The first fifteen players for the Canadian World Championship team have been announced and the roster doesn't include any Oilers so far.. I was a little bit surprised to see that Dustin Penner either wasn't invited or didn't make the team but, really, this shouldn't be a huge shock. One player that I had thought would make the team for sure about a month ago was Sam Gagner but with his injury to end the season, it's probably prudent to have him sit out. That means the most surprising omission is probably Shawn Horcoff. I know he had tough season statistically and that the team is bringing a lot of youth to the tournament but if there's one person out there who still really believes in Shawn Horcoff as a player, it's probably Craig MacTavish. It could be that Horcoff was invited and turned it down or that the team decided they didn't need him, opting for more youth, but either way, I was certainly surprised.

The one possible exception to the no-Oiler rule is Jordan Eberle who wasn't named to the team but was invited to attend the pre-tournament camp from May 2nd to 6th. Since the roster can be as large as 25 players, I wouldn't be surprised to see Eberle make the team, but I would be very surprised to see him dress for more than one tournament game. Even if he doesn't make the team, this is a great opportunity for him to hobnob with some great NHL players, as well as some guys like Rich Peverley who have had to work extremely hard just to get a shot at the NHL.

The fifteen players (age in brackets) named to the roster are:

LW Rene Bourque (28) - Calgary Flames

LW Evander Kane (18) - Atlanta Thrashers

LW Steve Ott (27) - Dallas Stars

LW Ray Whitney (37) - UFA (Carolina Hurricanes)

RW Steve Downie (23) - Tampa Bay Lightning

RW Corey Perry (24) - Anaheim Ducks

C Rich Peverley (27) - Atlanta Thrashers

C Steven Stamkos (20) - Tampa Bay Lightning

C John Tavares (19) - New York Islanders

LD Francois Beauchemin (29) - Toronto Maple Leafs

LD Mark Giordano (26) - Calgary Flames

LD Kris Russell (22) - Columbus Blue Jackets

LD Marc Staal (23) - New York Rangers

RD Brent Burns (25) - Minnesota Wild

G Chris Mason (33) - UFA (St. Louis Blues)