Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli will serve as co-managers of Team North America U-23 at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The duo will select the roster, coaching and support staff and oversee all tournament preparations and management for Team North America, according to a release.
Bowman has guided the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships in the past six seasons. In 2010, he became the organization’s ninth GM and youngest in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup. Bowman joined the Hawks in 2000 as a special assistant to the general manager role before he was promoted to director of hockey operations.
The 2016 World Cup will feature national teams from Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, along with a squad chosen from among the NHL’s top North American players who are 23 and under. The final team will feature players from European countries that are unrepresented, such as Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway, Austria, Latvia and Denmark.
Each roster will consist of 23 players, including three goaltenders.
Sixteen players must be named to the rosters by March 1, 2016. Those rosters have to be submitted by June 1.
Teams in the World Cup will be divided into two groups of four, with each playing three games within its group. The top two finishers in each group will then play in the semi-finals, with the winners advancing to a best-of-three championship round.
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