St. Louis Blues Left Off Initial Canada and USA World Cup Rosters

We now know have the first 16 players for each country’s World Cup Roster, and the St. Louis Blues’ players did not have as great of a showing as expected.

At the start of the day it looked like the Blues were going to be one of the best represented teams in the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey that will be played this September. However, things changed once Canada and USA unveiled their first 16 players.

The first blow was Team Canada, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong unveiled his 16 players, and on that list there was no Alex Pietrangelo and no Jay Bouwmeester. This was a shocking blow, as the two players were fixtures in the Team Canada lineup during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The second blow was the biggest blow for the Blues. Team USA unveiled their roster, and on that roster, there was no David Backes, Paul Stastny, or Kevin Shattenkirk included. While Stastny is understandable, with his drop in numbers since becoming a Blue. However, leaving off Backes who was the team captain in 2014 and Shattenkirk who is arguably one of the league’s best offensive defensemen is odd.

If Dean Lombardi was trying to go with a few younger guys, this would be understandable. However, the inclusion of declining veterans like Zach Parise and Ryan Kesler show that this isn’t the case. 

More from St Louis Blues News

• St. Louis Blues Giving Nick Ritchie A Look Is No Lose Situation
• St. Louis Blues Torey Krug Already Injured Before 2023-24 Season
• Former St. Louis Blues Forward Going Into Hall Of Fame
• Can Hofer Upstage Binnington in Starting Goalie Spot for Blues?
• St. Louis Blues 2023-24 fourth line depth chart could be surprisingly strong

Regardless of who is on the team, I will still be tuning in and cheering hard for Team USA, but it still would have been nice to see at least one of these guys make it, and with there still being seven spots left to fill, it is still a possibility.

As I mentioned before, the Blues had other inclusions on the international rosters, as Vladimir Tarasenko was obviously named one of Team Russia’s first 16, Alex Steen made Team Sweden, and Jori Lehtera made Team Finland. While the Blues don’t have any official members of any other team, Vladimir Sobotka (who is still property of the St. Louis Blues and could be a member of the team in September) made the Czech Republic team.

On the potential side of things, there is a slight chance Doug Armstrong selects Jaden Schwartz to be apart of his last seven additions for Team Canada. There is also the potential that Blues’ rookies Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko could find their way on to the U-23 North America roster.

Analysis

It’s hard not to think of Team Canada as the favorite here. The team is loaded and will be a force to reckon with. However, Lombardi’s new look Team USA is bigger and much more physical, which is interesting when compared to Canada’s skill.

However, Team Russia’s elite group of forwards is hard to ignore. As Allen Muir of SI mentions,  “six of the 10 forwards named on Wednesday rank among the NHL’s top 30 scorers, and as a group they’ve combined for 204 goals this season.” That is impressive, this team is definitely going to light it up throughout the tournament.

One can never forget about Sweden and Finland as the chemistry these two teams often have is unmatched. They may not have the star power of the three big teams, but they will definitely be a player in the tournament as they always are.

The one wild card team is going to be Team North America. Connor McDavid is ridiculous and is well on his way to becoming the best player in the league soon. His leadership and ability is enough, but when you take into account the rest of the roster, it is going to be a fun team to watch. Despite their lack of experience, they could surprise everyone and win the whole thing.

Hopefully, the Blues get a few more players added in. If not, it won’t be a big deal, having guys like Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester not having the injury risk right before the season will be nice. It will be a fun tournament and hopefully it is just as entertaining if not more than the Winter Olympics.

Next: The Blues Have What it Takes to Make a Deep Run at the Cup

What do you think of the rosters? Who’s the favorite in your opinion? Let me know in the comments.