Raymond, Wolski headline Canadian roster for pre-Olympic showcase
Current NHL players won't be taking part in February's Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but that's not stopping a crop of former NHLers from auditioning to make the trip.
On Thursday, Hockey Canada announced its roster for the Karjala Cup, a pre-Olympic tournament that will be used to assess the potential lineup that will represent Canada at the 2018 Games this winter.
Among the 26 names are a group of former NHLers currently plying their trade in pro leagues around the globe, including Wojtek Wolski, Mason Raymond, and Ben Scrivens.
Here's a look at the complete roster for next month's tuneup - one that could end up looking very similar to Team Canada's Olympic roster come February:
| Position | Player | Current Team (League) |
|---|---|---|
| Wojtek Wolski | F | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
| Mason Raymond | F | SC Bern (NLA) |
| Derek Roy | F | Linkoping HC (SHL) |
| Brandon Kozun | F | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) |
| Eric O'Dell | F | HC Sochi (KHL) |
| Gilbert Brule | F | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
| Rene Bourque | F | Djurgardens (SHL) |
| Matt Ellison | F | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL) |
| Quinton Howden | F | Dinamo Minsk (KHL) |
| Dylan Sikura | F | Northeastern University (NCAA) |
| Andrew Ebbett | F | SC Bern (NLA) |
| Matt Frattin | F | Barys Astana (KHL) |
| Christian Thomas | F | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) |
| Rob Klinkhammer | F | Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) |
| Karl Stollery | D | Dinamo Riga (KHL) |
| Zach Whitecloud | D | Bemidji State University (NCAA) |
| Chay Genoway | D | Lada Togliatti (KHL) |
| Chris Lee | D | Hockey Canada |
| Maxim Noreau | D | SC Bern (NLA) |
| Simon Despres | D | HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) |
| Jesse Blacker | D | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
| Geoff Kinrade | D | Kunlun Red Star (KHL) |
| Mat Robinson | D | CSKA Moscow (KHL) |
| Justin Peters | G | Kolner Haie (DEL) |
| Ben Scrivens | G | Salavat Yulaev UFA (KHL) |
The other three nations icing teams in November's pre-Olympic tournament are Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland, with the Swiss and Finns each playing host.