SHADES OF RED: Caps John Carlson makes U.S. Olympic Roster

By Zach Hart Shades of Red D.C

After the Bridgestone Winter Classic on New Years Day, the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice-Hockey roster was announced. John Carlson, a defenseman from the Caps, was selected and deservedly so.

At just 23-years of age, the Massachusetts product's all around skill was too great to be ignored. David Poile, the U.S. Men's Hockey Team General Manager, told reporters Wednesday a bit about why Carlson was one of the players selected.

"This year his game has transitioned from somewhat of a defensive defenseman to a two way defenseman. He leads the NHL, I believe, in short-handed minutes with a team that's pretty good on the penalty kill, and his offensive game has gone way up," Poile said.

The Capitals coach, Adam Oates, was not surprised that Carlson was chosen to be a U.S. Olympian.

"He's one of the best defensemen in the league," Oates said of Carlson. "He plays a lot of minutes, plays physical, he's got an unlimited tank. He plays every situation and can do anything you ask of him."

Oates is correct. Carlson has established himself as one of the top defensemen in the league. He's been given the responsibility of shutting down opposing team's top forwards every game and has fared quite well in doing so. Carlson leads the Caps in ice-time this season and is averaging over 24-minutes per contest. He is ranked sixth among defensemen in the league with seven goals scored and fourth among defensemen with four power-play goals. On special teams, Carlson is averaging over 4-minutes a game on the penalty kill and almost 3-minutes a game on the power play.

Carlson is the first player in Capitals history to have made the U.S. Olympic roster and his experience on the big stage fits the bill. He has played in multiple playoff series with the Hershey Bears and Capitals and even played for the U.S. in the 2010 World Junior tournament. In fact, Carlson scored the game-winning overtime goal that won U.S. the Gold medal in that 2010 tournament. He finished the World Juniors with seven points in seven games and was named to the World Junior All-Star team.

"It's obviously a huge honor to play for your country," Carlson said.

The United States is the only country who has released their ice hockey rosters (for men and women), but the deadline for all countries rosters is set for noon January 7. There's no doubt that there will be many more Capitals players representing their countries in the Sochi Olympics, and we will talk more about that when those rosters are released. One thing that's known, is every country's rosters will be packed with talent, making the sport incredibly fun to watch. What else would we expect from the worlds greatest hockey players and athletes coming together for the greatest tournament known to man?

GO USA!

Here's the (quite impressive) US Olympic Men's Ice-Hockey Roster:

David Backes, St. Louis Blues Dustin Brown, L.A. Kings Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche Derek Stepan, New York Rangers James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets

John Carlson, Washington Capitals Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings