Last year, Matt Hendricks captained Team USA to bronze at the World Hockey Championships, marking just the second time in the last 11 years the U.S. had medaled.
So, why not go back to Hendricks again?
That’s what USA Hockey opted to do on Wednesday, announcing the Edmonton forward would reprise his role as team captain for the 2016 tournament, to be held in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Columbus’ Nick Foligno and Arizona’s Connor Murphy were named alternate captains.
Hendricks had a pretty solid tournament for the U.S. last year, scoring two goals and three points in 10 games -- an effort made more impressive by the fact it was his first time representing the U.S. internationally.
The U.S. gets its ’16 Worlds campaign underway on Friday, with a game against Canada at 11:30 a.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on NBCSN, and a live stream will be available on NBC Sports’ Live Extra.