Here's how we predict Team North America's World Cup of Hockey squad to look:
Forwards
Dylan Larkin is the big story here. He goes from our watch list to a spot in the top nine. In his first 24 NHL games, he has 18 points and has shown an ability to finish with eight goals. There's room to make this team on the wing and Larkin is certainly making his case. His strong start has definitely been noticed by those putting the North American roster together.
Ryan Strome loses his spot on the roster after struggling to start the season. He was a guy penciled in with an opportunity to play with John Tavares on the New York Islanders but is now a guy who was sent to the AHL, although he still hasn't been ruled out to make this team. Max Domi continues to solidify his spot on the team with a strong start in Arizona.
Even with his broken collarbone, Connor McDavid remains locked in. He showed enough in his first 13 games (registering 12 points) to justify the early faith in him. He's a star in the making and will be a star on this team.
Boone Jenner replaces Auston Matthews as the extra forward in large part because there seems to be a preference among Team North America management to go with NHL experience over pure talent. Even so, I'm not giving up on Matthews, who has been dealing with a back injury, to put himself right back on this team with a big performance in the World Junior Championships. He's definitely being monitored closely by Team North America management.
Other forwards still getting a close look by management include Philadelphia's Sean Couturier, and Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry.
Defensemen
Morgan Rielly has flourished under Mike Babcock in Toronto and it's a nice development for Team North America considering the lack of left-handed shot defensemen fighting for playing time. Rielly is projected to score 44 points this season if he maintains his current pace, which would crush last season's career-high 29.
Noah Hanifin has played well during his rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes but his inexperience drops him off the projected roster for me with Colton Parayko jumping into the final spot on defense.
Parayko still needs to convince Team North America management over the course of the season but he's certainly put the group on notice with a strong start to the season. Parayko leads all rookie defensemen with 12 points through 22 games, including five goals.
Darnell Nurse's promotion puts him in the mix for this team and he has five points in 16 games for the Edmonton Oilers. He has quickly earned Todd McLellan's trust in Edmonton and McLellan is the coach of this team, no small factor to consider. Nurse is averaging 20:01 of ice time per game for the Oilers, a total topped only by Trevor van Riemsdyk among rookies.
Goaltenders
There's definitely a temptation to move Matt Murray up this list but John Gibson's NHL experience continues to give him an edge. Gibson has a .921 save percentage in 30 NHL games and has also played in four playoff games.
That said, Gibson is getting pushed by those under him on the depth chart.
Murray is 10-2 with a .937 save percentage this season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Hellebuyck isn't collecting wins, but he has a strong .927 save percentage for the Manitoba Moose so far this season and has the experience of playing for Team USA in the World Championships. Recently getting in a game with Ondrej Pavelec out in Winnipeg, Hellebuyck posted a .933 save percentage and earned the win.
Recently getting playing time with the Ducks, Gibson has a .936 save percentage in four games (2-1-1).
If any of these goalies can gain consistent NHL experience this season, success will cement their spot on the team but these three have definitely created a gap over the field.