The United States has won seven medals in the IIHF World Junior Championships―two gold, one silver and four bronze―dating back to 1986.
Since the 1988-89 tournament, an American has finished a WJC tournament with sole possession of the scoring lead eight times: 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Two others, in 2004 and 2007, tied opposing skaters for the scoring lead.
In that same vein, the more sparkling stoppers in the U.S. program’s history have emerged while backstopping a medal-caliber team.
While there was not an utter lack of celestial skaters representing the stars and stripes during the 20-and-under holiday tournament’s first decade of existence, the last quarter-century has seen a rise in young American hockey interest and talent.
In turn, an all-time U.S. World Junior fantasy roster is bound to be comprised predominantly of names from the latter half of the 1980s onward.
As it is with the current team, there is room for 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders and an inevitable slew of difficult cuts. Those who put forth a valiant WJC transcript but simply came ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Al Daniel
Assembling the Best-Ever American World Junior Championship Hockey Team
December 31st, 2012 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
Advertisement