NHL Announces Schedule, Groups For 2016 World Cup Of Hockey

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey will give fans a taste of international competition in between Winter Olympic Games.

The NHL formally announced the tournament’s schedule and groups Wednesday at a press event in Toronto.

Eight teams will participate, including an under-23 squad from Canada and the United States called Team North America. Any player with a birthday after Oct. 2, 1992, is eligible for this roster.

The U.S. and Canada are in the same group and play Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The group stage runs from Sept. 17 through Sept. 22. Four teams will advance to a single-elimination knockout round. The semifinals are Sept. 24 and Sept. 25. The final will be a best-of-3 series, with Game 1 on Sept. 27, Game 2 on Sept. 29 and Game 3 on Oct. 1.

A World Cup of Hockey trophy has not been unveiled at this time.

Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@EJHradek_NHL