The World Cup of Hockey begins Saturday in Toronto when Team Europe faces Team USA?in group play at 3:30 p.m. ET?(ESPN2). Here are scouting reports on Team Europe, the Czech?Republic and Russia.Team EuropeThe GoodYeah, Team Europe looked pretty ordinary for most of its twin losses to Team North America to open the pre-tournament schedule -- but things appeared much more promising as it beat up on Sweden in its final tune-up game. So much veteran leadership will come over the boards for this team, including multiple Stanley Cup winners Marian Hossa and Anze Kopitar, who was named captain of the squad. Theres good talent and size on the back end with Roman Josi, Mark Streit and?Boston Bruins?captain Zdeno Chara even though Chara struggled in the first two exhibition games. Team Europe also has some feisty kids, including Leon Draisaitl and Tobias Rieder, who can spice things up on offense. Team Europe may also have the tournaments secret weapon in head coach Ralph Krueger, who lead the Swiss national team into a place at the world hockey head table. He has a history of getting lesser lights to shine in these kinds of tournaments.The BadIn losing Frederik Andersen to injury, Team Europe has fewer options in goal and thats unfortunate.?Jaroslav Halak?was only OK in the first loss to Team North America and?Thomas Greiss, so stellar for the New York Islanders last spring, was worse in the second. Frankly wed go with Philipp Grubauer, the?Washington Capitals?netminding prospect. The defense isnt particularly deep and there are questions about Charas durability; he looked rusty in the first two games against the younger, faster Team North America squad. Apart from the impressive Kopitar, Team Europe wont be nearly as deep down the middle as it will need to be in order to knock off anyone -- let alone Canada or the U.S., which is what it will take to move out of the preliminary round. And unless Marian Gaborik can rekindle some past glory playing with Kopitar -- the veteran Slovak had a pair of goals in the teams second loss -- the offense looks to be overmatched against pretty much everyone else in the tournament.Czech RepublicThe GoodTheres very little pressure on the Czech Republic at the World Cup, as injuries have a team that was already a longshot to win the tournament basically left for dead before things even got going. So the Czechs should be able to play loose. We saw a hint of that as they split their first two pre-tournament games with Russia before edging Team North America 3-2 on Wednesday. Theres still talent up front that could make life difficult for opponents in the form of Jakub Voracek, captain Tomas Plekanec and Ondrej Palat. And we know that both Petr Mrazek and Michal Neuvirth, who beat the Russians in a shootout in the Czechs second game, have the potential to be red-hot. The Czechs just have to hope they get the right red-hot netminder between the pipes at the right time. They draw the Canadians right off the hop on the first night of the tournament (8 p.m. ET, ESPNEWS) so maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle and take advantage of some hometown nerves. Maybe.The BadHow to put this delicately? The Czechs just arent that good. The offense is thin compared to every other team in the tournament and that was before the withdrawal of David Krejci and Tomas Hertl. Meanwhile, the defense is less than thin, especially after the loss of Radko Gudas. If they get behind -- and it seems inevitable that they will fall behind -- the Czechs have little to suggest they can rebound in games, which puts intense pressure on the goaltending and defense to keep them close and hope for a lucky break or power play opportunity.?New Jersey Devils?veteran Patrik Elias (who is not on this squad, by the way) joked that perhaps the Czechs should rejoin with Slovakia to form a new version of the old Czechoslovak teams from back in the day. His Czech countrymen face a difficult challenge in this tournament.Team RussiaThe GoodTake a look at Russias roster and its evident the team could have one of the strongest cores of forwards in the tournament. Its a dynamic lineup with the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Pavel Datsyuk and Artemi Panarin.In net, the Russians have three solid goaltenders with Andrei Vasilevskiy, Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky. Russia is going to compete and if it can figure out its defense, it has the potential to be a tough out.The BadThere are questions surrounding the offense and whether or not superstars Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin can produce and lead the attack. The Russians have struggled at the international level and havent earned a medal in the past three Winter Olympics. Its obvious the Russians have the ability to score goals, but the teams biggest weakness is the defense. -- Joe McDonald Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Cheap Devils Jerseys China . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. http://www.cheapdevilsjerseys.com/ . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Devils Jerseys . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Cheap New Jersey Devils Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota has named Keith Jordan the acting linebackers coach as Mike Sherels recovers from multiple surgeries for an undisclosed medical condition.Gophers coach Tracy Claeys announced the move Thursday. Jordan has been serving as a special teams quality control assistant.There is no timetable for the return of Sherels, who was hospitalized last week. Claeys, in a statement issued by the university, asked for privacy foor Sherels and his family.dddddddddddd He said the team is looking forward to his return to the staff when he is ready.Jordan is in his fourth year at Minnesota. He was an operations assistant for three seasons before taking the special teams role this year. He has also coached at several smaller schools. ' ' '