Stock Watch for Players Hoping to Make Team USA's World Cup of Hockey Roster

The National Hockey League is reviving its World Cup of Hockey brand with an eight-team tournament that will be played in Toronto in September 2016.

We don't know yet whether the league will send its players to participate in the next Olympics in South Korea in 2018, but we do know that the Americans will need to make some tweaks to their national team roster after finishing a disappointing fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Team USA got significantly younger in Sochi after securing the silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games, so the core of the roster will likely be pretty familiar and a little more experienced.

Also worth noting: Players who are 23 or under from Canada and the U.S. are required to join Team North America rather than suiting up for their national team, so that's where rising U.S. stars like Johnny Gaudreau, Dylan Larkin and Brandon Saad will land.

NHL.com reported that each team will be expected to announce the first 16 players on its roster by March 1, 2016. Judging from the season so far, we could see some old stalwarts left off the roster with some interesting new faces fighting to take their places.

Here's the current lay of the land for Team USA's 2016 World Cup of Hockey roster. Player ages in parentheses are from the time of the tournament.

The Likeliest Returnees

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NHL.com has the roster for Team USA from the 2014 Sochi Olympics—a good starting point when thinking about the upcoming roster for the World Cup of Hockey.

Players like Patrick Kane and Ryan McDonagh will continue to be mainstays, while others such as Max Pacioretty, Blake Wheeler and John Carlson have become better players in the two years since their Olympic appearances.

Team USA's 2014 Olympians should be well-represented on the 2016 World Cup team. Here are the likely returnees.

Forwards (9/14)

• David Backes (32)
• Patrick Kane (28)
• Phil Kessel (28)
• T.J. Oshie (29)
• Max Pacioretty (27)
• Zach Parise (32)
• Joe Pavelski (32)
• Derek Stepan (26)
• Blake Wheeler (30)

Defensemen (6/8)

• John Carlson (26)
• Justin Faulk (24)
• Cam Fowler (25)
• Ryan McDonagh (27)
• Kevin Shattenkirk (27)
• Ryan Suter (31)

Goaltenders (1/3)

• Jonathan Quick (30)

Forwards on the Bubble

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Not everyone has trended upward since 2014. These five forwards have struggled since Sochi and could find themselves bumped out of the lineup in favor of fresh faces when the American roster is announced.

Most of the players on the bubble are now over 30 and into the back end of their careers. Their age at the time of the 2016 World Cup is included.

Dustin Brown (31): He picked up his second Stanley Cup four months after the Sochi Olympics, but Brown's game has fallen off a cliff over the past two seasons. The Los Angeles Kings captain has just two goals, five assists and seven points in 21 games so far in 2015-16 and is also struggling on the defensive side of the puck. 

Ryan Callahan (31): Last summer, Callahan would have been a lock for a key role on Team USA after leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final. This year, Callahan has also managed just seven points so far and is a minus-four as his Lightning struggle to regain their elite form from last season.

Ryan Kesler (32): The 2011 Selke Trophy winner has long been considered one of hockey's best two-way centers, but Kesler's minus-10 is a team-worst number on the struggling Anaheim Ducks this season. Like Brown and Callahan, Kesler also has just seven points. After reaching Game 7 of the Western Conference Final last season, the Ducks have dropped off in shocking fashion, and Kesler's subpar play has been a focal point. It's very possible that he's playing his way off Team USA.

Paul Stastny (30): For the second straight season, injuries have derailed the start of Stastny's season with the St. Louis Blues. Last year, he missed eight games between October 18 and November 6 with a sprained shoulder and finished his season with 46 points in 74 games. This year, Stastny was off to a strong start with five points in five games before breaking his foot blocking a shot on October 16. He returned to action for the Blues' November 23 game against the Buffalo Sabres. He was held pointless in his first game back but will need to quickly get his season back on track if he hopes to avoid being passed over by the Team USA brass.

James van Riemsdyk (27): Van Riemsdyk is on track for his third straight 25-plus-goal season, and the big (6'3", 200 lbs) left winger should be in the heart of his hockey-playing prime, but he's in danger of being overlooked because he's trapped in purgatory with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the U.S. management team wants to make room to bring in more new faces, JVR might find himself shelved in favor of some fresh blood.

Defensemen and Goaltenders on the Bubble

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Paul Martin, D (35): Martin has adjusted nicely to life on the West Coast with the San Jose Sharks, settling in on a steady second pairing for a team on the upswing. If he's healthy, he'd be a reliable option for Team USA. But Martin turns 35 in March, so he's a candidate for replacement if the team is looking to get younger on the blue line this time around.

Brooks Orpik, D (36): Like his old Pittsburgh Penguins partner Martin, Orpik has been holding his own even though he's getting on in years. Orpik was anchoring the impressive Washington Capitals' top defensive pairing with John Carlson before he suffered a lower-body injury which has kept him out of the lineup since November 12. Caps head coach Barry Trotz says it is not serious, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, but any setback at this point could jeopardize Orpik's chance to return as a member of Team USA.

Jimmy Howard, G (32): Jimmy Howard was named as the third goalie in Sochi but didn't see any game action. With a couple of very strong Americans moving up the goaltending ranks, it's likely that he'll be bumped for a fresh face for the World Cup.

Ryan Miller, G (36): After being named a reserve member of Team USA but not suiting up in Turin in 2006, Miller worked his way up to No. 1 and earned a silver medal in Vancouver in 2010 before being bumped back down the depth chart by Jonathan Quick in Sochi. Miller made just one appearance in 2014—a 5-1 win over Slovenia during the preliminary round. He'll be 36 by next fall and is having an up-and-down season with the Vancouver Canucks, so it's highly unlikely that he'll be asked to don the red, white and blue in Toronto next September.

New Faces at Forward

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With as many as five roster spots to fill up front, these are the top names that Team USA general manager Dean Lombardi should be considering. Some have grown their reputations gradually while others are having standout 2015-16 seasons so far. They're listed alphabetically.

Nick Bjugstad (24): The hulking 6'6" Florida Panthers center scored 24 goals last season and is on pace for a career high this year with seven goals and 12 points in 21 games.

Nick Foligno (28): The Columbus Blue Jackets captain has come back to earth after his 73-point campaign in 2014-15 but is now working under the watchful eye of Team USA head coach John Tortorella. If Torts likes what he sees, Foligno will be awarded a World Cup roster spot.

Tyler Johnson (26): Like the rest of his team, the leader of the "Triplets" line is off to a slow start (three goals, seven assists in 19 games). But if the Tampa Bay Lightning start lighting the lamp again, the shifty Johnson will be a hard player for Team USA to ignore.

Chris Kreider (25): Kreider's coming off a 21-goal season with the NHL's best regular-season team and has become known for his willingness to drive to the net. Tortorella brought Kreider into the league when he coached the New York Rangers in 2013 and should be interested in renewing acquaintances with him.

Brock Nelson (24): Big (6'3", 206 lbs) Nelson had a contentious contract negotiation over the summer with the New York Islanders, but his eight goals and 14 points in 21 games put him on track for career bests in both categories this season. Nelson's still a low-profile talent who has yet to receive the credit he deserves due to the Islanders' stacked depth at forward.

Kyle Okposo (28): He missed 22 games last season, but Okposo has come back with a vengeance in 2015-16, posting 18 points in 21 games with the New York Islanders. He's another skilled, big-bodied option for Team USA if it's looking to go younger without losing its grit.

Bobby Ryan (29): A former second overall draft pick, Bobby Ryan has 19 points in 20 games in 2015-16, which puts him on track for his best NHL season after a few shaky years. Ryan looks like a late bloomer—a scorer and playmaker who is finally realizing his potential.

New Faces on Defense

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There won't be more than a couple of new faces on the blue line for Team USA, but plenty of worthy candidates will be vying for the positions. Ultimately, the choice will come down to the playing style that Team USA will favor. We know Tortorella loves a good shot-blocker.

Here's a range of options for Tortorella and Lombardi to choose from.

Dustin Byfuglien (31): The legend of Big Buff has only grown since he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2010. He's a high-risk, high-reward game-changer who can be just as effective defending the zone or playing the point as he can be wreaking havoc with his 6'5", 260-pound body in front of an opponent's net. Byfuglien also leads all U.S. defensemen this season with 67 hits. He could be an X-factor for the Americans.

Alex Goligoski (31): The Dallas Stars have put it all together this season, and veteran Goligoski has been one of the standouts. At 5'11" and 185 pounds, he's far from imposing, but playing on Dallas' top defensive pairing with Swedish standout John Klingberg, Goligoski's plus-11 ties him for 10th overall in the NHL. He's also currently third among American defensemen with 47 blocked shots.

Erik Johnson (28): Johnson will never shake off the stigma of having been chosen first overall in the 2006 draft, two spots ahead of perhaps the best all-around player in the game today, Jonathan Toews. Johnson was labeled a disappointment when he was traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 but has slowly developed into a dependable defensive defenseman. He ranks second among all U.S. defensemen with 48 blocked shots. 

Torey Krug (25): At the other end of the spectrum, if the brain trust is looking for a waterbug with a killer point shot, Krug deserves consideration. Despite his 5'9" stature, Krug is now a well-rounded blueliner who is second only to Zdeno Chara in ice time on the Boston Bruins.

Nick Leddy (25): Now a top-pairing defenseman on the New York Islanders, Leddy is coming into his prime as an all-around defenseman who can be counted on in any situation. His addition helped to shore up the blue line on Long Island last season. He could do the same for Team USA.

New Faces in Goal

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Veteran Craig Anderson and rookie Mike Condon are having impressive seasons that could put them on the Team USA radar as injury-replacement alternates, but two men have the inside track to replace Howard and Miller in the main rotation and possibly challenge Quick for the starter's job.

Based on this season's performances to date, it's a tight race. The incumbent Quick may still hold the edge due to his reputation for delivering his best performances in big-game situations.

Ben Bishop (29): Though his Tampa Bay Lightning have struggled this season, Ben Bishop continues to make a solid case to be the U.S. starter at the World Cup. Bishop was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2013-14 with a goals-against average of 2.23 and .924 save percentage. He's beating those numbers this season—currently at 2.05 and .925, respectively, and well ahead of Quick's 2.39 and .915.

Cory Schneider (30): Stuck first behind Roberto Luongo in Vancouver and then Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, Schneider has finally settled into his starter's role and is seeing good results with the Devils. This year, Schneider has improved on a strong first season as a No. 1—on par with Bishop with a 2.05 GAA and .928 save percentage. Perhaps most importantly after a disappointing 2014-15 season in New Jersey, Schneider was the first American goaltender to reach 10 wins this season on November 23—a mark that was equalled by Quick one day later.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.