Olympians David Desharnais and Daniel Winnik headline Canada’s 25-player roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
Two goalies, eight defencemen and 15 forwards were selected by general manager Shane Doan, Hockey Canada director of operations Tyler Dietrich and the team’s management group.
Desharnais, Winnik and Chris DiDomenico are the returnees from the 2019 squad that won gold when the annual holiday season tournament was last played.
Canada opens the preliminary round Monday against HC Sparta Prague.
“It’s an exciting group of players we have assembled as we begin another quest for a Spengler Cup championship in Switzerland,” Doan said Thursday in a news release.
“Our roster has plenty of experience in short-term competition, including previous Spengler Cups, and significant experience playing in some of the best leagues in the world.”
Canada won its fourth title in five years and record-setting 16th overall crown in 2019. The tournament was not played the last two years due to the pandemic.
The final is scheduled for Dec. 31.