International TournamentsDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
the 1984-85 USA WJC team could have been a very impressive bunch...lets assume all these kids were not in the NHL at the time of this as my roster would be pretty darn solid... I have a pretty young team as some of the 66 and 67 born players were just ahead of the curve at that time.
Using the current roster format that USA just did:
Goalies
Tom Barrasso - 65 Mike Richter - 66 Pat Jablonski - 67
H.M - John Blue -66
Defense
David Quinn - 66 Al Iafrate - 66 Kevin Hatcher - 66 Jeff Norton -65 Eric Weinrich - 66 Shawn Chambers - 66 Todd Richards - 66
H.M - Craig Wolanin -67, Paul Stanton -67, Bob Beers -67, Lance Pitlick -67, Mike Vellucci -67, Chris Luongo -67, Chris Biotti -67, David Williams -67
Forwards
Craig Janney - 67 - C Kevin Stevens - 65 -LW Pat Lafontaine - 65 - C Tom Chorske - 66 - LW Scott Young - 67 - RW Jimmy Carson - 68 - C Paul Ranheim - 66 - LW Wayne Presley - 65 - RW Eddie Olczyk - 66 - C Brian Noonan - 65 - RW Brian Lawton - 65 - LW Alfie Turcotte - 65 - C
H.M. - Steve Leach -66 -RW, Jeff Rohlicek - 66 -LW, Bob Corkum - 67 -C, Jon Morris -66 -RW, Paul Broten - 65 - RW, David Jensen - 65 - C, Lane MacDonald -66 -LW, Ken Hodge - 66 - RW....forgot Todd Krygier was a 65 birth year..though he went to Connecticut as a d-2 school, he would still be in the running
Lines
Kevin Stevens - Pat Lafontaine - Scott Young Brian Lawton - Craig Janney - Brian Noonan Tom Chorske - Jimmy Carson - Wayne Presely Paul Ranheim - Eddie Olczyk - Kevin Miller Alfie Turcotte
Al Iafrate - Kevin Hatcher Jeff Norton - David Quinn Eric Weinrich - Shawn Chambers Todd Richards
Man are those centers super skilled!! And Eddie O as a 4th line center!! hahaha, thankfully this was at the time where nobody played defense..
I think Jensen should make this team, but I went with some young guns and liked some other 65's better...it happens!
Jimmy Carson was a beast back then. Hands down one of the most talented junior forwards ever developed for the US..he makes this team as he was already destroying the QMJHL at the time.
Other very skilled 68's that were in the running - Darren Turcotte, Stan Drulia, and Brian Leetch...amongst others..
A shout out to Tommy Glavine, who as a 66 could have been a part of this group if he didnt pick up a baseball!
And finally I want to mention a young man named George Pelawa. He might not have made this team as he was I believe a junior in highschool, but this kid was one of the more impressive all around prospects the US ever had. His size and skill was unmatched, and how he didnt go higher than #16 to Calgary is beyond me. He was a man among boys who could of had an Eric Lindros like career. Saddly he was killed in a terrible car accident after his draft so we never got to see what he could do at the NHL level. I believe the band Red Rider (Tom Cochrane who sung Life is a Highway) made a song in his honor called Big Leagues...very touching song and sad stuff...
also not sure what Don Sweeney's deal was as he played in the US during highschool and college...not sure if he was a dual citizen, but he never represented either country as far as I can tell so I would assume he was only a Canadian citizen as the US surely would have picked him at some point.
but that would be by 84-85 USA WJC team. kids were playing at various levels at that time and very hard to determine who could have been ready for a tourney like that, but going mainly on birth year this is my team...
Last edited by AmericanDream: 01-11-2013 at 11:03 AM.
Don Sweeney though he played at St. Paul 's is strictly Canadian.
Tom Glavine was the MVP of the 1984 Massachusetts- Minnesota Super Series that had Broten and Ranhiem on Minnesota. Leach, Young & Hodge were on Massachusetts.
havent heard him speak of any other name that it could have been besides George...so until I hear otherwise and in my mind, he made this song for George!!
My estimate is at least 4 players and possibly five would make a combined US / Canada squad on the
76-77 team.
Langway & Roberts on D, along with Mark Johnson and Joe Mullen are locks. I think Mark Pavelich
would also crack a roster with 13 forwards. Averaged almost a point per game in his brief NHL career.
The 1985 combined team would have Barrasso, Hatcher, Iafrate, Lafontaine & Stevens on a combined team. Olczyk would push for a spot also.
