Lots to talk about this week, both on ice and off. Olympic nominations! The World Juniors! Off-ice shenanigans! Oh yes, and the Canucks also played a couple of games as well. While everyone was out celebrating Christmas and Festivus, I was staying on top of things in Canuckland. Here’s what you need to know about the Week That Was.

So we’re officially at the midway point of the season. We have a relatively solid understanding on how things look right now in the NHL. For the Canucks, things are looking good, as they’re starting to carve out a playoff berth and are playing some great hockey. It’s a good time to do some evaluating of talent, which is what this post is about.

Today marked the announcement of America’s men’s hockey roster and as expected, Ryan Kesler was named to the squad, making it the first time he’ll be representing his nation at the Olympic level.

That by itself is a major accomplishment and is something Ryan Kesler can take pride in. I would suggest, though, that Kesler’s Olympic nomination provides a great opportunity for the 25 year old. Namely, that he has a great chance to capture the attention of the collective hockey media, a group that rarely has all of its attention focused on the west coast, nevermind Vancouver proper.