Can USA Hockey get more elite players to go to the IIHF World Championship?

Less than an hr aft the United States mislaid to Canada successful overtime of the 4 Nations Face-Off title game, Detroit Red Wings skipper Dylan Larkin was asked astir the maturation of American hockey and what lies ahead.

"You cognize what I deliberation it does? I deliberation we've had a pugnacious clip with USA Hockey getting guys to play successful the World Championships," said Larkin, a five-time World Championships participant. "I deliberation guys are astatine location watching this and I anticipation they are wanting a portion of this.

"They gotta spell to the World Championships and beryllium themselves and play for their country. We gotta commencement winning that tournament. I deliberation that's wherever Canada, those guys spell and they play."

Larkin's words person since sparked a treatment astir 1 of the largest challenges facing the nation's governing assemblage for the athletics arsenic it tries to go the world's strongest men's hockey power. Getting determination means having an concern that goes beyond marquee events specified arsenic the 4 Nations Face-Off oregon the Olympics, and it each starts with however players respect information successful the IIHF Men's World Championships.

The enactment squad astatine USA Hockey person heard oregon work astir what Larkin said, arsenic person his peers successful the NHL. But a spread persists successful getting each of those peers to bargain in.

ESPN spoke to 10 sources, including players and management, astir wherefore it's been a conflict for USA Hockey to get much top-level NHL players to enactment astatine the World Championships. And portion this year's variation presents a imaginable way toward a subordinate making a lawsuit for the Olympics roster adjacent February, determination are those who consciousness that shouldn't beryllium the lone information to play for Team USA.

"We person to rebuild our civilization that the tourney is important and it should beryllium much important than it is for our players," said Minnesota Wild wide manager Bill Guerin, who was Team USA's GM for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and volition besides negociate the 2026 Olympic team. "The excuses that I perceive for guys not going over, they're not bully enough. We request guys to spell over. We privation to effort to commencement winning much often than we do, and we request our champion players to see going over.

"I cognize there's real-life situations. I cognize there's injuries. I cognize there's contracts. But immoderate of the excuses I've heard? Quite honestly, they're not bully enough."

THE AMERICAN HOCKEY LANDSCAPE has changed dramatically since erstwhile Guerin and John Vanbiesbrouck, who is the adjunct enforcement manager for hockey operations for USA Hockey, were successful the NHL.

Neither of them were calved erstwhile the U.S. won its 2nd World Championship on with its archetypal Olympic golden medal successful 1960. They were youths erstwhile the "Miracle On Ice" squad made up of amateur players bushed the Soviet Union earlier winning America's 2nd hockey golden astatine the 1980 Olympics.

Initially, the yearly World Championships tourney was constricted to amateur players arsenic well, but the IIHF allowed professionals to enactment starting successful 1977. The IIHF's determination came successful the aftermath of the Canada Cup, a six-team tourney featuring pro players that was held 5 times betwixt 1976 and 1991.

Eventually, the Canada Cup was replaced by the World Cup of Hockey successful 1996. The NHL past allowed its players to enactment successful the Olympics starting successful 1998.

This created opportunities for players specified arsenic Guerin and Vanbiesbrouck to correspond the U.S. passim their nonrecreational careers. It besides presented a opposition successful presumption of however rosters were constructed.

For example, Vanbiesbrouck represented the U.S. astatine the World Championships 4 times and was connected 2 Canada Cup teams. He made the roster for some tournaments successful 1991. The U.S. roster for the World Championships that twelvemonth had 10 players younger than 23 portion the Canada Cup squad had lone 4 players younger than 23.

While Guerin ne'er played astatine the Worlds, helium represented the U.S. astatine 3 Olympics and doubly astatine the World Cup of Hockey. Guerin was portion of the gold-medal winning squad astatine the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and the silver-medal winning squad astatine the 2002 Olympics. Team USA's median property erstwhile Guerin played was 30.

"Our expectations person changed," Vanbiesbrouck said. "Whenever idiosyncratic wears the jersey, there's a definite expectation. There's an constituent of nationalist pridefulness to deterioration a jersey, to grant the emblem and grant those radical who came earlier you. It's a large constituent successful our game."

One point that helped with elevating those expectations was the creation of the United States National Team Development Program successful 1996. The NTDP became an incubator for the nation's premier U18 and U17 antheral players.

Prior to the NTDP, the U.S. had medaled lone doubly -- with a brace of bronze-place finishes -- astatine the IIHF U20 World Junior Championships. The NTDP has since played an instrumental relation successful the U.S. establishing itself arsenic a WJC powerhouse. Team USA has captured 7 golden medals since 2010 and won its 2nd consecutive gold earlier this year.

play

1:02

USA wins satellite inferior hockey rubric connected Teddy Stiga's aureate goal

Teddy Stiga nets the winning extremity successful overtime arsenic the United States tops Finland to triumph the satellite inferior hockey title for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row.

Between the NTDP producing 98 first-round picks and the occurrence astatine the World Juniors, it created the proposal that USA Hockey should beryllium capable to easy enlistee players to correspond the nation. That overmuch was evident aft the 4 Nations Face-Off, and it's portion of wherefore the U.S. is considered to beryllium 1 of the front-runners for golden astatine the 2026 Olympics.

"A batch of guys went done the NTDP and adjacent coming present for 2 weeks, it was the closest radical I've been around," Columbus Blue Jackets and Team USA defenseman Zach Werenski said aft the 4 Nations Face-Off. "It was awesome being present for 2 weeks and it was truthful overmuch amusive being astir these guys. Everyone bought in. I deliberation that's a testament to what USA Hockey is doing from younger ages connected close now.

"We expect to win. We expect to beryllium successful golden medal games and to beryllium successful these positions against Canada and the champion teams."

Players similar Larkin and Werenski person a antithetic acquisition compared to those who came earlier them. Fewer planetary opportunities existed, due to the fact that the NHL didn't let players to enactment successful the Olympics successful 2018 oregon 2022, portion determination person been lone 2 World Cups (2004, 2016) since the archetypal 1 successful 1996.

It near the World Championships arsenic the superior accordant enactment that could travel adjacent to replicating those best-on-best tournaments. But adjacent arsenic the request for planetary hockey grows, determination remains a disconnect erstwhile it comes to U.S. players and the World Championships.

The timing of the World Championships could beryllium a factor. This year's tourney runs from May 9 done May 25, which is simultaneous to the 2nd circular and league finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This limits the subordinate excavation to those whose teams didn't suffice for the playoffs, oregon who were eliminated successful the archetypal round.

"It's the clip of twelvemonth erstwhile everyone's truly looking for a break, and to spell for a month, springiness it your each and sacrifice? It's a batch for players," Vanbiesbrouck said. "Most of the guys successful the NHL are household guys, which we tin each appreciate. Another is with the hep injuries that are happening today, they request a full summertime to recuperate and there's truthful galore important injuries present that instrumentality specified a agelong clip that we understand. But I deliberation that's a large factor."

WINNIPEG JETS DUO Connor Hellebuyck and Nikolaj Ehlers correspond conscionable however overmuch otherwise the World Championships are viewed successful the United States compared to the remainder of the world.

Hellebuyck grew up successful Commerce Township, Mich., which is simply a 45-minute thrust from the NTDP's headquarters. He grew up watching the Detroit Red Wings and went to games. He watched American-born players specified arsenic chap goalie Jimmy Howard, who helium idolized.

But helium archetypal learned astir the tourney arsenic a 21-year-old who had conscionable finished his archetypal AHL play successful 2015, erstwhile helium received a telephone from USA Hockey asking him to articulation the squad for the World Championships.

"When USA Hockey called, it was cool. It was a chill experience," Hellebuyck said. "The much I did it, the much I started to recognize it is for the acquisition and it's for the young feline trying to get better. It's not for the seasoned unless helium wants to travel, unless helium wants to spot the satellite oregon helium wants to play a small much hockey."

American-born players similar Hellebuyck often turn up associating hockey successful May with the Stanley Cup playoffs. Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals and the PGA Championship, among galore different sporting events, are besides going connected astatine that time. Having that galore options plays into the deficiency of visibility.

Compare that to Ehlers. He grew up successful Aalborg, Denmark wherever determination was a pro hockey team, but thing similar the NHL. As a nation, Denmark has astir 5,000 registered hockey players. But it hosted the World Championships for the archetypal clip successful 2018, and had the eighth-highest full attendance successful tourney history. Denmark volition co-host this year's tourney successful May with Sweden.

In Europe, the World Championships person go a tentpole lawsuit wrong the European sporting scenery successful nations specified arsenic Czechia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, location of the IIHF's headquarters. Last year's tourney successful Czechia acceptable a caller tourney full attendance grounds of 797,727 fans. Five of the 10 astir attended tournaments person travel since 2010, nary of which were successful North America.

The U.S has hosted the tourney 3 times -- with the astir caller coming successful 1962, erstwhile it was hosted successful Colorado Springs and Denver. Canada, which has won the tourney a grounds 28 times, has hosted the World Championships conscionable once, backmost successful 2008.

Vanbiesbrouck said determination haven't been immoderate discussions passim his clip with USA Hockey astir trying to big the event, adding that helium would similar to situation the presumption quo and "be capable to accidental that we could bash this."

Ehlers, who played successful his archetypal Worlds successful 2016, said the tourney has specified a reverence successful Europe that fans volition question to enactment their respective homelands. But for nations specified arsenic Denmark, Ehlers said the Worlds supply them a accidental to amusement they bash belong.

"To beryllium capable to person had the magnitude of NHL players that we've had implicit years and the mode that we've gone astatine The Olympics, they reached the quarterfinals astatine the past Olympics," said Ehlers, who is 1 of 17 Danes to play successful the NHL. "We've beaten Canada and Sweden and teams similar that. We spell retired determination to effort to beryllium we are not a tiny hockey state adjacent though we are successful the large picture."

Or arsenic Guerin said: "Because it matters to them. It's important and it needs to beryllium important for us."

WHAT CAN USA HOCKEY bash to get much NHL players to play astatine the Worlds?

Guerin said that the enactment has developed a programme allowing players to bring their household members and/or friends to Europe for the tournament. Vanbiesbrouck added that it's thing they've evolved aft observing what Canada had with its program.

Utah Hockey Club manager Andre Tourigny -- Canada's manager for the past 2 cycles -- said Hockey Canada created a household environment. He said bringing families implicit for the tourney means there's a accidental for them to stock what it means to beryllium successful a antithetic portion of the world. But erstwhile it's clip to play, those idiosyncratic families past make their ain assemblage contempt being thousands of miles distant from home.

"Admittedly, USA Hockey has had to bash a amended occupation of getting the radical and bringing them implicit with a definite modular and they've done that," Guerin said. "The past small portion they've stepped up to the sheet and made it a amended acquisition for the players, their wives and their families. It tin conscionable beryllium a large accidental to play for your country. Hopefully, we commencement to spot much guys consciousness the value of that tournament."

Wild guardant Matt Boldy said that Guerin and others wrong USA Hockey person done a beardown occupation of emphasizing wherefore the World Championships matter, and however they utilized it successful their process for creating Team USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

Boldy said helium viewed going to the World Championships arsenic a accidental to amusement however helium could beryllium counted upon playing successful a antithetic strategy successful planetary play. Especially erstwhile helium saw different nations bring much of their champion players to the tournament.

A two-time World Championship squad member, Boldy got a accidental to larn from Johnny Gaudreau and Brock Nelson, 2 players helium grew up watching. While Boldy learned from them connected the ice, helium besides got a accidental to cognize them arsenic people, which helium said helped erstwhile it came to establishing a dynamic with teammates.

"I deliberation the much that we tin get our USA guys determination playing together, comfy with each different ... it conscionable makes things easier truthful successful tournaments similar the 4 Nations, it makes that modulation smoother," Boldy said. "It's a large tournament. Every state wants to triumph it including the U.S. If we tin get our biggest guys determination and everyone benignant of spends that other clip together, it could mean a lot."

Guerin and Vanbiesbrouck said that they person heard from the agents of American players who missed retired connected the 4 Nations Face-Off astir wanting to beryllium progressive successful the Olympics. Vanbiesbrouck said that the 4 Nations lawsuit besides made older players recognize that the 2026 Olympics mightiness beryllium their last accidental to play for Team USA.

"It's 1 of those things wherever if you privation to beryllium successful 1 of those tournaments and participate, then, beryllium a portion of it," Guerin said. "Don't beryllium a portion of it erstwhile you privation to beryllium a portion of it. A batch of the guys we've had person gone to the World Championships and done that. If you privation to person a amended changeable of thing similar the 4 Nations and the Olympics, assistance america successful different areas. We request it. It's not conscionable trying to triumph the 4 Nations oregon The Olympics.

"The World Championships spell connected each twelvemonth and we privation to effort to triumph it. That's the bottommost line."