Starting this coming week, Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin will be able to temporarily forget about the grueling task of containing Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid.

That's because the two will be teammates for Team North America at the World Cup. The two are familiar opponents after going head to head not just at the NHL level, but as far back as their days of midget hockey.

"I'm happy Connor McDavid is on our roster because I've been chasing him around for a while since his days with the Toronto Marlboros (in 2011-12), so it'll be nice being on his side," Larkin told NHL.com. "You hear nothing but positive things (about McDavid), and obviously he's a great player, and I'm happy he's on our team."

Aside from McDavid, Larkin is also excited to be reunited with Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews, both of whom Larkin played alongside on Team USA at the 2015 World Juniors.

"It's pretty cool to think that the three of us played together at the World Junior Championship just a few years ago," Larkin said. "We've come up through the international program together and now we get to represent all the hockey players under the age of 23, and I'm excited to see them and play with them again."

As for how Larkin feels the young squad will do at the tournament, he thinks the team sits in a rather unique position - one that still sees them as a threat, but without the same pressure the more experienced clubs enter with.

"I think this is going to be great because it's a group of guys coming together who are all in the same position; we're young guys in the NHL trying to prove ourselves," Larkin said. "I think the other teams aren't underestimating us, but we don't have that pressure. We're just going to have a ton of fun and play with a lot of speed, and I think teams might be on their heels when they're playing against us."

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Team USA's disappointing finish at the 2014 Winter Olympics is certainly not lost on the team as the World Cup approaches.

Many players who donned the red, white, and blue in Sochi will once again represent their country when the top hockey powers reconvene in Toronto for two weeks, and for them, the World Cup offers a do-over.

"It's a great opportunity for that group in Sochi that we had," New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh said, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "We have a lot of the same guys representing the U.S. that kind of get a chance to get back on the right side of things."

After opening the Olympics with three straight wins, the Americans ultimately faltered in the medal round. What made the tournament such a disappointment to the players, according to Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, was the immense pressure the players placed on themselves, with a seemingly first or last mentality.

"It was a letdown," Oshie said. "It would have been amazing to get a medal, but I think overall we had our eye on gold, and it almost felt like it was gold or bust for us."

As for Minnesota Wild captain Zach Parise, the most devastating part was the final game, which saw the Americans get blown out by Finland in a battle for bronze.

"I thought Canada really played well against us," said Parise, who was captain of the 2014 team. "We really didn't get much offensively. They locked it down pretty good on us and they had good players. You're going to look at their roster 15 years from now and be like, 'Oh my gosh! All these guys were on the same team together?' The ending in Russia with a 5-0 pretty good waxing was tough. Had we gone home after a 1-0 loss to Canada, of course that would have been brutal, but we finished with a kind of disappointing game, and that's what everyone remembers."

So less than two years later, the team is hoping to rectify that disappointing result. However, things won't be easy for the Americans who find themselves in a group with the early favorite Canadians.

But as Capitals defenseman John Carlson notes, there is a simple solution to getting a better result this time around.

"The only way you can fix it is to work harder and get better and get another crack," Carlson said. "Only one team gets to win, so everybody else (in Sochi) was feeling pretty badly for themselves too. So we're going to go out there and leave it all on the line."

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Team Sweden isn't short on offensive firepower.

Sporting a World Cup roster that features that likes of Nicklas Backstrom, Filip Forsberg, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Swedes should have no trouble finding the back of the net.

The team also boasts a blueline overflowing with defensive stalwarts like Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Not to mention "King" Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes.

But an oft-overlooked part of Team Sweden is center Marcus Kruger, a key defensive specialist with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kruger, 26, has become a valuable go-to for Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, given his strengths as a checking center, where his ability to read plays and kill penalties has been a big piece to the team's success.

The hope is that Kruger. who has two Stanley Cup victories to his name, can translate his NHL success to the international stage.

"Everybody wants to contribute to the team success, and this is a pretty cool way too," Kruger told EPSN. "It's rewarding to get to play the last shifts of a game because often it means that if we can keep the puck out of our net, we'll win."

Team Sweden came up short in Sochi, falling to Canada in the gold medal game. Sweden will look to reverse its fortunes this time around, and Kruger will no doubt play a major part in that effort.

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Team Norway's 2-1 win Sunday over France ensured their qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Mattias Norstebo and New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello sparked the offense to lead Norway to victory.

The 2018 Games will feature hockey's "Big 6" - Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and the United States - while Slovakia, Switzerland, and host nation South Korea round out the initial group.

With Norway snapping up one of the three qualifier seeds, it leaves two slots open, which will be decided by Sunday's qualifying matches. Germany faces vs. Latvia, while Belarus takes on Slovenia, and the winners will join the teams participating in the 2018 Games.

A decision hasn't yet been made about whether NHL players will participate in the next Winter Olympics.

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Tomas Kundratek has been added to Team Czech Republic's World Cup roster.

Kundratek, 26, will fill in for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas at the upcoming tournament, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com as Gudas is dealing with an upper-body injury and won't participate.

Kundratek split last season between Riga Dynamo and Bratislava Slovan of the KHL, combining for 24 points in 56 games.

Drafted by the New York Rangers in 2008, Kundratek last appeared in the NHL in 2012-13 with the Washington Capitals. He has 30 games of NHL experience, scoring a goal and six assists.

Earlier Sunday, Team Czech Republic named Czech Extraliga winger Michal Birner as the replacement for injured winger Tomas Hertl.

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Team Czech Republic has reached into its own backyard, selecting Czech Extraliga winger Michal Birner to replace the injured Tomas Hertl at the upcoming World Cup, according to TV NOVA Sport's Roman Jedlicka.

Birner, 30, spent most of last season with Liberac Bili Tygri HC of the Czech Republic's top league, finishing third in team scoring with 39 points in 51 games.

He also spent four games with the Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL, where he was held off the scoresheet in four games.

The St. Louis Blues drafted Birner in 2004, 114th overall.

It appears Team Czech Republic first reached out to forward Jiri Hudler, who recently signed with the Dallas Stars, before settling on Birner.

"Hudler didn't answer phone calls and messages," Czech Republic general manager Martin Rucinsky said. "His agent Petr Svoboda then told us Jiri didn't have interest to go."

The team hasn't announced a replacement for Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas who won't participate as he's dealing with a wrist injury.

"Gudas sustained an upper-body injury during his offseason training and will be evaluated on a week to week basis," Flyers GM Ron Hextall said in a statement.

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What's removed from a photo speaks a thousand words.

P.K. Subban took to Twitter on Saturday to offer congratulations to former Montreal Canadiens teammate and friend Scott Gomez upon the announcement of the latter's retirement from professional hockey.

How nice.

What's interesting is it appears Subban doctored the photo a little bit before posting.

Subban, of course, was traded by Montreal to the Nashville Predators earlier this offseason, while Gomez was placed on unconditional waivers and bought out by the Canadiens in the aftermath of the 2012-13 NHL lockout.

As a reminder, the Canadiens play host to the Predators on March 2 in what should be a spirited affair.

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