Canada’s International Para Hockey Cup team is full of players fresh off of winning the world championship.
The 18-player roster for the Oct. 7-13 tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic, includes 14 players who won a world title for Canada last May in Calgary.
Head coach Russ Herrington, hockey operations manager Adam Janssen and assistant coaches Mike Fountain, Boris Rybalka and Greg Westlake selected three goaltenders, five defensemen and 10 forwards for Canada’s season-opening tournament.
The four-nation event also includes the United States, which Canada beat 2-1 in the world championship final, Italy and hosts Czechia.
“We want to build on the momentum of our success at the Paralympic World Cup and continue to develop and grow as a group,” Herrington said in a statement Thursday. “We had a competitive judging field and are excited to face three strong teams in Czechia.”
The roster was chosen from 32 players who attended an evaluation camp that concluded Thursday in Elmira, Ont.
Canada opens the tournament on Monday against Italy, followed by games against the United States on Tuesday and the Czechs on October 10. The semi-finals on October 12 will be followed by the medal games on October 13.
WATCH: Canada captures world Para hockey gold over USA:
Canada captures gold in the Para hockey world championship with victory over the USA
Canada defeats the United States 2-1 at the ice hockey world championship in Calgary. The Canadians win their first world title since 2017 and their first at home.
The United States announced its 17-player roster on Thursday, with all members returning from the world championship lineup.
“We are very excited to start the year after last season didn’t end the way we expected,” normal manager Dan Brennan said in a USA Hockey release. “I feel like it has given us extra motivation to regain our status as the best team in the sport.”
USA Hockey announced Thursday that its men’s, women’s and Para teams will wear helmet decals this season in memory of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who died Aug. 29 when a vehicle struck them while riding their bicycles.
Decal includes Johnny’s #13 jersey and Matthew’s #21 jersey.
