Published 15.08.2018 16:15 GMT+11 | Author Martin Merk

The Korean men’s ice hockey team for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games on home ice has been announced.

For the first time ever Korea will play on the Olympic stage with men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. The 25-man roster for the 2018 Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament is now set.

The team in PyeongChang 2018 will look similar to the one that historically earned promotion to the top division of the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship last spring by surprising the world at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Ukraine where it left countries like Kazakhstan, Hungary and Poland behind.

All players will join from Korea’s three Asia League teams Anyang Halla, High1 and Daemyung as well as from Sangmu and will be led by two Korean-born former NHLers, head coach Jim Paek and assistant coach Richard Park.

With the bigger roster size than last spring in Ukraine several more players will be on the team including Brock Radunske and Mike Testwuide, who missed out on the last tournament, but also two players who have never played an IIHF event with the men’s senior national team before, defenceman Hyung Gon Cho and forward Jung Woo Jeon, with 23 years one of the youngest player on an otherwise experience squad. Only 22-year-old defenceman Yeongjun Seo is younger.

34-year-old Radunske is the oldest player on the roster. Kisung Kim has been the longest with the national team having represented the Korean men’s national team in 13 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments, Woosang Park played in 11.

Seven players on the roster have their roots in North America but have become Korean citizens after playing for Asia League teams from the country for several years. Goaltender Matt Dalton, defencemen Alex Plante, Eric Regan and Bryan Young, and forwards Brock Radunske and Michael Swift are originally from Canada, forward Mike Testwuide from the Untied States. Radunske, nicknamed “Canadian Big Beauty”, spent most time in Korea having joined his club Anyang Halla in 2008.

The team in PyeongChang 2018 will be the strongest line-up ever and also includes the team’s best scorers from the recent World Championship Division I including Jin Hui Ahn, who had two goals and five points in five games, Kisung Kim (3+1=4), Sangwook Kim (1+3=4) and Swift (1+3=4). Swift is currently also the scoring leader of the Asia League with 14 goals and 42 points.

Goaltender:

Matt Dalton, Anyang Halla

Kye Hoon Park, Sangmu

Sungje Park, High1 Chuncheon

Defencemen:

Hyung Gon Cho, Sangmu

Wonjun Kim, Anyang Halla

Don Ku Lee, Anyang Halla

Hyonho Oh, Daemyung Killer Whales

Alex Plante, Anyang Halla

Eric Regan, Anyang Halla

Yeongjun Seo, Daemyung Killer Whales

Bryan Young, Daemyung Killer Whales

Forwards:

Jin Hui Ahn, Sangmu

Minho Cho, Anyang Halla

Jungwoo Jeon, Sangmu

Kisung Kim, Anyang Halla

Sangwook Kim, Anyang Halla

Won Jung Kim, Anyang Halla

Young Jun Lee, Daemyung Killer Whales

Jin Kyu Park, Sangmu

Woosang Park, Anyang Halla

Brock Radunske, Anyang Halla

Sanghoon Shin, Sangmu

Sangwoo Shin, Anyang Halla

Michael Swift, High1 Chuncheon

Mike Testwuide, High1 Chuncheon

Head Coach:

Jim Paek

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