, I want to do
that."
Kitchener coach Steve Spott agrees that Gibson could very
well end up the starter come tournament time. "I believe he’ll push Jack
Campbell for the starting position," Spott said. "I believe he's
going to give USA Hockey's coaching staff a lot to think about. He's just a money
goaltender and will be a tremendous asset for them in that tournament."
2. Seth Jones, Defenseman
The youngest player on the preliminary roster (born Oct. 3,
1994), Jones comes from pro athlete stock. His father is "Popeye"
Jones, who played in the NBA for 12 years and now serves as the assistant coach
for the New Jersey Nets. Seth was born in Texas during Jones' three-season
stint with the Dallas Mavericks. Seth definitely takes after his father in
terms of size -- at 17 years old, he is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds.
Jones, a two-way defenseman who spent last season playing
with the U.S. National Development Team, caught the eye of Team USA general
manager Jim Johannson in the team's summer evaluation camp. At the time, Jones
was just 16 years old, and was already drawing comparisons to NHL All-Stars.
"He reminds of me of Erik Johnson to a degree," Johannson said.
"He is just an all-around solid player. He's the real deal. Good instincts
in all areas and he plays the game in all zones."
Jones isn't even eligible for the NHL Draft until 2013, but
he could earn himself a spot on the final roster for Team USA. NHL general
managers are already champing at the bit to get Jones drafted to their team,
and if he survives the cuts, his play in the tournament could catapult him to
the top of the rankings for the 2013 draft.
3. Jarred Tinordi, Defenseman
Though two years older, Tinordi is much like Jones in
several personal aspects. He is another product of the U.S. National
Development Team, and his father too was a professional athlete. But hockey
insiders are much more familiar with Tinordi's father -- former NHL tough guy
Mark Tinordi. Like his father, Tinordi is a gritty, physical -- and huge
(6-foot-7) -- defenseman.
Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (22nd
overall) of the 2010 draft, Tinordi had originally committed to play at Notre
Dame, but opted to go the junior route and signed with the London Knights. Last
season with the Knights, he had 14 points and 140 penalty minutes.
Tinordi was part of Team USA in the 2010 Under-18 World
Juniors, and won a gold medal in the tournament with the team. In addition to
his skill, his leadership qualities are highly-touted. He captained the USA
U-18 team, and currently serves as captain of the Knights. His size and work
ethic could make him a valuable presence on the blue line.
4. Brandon Saad, Left Wing
Chicago Blackhawks fans are already very familiar with
Saad's name -- the 2011 second-round (43rd overall) pick was a pleasant
surprise in this fall's training camp, earning him the opportunity to play in
two regular season games with the Blackhawks in October. After his two game
appearances, he was sent back to his junior team (Saginaw Spirit), but he had
already made a big impression on USA general manager Jim Johannson.
Because of the draft and commitments with the Blackhawks,
Saad was not able to attend the summer's World Juniors evaluation camp, but
Johannson had no issue with including him on the preliminary roster. "The
bottom line with him is being able to show us that he wanted to be a part of
the program and that his level of play was going to be what we were looking
for," Johannson said. "He got off to a great start with Chicago and
played a couple games with the 'Hawks. But more importantly for us, when he
went (back) to Saginaw, he performed well, he's competing in all aspects of the
game that we saw in him as a younger player and what he needed to improve on.
He's shown that."
Since returning to Saginaw, Saad has 19 points in 11 games.
Though he and Tinordi are rivals in the Ontario Hockey League, they were
teammates on the American U-18 team that won gold in 2010.
5. Austin Watson, Center
Watson is one of the rarer players on the preliminary roster
that have never been involved in the U.S. National Development Team, but don't
count him out based on that. He made a name for himself in his first season in
the Ontario Hockey League as a member of the 2009 Memorial Cup-winning Windsor
Spitfires. Watson began his sophomore season with the Spitfires, and could have
won a second Memorial Cup, but he was traded to the Peterborough Petes to close
out the 2009-2010 OHL season.
Watson was drafted in the first round (18th overall) of the
2010 draft by the Nashville Predators. He's praised by scouts for his offensive
ability while being able to play a grinder-style role, blocking shots and
sacrificing his body to make plays. So far this season with the Petes, Watson
has 28 points in 28 games.
In this deep pool of possible players, Watson could be a
long shot to make the final roster, but his positive, team-first attitude may
be his X factor.
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