Team USA has won its first two games of the preliminary round, but it has not been as easy-peasy as they might have liked. Especially Saturday's victory over Denmark, in which it was a shaky 6-3 win.
Now, you might be thinking, how is there a problem if they won 6-3? With the star power that is on that United States squad, it should have been 6-0 or worse. It is obvious that this team has not really been taking these first couple of "pushover" wins seriously.
Once they face off against teams like Sweden, Finland, or even the juggernaut in Team Canada, this USA team might have some trouble. Perhaps they left some important players at home that could have helped.
The snubs that jump off the page immediately are Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson and Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield. But what if there was another, younger option to give them a competitive edge? It is a one-in-a-million longshot, but you never know.
The United States should have pushed for Jimmy Snuggerud to be a part of their team, even if it was as an extra forward.
No chance, but there is some reason
The United States Olympic team looked slow and sluggish in their recent win against Denmark, and there was certainly a bit of anxiety when they went down 2-1. But it was quickly over, as this team of the world's best figured it out and got over the slow start.
Snuggerud, who certainly has some reputation to his name as a valuable member of the United States Olympic future, should have gotten his first taste in these games. You can see how well each of the Blues players who are representing their home countries is doing in these games, and Snuggerud could have been another component of that.
There is no argument to be made that Snuggerud would get onto the team over Caufield or Robertson, but if there was a situation for a third player to go, Snuggerud has a snowball's chance. No. 21 has proved time and time again that the higher the competition, the greater he does on the ice.
Snuggerud is proving to be the future of the Blues next generation of stars, and he certainly can be the future off USA hockey.