Niklas Hjalmarsson will be joined by Chicago Blackhawks teammate Marcus Kurger on Team Sweden’s roster at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced Friday.
Hjalmarsson was named to the initial roster back in March, while Kruger made the final cut.
Hjalmarsson, 28, recorded two goals and 22 assists in 81 games this season for Chicago.
Kruger, 25, has no goals and four assists in 41 games this season. The Stockholm, Sweden native suffered a left dislocated wrist in December and miss a majority of the season after undergoing successful surgery to repair it. Last season, Kruger scored seven goals and 10 assists in 81 games.
Both players have unfinished business while wearing the Swedish sweater as they left the ice in Sochi with silver medals around their necks. For Hjalmarsson, it was his first medal in almost a decade. He last won bronze at the 2005 U18 World Championship. He also competed in the 2012 WC and 2007 WJC. Kruger won silver at the 2011 WC and bronze a the 2010 WJC.
Team Sweden announces final roster for World Cup of Hockey 2016. #WCH2016 pic.twitter.com/bAqJSPYKCT
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 27, 2016
This year’s World Cup of Hockey, which represents the event’s return after a hiatus, is set for September and will be held in Toronto. The format is slightly modified from the past World Cup tournaments, with six national teams and two special “all-star teams” participating.
The eight teams that will compete this year are the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic, plus Team Europe and Under-23 Team North America.
Here is when the teams will announce their rosters:
Here’s Friday’s sked for announcements of remainder of World Cup roster spots. pic.twitter.com/J01mcRQTOl
— Jason Kay (@JKTHN) May 26, 2016