HELSINKI – The last time the Americans won a medal was at the 2004 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic. With some prominent first-time World Championship participants the Americans are ready to make some noise in Helsinki.
 
Goal
 
Team USA has three strong goaltenders to choose from in Helsinki. Two are coming off impressive NHL campaigns and another who’s represented his country on the international level. Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard is in Helsinki and figures to play a key role for the Americans. Howard is a starting goaltender capable of carrying the load, should he have to throughout the tournament. In three full seasons with Detroit, Howard has registered 109 wins. As a collegiate player, Howard starred for the University of Maine Black Bears.

Richard Bachman may also see some time. Bachman’s season has been a revelation. After injuries and inconsistency plagued the Dallas Stars goaltending, Bachman was given a chance and earned the job as the Stars’ backup goaltender. John Curry will be making his national team debut. He was a member of Team USA entries at the 2007 (where the Americans finished as runner-up) and 2011 Deutschland Cups in Germany.
 
Defence
 
Jack Johnson has represented the U.S. at both the Olympics and World Championships. He is arguably the team’s most talented defenceman but undeniably its leader. Johnson should see a lot of ice time, also on special teams. Johnson scored a career-high 12 goals splitting time between the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets. At the 2009 World Championship, where the Americans finished 4th, Johnson scored five goals. Prior to the start of the tournament, Team USA named Johnson team captain.

Cam Fowler, in his second season with Anaheim, saw his goal scoring dip from 10 to five but played all 82 games. At 20, he’s still among the most promising young defenceman in the National Hockey League. This marks his second World Championship experience and he should continue to improve with time.

Alex Goligoski’s inclusion will help, particularly on the power play. Goligoski capped his first full season with the Dallas Stars after being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins by scoring nine goals and 30 points. He was also a member of the Penguins 2008-09 Stanley Cup team.

In his rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Justin Faulk scored 8 goals and earned a regular spot in the lineup. No stranger to international play, Faulk played in both the U18 and U20 tournaments for the Americans in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Jeff Petry, Chris Butler and Justin Braun round out the defence. They are all making their men’s senior World Championship debut.
 
Forward
 
There are several young guns that Team USA will rely on throughout the tournament but upon further review, the Americans have an incredible amount of depth to accompany scoring at the forward position.

Leading the way will be 30-goal scorers Bobby Ryan and Max Pacioretty, who scored 31 and 33 goals respectively. Ryan at 25 is a four-time 30+ goal scorer. Kyle Okposo rebounded nicely from a shoulder injury in 2010-11 to enjoy a solid 24 goal, 45-point season. Okposo is the type of player you can put into most situations. He can play on one of the top lines and special teams. Energy and role players like Patrick Dwyer, Joey Crabb and Justin Abdelkader add depth upfront. Tampa Bay teammates Nate Thompson and J.T. Brown also made the cut.

The story in Helsinki is Ryan Lasch, who is one of two Americans playing in Europe on the squad (John Curry is the other). Lasch was a member of the Deutschland Cup team and was the leading regular-season scorer in Finland’s SM-Liiga with 62 points and also the leading playoff scorer with 16 points. Not bad, for the 25-year-old Lake Forest, California native.

Jim Slater had a breakout campaign with the Winnipeg Jets, scoring career-high 13 goals. Cam Atkinson was a prolific scorer with Boston College and upon his call up from the minors enjoyed a fine stint with Columbus. He scored 7 goals and 14 points in 27 games.
 
Coaching
 
Gordon has been a fixture within USA Hockey. Scott Gordon makes his third consecutive appearance behind the USA bench. He was an assistant coach on the silver medal-winning 2010 Winter Olympic USA Hockey team and an assistant coach for the 2009 U.S. Men’s National Team. Gordon began his coaching career at the age of 32 when he took the reins with the Atlanta Knights in 1996. Gordon thrived as a head coach with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League from 2002-2008.

He earned his first and only NHL opportunity to date when the coached the New York Islanders almost three seasons. Currently, Gordon is an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a player, he represented the USA at the 1991 World Championship and 1992 Winter Olympics.
 
Projected Results
 
This Team USA entry has a good mix of grinders, scorers and talented blueliners. Add to that strong goaltending and the recipe exists for the Americans to contend for a medal. What is very encouraging about this roster is the relative youth here. Say what you will about who’s available and not here, but look at those who are among the core contributors who do. Kyle Okposo third time in a USA World Championship jersey; this will be Jack Johnson’s fifth time. Team USA has the chance to seriously compete for a medal. As always, taking on Canada will be a test as to how this team matches up in the tournament. And this year is no different.
 
JOHN SANFUL