It's a time of endless disappointment in the world of international hockey. The World Juniors? Cancelled (pending TSN begging the IIHF to reschedule). The Women's U18 tournament? Cancelled (pending the hockey world demanding the IIHF to reschedule). 

A best-on-best Men's Olympic tournament? Cancelled. Any time it seems like we're going to finally get a good thing, COVID-19 takes it away.

While the leadership of every country's national team (except Russia, Germany and, presumably, China) are probably feeling despondent about the absence of NHL players in Beijing, few will be hit as hard as Team USA. The emergence of legitimately elite American talent in the 2015-2019 drafts has shifted the dynamics of international hockey and will continue to do so for years to come.