HENDERSON (NV) — The NHL is looking at a play-in tournament to host the 2024 World Cup of Hockey, which would take place right before the February event.
“For 2024,” Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, said to ESPN during the Player Media Tour in Henderson.
The NHLPA and NHLPA are currently working on the details of the first World Cup of Hockey since 2016. It will take place in February 2024, during which time the regular season would be interrupted by a 17-day period.
It is not planned to bring back the two original teams from 2016: Team North America, a team of 23-and-under players, and Team Europe. These teams were made up of players who didn’t have national teams. Team Canada lost to Team Europe in the 2016 World Cup final.
Instead, 10 national hockey teams are expected to participate in the 2024 World Cup of Hockey. Two teams were eliminated in the qualification round, creating an eight-team field. The expected field would include Russia, Team USA and Canada as well as Sweden, Finland, Sweden, Finland, Finland and Team USA. Other national teams include Norway, Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany.
This expanded field would allow the NHL to showcase players of high profile that may not otherwise have an opportunity to play in the World Cup. Edmonton Oilers Star Leon Draisaitl Germany Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi Switzerland and Montreal Canadiens First overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky Slovakia
Daly stated, “If they participate in some way, then you can cover your bases a bit.”
The NHL stated that it would prefer to hold the play-in tournament in the summer before the next World Cup.
A second issue is Russia’s participation in the 2024 World Cup of Hockey. This is due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Daly acknowledged that it was too early for Russia to be represented at the World Cup, but he stated that Russian players will take part in the event.
“Certainly, that would be great and I know that our Russian players would appreciate it.” He said that we would be happy to accommodate them in a credible manner.
It could also mean that Russian players compete in the Olympics under a different flag and name than their national team.