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mikebobcat · 11-29-2024, 11:22 PM

With the WJC tournament just around the corner, rosters have been finalized and submitted. Today, we're going to be taking a look into the roster for this year's United States Blue squad, put together by new GM Raf. This team has medal aspirations this season, and with USB currently without any gold medals since its inception, the team has some extra motivation to go the distance. The team is comprised of players from all over the SMJHL, so let's get right into it! I am Detroit forward Jimbob Ghostkeeper going undercover to give you the scoop on this season's iteration of USA Blue. Jimmy on the Spot here, and I was lucky enough to have a chat with none other then Raf, and gain some insight into how she decided to build the team for this season. After that, we're going to be looking at our leadership group and their styles. I'll have a brief rundown of the roster after that, and we'll leave the fancy stats to the nerds. (No disrespect, I'm actually jealous of your vast knowledge.) USA blue! USA blue!

The GM:

First time GM Raf was kind enough to answer some questions about the team she's put together this season! Here is some info straight from her.

Q: Is this your first time as a GM?
A: Yes, this is my first time as GM. I actually only joined the league last year, so its the first time I'm even gonna be here the full offseason, so I'm definitely diving in quickly. Its actually the first 'job' I got in the league, so I'm hoping I do a good job haha.

Q: What kind of team were you trying to build for the tournament?
A: This is probably going to sound like a bad thing, but I wasn't really going for anything super specific when drafting the team. Obviously, the draft pool for most nations are rather slim pickings, so being able to draft a full team of Americans definitely gave me a bit more breathing room. I tried to load up the team on offense for the most part, because I think the goaltending situation should hopefully be strong enough that we can outscore what we may lack in defense. But even then, I still think our defense should be fine, although I did have to draft a forward to fill in the 6th defense slot.

Q: What did you have in mind when picking players for the roster?
A: Sorta like I said before, I wanted to get the best players i could for each position, focusing on both offense and goaltending moreso than defense. I actually drafted our (probably) starting goaltender first, to make sure I could get him locked down, that way I could keep my forwards-first draft strategy without worrying about defense and goaltending as much. After that, I tried to stack up the best forwards I could, and a couple of defensemen so I wouldn't totally get shelled. Plus I get to be in control of our backup goaltender since he is my own player haha.

Q: Do you have gold medal aspirations for this tournament?
A: I would really like to get the gold, and I think we have a strong enough team that it could certainly be possible. I am not usually one to say flat out that I think our team will win gold, but I do think we have a very good chance. Obviously, theres still a bit of random luck on whether our roster will perform at the highest level they can, but again, I definitely think we could be in the running for gold. I would absolutely like to get there, and if not, at least get a medal out of this.

Q: What considerations did you make for selecting the leadership group?
A: The leadership group is essentially the players that I deemed to be the most active or highest earning of their respective class. Our captain, Bjelland, was the highest earner that I drafted at the start of the selection process. Our alternate captains are both the second in line forward (Fischermann) and the most experienced defenseman (Windsor). I felt that these three would make up a good crop to head up the team's leadership responsibilities.

Q: Who do you think will be USA Blue’s biggest competitor?
A: I honestly don't know who I would pick to be our strongest competition. Obviously, USA White as well as both Canada teams look very strong this year, and I think any of those three could be tough opponents. I also think the other teams will also have a strong chance to be good as well, so yeah, I wouldn't say I have a specific team in mind. If I had to pick one, I would probably pick Canada Black, because I have a bit of a rivalry with one of their GM's, but I do know that he put a lot of work into making his team a strong contender, so I would not be surprised if they're a tough team to beat.

Q: What were any hurdles you may have experienced in constructing the roster?
A: I think the biggest hurdle I really faced while I was constructing the roster was that we actually ran out of available defensemen towards the end of the selection process, so I ended up having to add an extra forward onto the roster to fill in that space. I picked Rock Solid, who fittingly has pretty solid defense skills, to take that spot. I think aside from the defense that the rest of the team felt like a strong choice and I wouldn't say that any of the selection process was too hard to make decisions.

Thanks again for your time, Raf! With her insight in mind, we'll now take a look at the roster itself.

The Captains:

United States Blue is led this year by their captain, Jeffrey Bjelland. Bjelland hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota and has just finished his 4th season in the J. He spent the last 3 seasons playing for the Detroit Falcons, in which he found himself centering the top line. In 66 games, Bjelland put up an impressive 81 points on a Detroit team that struggled throughout the grind of the regular season. I would consider this a massive breakout year for Bjelland, as his career total in points sits at 169. It seems as though his increase in responsibilities in Detroit this year very much benefitted him, and hopefully that success will carry over into the tournament.

Alternate captain and Anaheim local Campbell Fischermann, a winger, completed his 3rd year in the J for the Colorado Raptors. Fischermann is a big, scoring forward who also saw a jump in his production in season 79. In his 66 games played, he increased his scoring from his previous best of 50 up to 82 while playing on the 3rd line. Fischermann seems to enjoy the physical side of the game as well, lining up 128 hits across the regular season for a powerhouse Colorado team that made a deep run in this season's playoffs. With that kind of experience, Fischermann no doubt will bring steady leadership and grit to the captain's group for USA Blue.

Rounding out the leadership group for USA Blue is Weston Windsor, a defenseman who just played out his 3rd year in the J as well. Coming straight outta' Colorado, Windsor currently plays the top pairing for the Newfoundland Berserkers and is a shot blocking defenseman who does not like the other team to have control of the puck. With 111 blocks on the regular season, he also boasted 57 takeaways to only 14 giveaways throughout the duration of the regular season. In addition to his defensive proficiencies, Windsor managed to put up a respectable 38 from the blue line. Newfoundland was able to make it to the second round of the playoffs this season, losing in game 7 after having tied Colorado for first in the league during the regular season.

The Roster:
As Raf pointed out, the group for US Blue is a group of successful, active players from all around the J. The players all have their own unique skillsets, so it certainly will be interesting to see how they mesh together under the watch of Bjelland, Fischermann, and Windsor. The interesting position to watch will be their defense, as the defenseman seemed to have more of a shallow pool to select from than the forward pool. Rock Solid's transition to defense and how he handles the change will be important, but his strong defensive skills will not find him out of place for the team. That said, a solid forward core that includes players that play a 200 foot game will be an important facet of how this team operates. Strong goaltending will be an extremely important factor, and projected starting goaltender Evil Kyle Murray's game will be absolutely paramount for the success of this roster on the ice. This team has a lot to prove moving into the tournament this season, and Canada Black has better watch out!

You heard it here first, folks. USA Blue wants to medal, and the only thing between them and glory is 11 other nations with the same dream. Speaking for myself, I know that I'm both excited and honored to be selected by my home nation to play in this tournament. I can only assume the rest of my team feels the same, and I want to medal this season. You only play in the J for so long, and I want some hardware for my cabinets. Watch out, world. Team USA Blue is bringing the fire this season, and I'd love to be a part of the team that helps bring in the first gold medal to this team. Thanks for tuning in this evening, I've been Jimmy on the Spot. We will see the rest of the world at the WJC tournament.

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