131 AHL alumni heading to Olympics

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The 2018 Olympic Winter Games are underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and 131 former and current American Hockey League players have been selected to represent their countries in the men’s hockey tournament beginning next week.

Canada boasts a tournament-high 25 AHL graduates – every single player on the Canadian roster has spent time in the American Hockey League, as has head coach Willie Desjardins, who won a Calder Cup leading the Texas Stars in 2014. The United States roster includes 19 AHL alumni, followed by Sweden (17), the Czech Republic (12), Finland (11), the Olympic Athletes from Russia (10), Germany (nine), Slovakia (eight), South Korea (seven), Switzerland (seven), Norway (four) and Slovenia (two).

Among the 131 alumni are seven players who have skated in the American Hockey League this season. Team USA features two-time AHL scoring champion and six-time AHL All-Star Chris Bourque of the Hershey Bears; Bobby Butler of the Milwaukee Admirals; John McCarthy of the San Jose Barracuda; and captain Brian Gionta, who has been with the Rochester Americans all season in preparation for the Olympics. Canada’s roster includes Christian Thomas of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Cody Goloubef of the Stockton Heat and Canadian team captain Chris Kelly of the Belleville Senators.

A total of 27 former AHL All-Stars have been named to Olympic rosters, including 2004-05 AHL rookie of the year Rene Bourque (Canada), Germany’s Christian Ehrhoff, the Czech Republic’s Michal Jordan, Finland’s Karri Ramo, Sweden’s Magnus Hellberg, Russia’s Alexey Marchenko and the United States’ Mark Arcobello.

Eight former Calder Cup champions are headed to Pyeongchang: Canada’s Maxim Lapierre (2007, Hamilton); the United States’ Brian O’Neill and the Czech Republic’s Patrik Bartosak (both 2015, Manchester), Finland’s Oskar Osala and Sami Lepisto (both 2009, Hershey), Slovenia’s Jan Mursak and the United States’ Chad Billins (both 2013, Grand Rapids), and Team USA’s Chris Bourque, a three-time winner with Hershey in 2006, 2009 and 2010. In addition, South Korea head coach Jim Paek was an assistant for nine seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins, winning a Calder Cup in 2013.

And along with the players and coaches heading to the Olympics, current AHL referees Olivier Gouin, Brett Iverson and Tim Mayer and linesmen Fraser McIntyre and Jud Ritter have been selected to officiate the men’s tournament in Pyeongchang.

Group play begins Wednesday, Feb. 14. The gold medal game will be held on Feb. 25.

AHL Alumni on 2018 Olympic Rosters

Canada (25)
Rene Bourque, F
Gilbert Brule, F
Andrew Ebbett, F
Stefan Elliott, D
Chay Genoway, D
Cody Goloubef, D
Marc-Andre Gragnani, D
Quinton Howden, F
Chris Kelly, F
Rob Klinkhammer, F
Brandon Kozun, F
Maxim Lapierre, F
Chris Lee, D
Maxim Noreau, D
Eric O’Dell, F
Justin Peters, G
Kevin Poulin, G
Mason Raymond, F
Mat Robinson, D
Derek Roy, F
Ben Scrivens, G
Karl Stollery, D
Christian Thomas, F
Linden Vey, F
Wojtek Wolski, F