Who will take ice for U.S. men in '18 Olympics?
Depending upon the outcome of negotiations between the NHL and International Olympic Committee, fans around the world could be paying more attention to North Dakota forward Brock Boeser than Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane in February of 2018.
Those tuning in to watch the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament might see Kontinental Hockey League player Ryan Zapolski in USA’s net, not NHL star Jonathan Quick. The American defense may be anchored by Charlie McAvoy, Matt Gilroy and James Wisniewski, not Seth Jones, Ryan Suter and Ryan McDonagh.
With 16 months to go before the 2018 Games in South Korea, it’s a toss-up whether NHL players will be given the league’s blessing to play there.
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NHL officials will be in South Korea next week to tour facilities to determine if the logistics are acceptable. The bigger issue is the IOC’s insistence that it will no longer contribute to travel and insurance costs for players.
That’s about a $10 million bill that the NHL is unwilling to absorb. NHL officials don’t believe they should pay to loan their talent to the IOC.
Because every country’s hockey federation needs a year to develop a Plan B, the NHL is on the clock when it comes to making its decision. Interested parties will meet in New York in November to discuss the situation. A decision is expected near Jan. 1.
If the NHL decides not to send its stars, the question then becomes whether it will let signed prospects go.
Would the Montreal Canadiens be allowed to let USA use their backup goalie Al Montoya for the Olympics? Could backup Scott Darling miss two starts for the Chicago Blackhawks to be America’s goalie?
The NHL has considerable power in determining who will play in South Korea. Here’s how Team USA might look like if NHL stars don’t go:
Goalies
Jon Gillies, Stockton Heat (AHL), Calgary Flames prospect
Ryan Zapolski, Jokerit in Kontinental Hockey League
Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina Checkers (AHL), Carolina Hurricanes prospect
Centers
Clayton Keller, Boston University, Arizona Coyotes first-round pick
Ryan Shannon, Zurich (Switzerland), former NHL player
Luke Kunin, Wisconsin, Minnesota Wild first-round pick
Ryan Stoa, KHL’s Moscow Spartak, played briefly in NHL with Washington and Colorado
Wings
Brock Boeser, North Dakota (NCAA), Vancouver Canucks first-round pick
Anders Bjork, Notre Dame (NCAA), Boston Bruins prospect
Tage Thompson, Connecticut (NCAA), St. Louis Blues first-round pick
Mark Arcobello, Bern (Switzerland), former NHL player
Steve Moses, St. Petersburg, Russia (KHL)
Colin White, Boston College (NCAA), Ottawa Senators first-round pick
Andy Miele, Lehigh Valley (AHL), Philadelphia Flyers prospect
Chris Bourque, Hershey (AHL), Washington Capitals prospect
Jeremy Morin, Syracuse (AHL), Tampa Bay Lightning prospect
Rocco Grimaldi, San Antonio (AHL), Colorado Avalanche prospect
Sonny Milano, Cleveland Monsters (AHL), Columbus Blue Jackets first-round pick
Brian O’Neill, Jokerit, Finland (KHL)
Matt Anderson, Djurgarden (Swedish Elite League)
Defense
Charlie McAvoy, Boston University (NCAA), Boston Bruins first-round pick
James Wisniewski, expected to sign in KHL, former NHL player
Matt Gilroy, Moscow Spartak (KHL), former NHL player
T.J. Brennan, Lehigh Valley (AHL), Philadelphia Flyers prospect
Cade Fairchild, Rogle BK (Swedish Elite League)
Jon Blum, Admiral Vladivostok (KHL), former NHL player
Will Borgen, St. Cloud State (NCAA), Buffalo Sabres prospect