Your Olympians...

With the United States and Canada announcing their Olympic rosters for 2018 in PyeongChang, North Korea, it's time to size up each team's chance at Olympic gold. Given that the rosters from all the teams will be players not currently under NHL contract, this will be slightly harder to project.

First, the United States, their roster will consist of four college players not yet signed by their NHL teams (Ryan Donato, Will Borgen, Jordan Greenway, and Troy Terry), players that could never crack an NHL roster, and players that once had significant careers in the NHL. Among the most notable names on the roster include Brian Gionta, who had previously been a part of the US team in 2006, James Wisniewski, and Jim Slater. The United States opted to go with a more diverse team in terms of experience, as the aforementioned college players had also logged time with the US' U-20 squad in recent years. While not the most star-studded in terms of NHL experience, there is decent depth, and many of the players are eager to show what they can do on the international stage. One  player to watch is goaltender Ryan Zapolski, who has been playing well in the KHL for Jokerit.

Canada announced their roster a few days ago, and unlike the US, they opted to go with more experienced players. The most notable players on the team include Derek Roy, Mason Raymond, Chris Kelly, Rene Bourque, and Ben Scrivens. Christian Thomas and Quinton Howden are the youngest players on the roster, with both being 1992 birthdays. The collective goaltending unit might be better for Canada than the United States, but none on the Canadian squad scare anyone individually while up front, it is curious to see Maxim Lapierre on the roster, since his time in the NHL had largely been known as a pest. Similarly, the blue line unit may be better as the sum of the whole than the sum of the parts, as none are too great. Up front, there are former first-round picks that didn't pan out that are obviously looking to prove themselves on the international stage, with Howden, Gilbert Brule, and Wojtek Wolski making up that group.

With the rest of the Olympic rosters yet to be named, there is uncertainty as to how each country will fare. What is known is that the odds of Canada making a three-peat on the medal stand are not great, with the United States having the slight edge in terms of overall talent, particularly on the blue line and in goal. However, Canada does have the experience edge, and that may be enough to medal once again. Whether that is gold, that is where the rest of the roster announcements will have a hand in deciding that fate.