Hockey Canada has confirmed the first 18 players named to the roster for the 2017 IIHF World Championship.
The team announced on Wednesday includes five members of the squad that captured gold in 2016. Here’s a look at the Team Canada roster so far:
Goaltenders
Eric Comrie (Winnipeg Jets) and Calvin Pickard (Colorado Avalanche)
Defencemen
Tyson Barrie (Colorado), Calvin De Haan (New York Islanders), Jason Demers (Florida Panthers), Michael Matheson (Florida), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg);
Forwards
Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers), Matt Duchene (Colorado), Claude Giroux (Philadelphia), Alex Killorn (Tampa Bay Lightning), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia), Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo Sabres), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado), Brayden Point (Tampa Bay), Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg), Wayne Simmonds (Philadelphia), and Jeff Skinner (Carolina).
“It’s always special when you get to represent your country, and you can see it from the quality of our initial list of players who will join us at worlds,” general manager Ron Hextall said in a release. “Between them, these players have made 17 appearances at this very event, including nine players who’ve come away as gold-medallists for Canada, and they can play a big role in helping set the tone for this team.
“Our coaches have a lot to work with, and we will be ready to ice a competitive team in Paris for our opening game on May 5.”
Team Canada’s pre-tournament camp kicks off on May 2 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Canadians open against the Czech Republic on May 5.
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