For a generation of hockey fans, the 2018 Winter Olympics will provide a completely new hockey experience.
For the first time since 1994, Olympic teams will not be comprised of National Hockey League talent. Instead, the squads will be built from the best available players in the American Hockey League and top European Leagues – primarily Sweden, Switzerland, and the Kontinental Hockey League.
Pros and Cons
There are two sides to a non-NHL Olympic hockey tournament. Unfortunately, hockey fans will be deprived of seeing the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid both donning Canadian sweaters, but on the flip side, unheralded players – Canadians who would never have dreamed of donning red and white at the Olympics – will get a shot at glory.
If this group of Canadians can bring in gold, Canada will get to enjoy a whole new cast of heroes – and what a story that would be.
Here’s the 25-man roster heading to Pyeongchang!
Goaltenders
- Justin Peters (Blyth, Ont./Kölner Haie, Germany)
- Kevin Poulin (Montreal, Que./Medvescak Zagreb, Austria)
- Ben Scrivens (Spruce Grove, Alta./Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL)
Defencemen
- Stefan Elliott (Vancouver, B.C./HV71, Sweden)
- Chay Genoway (Morden, Man./Lada Togliatti, KHL)
- Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ont./Stockton, AHL)
- Marc-André Gragnani (L’Île-Bizard, Que./HC Dinamo Minsk, KHL)
- Chris Lee (MacTier, Ont./Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL)
- Maxim Noreau (Montreal, Que./SC Bern, Switzerland)
- Mat Robinson (Calgary, Alta./CSKA Moscow, KHL)
- Karl Stollery (Camrose, Alta./Dinamo Riga, KHL)
Forwards
- René Bourque (Lac La Biche, Alta./Djurgårdens IF, Sweden)
- Gilbert Brulé (Edmonton, Alta./Kunlun Red Star, KHL)
- Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C./SC Bern, Switzerland)
- Quinton Howden (Oakbank, Man./HC Dinamo Minsk, KHL)
- Chris Kelly (Toronto, Ont./Belleville, AHL)
- Rob Klinkhammer (Lethbridge, Alta./Ak Bars Kazan, KHL)
- Brandon Kozun (Calgary, Alta./Lokomotiv Yaroslav, KHL)
- Maxim Lapierre (Brossard, Que./HC Lugano, Switzerland)
- Eric O’Dell (Ottawa, Ont./HC Sochi, KHL)
- Mason Raymond (Cochrane, Alta./SC Bern, Switzerland)
- Derek Roy (Rockland, Ont./Linköping HC, Sweden)
- Christian Thomas (Toronto, Ont./Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
- Linden Vey (Wakaw, Sask./Barys Astana, KHL)
- Wojtek Wolski (Toronto, Ont./Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL)
Players by Province
- Ontario – 8
- Alberta – 8
- Quebec – 4
- Manitoba – 2
- British Columbia – 2
- Saskatchewan – 1
