Well, there’s only one day until the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics so now would be a great time to have a look at Team USA’s chances in the ice hockey.

There has been a lot of talk over this year’s hockey squad.  For the most part, this year’s team is pretty young and has no Olympic experience.

The offense is comprised of players like Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, and Bobby Ryan.  All four are under the age of 26, but they’ve proven that they can compete with veterans in the NHL as each has been helping their teams through the NHL standings.  Patrick Kane in particular has made a splash in Chicago by not only helping the Blackhawks to the top of the rankings but also making them into real Stanley Cup contenders for the first time in years.  Though, there is some question about whether these young superstars will be able to keep up on an international level.  They’re facing some tough competition, but my guess is that veterans like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury will be able to give the offense some of the leadership it needs in order to do well.

The defense is also largely made up of youngsters with Erik Johnson, Ryan Suter, and Ryan Whitney.  Though there seems to be more of a balance with players like Brian Rafalski, Michael Komisarek, and Paul Martin rounding out the lines.  Not only is it a good combination of youth and experience, but many of these players know how to shoot.  They’re going to give any offense a pretty tough game.   I’m happy to say that the USA has defensive coverage where it’s needed most: in the net.  This is the first year in a long time that the team has some great goaltenders.  Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas will be minding the net, and both have been league leaders in the NHL and make an excellent team.

Overall, the team is a bit inexperienced when it comes to offense, which may put some pressure on the defense to pick up the slack, though if the youngsters can follow the lead of those with more Olympic experience, they should do all right.  They are certainly contenders for a medal, perhaps even the gold.

And, let’s not discount the Women as they are definite medal favorites.  The women’s Team USA is sporting a much more balanced team with 12 first time Olympians, but with Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Potter, Julie Chu, and Natalie Darwitz returning there is plenty of leadership among these ladies.  Jessie Vetter is sitting in the net, who helped the USA team win gold in the 2009 Worlds.  Overall, a very strong team.

This year, the team to beat is going to be Canada for both the men and the women.  The Canadians have the best balance both with the forwards and defense, though don’t discount Russia for the men.  The forwards are packing some heat with NHL superstars like Alex Ovechkin and Evengi Malkin.

It’s going to be a great year for ice hockey.  Don’t forget to check it out when the action gets underway on February 13 for the women and February 16 for the men (schedules are below).  And visit BetUS to put down a wager as they will be offering odds throughout the competition.  Check it out before the game get started on February 12.

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