Nov 8, 2017
Olympic tryout begins as Canada opens Karjala Cup on TSN
Canada's 2018 Winter Olympic hockey team will begin to take shape on Wednesday, when Team Canada takes on Switzerland in their Karjala Cup opener. You can watch Canada's opener LIVE today on TSN1, TSN3 and TSN GO at 2pm et/11am pt.
TSN.ca Staff
Canada's 2018 Olympic hockey team will begin to take shape on Wednesday, when Team Canada takes on Switzerland in their Karjala Cup opener.
You can watch Canada's opener LIVE on TSN1 and TSN3 at 2pm et/11am pt.
Canada's 25-man roster for the tournament includes 22 players who hold at least one game of NHL experience. Nick Spaling, Ted Purcell, Wojtek Wolski, Mason Raymond, Rene Bourque, Simon Despres and Ben Scrivens are among the more recognizable names. The roster also includes two NCAA players, in Northeastern forward Dylan Sikura and Bemidji State defenceman Zach Whitecloud.
The tournament will serve as an Olympic tryout for the players on the roster, with the PyeongChang Games 92 days away.
"I'm just looking forward to getting on the ice," forward Gilbert Brule said Tuesday. "Everyone's going to play well together and I know we're going to stick together out there and have a lot of fun and obviously we want to get the win too."
Team Canada general manager Sean Burke said last month that players not on the team's roster for this tournament, such as Jarome Iginla, are still under consideration for Olympic spots.
“These 26 players are part of the larger group that is still under consideration for the Olympic team,” Burke said in a statement. “Ten of these players were not with us in August in Russia, while others who are under consideration won’t join us next month due either to their being unavailable, or because we feel we already have a good sense of where they could fit with our team.”
Canada will play three games at the round-robin tournament, facing Sweden on Friday (11:30am et/8:30am pt. on TSN) and Finland on Sunday (10:30am et/7:30am pt. on TSN). The winner of the tournament, which also includes the Czech Republic and Russia, will be determined by points.
“As a management group and coaching staff, our priority is putting the best possible team together,” Burke said. “We will continue to evaluate every Canadian player that’s eligible to represent their country at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games to ensure we give ourselves the best possible chance for success in Korea.”
Canada has never won a medal at the round-robin tournament, which dates back to 1992.
Team Canada Pre-Olympic Roster
No. | Player | SH | HT | WT | Hometown | 2017-18 Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Wojtek Wolski | L | 6'3 | 220 | Zabrze, POL | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
9 | Mason Raymond | L | 6'1 | 179 | Cochrane, Alta. | SC Bern (NLA) |
14 | Brandon Kozun | R | 5'8 | 170 | Calgary, Alta. | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) |
15 | Eric O’Dell | R | 6'1 | 201 | Ottawa, Ont. | HC Sochi (KHL) |
17 | Gilbert Brulé | R | 5'11 | 187 | Edmonton, Alta. | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
19 | René Bourque | L | 6'2 | 216 | Lac La Biche, Alta. | Djurgårdens IF (SHL) |
20 | Matt Ellison | R | 5'11 | 200 | Duncan, B.C. | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) |
21 | Quinton Howden | L | 6'2 | 190 | Oakbank, Man. | Dinamo Minsk (KHL) |
22 | Nick Spaling | L | 6'1 | 198 | Palmerston, Ont. | Geneve-Servette HC (NLA) |
23 | Andrew Ebbett | L | 5'9 | 176 | Vernon, B.C. | SC Bern (NLA) |
25 | Ted Purcell | R | 6'2 | 194 | St John's, N.L. | Avangard, Omsk (KHL) |
26 | Christian Thomas | R | 5'9 | 174 | Toronto, Ont. | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) |
29 | Rob Klinkhammer | R | 6'3 | 214 | Lethbridge, Alta. | Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) |
No. | Player | SH | HT | WT | Hometown | 2017-18 Team |
2 | Karl Stollery | L | 5'11 | 181 | Camrose, Alta. | Dinamo Riga (KHL) |
3 | Zach Whitecloud | R | 6'2 | 209 | Brandon, Man. | Bemidji State University (WCHA) |
4 | Chay Genoway | L | 5'9 | 170 | Morden, Man. | Lada Togliatti (KHL) |
5 | Chris Lee | L | 6'0 | 187 | MacTier, Ont. | Hockey Canada |
6 | Maxim Noreau | R | 6'0 | 198 | Montreal, Que. | SC Bern (NLA) |
7 | Simon Després | L | 6'4 | 218 | Laval, Que. | HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) |
11 | Jesse Blacker | R | 6'2 | 195 | Toronto, Ont. | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
12 | Geoff Kinrade | L | 6'0 | 185 | Nelson, B.C. | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
28 | Mat Robinson | R | 5'10 | 185 | Calgary, Alta. | CSKA Moscow (KHL) |
No. | Player | SH | HT | WT | Hometown | 2017-18 Team |
1 | Justin Peters | L | 6'1 | 210 | Blythe, Ont. | Kölner Haie (DEL) |
30 | Ben Scrivens | L | 6'2 | 181 | Spruce Grove, Alta. | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) |