Inside College Hockey | 2004 World Cup

May 19, 2004
The World Cup Runneth Amok

USA Hockey announces the players who will comprise the country's roster for this summer's World Cup Thursday. We couldn't wait, however, so the INCH staff put its heads together and compiled its selections for the U.S. team.

You'll see some familiar names on our list, but we went out on a limb and tabbed some fresh faces, too. And as always, the college ranks are heavily represented. See if you agree with our choices.

GOALTENDERS
Player	NHL Team	Statistics
Ty Conklin	Edmonton	17-14-4, 2.42, .917
Robert Esche	Philadelphia	21-11-7, 2.04, .915
Rick DiPietro	N.Y. Islanders	23-18-5, 2.36, .911
American goaltending is only slightly more impressive than, say, American table tennis, although it's good enough to give Team USA a shot at the World Cup title. Esche, the only one still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, has to be the favorite to start, with a couple of Hockey East alums behind him. Two years ago we would have had Ryan Miller in this mix, but as DiPietro could tell him, sometimes it takes goalies a little while to develop.
DEFENSEMEN
Player	NHL Team	Statistics
Chris Chelios	Detroit	69 GP, 2-19—21
Hal Gill	Boston	82 GP, 2-7—9
Sean Hill	Carolina	80 GP, 13-26—39
Brian Leetch	Toronto	72 GP, 15-36—51
Jordan Leopold	Calgary	82 GP, 9-24—22
Paul Martin	New Jersey	70 GP, 6-18—24
Brian Rafalski	New Jersey	69 GP, 6-30—36
Mathieu Schneider	Detroit	78 GP, 14-32—46
The times, they are a-changin' on the blue line for the U.S. Two years ago in Salt Lake City, venerable defensemen such as Chelios, Phil Housley and Gary Suter were key performers. Chelios is still hanging around but the 2006 Olympics will likely be his swan song. Brian Rafalski leads the new breed of American defensemen – smaller, mobile skaters who don't shirk their responsibilities in their own end. Former Michigan State star John-Michael Liles, now with the Colorado Avalanche, fits that mold and will likely be a fixture on future U.S. teams.
FORWARDS
Player	NHL Team	Statistics
Tony Amonte	Philadelphia	80 GP, 20-33—53
Craig Conroy	Calgary	63 GP, 8-39—47
Chris Drury	Buffalo	76 GP, 18-35—53
Scott Gomez	New Jersey	80 GP, 14-56—70
Bill Guerin	Dallas	82 GP, 34-35—69
Brett Hull	Detroit	81 GP, 25-43—68
Steve Konowalchuk	Colorado	82 GP, 19-21—40
John LeClair	Philadelphia	75 GP, 23-32—55
Mike Modano	Dallas	76 GP, 14-30—44
Jeremy Roenick	Philadelphia	62 GP, 19-28—47
Brian Rolston	Boston	82 GP, 19-29—48
Keith Tkachuk	St. Louis	75 GP, 33-38—71
Doug Weight	St. Louis	75 GP, 14-51—65
Mike York	Edmonton	61 GP, 16-26—42
Where have we seen these names before? Every U.S. international team since, oh, 1988 it seems like. But the old guard keeps producing, for the most part, and the one who didn’t this year – Modano – is arguably Team USA’s best pure talent. Younger college guys like York and Conroy lend some new blood to the Amontes, Hulls, Guerins and LeClairs of the world, along with some much-needed two-way play. Others who might get a sniff include Erik Cole (Clarkson), Ryan Malone (St. Cloud State) and Jeff Halpern (Princeton).