Nate Leaman, who will lead the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), said winning the tournament for the second year in a row would be a big achievement, but that’s not what motivates mainly Americans.
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“It’s something that’s always there, a possibility that’s in our thoughts,” Leaman admitted. But we didn’t win last year (at WJC 2021) by talking about it every day. We won gold by preparing and working, and that’s what we’re focused on right now. We’re going to play well in the tournament if we prepare well, and that’s mainly where we put our efforts. »
WJC 2022 will be held August 9-20 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from December 26 to January 5, but was postponed after four days of action when the United States, Czechia and Russia forfeited preliminary-round matches because players had tested positive for COVID-19. The results of the December matches will not be counted when the tournament is resumed.
The United States will be with Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and Austria in Group B in the preliminary round. Canada, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia and Latvia will make up Group A.
The United States have won the WJC five times (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021), but have never won gold two years in a row. Canada is the last team to win back-to-back tournaments by winning each edition of the WJC between 2005 and 2009.
Leaman will enter his 12th season as coach at Providence College in 2022-23. He reached the Frozen Four twice and won the NCAA championship in 2015.
Four players from the 2021 edition are part of the WJC 2022 roster: forwards Brett Berard (New York Rangers) and Landon Slaggert (Chicago Blackhawks) as well as defensemen Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) and Tyler Kleven (Ottawa Senators). the attacker Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken) and defender Jake Sanderson (Senators) also participated in WJC 2021 and they took part in the tournament in December, but they will not play when the tournament resumes. Instead, they chose to prepare for their NHL training camp.
“We haven’t talked about the players who aren’t here,” Leaman said. I’m proud of the guys we have. They all want to represent their country. They are playing for their country and they are going to be a tough team. »
Leaman discussed the tournament, his expectations and the players who could have a big impact with NHL.com.
Did you struggle to put your roster together and how important is it to you to have four players back?
“Our WJC 2023 squad was at camp for WJC 2022 (July 24-August 3), so many of these players were here simply because they are part of the 2023 squad. Having both squads there was very pleasant, because we could see that some players really belong to our group. It was an interesting process. It was difficult to lead two camps, but it was good to have the other group and to be able to evaluate these players. As for our returning players, they’ve been to the tournament before and they’ve had success there, so they’ll be leaders for us. »
Will goaltenders be the biggest question mark as the tournament approaches? Who are the favorites at the moment?
“We have two players in Kaidan Mbereko (2023 draft eligible) and Andrew Oke (Detroit Red Wings) who stood out during camp. These two players participated in our pre-tournament games in Edmonton before the start of the tournament. We will make a decision after these matches. »
Was there a player who surprised you during camp?
“Goalkeeper Andrew Oke surprised us. None of us knew much about him. He has played very good hockey so far with Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). For a player who joined our camp at the very end when we knew [le gardien] Drew Commesso (Blackhawks) was not going to be here, he represents a very positive element. »
Do you have an idea of who you will play in the center? Can you tell us your top-6 in attack?
“Our five centers will probably be Dominic James (Blackhawks), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes), Thomas Bordeleau (San Jose Sharks), Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible) and Redmond Savage (Red Wings). We tried a lot of combinations in attack. The top-6 could be made up of Bordeleau, Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs), Matt Coronato (Calgary Flames) and Cooley. Carter Mazur (Red Wings), Mackie Samoskevich (Florida Panthers) and Slaggert are also part of the lot. »
The United States will win the World Juniors for the second year in a row if…
“We are relentless. Our team will have to be united, play as a team and stop at nothing. They will constantly have to come back to the charge. »
You’re entering your 12th season as a coach at Providence. Do you see yourself in the college ranks forever or are you open to other opportunities?
“I’m always listening. As I said last year, you are always inspired by what is being done at the highest level. »
Photos : Mike Caples, USA Hockey
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