With barely any new additions, and a whole lot of snubs from the roster, the USA got one thing right when they selected their Olympic roster, and that was bringing Buffalo’s Tage Thompson along to Milan. After leaving out Jason Robertson, a guy most fans considered a ‘lock’, the States didn’t fully miss out on an elite goal scoring threat, and that’s why Thompson is on that plane.
It is no secret that it was a gutsy call by Bill Guerin and the management staff with the USA national team not to take the Dallas Stars sharpshooter Jason Robertson, and with how they ended the Four Nations last February, it was somewhat of a no brainer that a guy who scores goals for fun like Robertson didn’t make the team. The Four Nations showed that unlike Canada, the States didn’t really have that shoot first mentality with any of their players, and Robertson seemed to be the answer, but personally, no fan should have any complaints in that department with the selection of Tage Thompson.
Although he doesn’t have as many goals as Robertson, something Tage Thompson has put on show with his 22 goals so far this season is his sheer power, ability to drive to the net, and his ability to create goals from anywhere. Unlike Robertson, his skating is far superior, as as big and dominant he is on the ice, it is almost as if he was built solely for international play with how physically wired his game is. Through the Sabres big time win streak, Thompson has been intangible, and a massive reason for their success, and with the offensive weapons the USA have, one guy stands out to be the perfect linemate for Thompson.
The captain of the Utah Mammoth Clayton Keller received his second consecutive call-up to play for the USA, and after a very solid performance with the US team at the World Championships, it was no question he would make the team, and potentially has somewhat of an impact on Thompson's selection. At the Worlds, Keller and Thompson played on a line with one another, and were one of the most fierce and dominant pairings on the ice throughout their gold medal campaign. This seems to be the case heading towards the Olympics. Keller's offensive prowess and elite passing ability was something that moulded Thompson's game all too well, and if there was ever a playmaker and sniper match made in heaven, it is those two.
Whether they end up being second line scoring depth, or third line power forwards, both Keller and Thompson need to be on a line to maximise the States scoring and chance creation, and there is one more guy who could make the line even more dominant. With how versatile Thompsoin can be by playing on the wing and as a center, a guy like Auston Matthews is crying out for linemates like Keller and Thompson, one guy who drives the net, offers dangerous rebound opportunities, and elite shooting compliment, and a guy like Keller who is arguably one of the best passers in the world, and a guy who will give Matthews space and chances he can only dream of.
The Olympic games are set to be some of the best for a while, but for the United States, a partnership like Keller and Thompson cannot be slept on, and is a weapon they need to utilise. It isn’t often you get two players who compliment each other so perfectly, but these two are a wildcard weapon that the USA hold and could be a major key to success.