Team Canada Sochi Olympics 2014: How Will Forwards Be Used?

Canada announced its hockey roster for the upcoming Olympics; as expected a number of players were left wanting a spot on the team.

Eleven players from the 2010 Gold Medal winners made their return including goalie Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks); defensemen Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators) and Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings); and forwards Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), Rick Nash (New York Rangers), Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), Corey Perry (Ducks) and Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks).

The team also featured a number of first-timers including John Tavares of the New York Islanders, Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Kunitz of the Penguins, P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens, Carey Price of the Canadiens, Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks, Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, and Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues among others.

Among the major players left off the roster were Martin St. Louis, Joe Thornton, Marc-Andre Fleury, Corey Crawford, Claude Giroux, Logan Couture, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and James Neal among others.

"The players we left off, there's some great players there too," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said, according to NHL. "Certainly there are players we didn't select who could be Olympians."

Holland was joined by Doug Armstrong, Steve Yzerman, Kevin Lowe and Peter Chiarelli on the management team for the country.

The team has a plethora of offensive firepower including eight centers; obviously some players will likely be forced to play on the wing as it is likely that Crosby and Toews will likely be the top two centers for the team. Patrice Bergeron is a terrific defensive center and will likely slot into the role as the team's third or fourth center; his role will likely be on the defensive side of the puck. However, of the other forwards selected, most of them are major offensive weapons. It will be interesting to see how the team ultimately chooses to utilize its forwards and in what roles.

To see Canada's full roster, click HERE.