Canada Announces Initial 16-Man Roster for 2016 World Cup of Hockey

On Wednesday, Canada announced its preliminary 16-man roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey beginning on Sept. 17 in Toronto.   

The hosts have until June 1 to finalize their full 23-man roster, but already getting over half of the roster set will give hockey fans an idea at which direction the team is moving in for such a big tournament. 

Here are the 16 men set to represent Canada in September:

Player	Position	NHL Team	Notable 2015-16 Stats
Sidney Crosby	C	Pittsburgh Penguins	25 G, 35 A
Tyler Seguin	C	Dallas Stars	32 G, 36 A
Steven Stamkos	C	Tampa Bay Lightning	28 G, 23 A
Patrice Bergeron	C	Boston Bruins	24 G, 30 A
John Tavares	C	New York Islanders	23 G, 27 A
Jeff Carter	C	Los Angeles Kings	15 G, 27 A
Ryan Getzlaf	C	Anaheim Ducks	9 G, 41 A
Jamie Benn	LW	Dallas Stars	32 G, 39 A
Jonathan Toews	C	Chicago Blackhaws	22 G, 22 A
Marc-Edouard Vlasic	D	San Jose Sharks	37 Pts, +12 Rating
Duncan Keith	D	Chicago Blackhawks	38 Pts, +13 Rating
Drew Doughty	D	Los Angeles Kings	40 Pts, +16 Rating
Shea Weber	D	Nashville Predators	16 G, 23 A
Carey Price*	G	Montreal Canadiens	10-2-0, .934 SV %
Braden Holtby	G	Washington Capitals	40-7-3, .923 SV%, 2.22 GAA
Corey Crawford	G	Chicago Blackhawks	33-16-3, 7 Shutouts

This Canadian team already has experience winning on some of the biggest international stages. Of the 16 players selected on Wednesday, 12 of them were a part of Canada's gold-medal-winning team from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Goaltenders Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford—along with forwards Tyler Seguin and Steven Stamkos, who was nursing a leg injury at the time—were not in Sochi.

Canada, though, is going to have a whole lot of firepower on its roster. Seven of its 16 players are ranked within the top 50 of the NHL in goals scored this season, including reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn. The Dallas Stars forward ranks only behind Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane in goals with 32 in 65 games. 

One of Benn's teammates, Tyler Seguin, will join him on the roster and also has 32 goals this season. Put the two together on a line, and they could be a potent combination in the World Cup of Hockey. 

They're just two of a number of big names, including Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and John Tavares of the New York Islanders, who will ensure that all four lines on Canada's team will be dangerous.

Notable players excluded from the preliminary roster were Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry. Subban is one of the premiere two-way defensemen in the league, while Perry is ranked 11th in the league with 26 goals.

They'll have an opportunity to nab one of those seven spots up for grabs before June 1.

Playing at home and with this kind of stacked roster, Canada should be among the favorites to take home the title at the World Cup of Hockey this year.

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com.