The reborn World Cup of Hockey will have its first roster announcements on Mar. 2, the NHL announced Thursday.
All eight teams will be required to announce a 16-man roster, including two goaltenders, on that date. They’ll round out the rosters later.
The announcements will be staggered throughout the day with Sportsnet’s Hockey Central carrying the announcements for Team Europe at 4:30pm, Team North America at 5:15pm and Team Canada at 6:05pm. Those announcements will be part of a live three-hour special beginning at 4pm.
Team USA’s announcement will come later, with the announcement being carried on ESPN’s Sportscenter at 6:45pm.
The other announcements will come earlier in the day with Team Sweden announcing a roster during a press conference at the MSG training facility in Tarrytown, NY at 12:30pm, Team Russia holding a press conference at 3am, Team Finland holding a press conference in Helsinki at 4am and Team Czech Republic holding a press conference at 11am (all times ET).
The tournament kicks off Sept. 17 in Toronto with all games played at the Maple Leafs’ Air Canada Centre. ESPN will carry all broadcasts in the U.S. and Sportsnet and TVA Sports will carry the games in Canada. Prelims will run Sept. 17-22, semifinals from Sept. 24-25 and then a three-game final will start on Sept. 27, running to Oct. 1 if necessary.
Group A will be comprised of Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team USA and Team Europe. Group B will house Team Russia, Team Finland, Team Sweden and Team North America (the 23 and under team).
World Cup Roster Projections:
Team Canada World Cup Roster Projection
Team Czech Republic World Cup Roster Projection
Team Europe World Cup Roster Projection
Team Finland World Cup Roster Projection
Team North America World Cup Roster Projection
Team Russia World Cup Roster Projection
Team Sweden World Cup Roster Projection
Team USA World Cup Roster Projection
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
