Team Russia has named Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Evgeni Malkin as part of the initial 16-man roster for the 2016 World Cup Of Hockey tournament. The international tournament is scheduled to start Sept. 21 and will be held in Toronto before the start of the 2016-17 NHL season.
Ovechkin, Malkin and Kuznetsov are the most notable names on the roster along with Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk. Other players named to the initial roster include Sergei Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Artem Anisimov, Andrei Markov and Nikita Kucherov. The Russian team is considered one of the favorites for the tournament, and it has a number of players that have participated with the team in Olympic competitions.
Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Malkin each played for Russia in the last two Winter Olympics, while Kuznetsov was not named to the team in 2014. The last time the event was held was in 2004, and Ovechkin participated as part of the Russian team, appearing in two games.
"Doesn't matter which tournament; it's huge honor," Ovechkin said. "I was a teenager then and I played in a couple games, and it was an unbelievable experience for me just to see players from NHL."
Ovechkin has been leading the NHL in scoring this season, while his Washington Capitals teammate Kuznetsov is ranked fifth in the league in overall scoring. Kuznetsov has 65 points this season with 20 goals and 45 assists. Malkin just returned from an injury for the Pittsburgh Penguins and has been one of the most productive players in the league, recording 51 points in 52 games played this season.
Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk also could be an option for Team Russia, but he was not named to the initial roster. Kovalchuk has been playing in the KHL in Russia, but he reportedly is looking to come back to the NHL.
There were some other developments regarding rosters for the World Cup of Hockey, including that Jaromir Jagr was left off the initial list for the Czech Republic. Team Finland also released its initial roster, which includes a number of notable NHL players. Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was named to the Finland roster along with Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild and Jussi Jokinen of the Florida Panthers.
Jagr previously played for the team at the World Championships last year and led the Czech Republic in scoring. While Jagr said that the WC tournament would be his "final" international compeition, the 44-year-old has been playing at a very high level this season, and it's surprising that he was not included.
Jagr has recorded 46 points this season and has helped lead the Florida Panthers to the top of the Atlantic Division. The Czech Republic likely would be open to adding Jagr down the line if he wants to participate in the tournament.
