35 OHL Graduates Competing in 2016 World Cup of Hockey

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey descends on Toronto next week and 75 CHL graduates will be competing in the best-on-best international hockey championship.

The eight team tournament takes place at the Air Canada Centre beginning Saturday September 17th as Canada, The United States, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Team Europe and Team North America (Under-23) battle to be the best.

CHL graduates are spread across all eight rosters, with 35 from the Ontario Hockey League, 21 from the Western Hockey League and 19 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The @HondaCanada road to #WCH2016: Gold Medals, World Championships, a World Cup.
Team Canada has only one objectivehttps://t.co/gP0M2a25s5

— NHL (@NHL) September 14, 2016

A total of 43 Canadian Hockey League teams are represented, with the London Knights leading the way with six former players in the tournament while the Portland Winterhawks, Kitchener Rangers, Barrie Colts and Plymouth Whalers all trail close behind with five.

Team Canada features the most CHL graduates on the roster with 22 while Team North America (Under-23) and Team Czech Republic come in at second with 15 each.

They know they’re the favorites. Now @HockeyCanada just needs to play hockey and avoid the pressure. https://t.co/K8900kg5a6 #WCH2016

— NHL (@NHL) September 14, 2016

22 of the 23 players on Team Canada’s roster are CHL graduates, featuring stars such as Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oceanic), John Tavares (Oshawa Generals/London Knights) and goaltender Carey Price (Tri-City Americans).

Team North America is laden with recent CHL graduates including 2015 first overall NHL Draft selection Connor McDavid (Erie Otters), 2015 Calder Trophy recipient Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts) and 2016 Stanley Cup Champion Matt Murray (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds).

The third installment of the World Cup of Hockey follows the inaugural 1996 tournament in Montreal when The United States defeated Canada. Eight years later in Toronto, Canada skated to a championship victory over Finland in 2004.

Catch the OHL’s stars of the past as they compete to be the best in the world on Sportsnet.

2016 World Cup of Hockey Schedule 

 

CHL GRADUATES COMPETING IN 2016 WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

CANADA (22 CHL Graduates):

Goaltenders:
Corey Crawford (Moncton Wildcats, 2001-05)
Braden Holtby (Saskatoon Blades, 2005-09)
Carey Price (Tri-City Americans, 2002-07)

Defencemen:
Jay Bouwmeester (Medicine Hat Tigers, 1998-02)
Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion, 2002-03)
Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm, 2005-08)
Jake Muzzin (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, 2006-10)
Alex Pietrangelo (Niagara IceDogs/Barrie Colts, 2006-10)
Marc-Edouard Vlasic (Quebec Remparts, 2003-06)
Shea Weber (Kelowna Rockets, 2001-05)

Forwards:
Patrice Bergeron (Acadie-Bathurst Titan, 2001-03)
Logan Couture (Ottawa 67’s, 2005-09)
Sidney Crosby (Rimouski Oceanic, 2003-05)
Matt Duchene (Brampton Battalion, 2007-09)
Ryan Getzlaf (Calgary Hitmen, 2001-05)
Claude Giroux (Gatineau Olympiques, 2005-08)
Brad Marchand (Moncton Wildcats, 2004-06)
Ryan O’Reilly (Erie Otters, 2007-09)
Corey Perry (London Knights, 2001-05)
Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting, 2006-08)
John Tavares (Oshawa Generals/London Knights, 2005-09)
Joe Thornton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, 2005-09)

 

CZECH REPUBLIC (15 CHL Graduates):

Goaltenders:
Petr Mrazek (Ottawa 67’s, 2009-12)
Michal Neuvirth (Plymouth Whalers/Windsor Spitfires/Oshawa Generals, 2006-08)
Ondrej Pavelec (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, 2005-07)

Defencemen:
Michal Jordan (Windsor Spitfires/Plymouth Whalers, 2007-10)
Tomas Kundratek (Medicine Hat Tigers, 2008-10)
Zbynek Michalek (Shawinigan Cataractes, 2000-02)
Roman Polak (Kootenay Ice, 2004-05)

Forwards:
Michal Birner (Barrie Colts/Saginaw Spirit, 2004-06)
Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers/Sudbury Wolves, 2011-14)
Michael Frolik (Rimouski Oceanic, 2006-08)
Martin Hanzal (Red Deer Rebels, 2006-07)
Ales Hemsky (Hull Olympiques, 2000-02)
Dmitrij Jaskin (Moncton Wildcats, 2012-13)
Ondrej Palat (Drummondville Voltigeurs, 2009-11)
Jakub Voracek (Halifax Mooseheads, 2006-08)

 

EUROPE (11 CHL Graduates):

Goaltenders:
Philipp Grubauer (Belleville Bulls/Windsor Spitfires/Kingston Frontenacs, 2008-11)
Jaroslav Halak (Lewiston MAINEiacs, 2004-05)

Defencemen:
Zdeno Chara (Prince George Cougars, 1996-97)
Luca Sbisa (Lethbridge Hurricanes, 2007-09)
Andrej Sekera (Owen Sound Attack, 2004-06)

Forwards:
Mikkel Boedker (Kitchener Rangers, 2007-08)
Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders/Kelowna Rockets, 2012-15)
Jannik Hansen (Portland Winterhawks, 2005-06)
Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks, 1997-98)
Nino Niederreiter (Portland Winterhawks, 2009-11)
Tobias Rieder (Kitchener Rangers, 2010-13)

 

FINLAND (1 CHL Graduate):

Defencemen:
Olli Maatta (London Knights, 2011-13)

 

NORTH AMERICA (15 CHL Graduates):

Goaltenders:
John Gibson (Kitchener Rangers, 2011-13)
Matt Murray (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, 2010-14)

Defencemen:
Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts, 2011-14)
Seth Jones (Portland Winterhawks, 2012-13)
Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips, 2008-13)
Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw Warriors, 2010-13)

Forwards:
Sean Couturier (Drummondville Voltigeurs, 2008-11)
Jonathan Drouin (Halifax Mooseheads, 2011-14)
Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads, 2011-13)
Connor McDavid (Erie Otters, 2012-15)
J.T. Miller (Plymouth Whalers, 2011-12)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels, 2008-11)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit, 2010-12)
Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts, 2010-13)
Vincent Trocheck (Saginaw Spirit/Plymouth Whalers, 2009-13)

 

RUSSIA (4 CHL Graduates):

Defencemen:
Dmitry Kulikov (Drummondville Voltigeurs, 2008-09)

Forwards:
Nikita Kucherov (Quebec Remparts/Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 2012-13)
Vladislav Namestnikov (London Knights, 2010-12)
Ivan Telegin (Saginaw Spirit/Barrie Colts, 2009-12)

 

SWEDEN (3 CHL Graduates):

Forwards:
Mikael Backlund (Kelowna Rockets, 2008-09)
Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers, 2009-11)
Rickard Rakell (Plymouth Whalers, 2010-13)

 

UNITED STATES (4 CHL Graduates):

Defencemen:
Dustin Byfuglien (Brandon Wheat Kings/Prince George Cougars, 2001-05)
John Carlson (London Knights, 2008-09)

Forwards:
Brandon Dubinsky (Portland Winterhawks, 2002-06)
Patrick Kane (London Knights, 2006-07)

 

For more information on the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, please visit wch2016.com.