US roster for Deutschland Cup an indication of Olympic team

USA Hockey revealed its roster for the upcoming Deutschland Cup on Wednesday, the best indication so far of what the American Olympic team will look like without NHL players.

The 29-player roster includes former NHL forwards Brian Gionta, Ryan Malone and Mark Arcobello and defensemen Mark Stuart and Tom Gilbert. The three U.S. goaltenders are all playing in Europe: Ryan Zapolski, David Leggio and Brandon Maxwell.

General manager Jim Johannson called it a “great mix of players” from varied backgrounds with different levels of experience, both internationally and professionally.

“There’s a lot of guys here that know how to play and have been successful players and have found a niche for themselves in their career at various stages,” Johannson told The Associated Press by phone. “The Deutschland Cup for us is a little bit to find some separation of these guys, whether that’s pure pace of play or performance.”

The U.S. plays Slovakia, Russia and Germany at the tournament in Augsburg from Nov. 10-12. The Deutschland Cup will provide the basis for the U.S. team at the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February. “There’s some elite players ... that will represent us well,” coach Tony Granato said recently. “It’s our job as coaches to make sure that not only is it picking the team and getting the right players there, but it’s about communicating with them along the way to make sure that when they get there, they know what’s expected of them and how we want to play.”

Among those on the roster are 2006 first-round pick Bobby Sanguinetti, 2009 Hobey Baker Award-winner Matt Gilroy and recent NHL players Drew Shore, Andy Miele, Jim Slater and Mike Lundin. “That’s kind of my first step to starting the process,” said Sanguinetti, a one-time New York Rangers defenseman who’s now playing in Switzerland.