Spengler Cup offers last look at Olympic hopefuls

With a good portion of its Olympic roster already set, hockey players looking for a spot on Team Canada will get one final chance to prove themselves at the Spengler Cup.

Canada, a two-time defending champion at the annual event in Davos, Switzerland, opens the tournament today against Czech-side Mountfield HK.

The Canadians will have a different look to their roster than earlier this month at the Channel One Cup in Russia. With KHL players unavailable for selection, the Spengler Cup roster consists mostly of Swiss players with an assortment of AHL and NCAA players as well.

Kelowna’s Curtis Hamilton, 26, is auditioning to represent Canada for the sixth time in international competition. He has recovered from off-season knee surgery and has been skating with a team in Switzerland, but the Spengler Cup will mark his season debut.

Returning players on Canada’s Spengler Cup roster include Andrew Ebbett, Maxim Noreau, David McIntyre, Mason Raymond and Nick Spaling. Chris Kelly, who played last season with the Ottawa Senators, along with Jeff Schultz, Cody Goloubef and Christian Thomas are all Canadians on the roster that have played in the AHL this year.

“I knew that coming into the year that there might be a chance,” Thomas said. “And now I get another chance here to show them what I can do and hopefully earn a spot on the roster, which would be a dream come true.”

Canada will start to finalize its roster shortly after the Spengler Cup and plans to have an Olympic announcement around Jan. 11 before the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February.

Canadian general manager Sean Burke said that junior players are also still in the mix and will be evaluated at the world juniors.

Canada will face HC Davos in its second game on either Wednesday or Thursday — depending on today’s result — with the semifinals set for Saturday and the final on Sunday.