Team Russia names preliminary World Cup of Hockey roster

Damien Cox joined Sportsnet Central to break down his expectations on who would likely be part of the first 16 players selected to Team Canada, and why fans shouldn't expect any surprises on the squad.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced today the first 16 players named to its roster for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, taking place Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016, in Toronto.

Each team’s full 23-man roster must be finalized by June 1.

Named to Team Russia are:

G Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
G Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche
G Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

D Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers
D Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
D Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals

F Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
F Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
F Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nikolai Kulemin, New York Islanders
F Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
F Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Vladislav Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning
F Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
F Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks
F Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues

The final roster announcement schedule for all teams on May 27 is as follows:
*All times Eastern

Team Finland:
Roster announcement: 3 a.m. ET
See Team Finland’s initial 16-player roster

Team Russia:
Roster announcement: 5 a.m. ET
See Team Russia’s initial 16-player roster

Team Czech Republic:
Roster announcement: 5 a.m. ET
See Team Czech Republic’s initial 16-player roster

Team Sweden:
Roster announcement: 11 a.m. ET
See Team Sweden’s initial 16-player roster

Team Europe:
Roster announcement: 6:09 ET
See Team Europe’s initial 16-player roster

Team U.S.A.
Roster announcement: 6:13 ET
See Team U.S.A.’s initial 16-player roster

Team North America:
Roster announcement: 6:16 ET
Mark Spector’s full Team North America projected roster

Team Canada:
Roster announcement: 6:22 ET
Damien Cox’s full Team Canada projected roster

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