Canada names Spengler Cup roster as Olympics loom

Hockey Canada has named its 20-man roster for the 2017 Spengler Cup hockey tournament.

Canada will enter this year's event in Davos, Switzerland looking for its third title in a row, and Olympic general manager Sean Burke and head coach Willie Desjardins will get one last chance to evaluate players in competition before selecting the team for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Forwards Andrew Ebbett, David McIntyre, Mason Raymond and Nick Spaling and defenceman Maxim Noreau return from Canada's 2016 Spengler Cup winning team.

Olympic Seminars and KHL Erasers | Rob's Dream Job, Ep.7​

7 years ago

Duration 3:29

In this week’s episode, Rob Pizzo takes you behind the scenes of an Olympic Seminar in Toronto (with special guest appearances from Olympic Host Andi Petrillo and Hockey Analyst PJ Stock). He also gives an update and the status of KHL players heading to Pyeongchang.

"The Spengler Cup allows us an opportunity to take another look at some players who've been part of earlier teams, as well as work with some new faces, just given how it aligns with other league schedules," said Burke, who noted that eight of the players selected come from either the NCAA or the American Hockey League.

Canada's rosters for its last two pre-Olympic tournaments have been heavy with players based in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko has said he is waiting to find out how many Russians will be banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics before deciding if he will allow his players to compete in South Korea.

Rosters are already thin after the NHL declined to release players for the 2018 Games.