Burning Questions Ahead of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey

The World Cup of Hockey is almost upon us, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the tournament. Along with cheering for your country, there is a chance to support two new teams—the kids of North America and Team Europe—and that adds to the excitement.

There are unique elements to this event. Unlike the World Championships in the spring of each year, the World Cup of Hockey will bring together all of the best players from every league—there are no NHL playoffs. It is also true that more players are healthy and at their best—injuries haven't affected their effectiveness yet.

Here are the burning questions as we prepare for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

How Good Is Team North America?

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The strong nations are known to us—Canada, the U.S., Russia, Sweden and Finland—but one of the fresh teams has attracted a lot of attention. Team North America is as fast as lightning, and every game played looks like a track meet.

The questions about this team entering the exhibition schedule involved defense and checking, but the blinding speed and top-end skill has been enough to win a couple of games entering the tournament.

The quality and play of North America in the games leading up to the World Cup drew the attention of many onlookers. Scott Cullen of TSN ranked the team No. 3, behind Canada and Sweden, and delivered some compelling reasons for the ranking.

At the very least, North America will be appointment viewing during this tournament, and it is interesting to see qualified observers taking the team seriously.

More Analytics on the Way!

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One of the great things about the World Cup of Hockey will come on the stats page. As reported by Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet, tracking devices will be placed in the puck and on players to measure all kinds of things.

Fans can look forward to finding out exactly how much speed a shot loses over 25 feet and how close defensemen are to an oncoming rusher at the blue line. As more data comes available, the information that could be uncovered is potentially groundbreaking.

The new measurements are a continuation of discovery for fans, giving us insight into the thousands of battles and decisions that need to be made during a NHL game. Passive defense vs. aggressive defense, the massive number of events that occur in the neutral zone and hundreds of other pieces of useful information could come from these new devices.

Whatever the level of enjoyment, the new information should open up areas of discussion and give us new appreciation for specific player types.

Are There Cracks in Canada?

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Team Canada has a lot of returnees from the most recent Olympics, but there are some missing players, which could affect success.

Duncan Keith is not on the roster this time, and Canada is having some issues replacing him. The team is led by exceptional right-handed defenders, including Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Alex Pietrangelo and Brent Burns. Left shooters include Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jake Muzzin and Jay Bouwmeester, leading to some difficult decisions—including playing two right shooters together at times during the exhibition schedule.

Canada is a power in the hockey world, and the smart money is on the team playing in the final series. However, there are issues on the roster that the games leading up to the World Cup of Hockey exposed. If those issues become actual problems, we could see a surprise result for the host nation.

Will Team USA Get into Penalty Trouble?

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Team USA has a nice mix of skill and size with a side of aggression, courtesy of head coach John Tortorella. One of the major storiesleading up to the World Cup of Hockey was the team's physical play in two games against Canada.

After three pre-tournament games, Ryan Kesler had 17 penalty minutes and was the topic of conversation throughout the hockey world because of his hit on Weber.

This team could win this tournament; there is depth to the U.S. roster, and Patrick Kane is one of the best players in the game. However, special teams scoring could dictate where the team finishes, and trips to the penalty box could derail the team's chances.

Coach Tortorella is known for icing aggressive, physical teams, and that style can have a positive impact. Staying out of the penalty box could massively improve Team USA's chances of success at the World Cup of Hockey.

Can Henrik Lundqvist Backstop Sweden to Victory?

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Team Sweden is famous for fantastic defensive quality and depth, with the World Cup of Hockey roster no exception. Led by Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the brilliance of Sweden's back line is that it comes in waves.

The forward group is also solid, with the Sedin twins, Loui Eriksson, Nicklas Backstrom and Filip Forsberg all capable of delivering offense.

It could come down to goaltending. In the exhibition games leading up to the tournament, Henrik Lundqvist allowed eight goals in 107 minutes, but he is one of the best goalies in the game when he finds his comfort zone. The problem for goalies at this time of year is feeling comfortable, and Sweden may have to look to another stopper if the veteran continues to struggle.

Can Finland Push to the Top?

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There was a time when Finland was a tier below the power nations in international hockey. In recent times, Finnish hockey has entered a period of great success, including impressive showings at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where the team won bronze, and the 2016 World Championships, where Finland won silver.

Performances at the junior level have been even more dominant, as Finland won Gold at the 2016 World Junior Championships. Patrik Laine was on that team, and despite his youth, the 18-year-old will represent his country at the World Cup of Hockey.

The Finland roster does not contain the kind of impact talent the major nations can boast, but there is quality and plenty of youth. No matter what happens at the World Cup, Finnish hockey is clearly on the upswing, and this is a team that could surprise in a big way.

Will Russia Play as a Team?

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Team Russia is once again a strong contender on paper, but in reality, the great hockey nation has a difficult time cobbling together a successful team in international tournaments.

Some observers blame coaching; others suggest the problems are down to a large number of soloists who refuse to play a team game.

The Russians lack quality and depth on defense, and top defender Andrei Markov was born in 1978, meaning he is likely entering the final stages of his career. Goalies Sergei Bobrovsky, Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy have all delivered uneven—if sometimes brilliant—performances in recent seasons.

All that said, the beauty, brawn and strength of Russia comes from its forwards. Alex Ovechkin is one of the most dynamic players in the game, while players such as Evgeni Malkin and Vladimir Tarasenko strike fear into the hearts of opposition goaltenders.

Russia has a strange mix of strengths and weaknesses, making the likelihood of the team winning the World Cup of Hockey rather low. If everything breaks right, Russia could win this tournament, but it is reasonable to suggest a finish outside the top three.