$15 Olympic Hockey Challenge: Can You Build the BEST Starting Lineup?

We are selecting our Olympic starting lineup.

We've got $15 to pick three forwards and two defensemen were choosing from the U.S.

Finland, Canada, Sweden and Germany.

Those are the player pools we're picking from.

I'll run down the list real quick if you're playing at home.

The $5 players, Nathan McKinnon, Conor McDavid, Miko Rantonen, Kale McCarr and Quinn Hughes,

$4 players, Sydney Crosby, Austin Matthewsley, Andrej Settle, Victor Headman, Zach Werencky,

$3, William Neilander, Jack Hughes, Matthew Kachuck, Charlie McAvoy, and Miro Heiskenen.

Your $2 players are Brady Kachuck, Sebastian Aho, Jack Eichel, Brock Faber, Eric Carlson,

and for one dollar.

We got to put a blackhawk in here because there's only one.

Tevo Tarivinen, Mitch Marner, Lucas Raymond, Rasmus Anderson, and Moritz Cider.

We're going to go youngest to oldest and we are going to allow our new beloved producer

Chloe to participate.

And I think we're going to use fantasy scoring.

So when the Olympics are over, we're going to crunch these numbers and see who had the

best team.

You're going to crunch them?

Oh, crunch, I'm sure.

All right.

And part of the strategy is, if you're picking somebody like dry saddle or you know, somebody

like Tevo, they might not go as far in the tournament.

So that's part of the strategy.

So Chloe, how are you going to start us off?

Starting off strong as an abs fan, Nathan McKinnon, $5.

All right.

$5, Nathan McKinnon.

This is not a draft.

We can pick the same people.

So Nathan McKinnon is the first to have fun if you all have the same line of shockingly.

The first big Nathan McKinnon by Chloe.

See I had a, I had a whole team ready to go.

Uh, give me Sydney Crosby.

All right.

That Sydney Crosby, a $4 pick from Mario.

How good of a tournament is it if Sydney Crosby is a second tier player?

That's pretty well.

That's a pretty good turn.

That's pretty well.

We use my $5 pick on Miko, Renton, and the dude seems to elevate his game on big stages,

play off.

So sort of things.

Uh, he is an awesome player.

One of my favorite players.

So he is my $5 pick, Miko, Renton, and it goes back to Chloe.

Are we sneaking it or no?

No, we're not.

Okay.

No, it's not a draft.

There's no need to.

We can though.

Glad.

Okay.

All right.

Chloe, she's okay.

This is where I struggled a little bit because I was gonna pick, I was going to try

to see if I could do Nate and Kale so I could have a forward and a defenseman in the

$5 category, but that just wasn't the math wasn't math thing.

So I made a huge change, but this one, I'm going to go lead on dry side all for $4.

He probably should be in the $5 category.

So I feel like it's a steal that he's going to score.

Well, Germany's going to score.

He's going to be part of it.

Yeah.

But you said we're talking points per game now.

No, I didn't.

I said it's part of the strategy is picking to see how deep they'll go into the tournament.

Yeah.

If you play more games, you get more points.

Hot tip.

Germany's winning goal.

Okay.

Hey, you know what?

Hey, look, it's right.

They got Lucas.

Michael.

He's motivated.

You never know.

I'm going to adjust my strategy here and go with Conor McDavid.

That's a surprise.

No one's taken him yet, but I have Sydney Crosby and Conor McDavid.

I feel pretty confident about the $9 I've spent so far.

That's pretty solid until Canada loses in the quarters.

Yeah.

It's not happening.

We're going to take Zach Orenski who leads all NHL defensemen in scoring in goals and

in points.

We got a very close look at him recently as the Hawks played Columbus twice and he was

awesome both times.

So I will take Zach Orenski as my first defenseman for four bucks.

So is everybody at nine dollars.

I'm a nine dollars right now.

Dollars.

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

This is where things get a little crazy.

Okay.

It is.

I'm going to go all the way down to the $1 category.

Ooh.

And I'm going to pick Mitch Mariner.

That's probably the best value on that board.

Jay had some stuff to say about Mitch Mariner and I told him that I was a fan and last year

it.

What?

I like Mitch Mariner too.

Okay.

I'm thinking about how the players at home are going to play and I don't think Mitch Mariner

gets enough respect.

Okay.

So I'm trying to base the board on how they think people are going to play.

Yes.

I agree.

But I agree.

But I do think for nations last year he played very, very well.

So I have faith in that pick.

All right.

So I am now at $10.

That's a good pick.

That's a good pick.

All right.

So I'm going to get my last forward.

And I think if Team USA goes far, this guy's going to have a big tournament.

Jack Hughes.

Okay.

For three bucks.

It's going to be probably, if I would slot him probably higher than Austin Matthews

as far as lineup goes.

That's a lineup thing.

That's not talent thing.

So.

Yeah.

I wonder too.

Like he's been banged up a ton this year.

So, you know, someone doesn't flare up for the Olympics.

They'll be fine.

All right.

I'm going back on D and I'm going to take Brock Faber with a $2 line up slot.

So I'm going 542.

So that's where I'm at.

I like Brock Faber.

I think he's going to play a ton.

I think he's going to pick up some points.

And I think that's just like Mitch Martin or I think it's a solid value pick.

So I'm going to 11 bucks through three picks.

Nice.

I am going back up to two.

And I'm also going to pick Brock Faber as my first defenseman.

So I'm at 12.

All right.

All right.

I think I've spent $12.

All right.

Give me if we're going by points and by teams that are going to play deep into the

tournament, we'll see how lineups go.

But I feel like this guy will probably be a power play merchant for Sweden.

So give me Eric Carlson for two bucks.

It's a good pick.

So you're going to get points.

That's for sure.

$14.

Yeah.

And I think he's going to play a lot.

The good, sweetest defense.

But yes, they'll, if there's going into power play, he'll be part of it.

Yeah.

I'm going to take Brady could chuck for another $2.

Do penalty minutes count?

No, they should.

That would be great.

That's probably good.

He's another guy who I think just elevates things when the stage gets big.

Yeah.

So I'm taking him for $2.

So I'm at 13 now.

So I've got one more pick with $2 to make it.

Okay.

I have $3 left.

So my last pick, my last defenseman is going to be Miro, Hayes, Gannon.

Solid.

He's awesome.

He's such a good player.

Yeah.

You worry if the offense is going to be huge for him, but time on ice is going to be big.

Yeah, he's going to be leading finish.

It's going to be a huge, huge factor for sure.

All right, my final dollar.

Well, I need a defenseman and I have two choices.

I'm not going to pick Rasmus Anderson because I don't think he's going to be a point producer

for Sweden defensively.

So I'm going to go with the guy who's in the Norris conversation more at Cider because

I don't know how many games Germany's going to play, but he's going to play a ton of minutes

in however many that they do play.

So give me more at Cider to round it out there.

Hopefully he's a catalyst for the German run in the Olympics.

And if it was a tournament of uniforms, Germany would win the gold.

Those are sick.

All right, my final pick.

I've got one forward to go and I've got two bucks to go.

I'm taking Jack Eichel, who I also think is a value, pick a two bucks.

So my final roster is Rantanin Kuchuk, Brady Kuchuk.

And Jack Eichel, it forward Zach Orinsky and Brock Faber on D.

I got three centers.

So I know how you want.

McDavid Crosby Hughes with air Carlson and Mort Cider.

I'm a lot of offense.

And then I have Nathan McKinnon, Leon Drysaddle, Mitch Marner,

and then Miro Heiskinen and Brock Faber play along at home.

We have posted the board on Twitter at CHCO underscore black.

Hawks will throw it on blue sky as well.

So find a share and play along at home.

Pick your team, build your team, and let us know how you did when the tournament ends.