Beau Bennett Wasn't Snubbed From The North American Roster, But He Almost Could Have Been

I would have made this North America team if I was younger and better at hockey

— Beau Bennett (@BeauBennett19) September 19, 2016

Tough to argue with the guy. I wasn't on the selection committee for Team North America so I can't speak to what they were looking for in their players, but I would have to imagine that youth and talent were at the top of the list. So, so close for our boy Beau. If only his selfishly horny parents had conceived him one year later and had a little more skill coursing through their gene pool when they did. Then their eldest son would be representing the New Jersey Devils as part of the most exciting team competing on an international stage. I mean, Beau's fragile body was basically built for a short tournament like this. Pretty disingenuous that the higher ups likely judged candidates on how they performed during 82 game seasons when some players are better suited physically for two weeks of relative health at a time. I guess taking that into account wouldn't have done too much for the chances of a 24 year old role player trying to make a 23-under team full of superstars, but it's still something to consider. A couple hundred more points and a failure to check ID's and he was basically a shoe-in. We spend so much time focusing on the eligible guys who were actually snubbed, but what about the ineligible guys that could have potentially been snubbed if they were far more accomplished? Where's their Buzzfeed-style list on sports websites who's primary source of hockey knowledge is the stats category on NHL.com?