Image Credit: WHL
February 11, 2014 - 10:57 AM
CALGARY, AB - The Western Hockey League is proud to announce that 29 WHL graduates, including five Kelowna Rockets alumni, will participate in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games men’s hockey tournament in Sochi, Russia in February.
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament includes 12 national teams. Eight of those 12 teams boast at least one WHL graduate on the roster.
Canada, the defending Olympic Gold medalist, leads the way with eight WHL graduates included on the rosters, including former Kelowna Rockets Duncan Keith and Shea Weber, along with Ryan Getzlaf, who all took home a Gold medal from the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C.
Other former Rockets playing in the Olympics are Jamie Benn (Canada). Lauris Darzins (Latvia) and Thomas Raffl (Austria).
Slovakia features eight WHL graduates on its Olympic roster, including Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins as well as brothers Marian and Marcel Hossa, who both played for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games began on Thursday, February 6th, and conclude on Sunday, February 23rd. The men’s hockey tournament begins on Wednesday, February 12th, and concludes with the Gold medal game on February 23rd.
WHL GRADUATES ON 2014 OLYMPIC MEN’S HOCKEY ROSTERS
Austria (4)
Michael Grabner (Spokane Chiefs)
Thomas Raffl (Kelowna Rockets, Swift Current Broncos)
Stefan Ulmer (Spokane Chiefs)
Gerhard Unterluggauer (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Canada (8)
Jamie Benn (Kelowna Rockets)
Jay Bouwmeester (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Ryan Getzlaf (Calgary Hitmen)
Dan Hamhuis (Prince George Cougars)
Duncan Keith (Kelowna Rockets)
Patrick Marleau (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Carey Price (Tri-City Americans)
Shea Weber (Kelowna Rockets)
Czech Republic (4)
Radko Gudas (Everett Silvertips)
Martin Hanzal (Red Deer Rebels)
Petr Nedved (Seattle Thunderbirds)
Michal Rozsival (Swift Current Broncos)
Latvia (1)
Lauris Darzins (Kelowna Rockets)
Norway (1)
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Slovakia (8)
Ivan Baranka (Everett Silvertips)
Milan Bartovic (Tri-City Americans, Brandon Wheat Kings)
Zdeno Chara (Prince George Cougars)
Marcel Hossa (Portland Winterhawks)
Marian Hossa (Portland Winterhawks)
Tomas Kopecky (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Martin Marincin (Prince George Cougars, Edmonton Oil Kings)
Andrej Meszaros (Vancouver Giants)
Slovenia (1)
Bostjan Golicic (Calgary Hitmen)
Switzerland (2)
Nino Niederreiter (Portland Winterhawks)
Roman Wick (Red Deer Rebels, Lethbridge Hurricanes)
News from © iNFOnews, 2014