World Cup of Hockey – Giordano, Hamilton, Backlund Left Off Rosters
By Traci Kay
The World Cup of Hockey starts on September 17th, 2016. The Calgary Flames are well represented, but not represented in the way they could be.
With four Flames players representing their countries during the World Cup of Hockey, it seems that some notable names from the Calgary crew were left off the list.
From the Calgary Flames, Michael Frolik will represent Team Czech Republic, Jyrki Jokipakka will play for Team Finland, and Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau will represent Team North America.
Team Canada
In terms of the Flames, Canada made some less than stellar decisions on defence. Recruiting Brent Burns, Shea Weber, and Drew Doughty was the right choice. They are some of the best defensemen in the league. But leaving out Mark Giordano or Dougie Hamilton could be a bad decision for the Canadian team.
Duncan Keith has pulled out of the WCH due to recuperation of his previous knee injury. In his place, Team Canada has put St. Louis Blues defenseman, Jay Bouwmeester on the roster. Bouwmeester notched only 3 goals in 72 games last season with the Blues and ended up with 19 points. Bouwmeester is a good defenseman, but his two-way game needs some work.
The veteran, Mark Giordano, would have been better suited to help Team Canada offensively. He has the experience and the points to back up his play. In 82 games during the 2015-2016 season, Giordano earned 21 goals and a total of 56 points. He’s a leader on and off the ice and he gets things done. Giordano is an impact player that always lets his opponents know he’s there.
23 year old Dougie Hamilton would have been a better choice to help Team Canada’s defensive lines. He was more of a presence on the ice last season than Bouwmeester was and he has the youthful exuberance that the St. Louis player is lacking. Hamilton lit it up with 43 points in 82 games last year with the Calgary Flames, which included 12 goals and 31 assists. He’s a big hitter, much like Bouwmeester. But, unlike Bouwmeester, Hamilton won’t shy away from pushing a guy off the puck and stealing a chance from the other team.
Team Sweden
Initially, Sweden left Mikael Backlund off their roster. Granted, Team Sweden is stacked with amazing players, but leaving Backlund off the list surprised a lot of Flames fans. During the 2015-2016 season, the Flames 27 year old forward made quite an impact with 21 goals and 24 assists (47 points) in 82 games. Even with such a talented lineup for Team Sweden, it’s still a disappointment to see that Backlund was not included.
This edition of the World Cup of Hockey seems to defy logic when it comes to choosing players to represent each country. The only team that makes complete sense is Team North America. With a roster full of young, eager, hard-working players, Team NA will make a bigger impact at this tournament than some have predicted.
You can find all information on the World Cup of Hockey players/rosters on NHL.com.