Back in 2005, a gaggle of uber-skilled Canadian teens banded together at the World Junior Championship in Grand Forks, a magical ride that ended up with gold medals dangling around their necks.

More than 11 years have passed since that magical time, a span in which those wide-eyed boys have grown into battle-tested men. And, according to Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong, it is from that roster more than a decade ago that you’ll find the core of the Canadian entry at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which will be held in Toronto in September.

“The key guys from that world junior team in North Dakota are now in the prime of their careers,” Armstrong told Postmedia on Tuesday night during a phone interview. “They now make up the leadership group of players we look at for Team Canada.

“There was a bit of a changing of the guard from the 2010 Olympic team to the one in 2014. That’s carried over until now.”

While Armstrong wasn’t ready to officially release any specific names — the first 16 Team Canada players will be announced Wednesday evening — a quick glance at the roster of the ‘05 world junior roster reveals the names of seven individuals who have gone on to win Olympic gold: forwards Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Corey Perry (Ducks), Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks), Patrice Bergeron (Bruins), Jeff Carter (Kings) and defencemen Shea Weber (Predators) and Brent Seabrook (Blackhawks).

Of those, only Seabrook was not a member of the ‘14 team in Sochi. Nevertheless, given that he is enjoying one of his finest seasons, with 38 points already, he seems to have earned consideration to join the other six at the World Cup. Of course, he would seem to be a natural fit to lineup alongside Blackhawks teammate Duncan Keith.

With all eight teams preparing to announce their first 16 players Wednesday, Armstrong shed some light on a number of issues surrounding Team Canada:

THE WING’S THE THING: With such a rich cache of available talent at centre, Armstrong said shifting some to the wing would not be an issue. “Mike did it at the Olympics so he has an idea who can do it seamlessly,” he said, referring to Team Canada coach Babcock. Consider that Colorado’s Matt Duchene did exactly that in Sochi, while Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos saw time on the wing during last spring’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

RESERVE LIST LOWDOWN: With questions concerning the health of goalie Carey Price continuing to make the rounds, Armstrong said decisions regarding the final roster can be made right up to the time that the tournament’s exhibition games kick off in September. To that end, once the 23-man roster has been filled out on June 1, the Team Canada hierarchy will reach out to candidates who might be interested in occupying spots on a reserve list, where they’ll be poised to step in in case someone gets hurt.

CHEMISTRY CLASS: Armstrong said players who have clicked while skating together either for their NHL teams or at the Olympics could play a role in the final roster decisions. Combos like Keith-Seabrook (Blackhawks), Perry-Getzlaf (Ducks) and Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn (Stars) come to mind immediately.

CHANGE OF SEASONS: One primary difference between the World Cup and the Olympics is the timing of the two tournaments. As Babcock points out, the Olympics take place mid-season when players are in shape while the World Cup will be staged when training camps usually start. “You don’t usually play guys in back-to-back games early in the pre-season so that’s going to be a factor here,” Babcock said recently.

THE NUMBER’S GAME: Since the time the Team Canada hierarchy was first put together, each member has submitted five lists of 16 players as the months have passed. Of those, a dozen names pretty much have been unanimous throughout.

ZIZE’S PICKS

So, what might Team Canada’s final roster actually look like. For what it’s worth, here’s the most recent projection from yours truly:

Goalies(3) - Braden Holtby (Capitals), Carey Price (Canadiens), Corey Crawford (Blackhawks)

Defence (7) - Shea Weber (Predators), Drew Doughty (Kings), Duncan Keith (Blackhawks), Brent Seabrook (Blackhawks), P.K. Subban (Canadiens), Brent Burns (Sharks), Alex Pietrangelo (Blues)

Forwards (13) - Sidney Crosby (Penguins), John Tavares (Islanders), Steve Stamkos (Lightning), Tyler Seguin (Stars), Jamie Benn (Stars), Matt Duchene (Avalanche), Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks), Jeff Carter (Kings), Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks), Patrice Bergeron (Bruins), Corey Perry (Ducks), Brad Marchand (Bruins), Claude Giroux (Flyers)

Up For Consideration: G Roberto Luongo (Panthers), G Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins), D T.J. Brodie (Flames), D Kris Letang (Penguins), D Marc-Eduard Vlasic (Sharks), D Mark Giordano (Flames), D Dan Hamhuis (Canucks), D Tyson Barrie (Avalanche), F Taylor Hall (Oilers), F Logan Couture (Sharks), F Ryan O’Reilly (Sabres), F Tyler Toffoli (Kings), F Mike Hoffman (Senators), F Mark Stone (Senators)

SWEDE 16 LEAKED

While the first 16 players for the eight World Cup teams will officially be released Wednesday, Swedish State Radio on Tuesday leaked the apparent list for the Tre Kroners. Here's a look:

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

Nicklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Nicklas Backström, Washington Capitals

Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings

Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche

Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues

Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators

Email: mzeisberger@postmedia.com

Twitter: @zeisberger