This year’s World Championship begins Friday in Denmark and offers a chance for NHL players to continue playing before summer hits. It’s also an opportunity for top talented players overseas to get scouted by NHL teams.
It is the highest profiled international tournament featuring NHL talent. It has often been overshadowed by the Winter Olympics, but it won’t this year after the NHL decided to skip the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.
Tournament format
The event has 16 nations playing in two groups of eight, with the top four in each group advancing to the playoffs.