2022 Olympics Plan B: Projecting Canada, U.S. rosters if NHLers don’t go to Beijing

Hockey fans are starting to realize that they may have to come to terms with the fact that the Olympic men’s hockey tournament we were expecting is looking less and less likely. If the NHL players do decide collectively to go, there’s still a good chance a number of players will opt out given the revelations of the possibility of stringent quarantine laws if a player tests positive while competing at the Olympics.

Not only that, but the players also wouldn’t get paid if they miss time due to such a quarantine.

Players have issued similar statements in recent days when asked by media. “It’s always an honor to represent your country and the Olympics makes it extra special, but [insert general concern about the possibility of having to stay in China for a longer period of time and how that has to be considered].”

I still think we see enough players go to hold a credible tournament in that scenario, but my confidence is dwindling. So what are the alternatives? That’s the real question going forward. If the NHL players don’t go, the hockey federations have to quickly adjust. This is an easier adjustment for the European federations than it would be for Canada or the United States, given that they’d be able to pull players from domestic leagues, but it’s still not ideal for them.

After USA Hockey named Bill Guerin, officially, as the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team GM, the organization’s assistant executive director John Vanbiesbrouck was asked about if there is a Plan B. He said that USA Hockey would plan to pull from the European pro and college ranks if such a situation was necessary, though the organization remains fully focused on NHL participation. So you’d be looking at a similar scenario from the 2018 Olympics.

Meanwhile, Hockey Canada may be one step ahead in that it has two teams of professionals playing in European hockey tournaments this month. Canada has teams at both the Channel One Cup in Russia and the Spengler Cup in Switzerland around Christmas. Those teams are almost exclusively players from European pro clubs. The Channel One Cup roster was announced last week and the Spengler Cup roster will be announced in the near future. That actually gives Canada two test events with their potential Plan B pool.

There are a couple of things to know. All Olympians must be vaccinated to participate in Beijing. We know almost all NHL players are vaccinated, but the status of others is not as readily available. Additionally, the World Anti-Doping Agency would have to clear players for participation as well.

In order to give you an idea of what we’re looking at. I decided to put together a couple of mock rosters for Hockey Canada and USA Hockey’s non-NHL Olympic entries. This is a really rough look, knowing that there’s a pretty wide-ranging and varied pool of players.

First up, let’s get a look at Canada. The team participating in the Channel One Cup is dotted with former NHL players and top-quality performers in Europe, especially from the KHL.

I used that roster as a bit of a guide, but also included some players I’d expect to be in the mix from other leagues, like the Swiss National League. I also included two NCAA players in Kent Johnson and Owen Power, who are due to play for Canada at the World Juniors. I have no sense that either would agree to go to the Olympics given that they returned to Michigan for a chance at a national title and would be taking even more time away from their club to attend the Olympics. Still, since they’d be in the selection pool and probably asked, I had to include them.

Keep in mind, Cale Makar made the very difficult decision to decline an invitation to play for Canada at the 2018 Olympics after already playing in the World Juniors that year. In hindsight, he probably made the right call.

So here’s my look at a potential Team Canada roster in the Plan B scenario, which includes players from the KHL (top league in Russia), DEL (top league Germany), NLA (top league in Switzerland) and SHL (top league in Sweden):

Forwards:
Corban Knight (KHL) – Ryan Spooner (KHL) – Jordan Weal (KHL)
Alexandre Grenier (NLA) – Tyler Graovac (KHL) – Daniel Audette (KHL)
Adam Tambellini (SHL) – Philippe Maillet (KHL) –– Josh Currie (KHL)
Landon Ferraro (DEL) – John Quenneville (NLA) – Christopher DiDomenico (NLA)
Kent Johnson (NCAA) – David Desharnais (NLA)

Defense:
Reece Scarlett (KHL) – Brandon Gormley (KHL)
Owen Power (NCAA) – Mat Robinson (KHL)
Eric Gelinas (SHL)  – Alex Grant (KHL)
Jason Demers (UFA)  – John Gilmour (KHL)

Goalies:
Eddie Pasquale (KHL)
Landon Bow (Czech)
Mat Tomkins (SHL)

Analysis: There’s a lot of former NHL players in there. If they managed to get one of or both of Power and Johnson, I think they have a chance to make some noise in the tournament. There are also a few other players on AHL-only deals that could make sense for this group.

Russia is going to boast the best depth because so many of its stars still play in the KHL, but this Canadian team could definitely compete in what would amount to a B pool tournament. There’s some good mix of size, grit and offense there. A ton of Canadians are playing and making good money in the KHL and will be familiar with the style of game needed to beat the European teams.

This tournament will be played on an NHL-sized surface, so that also is a benefit to the North Americans.

Now for a look at the U.S. We know that Team USA would probably bring a roster of European pros and College players. But they’d still need to get those players to agree to go as well. Most of the best American college players are going to be at the World Juniors. Would those players be willing to miss even more time with their respective teams, especially at a crucial point in the season for a very unlikely shot at an Olympic medal? It’s hard to say. But my guess is it will be hard to get cooperation from all of the best players you want.

Either way, this is the group that I came up with for the U.S. You’ll see a lot of familiar faces in terms of recent NHL draftees and several former NHL players.

Forwards
Brian O’Neill (KHL) – Jordan Schroeder (KHL) – Reid Boucher (KHL)
Kenny Agostino (KHL) – Matty Beniers (NCAA) – Jeremy Bracco (DEL)
Brendan Brisson (NCAA) – Thomas Bordeleau (NCAA) – Noah Cates (NCAA)
Parker Ford (NCAA) – Nick Shore (KHL) – Dan Sexton (KHL)
Nathan Smith (NCAA) – Ryan Stoa (DEL)

Defense:
Jake Sanderson (NCAA) – Brock Faber (NCAA)
David Warsofsky (DEL) – Ronnie Attard (NCAA)
John Ramage (DEL) – Zach Redmond (DEL)
Ryan Johnson (NCAA) – Steven Kampfer (KHL)

Goalies:
Strauss Mann (SHL)
Brandon Maxwell (DEL)
Pat Nagle (AHL)

Analysis: One thing USA Hockey learned from the last Olympics was to not shy away from youth. Its best players were Ryan Donato and Troy Terry, who were both current collegians in 2018. Those players in college are awfully close to making it to the NHL and playing NHL games. If you can get agreements from them to go, then I think we might see a good dose of NCAA players.

But getting enough to agree to go could be a real challenge, especially if there’s not much hope for a medal, which I’m not sure there would be against teams full of seasoned international pros.

The U.S. does not have as deep a pool of European professionals as Canada does, but there are plenty of former NHL talents like Zach Redmond, Steven Kampfer and David Warsofsky, among others. Additionally, Brian O’Neill and Jordan Schroeder are having fantastic KHL seasons. Those are guys that could make an Olympic impact in a very positive way.

Goaltending would probably end up being the biggest concern. Strauss Mann is having a spectacular season in the SHL after leaving Michigan a year early. My bet is an NHL team is going to be offering him a free agent deal at the end of the summer. Brandon Maxwell is the only goalie from the last Olympic entry that is still playing and Pat Nagle is on a minor league deal, but getting a lot of games in the AHL and ECHL this year.

With all due respect to the players included, Plan B rosters are tough to put together. They’re all pros and many are excellent players, but as you can see, it’s a long way away from the dream scenario of Connor McDavid vs. Auston Matthews on the Olympic stage.

The way the last week has gone, it seems like the excitement for a best-on-best Olympics with players like McDavid, Matthews, Draisaitl and so many more in their prime years, is fading. We can only hope things settle down over the next few weeks, otherwise our mock Plan B rosters may end up becoming the real ones.