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Olympic Preview 2022
No NHLers? No problem. The 2022 Olympics are packed with intriguing storylines, and we've got you covered with previews of both the women's and men's tournaments. In addition, this issue is packed with star power with features on Alex Ovechkin, Auston Matthews, Cale Makar, Sahsa Barkov and much, much more.
NO NHLERS? WORKS FOR US
GERMANY ENJOYED A magical run to the gold-medal game at the 2018 Olympics. It would’ve been reduced to minnow status in 2022 with full NHL participation, but now it has a chance to contend for a medal again. Leon Draisaitl’s absence leaves a superstar-sized hole in Germany’s lineup, but it won’t be devoid of firepower up front. His former world-junior and Edmonton Oilers teammate Dominik Kahun will play a prominent top-six role on either wing. The go-to German forwards are center Marcel Noebels and left winger Matthias Plachta. Noebels has been named the German League’s player of the year two seasons running and was battling for the 2021-22 scoring crown. He was part of the silver-medal team in 2018, as was Plachta, one of the better playmakers in the DEL. The…
ROLE REVERSAL
NOT AT ANY POINT in the history of women’s hockey at the Olympics has Canada entered the tournament as an underdog. However, the Canadians have arrived at each Olympics since 2006 playing second fiddle to a United States outfit that had won gold at the World Championship in the year leading up to the best-on-best event. That is not so this time around. Despite sitting second in the IIHF rankings to the Americans, a victory at the 2021 World Championship in Calgary has Canada, for the first time since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, arriving at the tournament as the reigning gold medallists at the worlds. On paper, that will provide Canada little advantage. But in effect, the World Championship triumph will allow an already confident club to stand a bit…
THE RESOLVE OF A SHARPSHOOTER
IF IT HAD BEEN UP TO Andrew Mangiapane, he wouldn’t have heard his name called at the 2015 draft. That’s not to say he had no interest in being selected. Quite the contrary. But Mangiapane’s painstaking experience at the NHL’s annual prospect cattle call the year prior had left its scars. He had been encouraged to attend in 2014 only to make his way to Philadelphia to sit idly by and watch, one by one, as 210 names were called out, not one of which was his. IT’S TOUGH. BUT WHEN MY NAME WAS SELECTED, ALL THOSE THOUGHTS WENT OUT THE WINDOW– Andrew Mangiapane It’s not so difficult, then, to understand why Mangiapane had little interest in going through it again. The sour taste left in his mouth – “pretty pissed-off feeling,” as…
A LONG WAY UP FROM BOTTOM
MUCH HAS BEEN made about China’s participation in this tournament, including a potential exclusion due to a lack of quality talent and uncertain player eligibility. China currently sits 32nd in the IIHF rankings, most recently playing in the Div. II-A tourney in 2019 – the fourth-highest IIHF event. China hasn’t played a proper national-team game since then, with most of that group made up of homegrown talent instead of other naturalized personnel. Former Calgary Flames prospect Spencer Foo has been the best player on Chinese KHL outfit Kunlun, while former Colorado Avalanche winger Brandon Yip will play an integral part in the team’s leadership core. Secondary scoring, if there is any, will have to come from Tyler Wong and Parker Foo, two players with big North American experience. Jake Chelios – the…
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