Koviu - who also serves as Wild captain - is not a stranger to captaining his country, having done so on three prior occasions. He most recently served as captain at this year's IIHF World Championship, where his team claimed silver.
The 33-year-old was also a member of the most recent installment of the World Cup in 2004 that saw Finland fall in the championship game to Canada.
The NHL offseason is nearing the end, and soon clubs will begin to hit the ice with their retooled rosters.
Teams have been doing their darnedest to patch up and bolster their squads in a bid to improve or sustain the success they found in 2015-16.
However, while some teams are sure to rise from the depths of last season's standings, many are doomed to stumble and fall this season.
Here is a look at which team in each division is poised to take a step back this upcoming season:
Pacific - Los Angeles Kings
While the San Jose Sharks made quick work of them in the first round of the playoffs, the fact is the Los Angeles Kings actually matched the second-best record in franchise history, amassing 102 points.
The Kings rebounded after missing the postseason the year prior, but heading into the 2016-17 season, the club could be hard-pressed to duplicate last season's success.
Right off the top, the Kings said goodbye to Milan Lucic who in his first and only season with the Kings appeared to fit the club's mould perfectly with his rugged physicality, not to mention his 20 goals and 55 points - good enough for fourth in team scoring.
The team also let Jhonas Enroth go, even while the team's backup - albeit in a much smaller work load - led the team's netminders with a .922 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA in 16 games.
The team also saw other less significant names leave, while their biggest addition in the offseason was Teddy Purcell. They might not fall out of a postseason spot, but the Kings can surely expect to take a step backwards next season.
Metropolitan - Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes exceeded expectations in 2015-16, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference despite a club that lacked any superstar talent.
The Hurricanes are in the midst of a transition period as they appear to be turning their roster over with young, home-grown talent.
To their misfortune, they find themselves in one of the most difficult divisions in the league - one that seemingly got stronger this offseason.
The Hurricanes did little in free agency, signing journeyman Lee Stempniak and adding forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Viktor Stalberg. The team could have used an upgrade between the pipes, but instead Ron Francis and company elected to re-sign Cam Ward.
The future remains bright for the Hurricanes with many high-end prospects at their disposal, but next season will see a slight regression.
Central - St. Louis Blues
It should be noted off the top that the St. Louis Blues surely aren't going to fall off the face of the earth next season
The Blues reached the Conference Finals for the first time since the 2000-01 season, but even on the backs of their longest playoff run in 15 years, the club saw a huge turnover this offseason.
Where things begin to look less optimistic is that the only big-name replacement for these players was David Perron.
In goal, the Blues said goodbye to Elliott. He was arguably the team's most valuable player in the playoffs and the club's most reliable option during the regular season, posting a .930 save percentage and 2.07 GAA. Both marks bested those set by Jake Allen.
In Backes and Brouwer, the team loses size and a combined 39 goals and 84 points. Of course, the club should be healthier with the likes of Jaden Schwartz and Paul Stastny available long term, while the addition of Vladimir Sobotka should help.
The Blues will once again be a lock for the playoffs, but challenging for another Conference Final might be a bit much.
Atlantic - Boston Bruins
The Bruins' biggest offseason casualty came in the team's unsuccessful attempt to re-sign Loui Eriksson.
The 31-year-old instead elected to join the Vancouver Canucks, so in turn the Bruins lost one of their three 30-goal scorers.
In his place, the Bruins brought in David Backes. Backes definitely fits the Bruins' mould perfectly in his ability to throw his weight around while adequately chipping in offensively.
However, the fact is Backes is one year Eriksson's senior and, unlike his predecessor, has not managed 30 goals or more since the 2010-11 season. Meanwhile, Eriksson's 63 points this season are more than Backes has ever hit.
Moving down the list, the Bruins also did very little to address their need on the opposite side of the puck.
The team gave up an average of 2.78 goals per game last season, good enough for 20th in the league. To fix the problem the team bought out Dennis Seidenberg's contract and re-signed John-Michael Liles - who, despite being a solid veteran blue-liner, plays more of an offensive-style game.
More could have and should have been done for a team whose Cup window is closing quick.
Kevin Bieksa was a win away - twice. Three periods. Sixty minutes. He still thinks about how close he was to the Stanley Cup. How could he not?
He was a member of the Vancouver Canucks then, and his team lost Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins 4-0. In excruciating fashion.
The Canucks were up 2-0 and 3-2 in the series. Vancouver outshot Boston 37-21 in the deciding game, played at home in Rogers Arena. So close. And, in a way, it's that painful loss that continues to motivate the 35-year-old defenseman.
Bieksa, now on the Anaheim Ducks' blue line, was in Richmond, B.C., last week, and told The Province's Steve Ewen that he wants to play after his two-year contract in SoCal ends in 2018.
"Who knows? If we had won a Stanley Cup back in 2011, maybe my perspective would have changed," Bieksa said. "I'm at the point in my career where I really want to win a Stanley Cup, and I've wanted to win one for 30 years, and I've dreamed about it for 30 years, and I've been as close as you can get."
The veteran says he doesn't feel 35, not physically. He's going to keep trying to win a Cup, as long as he can help a team win, in any role.
Bieksa's playing for a Cup contender in the Ducks, who welcome back Randy Carlyle behind the bench. Bieksa had four goals and 11 assists in 71 games last season, averaging more than 21 minutes in ice time per game. He was an important part of fired head coach Bruce Boudreau's squad, and is no doubt looking forward to playing a similar role for Carlyle.
Las Vegas is famous for putting on a show. It won't disappoint when it comes to the NHL, says George Parros.
The former tough guy, who retired in 2014, now resides in the desert, and can't wait for the world's best hockey to be played in town.
"This is a great sports town," Parros told NHL.com's Pat Pickens. "This is going to be a great hockey market."
The Vegas expansion franchise - still unnamed - will begin play in the 2017-18 season.
Parros recently played in the Las Vegas Firefighters Youth Hockey charity game, Pickens writes, along with Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker, who also calls Vegas home. And Zucker shares Parros' enthusiasm.
"Most people don't realize that there's hockey here," Zucker said. "It's fun to be able to talk to them and maybe open their eyes a little bit. But it is a good hockey community."
Cory Schneider wants to be the starter for Team USA at the upcoming World Cup of Hockey, and rightfully so.
The New Jersey Devils goaltender, who underwent offseason core muscle surgery, is looking to be in top form right out of the gate in order to win the race to be named the number one goalie at the tournament.
"My goal is to be the guy to play in that tournament, and in order for that to happen, I have to be ready," Schneider told Chris Ryan of NJ.com.
"With this USA camp, you better be good from the first practice because I think that's how they're going to evaluate us and figure out who's going to play."
Both have been finalists for the Vezina Trophy and boast appearances in the Stanley Cup Final on their resumes, while Quick has the added benefit on being a member of two championship teams.
Schneider, however, has quietly outperformed both at five-on-five play over the past three seasons, without the aid of playing on a contending team.
Here's a look at the trio's numbers at five-on-five, generally regarded as a more precise barometer for success.
Player
Games
Shots Against
Save %
Ben Bishop
186
3773
92.74
Jonathan Quick
189
3692
92.8
Cory Schneider
172
3512
93.02
Schneider may not have the accolades of his American teammates but statistically speaking, he's been a better performer than the other two, a fact that made more impressive considering he's been featuring on a non-playoff team.
While he deserves to start in goal for Team USA, it is in all likelihood that he will not. At the very least, however, the experience should help him come out strong for a Devils team with eyes on challenging for a playoff spot.
"I only see it as a benefit, to get into that intensity and that level of competitiveness early," Schneider said of being included on the roster. "And then coming (back to New Jersey), whenever that is, I'll hopefully be feeling really good about my game and where I am."
With the World Cup of Hockey now less than a month away, and all eight rosters basically set in stone (health permitting), the next decision to be made is who will don the captain's "C" for each squad.
Here's a look at the top candidates to captain the other six teams.
Canada - Jonathan Toews
While Sidney Crosby captained the 2014 Olympic and 2015 World Championship teams to gold medals, it's time for Jonathan Toews to be afforded the chance to take on that mantle of leadership for a couple weeks.
As previously argued here, Toews is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the 2015 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner. Clearly he has achieved more than enough to deserve the "C" for Canada at the World Cup.
Crosby has served well as Captain Canada and is the unquestioned best player in the world, but the reality is that the World Cup's a step below the Olympics.
To deny Crosby the "C" and bestow it on Toews, therefore, would simply be to acknowledge the latter's body of work while keeping the former out of the spotlight until PyeongChang - if NHL players participate, that is.
Russia - Pavel Datsyuk
Having made the decision to walk away from the final year of his NHL contract, the World Cup will effectively serve as Pavel Datsyuk's swan song in North America.
Alex Ovechkin remains Russia's premier star, but chances are he'd be willing to step aside for one international tournament in order to allow the Magic Man - who captained the World Championship team back in May - to once again serve as team leader, in name at least.
Seeing as former Red Wings teammate Zetterberg is captaining Sweden, having Datstyuk wear the "C" for Russia would add another layer of intrigue to the tournament.
Finland - Mikko Koivu
This Finnish squad is made up of a bevy of rising stars, and a player like Aleksander Barkov is sure to carry the team to great heights as early as the 2018 Winter Olympics.
For the time being, elder statesman and Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu gets the nod, especially after having captained Finland to a silver medal at the World Championships in the spring.
It also helps that Koivu is the NHL's active points leader among all players from his home country.
Plekanec has represented his country in multiple international tournaments at the junior and major levels, with all colors of medals earned along the way.
That the tournament will be played in Toronto and Plekanec is a member of the rival Montreal Canadiens is also quite fitting. And yes, he, like others mentioned above, wore the "C" at the 2016 World Championships.
Europe - Anze Kopitar
Two names that jump to mind immediately for Europe are Zdeno Chara and Anze Kopitar, both of whom have raised the Stanley Cup in recent years as captains of the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings, respectively.
While Chara is a worthy candidate, Kopitar is in his prime and has the better chance of making a major contribution to a European squad which many don't have pegged to make much noise in the tournament.
Europe was added to the field in part to allow for players from smaller countries to participate, so why not make the most of the Slovenian's presence and charge him with leading the team both on and off the ice?
North America - Connor McDavid
The Young Stars team is made up of players 23 and under, many of whom are likely destined to become captains at the NHL level sooner than later.
Two may have that distinction as early as 2016-17, namely Aaron Ekblad in Florida and Connor McDavid in Edmonton.
The defenseman has more professional experience, but the World Cup is designed to feature the best and brightest hockey has to offer, with McDavid - who already has a World Championship gold with Canada to his name - representing not only the future but the present of the game.
Ekblad will no doubt be an alternate and has as bright a future as just about anyone in the game, but if North America is able to pull off the upset and win the thing, it should be McDavid who's front and center to receive the odd-looking trophy.
