Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with the Western Hockey League, the Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals Hockey Clubs today announced the rosters for Team WHL that will compete against Team Russia in the 2012 SUBWAY® Super Series.

The SUBWAY® Super Series features regional teams of CHL All-Stars competing against the Russian National Junior Team in a six-game event serving as an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada prior to the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. The OHL hosts the middle leg of the six-game series with the first two games hosted by the QMJHL, and the final two games played in the WHL. Last season the CHL prevailed with their eighth series win in nine years of this event earning a 10-8 victory in points which included three regulation wins, two losses, and one defeat by shootout. Team Canada later captured bronze at the 2012 World Junior Championship in Calgary and Edmonton, AB.

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Team WHL will face Team Russia in games five and six of the series played Wednesday, November 14 in Vancouver, BC, and on Thursday, November 15 in Victoria, BC. The first two games of the series are hosted by the QMJHL with the OHL hosting games three and four.

Team WHL was selected by a special committee consisting of Jeff Chynoweth (Kootenay Ice, GM), Bob Tory (Tri-City Americans, GM), Kevin Prendergast (Hockey Canada, Head Scout), Scott Salmond (Hockey Canada, Sr. Director, Hockey Operations/National Teams), Don Nachbaur (Spokane Chiefs, Head Coach and Assistant Coach of Team Canada) and the WHL Office, as part of the selection process for the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Team WHL roster consists of 29 players – two goalies, nine defencemen and 18 forwards. Team WHL features the five defencemen selected in the Top 8 of the 2012 NHL Draft: Ryan Murray (EVT, 2nd overall – Columbus Blue Jackets); Griffin Reinhart (EDM, 4th overall – New York Islanders); Morgan Rielly (MJ, 5th overall – Toronto Maple Leafs); Mathew Dumba (RD, 7th overall – Minnesota Wild) and Derrick Pouliot (POR, 8th overall – Pittsburgh Penguins). Top Western Hockey League NHL prospects for the 2013 and 2014 NHL Entry Drafts will also be featured on Team WHL: Hunter Shinkaruk (MH, 2013); Curtis Lazar (EDM, 2013); Ryan Pulock (BDN, 2013); Eric Comrie (TC, 2013) and Sam Reinhart (2014, KTN). Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray is the sole returning player from Team Canada’s 2012 Bronze medal team at the World Junior Championships.