The Minnesota Wild will have at least five representatives in the World Cup of Hockey this fall.
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Heading Canada’s roster are two superstars: Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Chicago’s Jonathan Toews, both locks due to their proven record of global success.
Weber was part of the top defense pairing in Sochi with Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks, while Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings formed the second pair with Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks.
The World Cup of Hockey was organized by the NHL and therefore it was played according to the league’s rules unlike annual Ice Hockey World Championships and quadrennial Winter Olympic hockey tournaments, which are sanctioned by the IIHF and are played to different rules. They will have a scrimmage against Team Canada on September 9; Canada’s star lineup includes Crosby, goalies Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby and Carey Price, and Islanders center John Tavares.
Of course, given that Chiarelli’s Oilers had just defeated Eichel’s Sabres, 2-1, minutes earlier thanks to a pair of McDavid goals, Eichel’s mind was elsewhere.
Canada’s management team has until June 1 to name the remaining seven players to its roster. He has 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) for the Wild this season.
Justin Abdelkader was a surprise selection to Team USA for the World Cup of Hockey on Wednesday.
The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation announced the first 16 players named to its roster.
Team Europe is comprised of players from Slovakia, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Norway.
If age and skill aren’t going against Kessel, then why didn’t he make the first 16 cut? It will be the first time the tournament is played at one venue as opposed to multiple sites.
“We’re focusing on making this a great, exciting tournament”.
“I talked to him, and I’m not going to try to convince him”, Rucinsky said during a conference call announcing the team’s initial 16-player roster.
“I’m not going to try and convince him”, Czech GM Martin Rucinsky said. “(I) probably don’t fully appreciate it. I think probably in 10 years we’ll look back and truly appreciate it”.
Each of the eight teams will have a tournament roster of 23 players: 20 skaters and three goaltenders.
Kovalchuk has been left out of the team for SKA’s last four KHL playoff games following an unspecified disciplinary issue that also resulted in two other players being sent to farm teams.
“Even I as a fan looking at the rosters go, ‘Woah, look at this”, commissioner Gary Bettman said.
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“It’s really exciting, playing for a national team is always big”, Jokinen said after Florida’s practice in Denver before Thursday’s game against the Avalanche. “It gives people something to focus on that’s very exciting when you start comparing the rosters”.
