NHL Network’s Dave Starman talks World Junior Championships and Team USA

The day after Christmas is often referred to as ‘Boxing Day’ but for the hockey community it is also known as the start of the World Junior Championships.

This year is no different as the 2019 edition of the World Junior Championships kicks off on Dec. 26^th in both Victoria and Vancouver. The U.S. team, which just spent three days training in Everett will be in action on Boxing Day, in Victoria, as they kick off the tournament against Slovakia.

Team USA will be looking to earn a fourth straight medal in the tournament and are considered one of the five power countries who all are in the mix for gold.

The tournament will be televised, and Seattle area hockey fans can watch on the NHL Network. If you’ve never taken in the World Juniors, or don’t have the NHL Network as part of your cable package, the network is offering a free preview staring Dec. 21^st and running through Jan. 7^th for Comcast, Cox and RCN customers.

Dave Starman will be providing the color commentary for the NHL Network for all of Team USA’s games during the tournament. This will be Starman’s 11^th season covering the tournament and he has vast experience as a hockey commentator as well as working as an NHL Scout.

We caught up with him prior to him heading out to Victoria to watch and comment on Team USA’s quest for gold:

The World Junior Championships are a much bigger draw in Canada than it has historically been in the United States. What makes this tournament a must watch for hockey fans?

“This tournament features future number one overall picks, this tournament features future Hall-Of-Famers, the future of the national hockey league and its elite level stars for the next decade,” Starman says. “If you take a look at all the great players in the NHL, I guarantee you, if you look at the rosters of the All-Star teams over the last decade, 90-percent of those players played in this tournament.”

The U.S. squad is loaded, and the Americans are in the mix for a  fourth straight medal in 2019. Who does Starman think are some of the key players for Team USA?

“Number one, I think they have a really good quiet, poised leader in Ryan Poehling out of St. Cloud State. Ryan was a first-round pick for Montreal and is a player that has developed a lot of composure because he’s played in what, arguably, could be the best college hockey conference in the country…He’s played against top competition the last couple seasons at the NCAA level and has been through the rigors of this kind of grind and has played in this tournament before.

“When you look at the defensive corps, Quinn Hughes jumps out at you immediately. He’s an elite level skater, and an elite level puck mover. I think that this is his year to take the World Juniors by storm much like the way that Charlie McAvoy did a couple years back. I think it’s going to be really fun to watch, his skill level is just off the charts.”

Quinn Hughes’ younger brother, Jack Hughes, will be on the US roster as well. He is the presumptive first pick in June’s NHL Draft but as a 17-year-old, Starman thinks that he won’t be the main guy for the Americans.

“When you get these guys, same thing as Auston Matthews in his draft year and Connor McDavid in his draft year, these guys were part of a really good team but weren’t counted on to carry the team.” He says. “I think the same thing will be evident with Jack Hughes. Mike Hastings is too smart of a coach to put Jack Hughes in a situation where he’s not going to do well. I think for that very reason, Hughes will flourish.”

Hastings is taking over the U.S. squad as head coach for the first time. Starman says that Hastings brings a great resume with him, including his successful run with the Minnesota State Mavericks.

“He’s able to create teams year after year that fit his mold,” Starman says. “He likes to play with offense, he likes to play with pace and play up tempo. But, he’s also likes a possession game where he has his big forwards leaning on people, winning pucks and wearing you out. When you watch his Minnesota State teams play, they’re relentless, they’re hard-nosed and they don’t take any crap. I think to be successful in this kind of tournament, that’s the mindset you need to have.”

The U.S. is in a pool with Finland and Sweden but not the Canadians. Starman likes Finland and says they play with a ‘boatload of snarl’. Avoiding the Canadians, who are among the favorites to win, can be good or bad. How does Starman feel that will affect Team USA’s chances?

“We have gotten to the point where beating Canada in the World Junior tournament is no longer this unbelievable victory,” he says. “It’s a win now. Sometimes people across the border don’t want to hear that but I think they understand it. The U.S. has come a long way and they are now on equal footing. When you play Canada it’s a big emotional game, it’s a fun game to play in but it’s not necessarily that measuring stick ‘we’ve arrived’ kind of game.

“If that’s going to be a gold medal game, you probably want to play them once before you play them again. Just so you have some familiarity. I think for the players it extends their comfort zone, I think for the coaching staff it gives them a vibe on how players reacted to other players when it comes to live competition.”

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