Jagr left off World Cup roster; Voynov selection questioned


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PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic will have to do without Jaromir Jagr at the World Cup of Hockey.

Also, the NHL questioned whether defenseman Slava Voynov is eligible to play in September after being added to Russia's roster on Friday.

The former Los Angeles Kings player pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence and voluntarily returned to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League last summer.

"We will obviously have to review his status with the Players' Association prior to the start of the tournament in September," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press. "It is not my current expectation that this player will be deemed eligible to play in the World Cup of Hockey."

The NHLPA, which is co-hosting the World Cup with the NHL, said it will review Voynov's status with the league.

The Russian Federation and Voynov's agent have not commented.

The eight teams in the tournament are revealing the final seven additions to their 23-player rosters for the event scheduled Sept. 17 through Oct. 1 in Toronto.

Finland and Sweden also announced their final selections. The U.S., Canada, Team North America and Team Europe will reveal their selections later in the day.

Jagr's omission didn't come as a surprise. Jagr retired from the national team after last year's world championship and was not included in the first 16 players for the Czech's World Cup squad announced March 2.

But Czech Republic general manager Martin Rucinsky and coach Josef Jandac hoped the 44-year-old would change his mind after leading the Florida Panthers with 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in 79 games.

"We gave him time to decide," Jandac said about Jagr, who this month signed a one-year contract to keep playing with the Panthers.

The most notable addition for the Czech Republic was Dallas Stars forward Ales Hemsky, while Jagr's Panthers teammate, Jiri Hudler, didn't make the final cut.

The Czechs also added forwards Radek Faksa (Dallas), Milan Michalek (Toronto) and Dmitrij Jaskin (St. Louis). Defensemen Zbynek Michalek, Jakub Nakladal and Michal Jordan complete the squad.

Russia bulked up its back line with three NHL defenseman: Montreal's Alexei Emelin, Detroit's Alexey Marchenko and Nikita Zaitsev, who signed with Toronto this month. Russia's other three forwards chosen for to the team all play in the KHL: Evgeny Dadonov, Vadim Shipachyov and Ivan Telegin.

"We've got experienced veterans who bring the team together — Pavel Datsyuk and Andrei Markov — and also a big group of players aged 25 and under," Russian Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretiak said.

Sweden bolstered an already deep and talented lineup with Nashville's Mattias Ekholm landing the final defensive spot ahead of Dallas' John Klingberg, who ranked fifth among NHL blue-liners with 58 points last season.

Sweden assistant coach Peter Popovic said there was no debate between Ekholm and Klingberg. He said team officials felt they already had enough offensive defensemen with Erik Karlsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson already on the roster.

Ekholm earned the nod because he's a more rounded defenseman and able to fill various roles, including killing penalties.

"Mattias doesn't have maybe Klingberg's way of playing with the puck, but he's a D we can use in all areas," Popovic said. He noted Ekholm also stepped up his game after Nashville traded defenseman Seth Jones to Columbus in January.

Popovic said most of the debate centered on filling out the final five forward spots.

Pittsburgh teammates Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin made the cut in part because of a strong playoff performance for the Stanley Cup Final-bound Penguins. Colorado's Carl Soderberg, Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg and Chicago's Marcus Kruger were also selected ahead of other potential candidates such as Ottawa's Mika Zibanejad, Washington's Marcus Johansson and Detroit's Gustav Nyquist.

The most notable addition to Finland's roster was forward Patrik Laine. The 18-year-old is considered a top NHL draft prospect after he was named the World Hockey championships MVP in helping Finland win silver last weekend.

Laine will team with another 18-year-old forward, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Sebastian Aho. The other five players selected were Minnesota forward Erik Haula, Chicago minor-league defensemen Ville Pokka, Sami Lepisto and Dallas' Jyrki Jokipakka, and goaltender Mikko Koskinen, the best goalie at the 2016 worlds.

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow contributed to this report.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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