The format will feature eight teams separated into two groups for a preliminary round that will run Sept. 17-22. The top two finishers in each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be played Sept. 24 and 25. The winners meet in a best-of-three final, with games played Sept. 27, Sept. 29 and, if necessary, Oct 1.
Group A will consist of Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team USA and Team Europe, which will be comprised of the top players from countries outside the four European countries already competing in the tournament (Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia). German Ice Hockey Federation president Franz Reindl was named president/team leader for Team Europe. Former NHL player and Slovakia national team captain Miroslav Satan was named the general manager for Team Europe.
Former Edmonton Oilers coach Ralph Krueger was announced as Team Europe coach. Krueger was formerly the coach of the Switzerland national team for 15 international tournaments, including the Olympics three times. He also was a consultant for Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Group B features Team Russia, Team Finland, Team Sweden and Team North America, which will be comprised of the top North American players who will be 23 years old or younger as of Oct. 1, 2016. Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli and Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman were named co-managers of Team North America. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Team Europe and Team North America were created to ensure that as many NHL players as possible will participate in the tournament.
The rosters will consist of 23 players featuring 20 skaters and three goalies. The first 16 players, including two goalies, must be named no later than March 1. The balance of the rosters must be announced no later than June 1. All games will be played on an NHL-sized rink using NHL rules and NHL officials. Other competition features, including the anti-doping policy, supplementary discipline and medical protocols, will be coordinated jointly by the NHL and NHLPA in consultation with outside parties, such as the International Ice Hockey Federation, when necessary.
Plans for training camps and exhibition games prior to the World Cup will be announced in a relatively short period of time, Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said. NHL training camps prior to the start of the 2016-17 season are expected to start on time, with the players competing in the World Cup joining their NHL teams once their teams are eliminated from the World Cup or once it is finished.
"There was a really long list, especially also coaches from North America, NHL coaches and so on, but we like to have European flavor on the top management to create a team together with the famous players we have, and we like to create something special because we are not representing Europe, we're representing the rest of Europe, I would say. We have to focus on getting a team together in a couple of days together, and Ralph Krueger is the guy who can do it. He's able to do it." Reindl said.
"It's something new, and when you look at the potential players on this team, it's exciting. Normally, these players are hard to get in the normal course of hockey, so to go out and scout them and know they'll be a part of your team is exciting." Chiarelli said.The two-week tournament, featuring more than 150 of the best players in the NHL, will progress from the Preliminary Round to the Semifinals and ultimately the Final. All tournament games will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
The eight teams are split into two Groups, Group A and Group B, for the Preliminary Round (Sept. 17-22), when each team will play its three Group opponents in a round-robin format. Placed in Group A are Team Canada, Team Czech Republic and Team USA, plus Team Europe, a pan-European roster of players from birth countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden. The four teams in Group B are Team Finland, Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team North America, a selection of the top players from Canada and the United States who are 23 or under as of Oct. 1, 2016.
The Preliminary Round schedule will put the spotlight on two of international hockey’s fiercest rivalries on Tuesday, Sept. 20, when Team Canada and Team USA face off in Group A and Team Finland and Team Sweden meet in Group B.
North American archrivals Canada and the United States have faced off for the top prize in several international finals, including the 1991 Canada Cup, 1996 World Cup of Hockey, 2002 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2004 and 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships. The Nordic powers Finland and Sweden have met in the finals of the 1995 and 2011 IIHF World Championships, the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championships.
The top two finishers in Group A and Group B will advance to the Semifinals (Sept. 24 25), where the first-place team from each Group will face an elimination game against the second-place team from the other Group. The two Semifinal winners will meet in the Final, a best-of-three series on Sept. 27, Sept. 29 and, if necessary, Oct. 1.
Live coverage of all tournament games will be provided by Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada and ESPN in the United States. A complete broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
2016 World Cup of Hockey Schedule
All Times Eastern (GMT -5)
All Games Played at Air Canada Centre, Toronto
| Group A | Group B |
| Team Canada | Team Finland |
| Team Czech Republic | Team North America |
| Team Europe | Team Russia |
| Team USA | Team Sweden |
Preliminary Round (round robin)
Saturday, Sept. 17
Team Europe vs. Team USA, 3:30 p.m.
Team Canada vs. Team Czech Republic, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Team Russia vs. Team Sweden, 3 p.m.
Team Finland vs. Team North America, 8 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 19
Team Czech Republic vs. Team Europe, 3 p.m.
Team North America vs. Team Russia, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 20
Team Finland vs. Team Sweden, 3 p.m.
Team Canada vs. Team USA, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 21
Team North America vs. Team Sweden, 3 p.m.
Team Canada vs. Team Europe, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 22
Team Finland vs. Team Russia, 3 p.m.
Team Czech Republic vs. Team USA, 8 p.m.
Semifinals (single elimination; A1 vs. B2, B1 vs. A2)
Saturday, Sept. 24
Semifinal 1, TBD
Sunday, Sept. 25
Semifinal 2, TBD
Final (best-of-three)
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Final Game 1, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 29
Final Game 2, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 1
Final Game 3, 7 p.m. (if necessary)
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