The annual Spengler Cup tournament begins on Monday, kicking off a competition that will see some of Europe’s top professional clubs do battle with each other and a delegation of Canadian players in order to win the tournament’s historic trophy. Today, the roster for Team Canada was announced, containing the following players from the following clubs:
Goalies
Michael Hutchinson (Henderson, AHL)
Michael DiPietro (Maine, ECHL)
Defensemen
Thomas Gregoire (Lukko Rauma, Liiga)
Josh Brook (Calgary, AHL)
Jerome Leduc (HC Ajoie, Swiss NL)
Tobie Bisson (Ontario, AHL)
Cody Goloubef (SC Bern, Swiss NL)
Kevin Connauton (Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Wyatt Kalynuk (Abbotsford, AHL)
Forwards
Daniel Carr (HC Lugano, Swiss NL)
Philip-Michael Davos (HC Ajoie, Swiss NL)
Cody Eakin (HC Langnau, Swiss NL)
Jonathan Ang (EHC Kloten, Swiss NL)
Riley Nash (Charlotte, AHL)
Kris Bennett (HC Lugano, Swiss NL)
Alan Quine (Ontario, AHL)
Cory Emmerton (Lausanne HC, Swiss NL)
Daniel Winnik (Geneve-Servette HC, Swiss NL)
Brendan Perlini (Chicago, AHL)
David Desharnais (Friborg-Gotteron, Swiss NL)
Tyler Ennis (SC Bern, Swiss NL)
Colton Sceviour (SC Bern, Swiss NL)
Chris DiDomenico (SC Bern, Swiss NL)
Brett Connolly (HC Lugano, Swiss NL)
Assembled by general manager Shane Doan and a collection of other members of a management team, Team Canada boasts an impressive list of players with significant, recent NHL experience. While the defense is more AHL-heavy than the other two groups, it still boasts a 360-game veteran in Connauton. In net, the cup could be a quality opportunity for DiPietro to put some solid play on tape after a rocky few seasons and be a chance for Hutchinson to solidify his resume as a quality third or fourth goalie.
The forward corps is where Canada is at its most impressive, including relatively well-known names such as Connolly, Ennis, Desharnais, Winnik, Eakin, Nash, and Sceviour. It’s a collection of talent that may be of a higher quality than some of the clubs they are competing against, although their relative lack of chemistry could pose a challenge.
With this lineup in hand, the Spengler Cup can be viewed as a quality opportunity for some players. Whether it’s a former prospect who headed to Europe after receiving little North American interest or a former NHL regular whose skills have declined to a point that made an exit to Europe inevitable, the Spengler Cup will afford a chance to any participant to show their talent on a major stage.