Dean Lombardi Tabbed at GM; Holmgren, Burke, Johannson Also Part of Group
Dean Lombardi (Ludlow, Mass.), president and general manager of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, has been named general manager of Team USA for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey it was announced today by USA Hockey. Lombardi has guided the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup titles in the last four seasons and has served as part of the U.S. Men’s National Advisory Group since 2009.
In addition, Paul Holmgren (St. Paul, Minn.), president of Philadelphia Flyers, has been named assistant general manager; Brian Burke (Edina, Minn.), president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames, senior advisor; and Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), assistant executive director of USA Hockey, director of hockey operations.
“We’re thrilled to have Dean at the helm of managing our World Cup team,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “He’s been an invaluable part of our men’s national team advisory group and obviously done a remarkable job in building the Kings. In addition, having the experience of Paul Holmgren, Brian Burke and Jim Johannson gives us an exceptional management team and a group we’re confident will put together a team that our country will be proud of.”
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey is set for Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto. Additional details, including camp locations, will be released in the coming months.
In addition to the U.S., the eight teams participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will include Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, Team Europe and the North American Youngstars.
Team Europe will be comprised of a pan-European roster of players from countries outside of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden – in short, all of the other European countries who are developing hockey players in ever-increasing numbers. Countries such as Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and Lithuania (among others) will all be eligible for representation on Team Europe.
The players for the North American Youngstars will be selected from a pool of the best hockey players from Canada and the United States age 23 and under.
All eight teams will be comprised of 23 players, including three goalies. Each national association has the right to select its own team and must announce at least 16 members of its roster, including at least two goalies, no later than March 1, 2016, with the balance of each team’s roster to be announced no later than June 1, 2016.
To select the rosters of Team Europe and the North American Youngstars, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) will jointly name each of the management teams.
The World Cup of Hockey has been conducted on two previous occasions, with the U.S. winning the first edition in 1996 and Canada taking the title in 2004.
The World Cup of Hockey is a joint effort of the NHLPA and the NHL, in cooperation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and its member federations.
