Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Olympic roster deadline set for Dec. 31

Ryan Miller

Goalie Ryan Miller of the United States looks on during warm ups against the ice hockey men’s preliminary game between Canada and USA on day 10 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 21, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (February 20, 2010 - Source: Harry How/Getty Images North America)

On Friday, NHL players learned they’ll be eligible for selection for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

They also learned how long they’ll have to impress their respective selection committees.

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, roster submissions are to be submitted by Dec. 31, 2013 -- a provisional list of 22 skaters and three goalies.

Prior to that, countries are required to submit “long lists” of candidates by Oct. 1, though the names on the long lists will not be made public.

While the NHL has yet to release it’s 2013-14 schedule, play usually begins in the opening week of October (during the last Olympic year, games began on Oct. 1, 2009.)

This would give players nearly three full months of play -- approximately 40 games -- to audition for spots.

Here’s more, from the IIHF:

All participating national associations will submit their “long lists” of rosters on October 1, 2013 (both men’s and women’s) while on the men’s side there will be an additional no-later-than December 31, 2013 deadline of submission of provisional 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders playing rosters. The October 1 “long lists” will not be made public.

The final and official playing rosters will be registered at the Olympic tournament directorate meetings, one day before the start of the respective events. On the women’s side the final roster registration will be on February 7, 2014, the men’s registration on February 11, 2014.

The February roster date is likely for last-second changes.

At the Vancouver games in 2010, there was a clause in place stating that if a player from the 23-man roster got injured between Jan. 1 and the start of the Olympic tournament, he could be replaced up until the eve of the first game (on Feb. 16.)

In 2010, American defensemen Paul Martin and Mike Komisarek were both named to the provisional roster, but later forced to miss the tournament due to injury. They were replaced by Ryan Whitney and Tim Gleason.