ARLINGTON, Va. -- The U.S. hockey team has flipped the script since the last Winter Olympics. The Americans expect to be a favourite to win gold in six months at the Sochi Games after saying they were underdogs in 2010, when they won silver and were a goal away from knocking off the host Canadians. "The only people that thought we had a chance were probably the guys in the locker room, or our coaches and management of USA Hockey," Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane said Monday. "This time, its different." USA Hockey invited 48 of its top prospects -- including 16 players from its 2010 team -- for off-ice workouts and meetings at the Washington Capitals training facility. "Even though we invited 48 guys, I got calls from a few agents, Why not my guy? I get that," said general manager David Poile, whose day job is running the Nashville Predators. "We put some guys on the board that arent at this camp that we should be looking at. Were totally open-minded. "We have to take the 25 guys that give us the best chance to win." The players will get picked to play based on their body of work and how well they perform early in the NHL season. The final roster is expected to be announced on Jan. 1 after Detroit and Toronto play in the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium. Brian Burke, the teams general manager in 2010, set up an advisory group to assemble the roster. Poile plans to follow the model over the next four months. NHL general managers Stan Bowman, Dean Lombardi, Dale Tallon and Paul Holmgren along with scout Don Waddell will assist Poile, Ray Shero, the teams associate GM, Burke, the teams director of player personnel and USA Hockey executive Jim Johannson. "Well have much harder decisions to make, picking this team than we had 2010," Burke said. "Thats what you want." The advisory group met for five hours on Sunday, spending some of that time on talking about a possible roster and some tough decisions it will have to make. "We have 16 returning Olympians that have a chance to make the team," Poile said. "Weve got way more depth, and way more quality than we had in 2010." Six goaltenders were invited to the camp, and three will make the trip to Sochi. Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller was named MVP of the ice hockey tournament at the Vancouver Games, but hes not a lock to keep his job because Los Angeles Kings star Jonathan Quick has been perhaps the worlds best at stopping shots the past two seasons. NHL goalies Jimmy Howard, Cory Schneider, Craig Anderson, along with 20-year-old prospect Josh Gibson, also are in the mix. Miller, despite his performance in 2010, was not named to the teams leadership group that includes defenceman Ryan Suter and forwards David Backes, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan and Zach Parise. While it would be a big surprise if any of those leaders didnt end up representing the U.S. in Russia, they dont have any guarantees. "Nobody has been given a position," Poile insisted. Twenty-four forwards and 18 defencemen are attending the pre-Olympic camp, some of whom, such as 18-year-old Seth Jones, are there simply to experience what it is like to be around the countrys best hockey players. Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who succeeds Ron Wilson, said his job is to pass along some information and messages to the players over the course of a few days to get them ready for a quick turnaround at the Sochi Games. The NHL has some games scheduled on Feb. 8, and the Americans -- along with the other players in the league from other countries -- wont have much time to prepare for their first game. "We wont see these guys for another six months," Bylsma said. "Thats not comfortable for a coach." Bylsma, though, seems at ease with Team USA publicly liking its chances to win gold for the first time since the Miracle on Ice victory over the Soviet Union in 1980. "Its a different expectation and different mindset," he said. "Four years ago, we were under the radar and it certainly was a younger team and didnt have those expectations. This is a team that largely was in Vancouver and was in the gold-medal game and was a shot away from winning a gold medal. "Now, the expectation is much different. Were going over to Sochi, Russia, with the mindset of winning a gold medal." Custom Jerseys . Louis and Ryan Kesler have demanded to be traded. MLB Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings and guard Jimmer Fredette have completed a buyout of his contract, clearing the way for the former BYU sensation to become a free agent. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/. Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. NHL Jerseys . Jacob Jacques, Andrew Ryan and Jonathan Drouin also scored for Halifax (37-18-3), who outshot the Islanders 40-26. Kevin Darveau stopped 25 shots. Bradley Kennedy had the lone goal for Charlottetown (18-33-5), which has nine losses in its last 10 games. Adidas Jerseys . Ricciardo made it only halfway around the Jerez track before his RB10 rolled to a stop and began spouting smoke from the back. After team mechanics tended to the car, Ricciardo went back out for a mere two trips around the circuit before calling it quits.Toronto Maple Leafs legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Mats Sundin joined TSN Radio 1050s Jim Tatti and Jeff ONeill on Friday to give his thoughts on the Olympic hockey tournament ahead of Sundays gold medal match-up between his native Sweden and Canada. While there is a lot that Sundin has liked in the tournament so far, the performance that Russia put forth against Finland in the quarterfinals left a bad taste in his mouth. "I was almost disgusted by their performance when they played Finland," said the 43-year-old who played 18 seasons in the NHL. "I look at the Finnish team and theyre missing key players. They dont have any of their big stars and now [Rask] is hurt and that Russian team is stacked with great players and to come out and have that performance they had in the quarterfinals. It was an absolutely heartless performance. "It was very disappointing and I dont think its very good for hockey either to have them out of their home tournament. You wonder when you have Putin in the stands on home ice and you cant get heart out of these guys? Whats going to bring it out? I dont know," he said. Sundin believes simply chalking up Russias crashing out of the tournament to the tremendous pressure the team was under is a bit of a cop-out. "Even though youre nervous or you have a lot of pressure built up, you can always still get into the motions and show that youre actually trying," said the former first-overall pick by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. "We didnt see anything of that in the quarterfinal." The captain of the gold medal-winning Swedish team in the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Sundin believes that its impossible to compare trying to capture a Stanley Cup to winning Olympic gold. "You cant even compare it to me," said Sundin. "I mean, the Stanley Cup is the biggest thing you can win playing for a club team in the world. Its over a [full] season and you try to get that, but saying that, international hockey and the Olympic Games go to a little bit of a higher level. You have all the absolute best players in the world competing. Its a short tournament, but its the absolute best, biggest thing you can win as a hockey player today where you face every countrys best players on the ice. And also, for any athlete, women or men, winning an Olympic medal is a little bit beyond just the sport of hockey, as well. You cant compare them, but obviously, you want to be part of both for sure." Sundin thinks that an unfamiliarity with the larger ice surface is one of the main reasons why Canadas offence has yet to really click in Sochi, despite the team being undefeated.dddddddddddd "The last time the Olympics were around, the tournament was held on a smaller ice surface, an edge to the North American teams, no doubt," said Sundin. "The US and Canada were more comfortable. You look at the tournament right now, you can tell [Canada] is not as comfortable on the big ice surface...with the bigger ice surface, it becomes a little bit of a different game." The all-time Leafs leader in points acknowledges that an adjustment needs to be made for North American teams playing on the big international ice. "Just one big difference is when you come into an end, whether its your own end or youre in the offensive zone, youre further away from your opponent," explained the nine-time NHL All-Star. "Theres a little bit more room for a forward to slip away or get out of the way, out of position, so when that happens, and I think a North American feels that, you get a little more tentative and if youre tentative in hockey or you wait a little bit, then youre a step behind. I think thats the biggest thing." With NHL participation up in the air for the 2018 Olympic Games to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sundin believes it would be a mistake for the league to stop sending its best to the tournament as its a perfect opportunity to put a spotlight on the sport. "For me, its a no-brainer," said Sundin. "I think youve got to look at the broader picture. For the game of hockey, and if you want the game to continue to grow, theres no better window than the Olympic Games, where you can get new fans watching our great game, people from different parts of the world. I dont really see a reason why not. I know it affects the game short term. Some guys get hurt (and) when they get back they might not perform as well. But if you look at a long term picture, I think its just too big of a window to promote our sport to not be part of it." As for Sundays clash between his home country and the country he spent 18 years playing in, Sundin gives the edge to Canada. "Theres no doubt that the Swedish team...are not where you would think to call them a gold medal favourite at this point [without] Henrik Sedin and Henrik Zetterberg, two of the best centremen we have playing right now," said Sundin. "For them to get to the finals here, to get by Finland...Ill hold Canada as the favourites to win the gold medal, but if you have [Henrik] Lundqvist playing an enormous game in the final, theres a shot. But its a long shot for sure." ' ' '