AUTOGRAPHS

what is the structure of the USA ice hockey team and other national teams in the world championships?

do the NHL pros play for the the team USA and other national teams?
How do they synchronize it with national championships (especially NHL)?

Team USA and Team Canada generally are almost entirely made up of players who’s NHL teams did not qualify for the playoffs.A few more players usually join if their respective teams are eliminated from NHL play in the first playoff round.European teams like Sweden .Finland and Russia will use a mixture of NHL players that are available for the same reason -they will also use players from their own “elite” leagues or professional players in the Russian-based KHL. These players are available because their league playoffs are generally over by the time the NHL playoffs even start.

In the case of the Olympics countries have their best players get together for a pre-Olympic training camp before the NHL: training camps start.The NHL has shut down for 2 to 3 weeks in February to allow the best players from all countries to compete in the Olympics since 1998.Whether or not they will allow them to go to the next winter Olympics in Sochhi,Russia in 2014 hasn’t been decided yet.

09-10 USA Hockey Olympic camp shootout