Seven Carolina Hurricanes players to participate at the 2017 IIHF World Championship

The Carolina Hurricanes are out of the playoffs - again - and that means that Canes players are headed overseas - again - to participate in the 2017 IIHF World Championship in Paris and Cologne, Germany.

Seven Hurricanes are going to the tournament, which begins May 5, including four who were selected to play for Sweden. Three of the four, Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm and Joakim Nordstrom, have represented Sweden at the World Junior Hockey Championship in the past, but this is their first callup to the senior side. Eddie Lack, meanwhile, will pull on the tre kronor for the first time in his career at any level, eliciting a tweet of pride from Eddie’s mom:

Three other players will take part in the tournament as well. Sebastian Aho’s season will continue as he joins Finland for the second time in less than a year, after his appearance at the World Cup of Hockey, and Jeff Skinner (Canada) and Noah Hanifin (USA) will also represent their countries.

Among players not participating in the World Championship are Teuvo Teravainen (Finland), who is a pending free agent and likely does not want to risk his contract status, and Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin and Justin Faulk (USA), the latter of whom was infamously left off the World Cup team and may still be smarting from the snub.

The release from the Hurricanes is below.

SEVEN ‘CANES TO PARTICIPATE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Tournament takes place May 5-21 in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany

Seven members of the Carolina Hurricanes will participate in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, to be held from May 5-21 in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany.

Defenseman Noah Hanifin (Boston, MA) will be the Hurricanes’ lone representative for the United States, who open group play on May 5 at LANXESS Arena in Cologne against host Germany. Hanifin, a product of the United States National Team Development Program, won gold with Team USA at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2014 U18 World Junior Championship, and has also represented the U.S. at the 2015 World Junior Championship and the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

Forward Sebastian Aho, who played for Finland’s men’s team at the 2016 IIHF World Championship and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, will take the ice for his home country when it opens the tournament against Belarus in Paris on May 5. Markham, Ont., native Jeff Skinner will be participating in the tournament for the fourth time, as Canada opens play against the Czech Republic on May 5 at AccorHotels Arena in Paris.

Four Hurricanes will wear the blue and gold of Sweden at the tournament. Forwards Victor Rask and Joakim Nordstrom, teammates on Sweden’s gold-medal-winning team at the 2012 World Junior Championship, will each be making their debuts at the IIHF World Championship. Forward Elias Lindholm, who won silver medals at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship as well as the 2013 and 2014 World Junior Championships, will also make his debut with the men’s national team. Goaltender Eddie Lack will be representing his country for the first time at any level. Sweden plays its tournament opener against Russia in Cologne on May 5.