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Mike Segar \/ REUTERS<\/p>\n
After Team USA\u2019s practice on Monday, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor said he\u2019s going \u2018to make sure the coach knows what I can bring to the table\u2019 after being scratched in the 4 Nations Face-Off final last February.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fast-forward one year, and Connor has once again been selected to represent his country, this time on an even bigger stage in the form of the Winter Olympics. Might there be a bit of lingering emotional baggage to go with the jet lag after touching down Sunday here in Milan?<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all,\u201d he told the Free Press following his team\u2019s practice on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I learned from it. Hopefully grew from it. And I\u2019ve learned about the decisions that were made and everything that was involved. I\u2019m ready to do anything I can to help contribute to this team and hopefully help win the gold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from it. Hopefully grew from it\u2026 I\u2019m ready to do anything I can to help contribute to this team and hopefully help win the gold.\u201d<\/p>\n
That type of approach is music to the ears of U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan \u2014 the same man who opted to park Connor, one of the league\u2019s best pure scorers, for a game his team went on to lose 3-2 in overtime. It was a decision that was frequently, and loudly, second-guessed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese roster decisions are difficult. There\u2019s an argument to have every player that we have here in the lineup. You could say the same for the 4 Nations experience,\u201d said Sullivan.<\/p>\n
\u201cKyle handled it like a true pro and he\u2019s a great person. He made these teams for a reason \u2014 he\u2019s one of our nation\u2019s very best.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would appear Sullivan isn\u2019t eager to repeat history. Connor is skating on a line with Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin and powerful Buffalo Sabres winger Tage Thompson, and that trio is likely to get a test run Thursday when the United States opens pool play against Latvia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a new experience and we\u2019ve got a complement of players here that we\u2019re going to try to put in positions to set them up for success and ultimately the group up for success,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cAnd Kyle is one of those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKyle handled it like a true pro and he\u2019s a great person. He made these teams for a reason \u2013 he\u2019s one of our nation\u2019s very best.\u201d<\/p>\n
That line could do real damage. Connor (25 goals), Larkin (26) and Thompson (30) all rank among the NHL\u2019s top snipers so far this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuper excited. I\u2019m going to make sure the coach knows what I can bring to the table,\u201d said Connor.<\/p>\n
\u201cLarks up the middle, plays with a ton of speed, very responsible two-way forward. And obviously Tage we know what kind of player he is, what a shot he has. He\u2019s got a long reach and body that can create space for anybody.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no question Team USA is stacked. Consider the other combinations during Monday\u2019s skate: Jack Eichel between Matthew and Brady Tkachuk; Auston Matthews with Matt Boldy and Jake Guentzel; Brock Nelson between Jack Hughes and J.T. Miller, with Vincent Trocheck and Clayton Keller rotating in.<\/p>\n
The blue line may be even deeper, featuring a top projected top six of Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, Brock Faber, Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski.<\/p>\n
And Connor is quick to point out goaltending may be the team\u2019s biggest strength, with Jets teammate Connor Hellebuyck joined by Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives you more confidence as a player and as a team knowing that they\u2019re back there,\u201d Connor said of the talented trio.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t over complicate things. Especially Helly, he\u2019s so simple and controls the play. That just gives the whole team peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Carolyn Kaster \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/p>\n In Team USA\u2019s practice on Monday, all signs pointed to Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (centre) getting the start in net Thursday against Latvia over Dallas Stars\u2019 netminder Jake Oettinger (left) and Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n There has been plenty of speculation about who Sullivan will tab as his No. 1, and Monday\u2019s practice may have offered a clue. Hellebuyck took the lion\u2019s share of the work, occupying one net for the entire session while Swayman and Oettinger split time at the other end.<\/p>\n Should anything be read into that?<\/p>\n \u201cWell that\u2019s for you guys to decide,\u201d Sullivan told the Free Press with a smirk. \u201cYou know, we\u2019re just going to go about our business the way we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n As for how the decision will ultimately be made?<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s lots of things that weigh into it. I\u2019m not going to sit here and share the internal conversations we have and how we make lineup decisions,\u201d said Sullivan.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I will tell you is that we feel regardless of which guy we put in, we have three elite goaltenders, all of which will give us an opportunity to win. That we know. We\u2019ll do our best to make the best decisions for the team. That\u2019s a discussion we have with our goaltenders, and that\u2019s how we\u2019ll go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Team USA will take Tuesday off before holding one final practice ahead of game action. They\u2019ll also face Germany and Denmark in pool play. Connor would only run into Jets teammates Josh Morrissey (Canada) or Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland) in the playoff round, as both teams play in pool Group A.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Connor will soon be joined in Milan by his wife, mother, stepdad and several friends from back home in Michigan. He\u2019s rooming with Clayton Keller in the athletes\u2019 village and soaking in what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<\/p>\n \u201cJust walking around with the other athletes and watching them, it\u2019s honestly a different feel than at the 4 Nations. We knew how big that was, but this is a whole other level in terms of the magnitude. The support of other countries and athletes all striving for the same thing. It adds that extra element. It\u2019s surreal,\u201d said Connor.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things in this tournament experience that you\u2019ll look back on years down the road. I don\u2019t take that for granted. Obviously we\u2019re here with the goal to win the gold medal but there\u2019s other elements to being in the Olympics. You gotta be able to take it all in, have new experiences and conversations, make new friends.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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