Eleven American Hockey League players are key to Team Canada's roster at the 97th Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. Canada opened the tournament with a 3-2 victory over U.S. Collegiate Selects. The event features six teams and runs through New Year's Eve.
The Spengler Cup, hockey's oldest international club tournament in its 97th year, is underway in the Swiss town of Davos. Hosted each December at the ski resort, the six-team event draws players from around the world, with Team Canada relying heavily on talent loaned from the American Hockey League.
Canada's roster includes 11 current AHL players, led by Ontario Reign captain Joe Hicketts, who serves as team captain. Manitoba Moose captain Mason Shaw is an alternate captain, while Springfield Thunderbirds captain Matthew Peca also joins the squad. Rockford IceHogs captain Brett Seney, one point behind the AHL scoring lead with 30 points in 29 games, is in his second consecutive Spengler Cup.
The defense features a strong AHL contingent: Calen Addison of the Utica Comets, Nolan Allan and Seney from Rockford, Nikolas Brouillard of San Diego, and Jake Livingstone. Forwards include Graeme Clarke (Hershey Bears), Jean-Luc Foudy (Iowa Wild), Anthony Richard (Lehigh Valley Phantoms), Peca, Seney, and Shaw.
Coaching the team is Michel Therrien, who spent seven seasons as a head coach for AHL affiliates of the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins. Assistant Drew Bannister brings experience from six seasons in AHL roles with the St. Louis Blues, including leading the Springfield Thunderbirds to the 2022 Calder Cup Finals.
Canada began play on Friday with a 3-2 win over U.S. Collegiate Selects. The tournament also includes Swiss clubs HC Davos and HC Fribourg-Gottéron, Finland's IFK Helsinki, and Czechia's HC Sparta Prague. Canada, a 16-time champion since debuting in 1984, last won in 2019. For most AHL participants, this marks their Spengler Cup debut, offering a rare international stage.
