SAN JOSE -– No matter how far the Sharks advance in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs, the offseason just got a little bit shorter for five of them.
Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tomas Hertl, Roman Polak and Joonas Donskoi were all chosen as participants for the eight-team World Cup of Hockey, set to take place in Toronto from Sep. 17 – Oct. 1. Pavelski will play for Team USA; Vlasic for Canada; Hertl and Polak for the Czech Republic, and Donskoi for Finland.
Other Sharks could be named before June 1, the deadline for final rosters. Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and Justin Braun are the most notable Sharks players that will have to wait a bit longer to see if they make the cut.