Lightning coach Jon Cooper has been named an assistant for Team North America for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The news has been expected for over a week, with Cooper joining a staff led by Oilers coach Todd McLellan. The other assistants are Peter DeBoer (Sharks) and Dave Tippett (Coyotes) and Oilers assistant Jay Woodcroft.
Team North America will feature top stars from U.S. and Canada that are 23 years old or younger, like Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid and, theoretically, Lightning wing Jonathan Drouin. The tournament will be from Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto, which means Cooper will likely miss some of Lightning training camp to participate.