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Snapshots: China, Malkin, Letang, Viveiros

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China has revealed the roster that will take part in the upcoming Olympics, a group that includes 12 players born in North America. Some of those have NHL experience in the past, including Spencer Foo, Ryan Sproul, and starting goaltender Jeremy Smith. These players are allowed to participate even without Chinese heritage given how long they have been playing for Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, which served as a proxy for the national team, according to the Associated Press.

Brandon Yip, a 36-year-old forward that played nearly 200 games in the NHL, will serve as captain of the club, which gained entry to the tournament as host nation. Yip scored 32 goals and 62 points in his 190-game NHL career, which ended after the 2013-14 season. After a stint in the AHL and another in Germany, he joined Kunlun in 2017. China will be in tough at the event, as they find themselves in a group with the U.S., Canada, and Germany. They open the tournament on February 10.

  • When Jeff Carter’s two-year extension was announced yesterday, some immediately wondered what it meant for Evgeni Malkin’s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that representatives for the star forward and Penguins GM Ron Hextall have discussed a new contract, and Malkin is “eager” to remain in Pittsburgh. For teammate Kris Letang things aren’t so rosy, as the defenseman believes he will get a raise on the current $7.25MM cap hit he currently carries, according to Yohe.
  • Henderson Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros has been medically cleared to return to his duties, effective immediately. Viveiros was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and has been away from the team for much of the season. In a statement, the veteran coach notes that his “prognosis is very good” and thanks his family, coaches, players, medical team, and Golden Knights organization for all the support he received over the past few months.

Eric Staal, Owen Power Headline Team Canada 2022 Olympic Roster

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Jan 25: The roster below has been confirmed, and Chris Johnston of TSN also has the full group of alternates. Justin Pogge, Morgan Ellis, John Gilmour, Chris DiDomenico, Kent Johnson, and Max Veronneau will all be traveling to Beijing and could see action depending on injuries and illnesses.

Jan 24: While the official announcement from Hockey Canada isn’t until tomorrow, the IIHF mistakenly tweeted out the roster for the upcoming 2022 Olympics this afternoon. The tweet has since been deleted, but not before it was seen by many including PHR. Canada’s roster is filled with names familiar to NHL fans, including Stanley Cup champion and veteran of nearly 1,300 games Eric Staal.

The full roster:

G Devon Levi
G Eddie Pasquale
G Matt Tomkins

D Brandon Gormley
D Alex Grant
D Owen Power
D Tyler Wotherspoon
D Mat Robinson
D Mark Barberio
D Jason Demers
D Maxim Noreau

F Daniel Carr
F Corban Knight
F Ben Street
F Jack McBain
F Eric Staal
F Adam Tambellini
F Eric O’Dell
F Daniel Winnik
F Adam Cracknell
F Mason McTavish
F Landon Ferraro
F David Desharnais
F Jordan Weal
F Joshua Ho-Sang

Of note, the announcement did not come with the six-man alternate group that Darren Dreger of TSN reported on this morning. Olympic teams will get to bring a handful of extra skaters that would be eligible to play in case of injury or COVID-related issues. Kent Johnson, who didn’t appear on the final roster, is expected to be among Canada’s alternates.

Latvia Announces 2022 Olympic Roster

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With just three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Latvia is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, though their group won’t be quite as familiar to NHL fans. In fact, there’s only four players with any NHL experience at all.

The full roster:

G Kristers Gudlevskis
G Janis Kalnins
G Ivars Punnenovs

D Uvis Janis Balinskis
D Oskars Cibulskis
D Karlis Cukste
D Ralfs Freibergs
D Janis Jaks
D Arturs Kulda
D Patriks Ozols
D Kristaps Zile

F Rodrigo Abols
F Oskars Batna
F Rihards Bukarts
F Roberts Bukarts
F Lauris Darzins
F Kaspars Daugavins
F Andris Dzerins
F Martins Dzierkals
F Miks Indrasis
F Nikolajs Jelisejevs
F Martins Karsums
F Ronalds Kenins
F Renars Krastenbergs
F Deniss Smirnovs

Like many of the other countries, it’s a veteran group for the Latvians without any real dynamic NHL prospects. Dzierkals, 24, was a third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs and is technically still on the Vegas Golden Knights reserve list, though his last season in North America came with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears in 2017-18. He ended up on the Vegas list in the Robin Lehner trade, which included Toronto playing middle man for salary cap purposes.

Russia Announces Final Olympic Roster

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Jan. 23: Russia released their final 25-man Olympic roster today, per The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. The following names were cut from their training camp roster:

Forwards: Anton Burdasov, Artyom Galimov
Defensemen: Dmitry Vishnevsky, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Daniil Pylenkov
Goalie: Yaroslav Askarov

Six additional players will attend as reserves. This includes forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Stanislav Galiev, Alexander Kadeikin, and Vladimir Tkachyov; defenseman Semyon Chistyakov, and goalie Dmitry Shugaev.

Jan. 17: The 2022 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, with the men’s hockey tournament kicking off on February 10. There will be a handful of pre-tournament games in the days before that, but for the Russian national team, training camp starts even sooner. The roster for camp in Novogorsk was announced today and it includes many names that will be familiar to NHL fans.

The full training camp roster:

G Yaroslav Askarov
G Alexander Samonov
G Timur Bilyalov
G Ivan Fedotov
G Dmitry Shugaev

D Dmitry Vishnevsky
D Alexander Nikishin
D Slava Voynov
D Alexander Yelesin
D Artyom Minulin
D Yegor Yakovlev
D Shakir Mukhamadullin
D Nikita Nesterov
D Daniil Pylenkov
D Sergei Telegin
D Semyon Chistyakov
D Damir Sharipzyanov

F Sergei Andronov
F Mikhail Grigorenko
F Pavel Karnaukhov
F Sergei Plotnikov
F Anton Slepyshev
F Artem Anisimov
F Artur Kayumov
F Anton Burdasov
F Nikita Gusev
F Andrei Kuzmenko
F Kirill Marchenko
F Artyom Galimov
F Dmitry Voronkov
F Stanislav Galiev
F Vadim Shipachyov
F Arseniy Gritsyuk
F Kirill Semyonov
F Alexander Kadeikin
F Vladimir Tkachyov
F Andrei Chibisov

While there is a good core of veterans that have seen international play before, the group also includes many prospects and young players that the North American hockey world may not be familiar with. New Jersey Devils fans especially will be keeping a close tab on the Russian team, and not only because of 2020 first-round pick Mukhamadullin. Gritsyuk, a fifth-round pick of the Devils in 2019, has been lighting up the KHL this season with 16 goals and 28 points through 39 games. That’s his first full season at the highest level in Russia, making the undersized forward someone to keep an eye on when his KHL contract expires in 2023.

There’s plenty of other young talents here too, with one being another Tampa Bay Lightning late-round find. Pylenkov was selected 196th overall in 2021 as an averaged draft pick and is in his third full season in the KHL. While the 21-year-old might not come over right away (though his KHL contract does expire at the end of this season), the Lightning will hold his NHL rights indefinitely after using the seventh-round pick.

Finland Announces 2022 Olympic Roster

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With just three weeks until the 2022 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament gets underway, rosters are being finalized by all the participating countries. Finland is the latest to reveal who will represent their country in Beijing next month, announcing a roster filled with names that are familiar to NHL fans. While the best league in the world won’t be going to the international event, there’s still plenty of NHL experience that will hit the ice.

The full roster:

G Harri Sateri
G Frans Tuohimaa
G Jussi Olkinuora

D Ville Pokka
D Niklas Friman
D Mikko Lehtonen
D Valtteri Kemilainen
D Juuso Hietanen
D Petteri Lindbohm
D Sami Vatanen
D Atte Ohtamaa

F Marko Anttila
F Miro Aaltonen
F Niko Ojamaki
F Joonas Kemppainen
F Hannes Bjorninen
F Toni Rajala
F Valtteri Filppula
F Markus Granlund
F Sakari Manninen
F Teemu Hartikainen
F Leo Komarov
F Samu Maenalanen
F Iiro Pakarinen
F Harri Pesonen

One thing that immediately sticks out about this group is how it is made up entirely of veteran players, those including several in their mid-thirties. Young options like Topi Niemela or Joakim Kemell, who are both leading players in Liiga, were not included. Experience is the choice here as the Finns try to reach the medal round once again. In 2018, Finland finished sixth after being eliminated in the quarter-finals by Canada.

Switzerland, Slovakia Announce Olympic Rosters

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The 2022 Winter Olympics is inching closer, with pre-tournament games happening in just a few weeks. Several countries including the U.S. have announced the rosters that will compete next month and today two more revealed their NHL-less groups.

For Switzerland, it’s a roster with several familiar names including Gregory Hofmann, who only just terminated his contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Swiss finished tenth in 2018 after missing the quarterfinals because of a loss to the Czech Republic. This year they will have a chance at redemption, as they’re in a group with Czechia, the Russian Olympic Committee, and Denmark. The Swiss roster looks like this:

G Reto Berra
G Leonardo Genoni
G Joren Van Pottelberghe

D Santeri Alatalo
D Raphael Diaz
D Michael Fora
D Romain Loeffel
D Christian Marti
D Mirco Mueller
D Ramon Untersander
D Yannick Weber

F Andres Ambuhl
F Sven Andrighetto
F Christoph Bertschy
F Enzo Corvi
F Gaetan Haas
F Fabrice Herzog
F Gregory Hofmann
F Denis Hollenstein
F Denis Malgin
F Simon Moser
F Killian Mottet
F Sven Senteler
F Dario Simion
F Joel Vermin

Switzerland wasn’t alone announcing a roster today, as Slovakia also revealed the group that will travel to Beijing. Their group also has plenty of former NHL talent on it, though they’ll certainly be in tough during the group stage. Slovakia is in Group C, which also includes Finland, Sweden, and Latvia, meaning they’ll likely have to make it through the qualification playoff round.

Slovakia’s roster will look like this:

G Branislav Konrad
G Patrik Rybar
G Matej Tomek

D Michal Cajkovsky
D Peter Ceresnak
D Marek Daloga
D Martin Gernat
D Mario Grman
D Samuel Knazko
D Martin Marincin
D Simon Nemec

F Peter Cehlarik
F Marko Dano
F Adrian Holesinsky
F Marek Hrivik
F Libor Hudacek
F Tomas Jurco
F Milos Kelemen
F Michal Kristof
F Kristian Pospisil
F Pavol Regenda
F Milos Roman
F Juraj Slafkovsky
F Samuel Takac
F Peter Zuzin

Though Slovakia’s path to a medal will be difficult, their team should be very exciting. Nemec and Slafkovsky in particular are two names to watch, as top draft-eligible players for 2022. Nemec in particular has the ability to take over a game if given the chance, as he does on a routine basis for HK Nitra, his Slovakian club team. The 17-year-olds should be used to international competition by now, having both appeared at the World Championship last summer.

Hockey Canada Names Shane Doan Olympic GM

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When the NHL pulled out of the Olympics, so too did the management and coaching staffs that were set to lead Team Canada. Doug Armstrong had been brought in to serve as general manager, while Jon Cooper was supposed to serve as head coach. Since they’ll be busy with NHL duties, Hockey Canada has picked a new pair of familiar faces to lead the program.

Shane Doan will serve as Team Canada GM for the upcoming Olympics, joined by assistant general manager Scott Salmond, a member of Hockey Canada’s executive staff. The coaching staff will officially be led by Claude Julien, along with assistants Jeremy Colliton, Nolan Baumgartner, and Tyler Dietrich. Tom Renney, Hockey Canada’s CEO, released this statement:

We are excited to announce our experienced management group and coaching staff that will lead Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympics. With less than a month until the men’s tournament gets underway at the Olympics, we are excited to continue working with the entire staff as it prepares to represent Canada and build a roster that Canadians can support as it looks to bring home an Olympic gold medal.

Doan and Julien were easy choices after leading the Canadian contingent at the recent Channel One Cup, an event that was basically a backup plan for Olympic preparation should the NHL decide to pull out. Doan also has plenty of international experience and even participated in the 2006 Olympics with Canada. Julien was an assistant on the 2014 squad and has also been part of several other Canadian coaching staffs over the years.

In the release, Salmond says that he looks forward to “unveiling the roster in the coming weeks” but does not give a firm date for the announcement. The tournament starts for Canada on February 10, when they’re set to take on Germany.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2022 Team USA Olympic Roster

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Though the official announcement is still an hour away, Frank Seravalli and Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff are reporting all 25 players that are expected to be named to Team USA for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The group includes players from the NCAA, AHL, and several overseas leagues.

The roster will be:

G Drew Commesso
G Strauss Mann
G Pat Nagle

D Brian Cooper
D Brock Faber
D Drew Helleson
D Steven Kampfer
D Aaron Ness
D Nick Perbix
D Jake Sanderson
D David Warsofsky

F Nick Abruzzese
F Kenny Agostino
F Matty Beniers
F Brendan Brisson
F Noah Cates
F Sean Farrell
F Sam Hentges
F Matthew Knies
F Marc McLaughlin
F Ben Meyers
F Andy Miele
F Brian O’Neill
F Nick Shore
F Nathan Smith

This group has a huge college contingent and also includes several players who were robbed of an opportunity to compete for a World Junior medal this year when the tournament was canceled.

In all, 13 NHL prospects are included on the team, including Beniers, the first-ever draft pick in Seattle Kraken history. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only club with two prospects, as Minnesota freshman Knies and Harvard sophomore Abruzzese both made the squad.

The tournament is set to kick-off for the U.S. on February 10 when they take on China, a nation that was given entry to the tournament because it is hosting the event.

Olympic Notes: Czechia, Johnson, Team USA

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David Krejci may be gone from the NHL but he’s not off the international stage. The former Boston Bruins star was one of 24 players named to the preliminary Czechia roster for the upcoming Olympics. The final group will be named later this month, but Krejci certainly feels like a lock at this point. Among the other names that will be familiar to NHL fans are Tomas Kundratek, Jakub Jerabek, Vladimir Sobotka, Tomas Hyka and Michael Frolik.

One name unfortunately not included is Jaromir Jagr, the 49-year-old who first appeared on the Olympic stage in 1998, winning the gold with a Dominik Hasek-led squad. Jagr has 19 points in 29 games with Kladno, the team he owns at the highest level of Czech hockey. A member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, Jagr also has two World Championship golds and won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

  • While it was obvious that Owen Power would be part of Team Canada after he starred for his country at last summer’s World Championship, another one of his college teammates appears to be coming with him. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV tweets that Kent Johnson will also represent Canada at the Olympics next month. The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Johnson fifth overall in 2021 and the extremely skilled forward is currently leading the powerhouse University of Michigan program in scoring with 28 points in just 19 games. There will be quite a few Wolverines taking part in the tournament, just months before many of them are set to sign entry-level NHL contracts.
  • ESPN will reveal the full U.S. squad later today on The Point, where several Michigan players will be officially named. The squad should have a large college hockey presence, making it a unique experience for many of these young players. In a year where many were robbed of an opportunity to compete for a World Junior medal, they could bring home an even rarer one from Beijing.

Eric Staal Signs AHL PTO

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As reported yesterday, the Iowa Wild have signed veteran center Eric Staal to an AHL professional tryout agreement, giving him a chance to tune up his game in preparation for the Olympics next month. Staal also hopes to earn an NHL agreement after the international tournament, though that is obviously a little further down the line.

Now 37, Staal has only ever played one season in the AHL and that was during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. That year he suited up for the Lowell Lock Monsters, recording 77 points in 77 games on a roster that also included names like Chuck Kobasew, Mark Giordano, and Cam Ward. More than 1,200 NHL games later and Staal is now heading back to the minors, if only for a handful of games.

The Wild play the next two nights at home against the Chicago Wolves, before welcoming in the Milwaukee Admirals and Manitoba Moose next week. It remains to be seen whether Staal will travel with the team when they hit the road for three games later this month. Canada’s first Olympic game is scheduled for February 10 against Germany, though the official roster has not yet been announced.

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