from Matt Larkin of The Daily Faceoff,

And so continues our international team building project, Best on Best 2023. First, Steven Ellis and I constructed our Team Canada lineups, imagining a tournament played within the next calendar year. Next up, we build what should be a major threat to Canada’s supremacy: Team USA.

Seeing that we’re Canadian, it felt fitting to invite an American to create a team alongside ours. Daily Faceoff’s Mike McKenna takes the baton.

First, a rule refresher for the exercise:

– Roster structure follows IIHF format for the Olympics and World Championship: 14 forwards, eight defensemen, three goaltenders, 25 players in total.

– Since we can’t say for certain when the next best-on-best event will happen, be it 2025 for a World Cup, 2026 for the Cortina Olympics or a later date, we are constructing rosters for today. As in, right now. Opening faceoff.

continue to read their picks...