It’s that magical time of year when hockey players from all over Europe and North America converge in Switzerland under the Hockey Canada logo. With sponsor logos spread across the jerseys, the Spengler Cup kicks off on December 26 as Canada looks to win its 17th championship since 1984, and this year’s roster has some interesting names on the roster. It’s always fun to see who’s playing where in Europe when it comes to the other teams’ rosters, but today’s article will focus solely on the Canadian roster that will compete in Davos next week. Who did Canadian management contact for a trip to the Swiss Alps? Let’s find out.I have divided the positions into three tables for each of the player groups. This will allow for better discussion of each of the strengths and weaknesses of those groups, with a focus on particular players. With that said, here is Team Canada’s Spengle Cup roster!
| No. | Name | Team | G | A | GP | Top level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jonathan Hazen | HC Ajoie | 6 | 4 | 27 | AHL |
| 12 | Graeme Clark | Hershey | 6 | 4 | 25 | AHL |
| 16 | Tanner Fritz | Rapperswill | 5 | 15 | 35 | NHL |
| 18 | Mason Shaw | Manitoba | 6 | 12 | 28 | NHL |
| 19 | Andy Andreoff | ZSC Lions | 2 | 1 | 19 | NHL |
| 22 | Could it be? | Iowa | 2 | 7 | 29 | AHL |
| 27 | Derek Grant | ZSC Lions | 6 | 5 | 13 | NHL |
| 62 | Brett Seney | Rockford | 9 | 21 | 29 | NHL |
| 76 | Nate Schnarr | Cologne sharks | 11 | 18 | 29 | AHL |
| 90 | Anthony Richard | Lehigh Valley | 8 | 10 | 25 | AHL |
| 91 | Tyler Morley | EHC Kloten | 5 | 10 | 24 | AHL |
| 92 | Michael Sgarbossa | Lugano | 9 | 9 | 26 | AHL |
| 93 | Matthew Peca | Jumping field | 4 | 14 | 26 | NHL |
| 96 | Drake Caggiula | Lausanne | 14 | 10 | 30 | NHL |
No one will look at Canada’s roster and be able to circle one or two players who can be stopped when it comes to stopping Canada. This is a team that will score by committee and shouldn’t struggle to find the back of the net as they do what this team seems built to do: work hard. Head coach Michel Therrien has always emphasized a blue-collar approach to the game, where hard work makes talent even better, and this side appears to have their lunch boxes ready. I’m very curious to see who plays with whom.
| No. | Name | Team | G | A | GP | Top level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nolan Allan | Rockford | 2 | 4 | 27 | NHL |
| ?? | Joe Hicketts | Ontario | 3 | 9 | 27 | AHL |
| 15 | Nikolas Mist | San Diego | 1 | 8 | 28 | AHL |
| 20 | Calen Addison | Utica | 2 | 7 | 21 | NHL |
| 21 | Jake Livingstone | Charlotte | 1 | 4 | 16 | AHL |
| 26 | Gabriel Chicoine | Vlci Zilina | 4 | 13 | 22 | ECHL |
| 63 | Trent Bourque | JYP | 2 | 9 | 30 | AHL |
| 64 | Jesse Graham | HK Nitra | 1 | 5 | 5 | AHL |
Again, this isn’t going to be a flashy defense with all kinds of offensive punches that the opposing coaches have to strategize against. This group moves the puck, plays solid defense, works hard to clear their zone and adds some punch from the blue line whenever possible. There is a lot of leadership in this unit, so I expect the defensive group to set the tone for the work ethic of this Canadian team.
| No. | Name | Team | File | GAA | sv% | Top level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Connor Hughes | Lausanne | 12-5-0 | 2.31 | .915 | AHL |
| 33 | Taylor Gauthier | To ride | 2-1-0 | 1.34 | .941 | ECHL |
| 47 | James Reimer | not signed | n/a | n/a | n/a | NHL |
Before anyone gets excited about having a former NHL goalie on this team, I want to be clear that Connor Hughes is probably the starter for a reason. Hughes is already having a solid season in the Swiss league and probably knows the Davos team well. James Reimer is an interesting selection to play for Canada as he isn’t currently playing anywhere since being released from PTO with the Maple Leafs, but he should provide capable netminding if his number is called. Taylor Gauthier may not see much action, but this could be an opportunity for him to show Hockey Canada that he should be on their radar for the future. However, the crease looks like Hughes will lose.
There are some very good teams coming to Davos on December 26, so we’ll see how Canada does. They will play the US Collegiate Selects team made up of NCAA players on Boxing Day, and you can watch that match at 2pm ET on TSN5. The winner will advance to Sunday’s match against Davos, while the losing team will play against Davos on Saturday. Saturday’s match is at 2:00 PM ET on TSN2, while Sunday’s match is at 2:00 PM ET on TSN5. In the other pool, matches will be played at 9am, with Friday’s match between Fribourg-Gottéron and Sparta Praha on TSN5, Saturday’s match for the losing team against Helsinki on TSN2, and the winning team and Helsinki playing on Sunday on TSN5.
The remainder of the tournament will be played on TSN5, with the championship round kicking off with the quarterfinals on Monday at 9 a.m. ET. The semifinals will be played on Tuesday at 9am and 2pm before the Spengler Cup final takes place on Wednesday, December 31 at 6am ET on both TSN4 and TSN5. I hope we see Canada there as they hunt for their 17th trophy, but Davos is also looking for its 17th championship. HC Fribourg-Gottéron will be looking to defend the title they won last season as they look to make it two championships in their history. The other three teams are looking for their first Spengler Cup championships this holiday season.
It should be another great tournament on Friday in Davos, Switzerland. You’ll miss a great tournament if you’re not watching, so catch the action if you can as Team Canada looks for their first Spengler Cup championship since 2019!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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