World Cup of Hockey 2016: All-Snub Team

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 9: Ryan McDonagh of Team U.S.A is introduced during the World Cup of Hockey Media Event on September 9, 2015 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 9: Ryan McDonagh of Team U.S.A is introduced during the World Cup of Hockey Media Event on September 9, 2015 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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You could make a darn good hockey team with all of the players who were left off their respective country’s roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 

The World Cup of Hockey will be happening in September of 2016. It is more than just a glorified exhibition tournament trying to masquerade itself as the Olympics, however. The World Cup is a way for the NHL to show off just how much the sport of hockey has grown and to showcase each country’s best stars while also highlighting the immense young talent that North America has.

That’s why it was a bit confusing to see so many great players left off of rosters. Some of them were simply victims of a numbers game. A few of them were likely deserved snubs because they didn’t deserve a spot over other players, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t excellent players and shouldn’t be honored.

There were snubs from every single team. Questionable decisions were made as countries went with experience over youth and inferior skill over superior skill. Each country had to make decisions that will leave skilled players at home. Whether or not it is justified, that doesn’t make it any less disappointing to see in a tournament that is supposed to showcase the best talent in the world.

You could make a very good team with all the players that were snubbed from the World Cup of Hockey. So here’s the 23-man roster of the All-Snubs — who could form their own team and still be pretty competitive.

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