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McDavid, Eichel lead Team North America's initial World Cup roster
Team North America will feature the two top young players in hockey when they take on the rest of the world in September’s World Cup of Hockey.
Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid will join forces for the group of stars from the United States and Canada, age 23 and younger. McDavid and Eichel went No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the 2015 NHL Draft and are considered the future faces of the NHL.
Below is the first 16 players from their roster, which was announced Wednesday.
Goalies
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
Connor Hellebuyck, Manitoba Moose – Winnipeg Jets hold NHL rights
Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
Defensemen
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Ryan Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
Forwards
Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
J.T. Miller, New York Rangers
Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames
Brandon Saad, Columbus Blue Jackets
The final seven players must be announced by June 1.
Here’s the Team North America jersey:
Now that's a look fit for hockey’s rising stars. Here are the Team North America uniforms from @adidas. #WCH2016 pic.twitter.com/OrKsW388PH
— NHL (@NHL) March 2, 2016
• Team North America has some solid centers. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, McDavid, Eichel and Calgary Flames pivot Sean Monahan are three of the top scoring middle-men in the game. McDavid has averaged over a point per-game this season with 31 in 28. MacKinnon has 48 points in 65 games this season, and Eichel has been a near point per-game player his last 29 contests. Monahan scored 31 goals last season.
• Faceoffs will be a big issue for North America’s centers. Both Eichel and McDavid have won about 40 percent of their draws this year. MacKinnon has won 48.7 percent of faceoffs this season. Monahan is the only Team North America center to win at least 50 percent of his draws.
• Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson is the most experienced of the group, playing in just 53 games. Hellebuyck has just 26 games of NHL experience in his career, and is currently back down in the AHL.
• Smart move by general manager Peter Chiarelli and assistant GM Stan Bowman taking defensemen Seth Jones and Ryan Murray. Both have played together with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and chemistry will be important in such an early and fast tournament. Bowman said "knowing they played together I think is something we can really go back to."
• There are quite a few young players out there for the management group to evaluate like defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere, Noah Hanifin and Dougie Hamilton. Chiarelli mentioned forward Max Domi as another possibility. Will Miller’s inclusion push out Boone Jenner as far as gritty forwards?
• Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not on this list. While he could eventually be added, Chiarelli is Edmonton’s general manager, and this could create some level of awkwardness between him and the player. Chiarelli called the decision to leave Nugent-Hopkins off the initial roster, "difficult."
Previously released 16-man rosters:
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
