USA TODAY International Edition
Collegians have golden opportunity
Today’s young American hockey players have grown up believing the dream of playing in the Olympics before turning pro happens only in movies.
“I watched Miracle, and that’s how it used to be,” University of Denver player Troy Terry said. “It was pretty cool. That’s a little different than the Olympics I’ve grown up watching.”
Because the NHL has allowed its players to compete in the Olympics since 1998, Terry has only known Olympic hockey as an NHL event. But Terry and his fellow college players, plus those with minor league- only contracts or Americans playing professionally in Europe, suddenly have Olympic opportunities that were not there a year ago.
Although USA Hockey officials would prefer to have NHL players competing in February at the Games in Pyeongchang, their expectations haven’t changed.
“We look at it like we will be able to compete with anybody there,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey assistant executive director of hockey operations.
USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said the uniqueness of the American program, with its strong college programs, gives the Americans an advantage that other countries don’t have. “We have some 21- and 22- year- olds who are high- end players who we are going to see in the NHL sooner rather than later,” Kelleher said. “No other country has that type of player available to them.”
Kelleher said the absence of NHL players means a tighter, more wide- open event. “This tournament could highlight each country’s depth, and we think we have greater depth than we’ve ever had,” Kelleher said.
Because the NHL won’t allow any player with a league contract ( including those with two- way contracts who get sent to minors) to compete, every country is in the same position of having to fill Olympic rosters with non- NHL players.
Outside the NHL, there are roughly 200 Americans playing pro hockey in other countries every season. The Americans, who expect to name a coach in early August, haven’t built an Olympic roster, but there are leading candidates to make the team.
Former NHL player and Connecticut native Mark Arcobello, 28, finished second in goals ( 25) and first in points ( 55) in the Swiss National League last season. Former NHL player Drew Shore, 26, a Denver native, scored 24 goals in the Swiss league.
Career minor leaguer Andy Miele, signed to play in Sweden this season, also will get a look.
Another strong forward candidate: Chris Bourque, son of Hall of Famer Raymond Bourque. He is on an AHL- only contract and totaled 77 goals over his last three NHL seasons. Likewise, Michigan native Chris Conner, a veteran of 180 NHL games, is on an AHLonly contract. He has topped 50 points in each of his last three AHL seasons.
A host of former NHL defensemen — including Matt Gilroy ( Russia), Dylan Reese ( Sweden), Noah Welch ( Sweden), Mike Lundin ( Switzerland) and Jon Blum ( Russia) — are playing in Europe and considered potential Olympians.
“Some NHL depth defensemen go over to Europe and play topfour over there,” Johannson said. “They know how to play the position and how to defend. They are hard to play against. They know how to keep your team in the game.”
Experience on defense will be critical, Johannson said.
“Most of the dynamic offensive players are in the NHL,” Johannson said. “I think it’s going to be low- scoring hockey. We are going to try to keep games under control.”
Johannson isn’t sure how many college players will be chosen, but he thinks select college players can potentially have as much of an impact as a European pro. “We have taken college players to the world championships, and they have played totally fine for us,” he said.
Terry, Harvard’s Ryan Donato and Boston University’s Jordan Greenway are among the college players who will be considered. Johannson said the USA will need college players versatile enough to play a variety of roles. Those three fit that description.
Johannson didn’t play in the NHL, but he was a high- caliber minor league player and represented the USA in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.
Terry, a scoring forward at Denver, understands that fans like to see NHLers in the Olympics, but he thinks there is something to be said about the old way of allowing the Olympics to be for dreamers.
“This opportunity is pretty special,” said Terry, a 2015 fifthround pick of the Anaheim Ducks. “And it would be cool to have it as a goal for kids before they turn pro.”
Former NHL player Ted Donato was Johannson’s teammate on the 1992 U. S. Olympic squad, and 25 years later his son is an Olympic candidate.
“( My dad) is humble about his hockey past. He doesn’t like to talk about it,” Ryan Donato said. “But he has talked about how great his experiences were with USA Hockey and that one of his greatest experiences was playing in the Olympics.”
Ryan Donato said he would be honored to be chosen. “Wearing a USA jersey is not something I will ever take for granted,” he said. “When I think about the Olympics, what pops up for me is my cousin Tyler ( McLees) who is serving in the U. S. Army. He seems to get so excited when I say I have a chance represent the USA.”
McLees is a West Point graduate. “Obviously, his experience serving his country is far different,” Donato said. “But just to represent USA would connect me with him and something that I would hold closely to me the rest of my life.”