CALGARY, Alta. – Hockey Canada has announced roster changes for the 2009 Spengler Cup, which begins on December 26 in Davos, Switzerland.
Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz (Invermere, B.C./Houston, AHL) has been added to Canada’s roster in place of netminder Brent Krahn (Winnipeg, Man./Texas, AHL), who is injured and will not take part in the tournament.
In addition, defencemen Brendan Bell (Ottawa, Ont./Syracuse, AHL) and forward Stacy Roest (Lethbridge, Alta./Rapperswil, SUI) are unable to play. They have been replaced on the roster by defenceman Mike Siklenka (Meadow Lake, Sask./Salzburg, AUT) and forwards Michel Ouellet (Rimouski, Que./Fribourg, SUI), Cory Pecker (Montreal, Que./Visp, SUI) and Jean-Guy Trudel (Sudbury, Ont./Zurich, SUI).
Jean-Pierre Vigier (Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Man./Bern, SUI) has been named an alternate captain, joining previously-named captain Serge Aubin (Val-d’Or, Que./Fribourg, SUI) and alternate captain Shawn Heins (Eganville, Ont./Fribourg, SUI).
This year’s Spengler Cup will include Canada’s National Men’s Team, Adler Mannheim (Germany), HC Dynamo Minsk (Belarus), HC Energie Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) and HC Davos (Switzerland), the host team.
All of Canada’s games at the 2009 Spengler Cup will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet.
Canada has appeared in eight of the last nine championship games, winning the Spengler Cup in 2002, 20. Overall, Canada’s National Men’s Team has won the Spengler Cup 11 times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007), since first taking part in the tournament in 1984.
The Spengler Cup, held annually since 1923, is the oldest professional international hockey tournament in the world.