Canada is off to a strong start in shaping its roster for the Worlds with the first players confirmed to wear the red-and-white jersey when the puck officially drops in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, on 6 May.

Defending world champions Matt Duchene (Colorado), Taylor Hall (Edmonton), and Ryan O’Reilly (Buffalo) are among the first group of confirmed players who will be making the trek to Prague, Czech Republic, for a pre-competition camp and pre-tournament game before heading to Russia for Canada’s opening match-up against the United States.

“The opportunity to represent your country in international competition is something that never gets old, as we’ve seen in the enthusiasm of this first group of players to join the squad, and the others we’re still in discussion with as we move through the process of building our roster,” said co-general manager, Brad Treliving.

Canada can name up to 25 players to its roster, and will continue to make additions as players and teams progress through the 2016 NHL playoffs. Bill Peters will serve as head coach for the team.

“The World Championship is always a great event, and coming in as defending champions adds to the cachet of the event. We all want to see the Canadian flag be the one raised at the end of that gold-medal game on May 22nd,” said co-general manager, George McPhee.

Canada opens the 2016 IIHF World Championship in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, against the United States on Friday, May 6, with preliminary-round games scheduled through Tuesday, May 17. The bronze- and gold-medal games will be hosted in Moscow on Sunday, May 22.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will carry all Team Canada games, including the four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, and both medal games.

Team Canada – Preliminary Roster

Goaltenders:
Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers (NHL)

Defencemen:
Cody Ceci, Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Chris Tanev, Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Ben Hutton, Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Ryan Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

Forwards:
Taylor Hall, Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Brendan Gallagher, Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Max Domi, Arizona Coyotes (NHL)
Sam Reinhart, Buffalo Sabres (NHL)
Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets (NHL)
Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins (NHL)
Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres (NHL)
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (NHL)

Head Coach:
Bill Peters