It’s nearly impossible to put Lou Lamoriello on the spot.

Considering he is an American running the Canadian NHL team that wears a Maple Leaf on its jersey, there are potential landmines when he’s asked what team he’s rooting for at the World Cup of Hockey.

“I’m rooting for our players,” Lamoriello said.

Sure it’s a safe answer, but it’s an enlightened one, with eight Toronto Maple Leafs on various rosters in hockey’s international tournament.

“There’s no question it’s been a very interesting exhibition series,” Lamoriello said. “First of all, I’m extremely impressed with the young players, North America, as far as their speed. When you see all their talent together, that sticks out.”

That team includes Leafs forward Auston Matthews, the No. pick in the June draft, and defenceman Morgan Rielly. Both have been factors for the team of young guns. Rielly is on the top defensive pairing with Aaron Ekblad, while Matthews has impressed with his speed and puck-carrying ability through the offensive zone.

“We had an indication of what he was capable of doing in the world championship,” Lamoriello said. “There were questions going into the world championship, just because of his youth. He did well there.”

Matthews, who turns 19 later this month, is the youngest player on the North American team, and hasn’t played a second of NHL hockey. He’s fit in well, aided by the fact he’s playing with his age group, players 23 and under.

“I’m really not surprised at what he’s done with his peers, as far as his age group,” Lamoriello said. “He’s just going to get better and better.

“He’s very mature. His parents have done an outstanding job with him, the way he’s handled the media, the way he’s handled the attention. His composure is really an asset to him. He’s a very humble individual, which is extremely important.”

There is some thought that the players at this tournament will get off to hot starts at the beginning of the season given the intensity of the World Cup. Lamoriello acknowledges that might be of benefit most to James van Riemsdyk, who is coming off a long layoff due to injury and has been strong in pre-tournament games with the United States.

“This is great for him, great for us, to be going through this type of camp, to play at this level after having such a layoff,” Lamoriello said. “When he does come to Leaf camp, he’s going to be in top shape and will have game experience.”

The other Leafs in the tournament — Czechs Roman Polak and Milan Michalek, Sweden’s Jhonas Enroth, Finland’s Leo Komarov and Russia’s Nikita Zaitsev — are en route from Europe, where their teams held their training camps.

The Czechs face North America in the first game of an exhibition doubleheader in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Russian and Canada meet in the night game.

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Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, who was forced to pull out before the tournament because of injury, should be ready for Toronto’s training camp, which opens Sept. 22.

“He’s progressing,” Lamoriello said. “There’s no regression.”

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