Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will represent Team Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced on Wednesday.
The tournament, held in Toronto from Sept. 17 through Oct 1, will feature seven countries and one under-23 North American team.
“The goal and the mindset going into this is to win,” Lundqvist told reporters after at the roster announcement at the MSG Training Center. “And I think we have the team for it. When it comes down to a couple games, obviously you need everything to work for you right away.”
It will be the the 12th time in his career that Lundqvist has represented Sweden in international competition. He led Sweden to a Gold Medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“Overall it’s a great experience to play in these tournaments,” Lundqvist said. “You get together with the best players in the world. You’re good enough to represent your country. it’s a huge honor to be there and to wear the jersey. The best feeling, though, was in ’06. To see the flag go up and hear the national anthem, I think that’s what we all will try to accomplish in September.”
Lundqvist was one of 16 players named to the roster on Wednesday. Lundqvist is one of two goaltenders announced, including Vancouver’s Jakob Markstrom.
The remainder of the roster will be announced no later than June 1, 2016.
