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All-Minnesota Olympic Team

By Minnesota Hockey, 01/27/14, 10:00AM CST

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A hypothetical look at an Olympic team made up of all Minnesotans.

Last Wednesday, USA Hockey revealed its 2014 Olympic Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey teams. Many other countries have announced their rosters this morning, further fueling the anticipation surrounding the 2014 Winter Olympics.

All of the excitement reminded us that Minnesota, if it was its own country, would have the fifth most NHL players. This may not be that surprising to those that know Minnesota also has the fifth most U20/youth players in the world.  Nonetheless, it made us wonder. 

What would a Minnesota Olympic team look like?  Why not put a hypothetical roster together just for the fun of it? So that’s what we decided to do.

Before we start, let’s remember that Minnesota Hockey is a proud affiliate of USA Hockey and is excited to send a total of 11 hockey players (eight men and three women) to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi as members of Team USA. This doesn’t detract from that. Instead, it is meant to honor the many other Minnesota natives that could have ended up on Team USA or may represent our country in the future.

So grab a cup of hot coffee, kick back and have some fun thinking about the depth of talent we produce in this great state. If there is someone we left off that you think should be included, tweet us @MinnHockey.

Let’s get started!

Left Wing

Zach Parise – The star for our hometown Minnesota Wild was a lock for Team USA and is a part of their five player leadership group.  For the sake of the Wild and Team USA, we hope Parise is back on the ice soon after dealing with a foot injury over the past few weeks. After all, each team he is on counts on him for his leadership and scoring abilities.

Dustin Byfuglien – This Roseau native was considered by many to be in the running for a spot on the USA Olympic roster early in the process.  He came into the 2013-14 in what was widely considered the best shape of his career and has proceeded to lead all Minnesota born defenseman in goals (9), assists (23) and points (32).  With Minnesota having a wealth of talent on the blue line, the team would likely benefit the most having him up front to provide an added scoring punch.

Brock Nelson – The former Warroad HS standout has played 33 games for the New York Islanders in his first full season at the NHL level, contributing three goals and seven assists, while being asked to play a variety of roles. Nelson is a natural center but could potentially help fill a role on the left side given his left handed shot and history as a goal scorer.

Ryan Carter – This Devils forward is just returning to the lineup from a leg injury that cost him nearly the entire month of December.  Carter adds a significant amount of experience in high pressure situations after winning the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007 and playing a key role in the Devils’ run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-12.  He also has international experience after suiting up twice for Team USA in the World Championships (2010 & 2013).

Center

David Backes – Similar to Parise, Backes was a lock from the start for Team USA and will be a part of their leadership group. Backes has recently been battling a nagging upper body injury, but he looked sharp against Columbus on Saturday, contributing two assists.  Look for him to be healthy and a key component of Team USA when February rolls around.

Derek Stepan – Stepan has had a little bit of an up and down season so far in 2013-14, but he was selected as Team USA’s fifth center.  As he showed last year when he put up 44 points in 48 games for the New York Rangers, Stepan has the talent to be a number one center in NHL, and this will be his year to prove he belongs at the Olympic level as well.

Matt Cullen – This Moorhead icon is a proven commodity. The veteran of 17 NHL seasons won a Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Hurricanes and has played in five international competitions. Cullen trails only Phil Housley for most games played in the NHL by a Minnesotan and is sixth all time in scoring. He leads active players by nearly 500 games and 100 points.

Matt Hendricks – The Blaine High School graduate is the type of player that adds a ton of character and some grit to the roster while filling important roles down the middle and on the penalty kill.  He is also extremely dependable, playing in nearly every game over the past four years during his time with Capitals and Predators.

Right Wing

TJ Oshie – As noted in the often quoted article by ESPN’s Scott Burnside, Oshie was highly sought after by Team USA’s coaching staff.  That may have something to do with his chemistry with Backes.  However, it likely has a lot to do with him putting up 37 points in 41 games with a +14 rating this season while playing a lot of important minutes for one of the top teams in the NHL.

Blake Wheeler – After a slow start to the season by his standards, Wheeler has been on a tear lately for the Jets and is now tied for second among Minnesotans for points in the NHL.  His recent play was likely a big factor in making this Robbinsdale native one of the final selections for Team USA.

Kyle Okposo – While much of the attention as far as omissions from Team USA has been focused on the likes of Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson and Keith Yandle, Okposo likely should be in that discussion as well. He is having a huge year for the Islanders and leads all Minnesotans in the NHL with 42 points, which is second among all Americans.

JT Brown – This Burnsville native and Rosemount High School graduate has quietly been earning himself a spot on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster. After getting called up Nov. 12, Brown has played in their last 25 games and has six points over the last 11 games.

Extra Forwards

Jake Gardiner – Yeah, we know he is a defenseman, and he’s having a pretty good year for the Maple Leafs, trailing only Dion Phaneuf in time on ice this season. But did you know that he played forward up until he entered the high school line up for Minnetonka?  Similar to Byfuglien, a team from Minnesota could use his offensive prowess up front given the depth on the blue line. 

Nick Bjugstad – With a history of participation on US international teams, including two years on the World Junior roster and making last year’s World Championship team, and an expanding role on the Panthers’ team, Bjugstad has the look of a player that could make a run at the U.S. team in 2018.

In the MixPatrick Eaves, Tim Jackman, Travis Morin, Tyler Pitlick, Anders Lee, Danny Kristo and Jordan Schroeder

Left Defense

Paul Martin – There may not be a player on the Team USA roster more excited to arrive in Sochi than Martin considering the injuries he has faced.  In 2010, a broken arm kept Martin out of the Olympics. This year a broken tibia has threatened his Olympic dreams once again.  The latest reports have him returning in the second half of January so he should be able to get up to speed before heading to Sochi.

Ryan McDonagh – In just his fourth year as a pro, McDonagh has proven to have all the potential we figured he had while watching him win the 2007 Mr. Hockey award, and he continues to improve. The Cretin Derham Hall graduate could be poised for some major minutes in Sochi.

Nick Leddy – Leddy was one of two young Minnesota born defenseman (Gardiner) to be invited to the USA Hockey National Team camp this past August. After winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, Leddy continues to garner praise for his skating ability and offensive talent. 

Alex Goligoski – This Grand Rapids native is having a very solid season for the Stars.  Goligoski has averaged nearly 24 minutes per game in all situations while contributing two goals and 12 assists.  He also has international experience after putting together a great 2011-12 World Championships where he had five points and was a plus seven over eight games for Team USA.

Right Defense

Justin Faulk – At just 21 years old, Faulk is the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic roster.  Faulk could get a shot at playing on the second pairing if he is able to put his high end skating and puck-moving abilities to good use on the larger ice surface.  Faulk’s significant involvement on previous US teams in international competitions (each of the past five years) likely played a role in his selection as well.

Erik Johnson – Along with Okposo, Johnson is another Minnesotans that had a very good case to be on Team USA. Not only was he participant on the silver medal team in 2010, Johnson has played a critical role in the resurgence of the Avalanche this year.  He could very well end up setting career highs in goals, assists, points and plus/minus by the end of the year.

Justin Braun – Braun is another right handed defenseman that is off to a fantastic start in 2013-14. The White Bear Lake native has already set a career high in goals and is tied for his career high in points after just 43 games.  He is also a +18 which is good enough for 14th in the NHL and 8th amongst defensemen.

Matt Niskanen – If there is one guy that made a late push for Team USA candidacy but didn’t get selected, Niskanen may be it.  A flurry of injuries in December, including the loss of two players (Martin and Brooks Orpik) that will be on Team USA and Kris Letang, required Niskanen to step up and play top pair type minutes for the Penguins.  Niskanen responded with eight points and a +6 rating, helping the team go 11-3 over that stretch.

In the Mix - Mark Stuart, Jamie McBain, Tom Gilbert, Aaron Ness, Nate Schmidt, Jordan Leopold and Keith Ballard

Goalies

Alex Stalock – After four years battling it out in the minors, Stalock seems to have found a home on the San Jose bench as their backup goaltender.  This athletic netminder, who may be remember best by his wild antics in the 2004 Minnesota High School Hockey tournament for South St. Paul, has had a strong season filling in for Niemi, going 5-2 with a .932 save percentage and 2.03 goals against.

Eric Hartzell – Last year’s USA Hockey’s College Player of the Year has shown that the numbers he posted for Quinnipiac were no fluke while bouncing between the ECHL and AHL.  Hartzell is 5-2 with a .919 save percentage and 2.06 goals against for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.  He has also played in five games for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL while posting a .922 save percentage. 

Mike Lee – The 2007 Minnesota State High School Class AA State Champion with Roseau and USHL Goaltender of the Year (2008-09) has had a somewhat difficult year, battling for ice time in the AHL. Lee has played in five games for the Portland Pirates posting a .872 save percentage, but he was stellar in one start in the ECHL, stopping 29 of 30 shots.

 

A special thanks to the NHL, its member clubs and quanthockey.com for their endless online resources that made this article possible. 

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