Comprehensive Guide to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
If you're not excited for this September's World Cup of Hockey then you don't have a pulse. International hockey is evidence that god loves us and wants us to be happy. Usually we have to wait every 4 years for the Olympics to stand in solidarity against the nation of Canada, but now, thanks to the NHL and NHLPA, we only have to wait 2. Sure the annual World Championships, put together by the IIHF, international hockey's official governing body, are okay, but they take place in the middle of the NHL playoffs so rarely do the best players take part in it. They are viewed as a stepchild to the Olympics in most North Americans' opinion and few put any weight into the final standings.
The World Cup of hockey was originally played in 1996 with the USA claiming gold over co-hosts Canada in a 2-1 series win. What made the first tournament was so special was that prior to the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games, Olympic hockey only featured amateur players. The 1996 World Cup was the first time that fans got to watch NHL stars compete against each other in international competition. It seems so foreign now, but this was the first time fans got to see Mark Messier and Eric Lindros in their Canada sweaters line up against Mike Modano and Brett Hull for the US.
This year's tournament field will include the USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Team Europe, and Team North America. Team Europe will feature a collection of players from all over Europe, excluding the aforementioned countries. Team Europe is a neat idea because it includes players from countries who wouldn't have qualified for an 8 team World Championship like Anze Kopitar from Slovenia and Thomas Vanek from Austria. Countries like Switzerland and Slovakia, who are also included in Team Europe, have rich hockey traditions, but would likely be the doormat of this tournament so the addition of other premier European players will allow them to be more competitive. The North American team is also a clever concept as it will be comprised of Americans and Canadians under 23 years old. This tournament offers these rising stars national and global exposure, which was clearly part of the NHL's plan when they decided to include them. Some of the players on Team North America have represented their country at the senior level before, and other probably would have made their respective teams this year, but most would not have, so the inclusion of the 'Kids' team is truly an innovative notion, and they will be fun to watch.
This years format will be 8 teams divided into 2 groups. Each team will play 3 group stage games and the top 2 teams from each group will advance to the single elimination knockout semifinal round and then a 3 game series for the gold medal. Because the World Cup was organized by the NHL and NHLPA, allgames will be played on NHL sized ice sheets and will be governed by NHL rules, even coaches challenges and video replays, and officiated by NHL referees.
GROUPS:
Group A: Team Europe, Czech Republic, Canada, USA
Group B: Team North America, Finland, Sweden, Russia
SCHEDULE (All Times EST):
Group A Schedule:
September 17, 2016
3:30 PM Europe vs USA
September 17, 2016
8:00 PM Canada vs. Czech Pebulic
September 19, 2016
3:00 PM Czech Republic vs. Europe
September 20, 2016
8:00 PM Canada vs. USA
September 21, 2016
8:00 PM Canada vs. Europe
September 22, 2016
8:00 PM Czech Republic vs. USA
Game to Watch: USA vs. Canada - September 20 8:00 PM
Group B Schedule:
September 18, 2016
3:00 PM Russia vs. Sweden
September 18, 2016
8:00 PM Finland vs. North America
September 19, 2016
8:00 PM North America vs. Russia
September 20, 2016
3:00 PM Finland vs. Sweden
September 21, 2016
3:00 PM North America vs. Sweden
September 22, 2016
3:00 PM Finland vs. Russia
Game to Watch: Finland vs. Sweden - September 20 3:00 PM
ROSTERS:
GROUP A:
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Coach: Josef Jandac
- Radek Faksa - Forward, Dallas Stars
- Ales Hemsky - Forward, Dallas Stars
- Dimitrij Jaskin - Forward, St. Louis Blues
- Milan Michalek - Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Michael Frolik - Forward, Calgary Flames
- Martin Hanzal - Forward, Arizona Coyotes
- Tomas Hertl - Forward, San Jose Sharks
- David Krejci - Forward, Boston Bruins
- Ondrej Palat - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- David Pastrnak - Forward, Boston Bruins
- Tomas Plekanec - Forward, Montreal Canadiens
- Vladimir Sobotka - Forward, Avangard Omsk (KHL)
- Jakub Voracek - Forward, Philadelphia Flyers
- Michal Jordan - Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
- Zbynek Michalek - Defense, Arizona Coyotes
- Jakub Nakladel - Defense, Calgary Flames
- Radko Gudas - Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
- Michel Kempny - Defense, Avangard Omsk (KHL)
- Roman Polak - Defense, San Jose Sharks
- Andrej Sustr - Defense, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Petr Mrazek - Goalie, Detroit Red Wings
- Michal Neuvirth - Goalie, Philadelphia Flyers
- Ondrej Pavelec - Goalie, Winnipeg Jets
Notable Omissions: Jaromir Jagr - F, Florida Panthers; Michal Rozsival - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks; Martin Erat - Forward, Avangard Omsk (KHL); Patrik Elias - Forward, New Jersey Devils; Marek Zidlicky - Defense, Free Agent; Radim Vrbata - Forward, Arizona Coyotes
OUTLOOK: The Czech's golden generation of Jagr, Hejduk, and Hasek, who claimed the 1998 Nagano Olympic gold is gone now. This Czech team will be without Jaromir Jagr for the first time in almost 2 decades and it will be interesting to see who emerges as their de facto leader. The Czechs certainly have talent with David Kejci, Ales Hemsky, and Jakub Voracek to name a just a few, but their biggest question will be depth. Their first 2 lines should be competitive with anyone in the tournament, but how will their 3rd and 4th lines fare? Will they be able to hang for 60 minutes with teams like the USA and Canada who have the edge with depth and physicality? The short answer is no. I don't see this Czech team advancing out of the group stage, despite their tremendous talent. They will certainly be competitive and if they can keep the game close late then anything can happen, but it is a tall task to come to North America and upset the resident nations.
TEAM EUROPE:
Coach: Ralph Krueger
- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (FRANCE) - Forward, Philadelphia Flyers
- Mikkel Boedker (DENMARK) - Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Leon Draisaitl (GERMANY) - Forward, Edmonton Oilers
- Marian Gaborik (SLOVAKIA) - Forward, LA Kings
- Jannik Hansen (DENMARK) - Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Marian Hossa (SLOVAKIA) - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Anze Kopitar (SLOVENIA) - Forward, LA Kings
- Nino Niederreiter (SWITZERLAND) - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Frans Nielsen (DENMARK) - Forward, New York Islanders
- Tobias Rieder (GERMANY) - Forward, Arizona Coyotes
- Tomas Tatar (SLOVAKIA) - Forward, Detroit Red Wings
- Thomas Vanek (AUSTRIA) - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Mats Zuccarello (NORWAY) - Forward, New York Rangers
- Zdeno Chara (SLOVAKIA) - Defense, Boston Bruins
- Christian Ehrhoff (GERMANY) - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks
- Roman Josi (SWITZERLAND) - Defense, Nashville Predators
- Dennis Seidenberg (GERMANY) - Defense, Boston Bruins
- Andrej Sekera (SLOVAKIA) - Defense, Edmonton Oilers
- Luca Sbisa (SWITZERLAND) - Defense, Vancouver Canucks
- Mark Streit (SWITZERLAND) - Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
- Frederik Andersen (DENMARK) - Goalie, Anaheim Ducks
- Thomas Greiss (GERMANY) - Goalie, New York Islanders
- Jaroslav Halak (SLOVAKIA) - Goalie, New York Islanders
Notable Omissions: Raphael Diaz (Switzerland) - Defense, EV Zug (Swiss League); Yannick Weber (Switzerland) - Defense, Nashville Predators; Marko Dano (Slovakia) - Forward, Winnipeg Jets; Andrej Meszaros (Slovakia) - Defense, HC Sibir Novosibirsk (KHL); Tomas Jurco (Slovakia) - Forward, Detroit Red Wings; Lars Eller (Denmark) - Forward, Washington Capitals; Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark) - Forward, Winnipeg Jets; Richar dPanik (Slovakia) - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks; Michael Grabner (Austria) - Forward, New York Rangers
OUTLOOK: The notion of Team Europe is neat, a continental all-star team featuring the 'best of the rest,' but the practicality of putting together a roster like this remains to be seen. Team Europe faces several challenges that their uni-national counterparts don't. Team Europe's biggest disadvantage heading into the tournament is their presumptive lack of chemistry. These players are from all corners of Europe and have only trained together for a short time. Other teams in the tournament may have only trained together for a similarly short period of time, but in hockey, each country tends to have their own unique hockey culture based upon their own style of play. Fins and Swedes play a different style than Russians who play different than Canadians. These distinctive systems are taught from a young age and extenuated throughout development, so even though a player from Vancouver may never have played with someone from Toronto, they still have the been taught the same strategic fundamentals as one another because they grew up in Canada. This is not the case with Team Europe as they have Slovaks, Danes, and Swiss players on the ice together. Players who grew up in a completely different hockey environments will inevitably be at a disadvantage against teams who grew up with a singular system. The nonverbal communication between multi-national teammates will most likely be imperfect and they will look more like an all-star team than a 'national team.' The other big challenge facing Team Europe is father time. The Europeans have the oldest team in the tournament with an average age of 30.3, compared to the tournament average of 27.6. 3 Years may not seem like much, but in a physical contest against deep teams like the US and Canada, fatigue may be a factor in the third period. There is unquestionable talent on Team Europe with Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, and Thomas Vanek, but lack of familiarity, age, and scarcity of depth significantly hurt their chances of reaching the medal round. Europe will struggle with their group and will need a complete team effort to advance out of Group A.
USA:
Coach: John Tortorella
- Justin Abdelkader - Forward, Detroit Red Wings
- David Backes - Forward, Boston Bruins
- Brandon Dubinsky - Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Patrick Kane - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Ryan Kesler - Forward, Anaheim Ducks
- T.J. Oshie - Forward, Washington Capitals
- Max Pacioretty - Forward, Montreal Candiens
- Kyle Palmieri - Forward, New Jersey Devils
- Zach Parise - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Joe Pavelski - Forward, San Jose Sharks
- Derek Stepan - Forward, New York Rangers
- James van Riemsdyk - Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Blake Wheeler - Forward, Winnipeg Jets
- Dustin Byfuglien - Defense, Winnipeg Jets
- John Carlson - Defense, Washington Capitals
- Erik Johnson - Defense, Colorado Avalanche
- Jack Johnson - Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Ryan McDonagh - Defense, New York Rangers
- Matt Niskanen - Defense, Washington Capitals
- Ryan Suter - Defense, Minnesota Wild
- Ben Bishop - Goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Jonathan Quick - Goalie, LA Kings
- Cory Schneider - Goalie, New Jersey Devils
Notable Omissions: Kyle Okposo - Forward, Buffalo Sabres; Drew Stafford - Forward, Winnipeg Jets; Cam Atkinson - Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets; Nick Bonino - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins; Phil Kessel - Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs; Nick Foligno - Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets; Ryan Callahan - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning; Cam Fowler - Defense, Anaheim Ducks; Justin Faulk - Defense, Carolina Hurricanes; Torey Krug - Defense, Boston Bruins; Tyler Johnson - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning; Paul Stastny - Forward, St. Louis Blues; Bobby Ryan - Forward, Ottawa Senators; Kevin Shattenkirk - Defense, St. Louis Blues
OUTLOOK: The Unites States enter the tournament as one of the favorites. Head Coach John Tortorella has assembled a very deep and physical roster. The US will rely on their bench and physical presence to wear teams out down the stretch. The Americans will play a very blue collar style of hockey, a Tortorella trademark, so expect them to get in the corners, block shots, and finish their checks. You can count on big hits and some extracurricular activities from David Backes, Justin Abdekader, and Dustin Byfuglien. Patrick Kane is the best pure scorer on the US roster, but everyone on the team can find the back of the net and I expect a balanced score sheet. The US has performed well at the previous 2 Olympic games and is once again aiming for Gold. They will not take anyone lightly, but you can bet that they have their September 20th showdown with archival Canada circled on their calendars. That game will be an absolute battle as the Americans seek revenge against their northern rivals after losing to them in the previous 2 Winter Olympics.
CANADA:
Coach: Mike Babcock
- Patrice Bergeron - Forward, Boston Bruins
- Logan Couture - Forward, San Jose Sharks
- Sidney Crosby - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Matt Duchene - Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Ryan Getzlaf - Forward, Anaheim Ducks
- Claude Giroux - Forward, Philadelphia Flyers
- Brad Marchand - Forward, Boston Bruins
- Corey Perry - Forward, Anaheim Ducks
- Tyler Seguin - Forward, Dallas Stars
- Steven Stamkos - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- John Tavares - Forward, New York Islanders
- Jonathan Toews - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Joe Thornton - Forward, San Jose Sharks
- Jay Bouwmeester - Defense, St. Louis Blues
- Brent Burns - Defense, San Jose Sharks
- Drew Doughty - Defense, LA KIngs
- Jake Muzzin - Defense, LA Kings
- Alex Pietrangelo - Defense, St. Louis Blues
- Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Defense, San Jose Sharks
- Shea Weber - Defense, Montreal Canadiens
- Corey Crawford - Goalie, Chicago Blackhawks
- Braden Holtby - Goalie, Washington Capitals
- Carey Price - Goalie, Montreal Canadiens
** - Ryan O'Reilly - Forward, Buffalo Sabres (Substitute for injured Tyler Seguin)
Notable Omissions: Brent Seabrook - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks; Duncan Keith - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks; P.K. Subban - Defense, Nashville Predators;Patrick Sharp - Forward, Dallas Stars; Jamie Benn - Forward, Dallas Stars; Chris Kunitz - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins; Wayne Simmonds - Forward Philadelphia Flyers; Devon Dubnyk - Goalie, Minnesota Wild; Rick Nash - Forward, New York Rangers; Brayden Schenn - Forward, Philadelphia Flyers; Kevin Bieksa - Defense, Anaheim Ducks; Jason Spezza - Forward, Dallas Stars; Tyler Toffoli - Forward, LA Kings
OUTLOOK: The host Canadians are the clear tournament favorites. Canada has won the last 2 Olympic gold medals and their roster is a who's who of NHL All-Stars. This team is so deep that if they had a 'B' team in the tournament they would have a good chance at making the medal round. They're once again led by the unbearable Sydney Crosby who will be surrounded with top-tier scoring talent like Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, and Patrice Bergeron. This year's Canadian team is obviously stacked, but they don't appear to be as dominant as they were last Olympics when their defense was absolutely suffocating. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics the Canadian defense did not allow a single multiple goal game against them, but I don't see that happening this tournament. Their goal tending is good and Carey Price will probably get the nod in net, but I wouldn't start any of their 3 keepers over Jonathan Quick and maybe even Ben Bishop. The Canadians are the deepest, and probably most complete team in the tournament, but the pressure to win on home soil is immense and anything less than a gold medal will be considered a disappointment.
GROUP B:
TEAM NORTH AMERICA (U23):
Coach: Todd McLellan
- Sean Couturier (CAN) - Forward, Philadelphia Flyers
- Jonathan Drouin (CAN) - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Jack Eichel (USA) - Forward, Buffalo Sabres
- Johnny Gaudreau (USA) - Forward, Calgary Flames
- Dylan Larkin (USA) - Forward, Detroit Red Wings
- Nathan MacKinnon (CAN) - Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Auston Matthews (USA) - Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Connor McDavid (CAN) - Forward, Edmonton Oilers
- J.T. Miller (USA) - Forward, New York Rangers
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (CAN) - Forward, Edmonton Oilers
- Brandon Saad (USA) - Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Mark Scheifele (CAN) - Forward, Winnipeg Jets
- Vincent Trochek (USA) - Forward, Florida Panthers
- Aaron Ekblad (CAN) - Defense, Florida Panthers
- Shayne Gostisbehere (USA) - Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
- Ryan Murray (CAN) - Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Colton Parayko (CAN) - Defense, St. Louis Blues
- Morgan Rielly (CAN) - Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jacob Trouba (USA) - Defense, Winnipeg Jets
- John Gibson (USA) - Goalie, Anaheim Ducks
- Connor Hellebuyck (USA) - Goalie, Winnipeg Jets
- Matt Murray (CAN) - Goalie, Pittsburgh Penguins
Notable Omissions: Noah Hanifin (USA) - Defense, Carolina Hurricanes; Thatcher Demko (USA) - Goalie, Vancouver Canucks; Connor Murphy (USA) - Defense, Arizona Coyotes; Alex Galchenyuk (USA) - Forward, Montreal Canadiens; Max Domi (CAN) - Forward, Arizona Coyotes; Anthony Duclair (CAN) - Forward, Arizona Coyotes; Sean Monahan (CAN) - Forward, Calgary Flames; Boone Jenner (CAN) - Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets
OUTLOOK: The 'Kids,' as they've been affectionately nicknamed, enter the World Cup as the talk of the tournament. They've already been compared to the 1980 US Olympic team and are everyone's pick to make a Cinderella tournament run. They have a lot of offensive talent, starting with former NHL rookie of the year Johnny Gaudreau - who would have made the US Senior team in an Olympic year, Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon - who was a member of the 2014 Canadian Olympic gold medal winning team. While their offense will be competitive with everyone in the tournament, Team North America's defense is more of a question mark. Jacob Trouba, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Aaron Ekblad lead the young defensive unit, who have skill and decent depth, but lack NHL experience. Goalie is also a question mark as it appears that Matt Murray, of the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, will be their starter in net. Murray is a good keeper, Murray is a capable keeper, but like his young defense, he lacks NHL experience. Murray has actually suited up for more playoff games than regular season games in his young career, and spent most of last year in the minors. Besides Team North America's shortage of experience, they have a grueling group to get through to qualify for the medal round. Sweden, Finland, and Russia are hockey giants who all have high expectations coming into the World Cup. North America does have youth on their side, and playing in front of what will surely be a home crowd should invigorate the future stars. Team North America is probably the most intriguing squad going into the tournament because no one really knows what to expect from them. This could play in their favor and I wouldn't be shocked if the 'Kids' managed to pull out 1 or 2 upsets. One thing is for sure though, they will be fun to watch.
FINLAND:
Coach: Lauri Marjamaki
- Sebatian Aho - Forward, Karpat (Finland)
- Aleksander Barkov - Forward, Florida Panthers
- Joonas Donskoi - Forward, San Jose Sharks
- Valtteri Filppula - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Mikael Granlund - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Erik Haula - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Jussi Jokinen - Forward, Florida Panthers
- Mikko Koivu - Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Leo Komarov - Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Lauri Korpikoski - Forward, Free Agent
- Patrik Laine - Forward, Winnipeg Jets
- Jori Lehtera - Forward, St. Louis Blues
- Teuvo Teravainen - Forward, Carolina Hurricanes
- Jyrki Jokipakka - Defense, Calgary Flames
- Sami Lepisto - Defense, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)
- Esa Lindell - Defense, Dallas Stars
- Olli Maatta - Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Ville Pokka - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks
- Rasmus Ristolainen - Defense, Buffalo Sabres
- Sami Vatanen - Defense, Anaheim Ducks
- Mikko Koskinen - Goalie, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
- Tuukka Rask - Goalie, Boston Bruins
- Pekka Rinne - Goalie, Nashville Predators
Notable Omissions: Teemu Pulkkinen - Forward, Detroit Red Wings; Tuomo Ruutu - Forward, Free Agent; Antti Niemi - Goalie, Dallas Stars; Kari Lehtonen - Goalie, Dallas Stars
OUTLOOK: It is shocking how a country of just under 5.5 million people can produce so many elite hockey hockey players. Finland is the only country to medal in the last 3 Olympic tournaments, but is still in search of their elusive first gold medal. The Fins have a very unique style of play, they aren't the flashiest, and they aren't the most physical, but they are extremely good at everything. They rely on discipline and methodical teamwork to beat their opponents and they have been very successful at it. Their roster has a lot of talent, but there aren't any Sidney Crosbys or Alex Ovechkins that jump off the roster at you. Instead, they operate as a single, cohesive, unit. They don't get overly emotional and take silly penalties, instead their calm confidence does their trash talk for them. In my opinion, the Fins top two goalies of Pekka Rinne and Tuuka Rask are as good as any goaltending unit in the tournament, which will be pivotal in the late stages of close games. Group B is a gauntlet, but if they can open the tournament with a win against Team North America, they should be in decent shape to make the knockout round.
SWEDEN:
Coach: Rikard Gronborg
- Mikael Backlund - Forward, Calgary Flames
- Nicklas Backstron - Forward, Washington Capitals
- Loui Eriksson - Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Filip Forsberg - Forward, Nashville Predators
- Carl Hagelin - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Patric Hornqvist - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Marcus Kruger - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Gabriel Landeskog - Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Rickard Rakell - Forward, Anaheim Ducks
- Daniel Sedin - Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Henrik Sedin - Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Jakob Silfverberg - Forward, Anaheim Ducks
- Carl Soderberg - Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Mattias Ekholm - Defense, Nashville Predators
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Defense, Arizona Coyotes
- Victor Hedman - Defense, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Niklas Hjalmarsson - Defense, Chicago Blackhawks
- Erik Karlsson - Defense, Ottawa Senators
- Hampus Lindholm - Defense, Anaheim Ducks
- Anton Stralman - Defense, Tampa Bay Lighting
- Jhonas Enroth - Goalie, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Henrik Lundqvist - Goalie, New York Rangers
- Jacob Markstrom - Goalie, Vancouver Canucks
Notable Omissions: Alexander Steen - Forward, St. Louis Blue; Patrik Beglund - Forward, St. Louis Blues; Johnny Oduya - Defense, Dallas Stars; Henrik Zetterberg - Forward, Detroit Red Wings; Gustav Nyquist - Forward, Detroit Red Wings; Johan Franzen - Forward, Detroit Red Wings; Niklas Kronwall - Defense, Detroit Red Wings; Marcus Johansson - Forward, Washington Capitals
OUTLOOK: Like their Scandinavian rivals to the East, the Swedes have enjoyed quite a bit of international success in recent Olympic tournaments, claiming gold in 2006 and silver most recently in Sochi. The Swedes also play a very disciplined, team oriented game, but have a bit more flair than the Fins. Their roster is loaded with the veteran Sedin twins, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabirel Landeskog, Nicklas Backstrom, and Filip Forsberg just to name a few. Their defense, headlined by Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman, is as sturdy and offensively skilled as any unit in the tournament. They are anchored by Swedish hero Henrik Lundvist in goal who, if he gets hot, can be the best keeper in the World on any given night. Sweden has a proud hockey tradition and has their eyes on gold. They face a tough test with Russia in their first game and will need a strong performance all around to get a win and put themselves in a favorable position moving forward.
RUSSIA:
Coach: Oleg Znarok
- Artem Anisimov - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Evgeny Dadonov - Forward, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
- Pavel Datsyuk - Forward, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
- Nikita Kucherov - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Nikolay Kulemin - Forward, New York Islanders
- Evgeny Kuznetsov - Forward, Washington Capitals
- Evgeni Malkin - Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Vladislav Namestnikov - Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Alexander Ovechkin - Forward, Washington Capitals
- Artemi Panarin - Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
- Vadim Shipachyov - Forward, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
- Vladimir Tarasenko - Forward, St. Louis Blues
- Ivan Telegin - Forward, CSKA Moscow (KHL)
- Alexei Emelin - Defense, Montreal Canadiens
- Dmitry Kulikov - Defense, Florida Panthers
- Alexey Marchenko - Defense, Detroit Red Wings
- Andrei Markov - Defense, Montreal Canadiens
- Dmitry Orlov - Defense, Washington Capitals
- Nikita Zaitsev - Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Sergei Bobrovsky - Goalie, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Semyon Varlamov - Goalie, Colorado Avalanche
- Andrei Vasilevskiy - Goalie, Tampa Bay Lightning
Notable Omissions: Ilya Kovalchuk - Forward, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL); Slava Voynov - Defense, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL); Alexander Semin - Forward, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL); Valeri Nichushkin - Forward, Dallas Stars; Alexander Radulov - Forward, Montreal Canadiens; Fedor Tyutin - Defense, Colorado Avalanche; Anton Belov - Defense, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
OUTLOOK: The Russians have exceptionally talented players, maybe the most elite players in the tournament. Guys like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Pavel Datsyuk are true game-changers. They are guys who can make something out of nothing and make opposing fans hold their breath when they're in the offensive zone. Combine them with players like NHL rookie of the year Artemi Panarin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Nikita Kucherov and the Ruskis probably have the most lethal attack in the World. That said, the Russian defense is not on par with their offensive counterparts. While they all have NHL experience and will familiar with the players they face, they lack the defensive star power that other teams in the tournament have. The Russians have the most illustrious international hockey history, and for all of the weapons they have at their disposal, Russia has severely under performed at the last few Olympic tournaments, failing to medal since their Bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002. Russia is undeniably an offensive juggernaut, but they will need to play as a complete team if they want to reverse their recent misfortune and meet the lofty expectations they have set for themselves.
