The preliminary round of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey begins on Sept. 17. Several players, including Auston Matthews of Team North America, could stand to gain from solid efforts in this tournament.
For Matthews, who was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL draft, it's an opportunity to prove he can play well against veteran NHL stars. A free agent such as Team Finland's Lauri Korpikoski could use a good World Cup outing to land himself a new NHL contract.
Team Canada winger Brad Marchand can use the World Cup as a means to establish himself as a first-line forward. For a player coming off a rough year—such as Team USA's Jack Johnson—this is a chance to get an early start on a possible bounce-back season.
Here's a look at the players from each World Cup team who have the most to gain from strong showings in this tournament. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.
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Article written by Lyle Richardson
Players with Most to Gain from Strong Showings at 2016 World Cup of Hockey
September 13th, 2016 by Lyle Richardson Leave a reply »
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