Philadelphia Flyers: Lets Look at Flyers Reps in World Cup of Hockey

With the start of the 2016-17 N.H.L. season about a month away, many N.H.L. players and prospects will begin gearing up for the start of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey tournament in Toronto.

The best-on-best tournament kicks off at the Air Canada Centre on September 17th and will end on October 1st. It will feature eight teams that range throughout the globe. These teams are Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe, Team Finland, Team North America (23 years or younger), Team Russia, Team Sweden and Team USA. 23-men rosters have already been finalized as teams have already began playing exhibitions against one another as preparation.

Eight Philadelphia Flyers representatives have made rosters and will be participating in this exciting event. After a thrilling season last year, the Flyers are expected to do big things again in the Eastern Conference. Here is a deeper look at the members of the Orange and Black that will be skating at this tournament.

More from Philadelphia Flyers

F Claude Giroux — Team Canada.
Giroux was a surprise with the amount of talent that is available for Canada to choose from year in and year out. Still, after totaling 67 points last season, Giroux can definitely help the Canadians try to win the tournament in their country. The nine-year veteran has tallied over 80 points twice in his career, and could definitely use this tournament as a jump-start to the NHL campaign.

G Michal Neuvirth — Team Czech Republic.
After posting an 18-8-4 record with the Flyers last season, Neuvirth should be getting tons of looks for the #1 spot with the Czechs. A 2.27 GAA was the lowest # for Neuvirth since he entered the league eight years ago. It was also the second most wins for the goaltender since a 27-12 record back in 2010-11 with Washington. He won a handful of games for the Flyers and was a good rotational goalie with Steve Mason. He joins Ondrej Pavelec and Petr Mrazek on the Czech roster.

D Radko Gudas — Team Czech Republic.
The four-year veteran was one of the top hitters in all of the National Hockey League last season. After tallying 304 hits, and 157 blocked shots, Gudas is definitely expected to throw his weight around at this competition. He brings aggressiveness and strength to a Czech defense that has a lot of young NHL talent.

F Jakub Voracek — Team Czech Republic.
After an 81 point campaign two seasons ago, Voracek is definitely trying to get back to that form. Finishing with 55 points (11 G, 44 A), last season, Voracek seemed to do a lot more dirty work for the Flyers than in years past. Teamed with fellow teammates Gudas and Neuvirth, Voracek is expected to do big things for the Czech Republic in Toronto.

D Mark Streit — Team Europe.
The 38-year old Swiss defenseman will strap of his skates for the tournament despite being up in age. Totaling 23 points and averaging 21:02 minutes a game last season, Streit can still be a problem for opposing offenses. After missing one game in his first years with the Flyers, he missed 20 last season and is counted on to be a leader for Dave Hakstol‘s defense. Teamed with fellow NHL veterans, Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, Streit will be a leader at the WCOH.

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Team Europe.
Also expecting to feature for Team Europe, Bellemare tallied 14 points in 74 games last season. He is a third or fourth line player that is willing to throw his body around and take physical routes to help his team win. The Frenchman is a pacey skater that still should see significant playing time under Dave Hakstol once the NHL season begins.

D Shayne Gostisbehere — Team North America.
One of the top rookies in the NHL last season, “Ghost” tallied 46 points in 64 games. He finished 2nd for the Calder Memorial Trophy and has a lot of upside for the Flyers going forward. He averaged 20:05 of ice time last season and is one of the Flyers top youngster for the future. It will definitely be exciting to see him play with other young stars like Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau, and Jack Eichel.

F Sean Couturier — Team North America.
The 23-year old forward is known for his defensive ability tracking back. He has tallied 30+ points in each of the last three seasons and played over 18 minutes a game last season. Couturier is one of the veterans on the North American Team compared to a lot of first and second-year players who are making their tournament debut. Look for him to play center and wing with North America and the Flyers.

Next: Philadelphia Flyers: Are they the next Champion in Philly?

Overall, it should be an exciting tournament in Toronto over the next two weeks that will bring out a lot of the best hockey in the players. Be sure to check back for recaps regarding the eight Flyers representatives that will be strapping up their skates starting Saturday. For the full schedule of all the action from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey tournament, check NHL.com.

Writer’s note: Stay tuned to Section 215 for all of your Philadelphia Sports updates. Follow me on twitter, and leave any questions or comments at @lhenry019. Also follow @Sec215 on twitter as well!

Home/Philadelphia Flyers