Team USA has revealed its 25-man roster for the upcoming 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship in Alberta.

The roster boasts a powerful blue line that features three players - Jake Sanderson, Brock Faber, and Tyler Kleven - who helped Team USA beat Team Canada for the gold medal last tournament, as well as 2021 fourth overall pick Luke Hughes.

Six first-round picks from 2020 and 2021 will feature for the defending champs, including forwards Matty Beniers, Mackie Samoskevich, Matt Coronato, and Chaz Lucius, as well as Sanderson and Hughes.

Logan Cooley, 17, will also play for the U.S. as the youngest skater on the team. He projects to be a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

However, not a single player on Team USA has suited up for an NHL game. Fellow contender Team Canada, by comparison, boasts a trio of skaters who've played in the NHL this season.

Here's the full roster:

*Denotes returning player

Forwards

Defense

Goalies

Forwards Declan McDonnell and Dylan Peterson, defensemen Connor Kelley and Jacob Truscott, and goalie Luke Pavicich didn't make the final cuts.

Since 2013, either Canada, the United States, or Finland has claimed the gold medal. The U.S. has won it five times and medaled 13 times total.

Team USA will face Slovakia in its first preliminary matchup Dec. 26.

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The NHL will extend its commitments to inclusion, diversity, safety, and respect, it announced at the board of governors meeting on Thursday.

The new initiatives come in the wake of the alleged sexual assault of Kyle Beach in 2010 and the Chicago Blackhawks' mishandling of the incident.

NHL senior executive vice president of social impact, growth, and legislative affairs Kim Davis is spearheading the initiatives, which are built on a foundation of prevention, reporting, counseling, and accountability.

The league intends to cooperate with Sheldon Kennedy's Respect Group to create a mandatory online training program for all executives, staff, and players with the aim of positively changing hockey culture. Kennedy, a sexual abuse survivor and former NHL player, founded the Respect Group in an effort to prevent abuse and harassment in sports.

The sessions will last 90 minutes and contain messaging customized by each team, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

The goal is for all teams and employees to be certified in the training program by June 30, 2022.

The league also announced its mission to establish a hotline for anyone affiliated with non-NHL organizations to confidentially report incidents of abuse and misconduct.

The NHL has had such a system in place since 2019, which Davis said is working as it should. League commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL abuse hotline has received more calls but nothing to the magnitude of the Blackhawks scandal, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

The league will also focus on diversifying hiring practices and hold a "Respect Hockey Summit" in 2022 to bring together leaders of the largest organizations in the sport to discuss culture challenges.

The NHLPA, AHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the Premier Hockey Federation, and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association are among the organizations committed to participating.

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Toronto Maple Leafs veteran Jason Spezza is appealing his six-game suspension for kneeing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk in the head, the NHL Players' Association announced Wednesday.

The NHLPA filed the appeal on his behalf.

The 38-year-old has never previously been suspended in his 1,203-game career.

Spezza hit a vulnerable Pionk while the blue-liner was bent down trying to swipe at the puck with his glove. Pionk injured Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin with a knee-on-knee hit earlier in the game.

Here's a look at the hit:

Pionk was able to stay in the game but entered concussion protocol on Tuesday. The 26-year-old was suspended for two games for kneeing Sandin.

The first stage of Spezza's appeal process will go through NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Spezza can then go for independent arbitration if he isn't satisfied with Bettman's ruling, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Jujhar Khaira had to be stretchered off the ice after taking a heavy hit from New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba during Tuesday's contest.

The Blackhawks later announced that Khaira suffered an "upper-body blow" and had been taken to hospital for further testing.

The incident occurred midway through the second period. Trouba slammed into Khaira in the Blackhawks' zone. Khaira's head was down as he appeared to be trying to find the puck in his skates before the hit.

Khaira lay motionless on the ice after contact, and play was immediately halted.

Khaira was able to raise an arm to the crowd, according to Rangers beat reporter Vince Mercogliano.

Members of both teams showed support for the 27-year-old as he left the ice.

Blackhawks blue-liner Riley Stillman initiated a fight with Trouba shortly after the incident.

Khaira struggled with head injuries during the 2020-21 season. He has 65 points in 275 career NHL games.

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It's a time of change for the Vancouver Canucks.

Team owner Francesco Aquilini and interim general manager Stan Smyl held a press conference to discuss the club's decision to shake things up amidst the Canucks' abysmal 8-15-2 start.

The main message? Vancouver's on-ice product wasn't good enough.

"The status quo was just not acceptable," Aquilini said, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji. "We will get it right."

The Canucks let go of head coach Travis Green, assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner, assistant general manager John Weisbrod, and much-maligned general manager Jim Benning on Sunday.

Benning had taken the brunt of the heat from fans, with "fire Benning" chants raining down at the end of Vancouver's 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Aquilini was honest when asked if the Canucks had held onto Benning for too long.

"Maybe we were too patient, we could've maybe done it sooner, I don't know," Aquilini said, according to The Athletic's Thomas Drance.

A fan tossed their jersey onto the ice at the end of Saturday's contest, which was the last straw for Smyl.

"The end of that game was very tough to watch," he said. "And at that point, I felt that I needed to get involved and to make my views known."

Moving forward, Aquilini said the plan is to find a general manager and "maybe a president." Smyl can make moves for the organization if the opportunity arises.

There is no current timeline for the search.

Above all, Aquilini reiterated his faith in the club but added that the next general manager would have to decide whether Vancouver goes through a rebuild.

Canucks new head coach Bruce Boudreau also addressed the media Monday and outlined his game plan as the new guy in town.

"You'd really like to make it a winning team from here on in. To get the guys happy, to get the fanbase happy again with them winning and wherever that leads, that leads. We just don't want things to continue the way they were continuing," he said.

"If it ends up getting into a playoff spot, fine and dandy. ... I never think it's an impossibility."

Following their first skate with Boudreau, several Canucks players took the time to talk about the franchise's monumental changes made to the organization.

"I really believe in our group, I believe in our core players, I believe in our young guys. I want to win here. I want to be a Canuck, I want to win here as a Canuck," captain Bo Horvat said, per TSN. "Looking at management, they believe in us too.

"I don't think anyone wants to rebuild here."

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been suspended two games for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner Rasmus Sandin during Sunday's testy contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

The incident occurred six minutes into the final frame. Sandin was helped off the ice and avoided putting any weight on his right leg following the knee-on-knee collision.

Pionk wasn't penalized on the play.

The Department of Player Safety found that Pionk extended his knee and attempted to make direct, forceful contact with Sandin and disputed Pionk's argument that he was trying to make a full-body check.

Sandin was injured on the play, with TSN's Chris Johnston reporting the 21-year-old will likely miss two to three weeks.

This marks Pionk's first suspension in his 250-game career. The 26-year-old will forfeit $58,750 as a result.

Maple Leafs veteran Jason Spezza is awaiting an in-person hearing with the league for hitting Pionk while he was in a vulnerable position shortly after the questionable hit on Sandin.

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After being held out of the Toronto Maple Leafs' contest against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, star winger Mitch Marner is also expected to miss Sunday's game against the Winnipeg Jets, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "32 Thoughts" during Hockey Night in Canada.

Friedman added that Marner's absence is likely precautionary and that the Leafs will have a clearer picture of his situation once they come back from their two-game road trip.

Marner took the brunt of a collision with Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin in practice Friday, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Here's how the Leafs lined up without the 24-year-old Saturday:

Marner has 21 points in 24 games so far this season and leads Toronto with 15 assists.

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Matt Murray knows he hasn't been good enough for the Ottawa Senators to start the season, but he says he's somewhat in the dark about why the franchise placed him on waivers over the weekend.

"They said it was a management decision. That's about all I got," Murray said Tuesday during his first media availability since joining the Belleville Senators, Ottawa's AHL affiliate.

The netminder added that he hasn't heard from Senators general manager Pierre Dorion since being waived.

Murray holds a substandard .890 save percentage and a headache-inducing 3.26 goals-against average across six starts this campaign, which probably isn't what Ottawa expected when it signed the two-time Stanley Cup champion to a four-year, $25-million deal last October.

However, Murray has struggled to stay healthy. A non-COVID-19 illness sidelined him to begin the season. He then suited up for two games before sustaining a head injury. The 27-year-old eventually returned to action for another three contests and then tested positive for COVID-19.

He returned to the crease last Wednesday and surrendered four goals in a loss to the San Jose Sharks. That was the last game he played before the Senators, who sit in the league's basement with a 4-14-1 record, placed him on waivers Saturday.

Murray gave an honest answer Tuesday when asked if he felt he was being blamed for Ottawa's early-season struggles.

"I do, yeah. I also think that's part of what you sign up for as a goalie. I think that comes with the territory," he said. "I don't think I've been bad, but I haven't been good enough to win."

Murray said the Senators informed him about their plan to waive him with the intention of sending him to Belleville following the team's 4-0 road loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. He didn't dress for that game.

The netminder flew back from California on his own after hearing the club's decision. He summed up his feelings during that flight with one word Tuesday.

"Confusion. Honestly, it was the main one," Murray said. "A lot of confusion, but at the end of the day, I thought about what I wanted to get out of (an AHL stint).

"I'm here to make the most of it and keep my eye on the prize and eventually obviously get back up there as soon as possible."

Murray has played in just 33 games with the Senators over two seasons. He's authored a .892 save percentage and 3.35 goals-against average during that span.

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Following his first practice as a member of the San Jose Sharks' AHL affiliate, Evander Kane addressed his part in a tumultuous summer that has put a temporary pause on his NHL career.

Kane ended last season leading the Sharks in scoring with 49 points in 56 games. However, he cleared waivers just a couple of months later and was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda after an offseason full of NHL investigations. The league ended up suspending Kane for 21 games for violating its COVID-19 protocol.

Reports also surfaced in August that Kane's teammates were frustrated by his behavior and didn't want him to return to the Sharks.

"I don't think you're going to have a group of people for ... 150, 160 days get along perfectly," he said Tuesday, according to NBC Sports. "I think there's been a big misconception of the entire team or multiple players. It's funny, I had my end of the year meeting last year, and it was nothing but positive, positive, positive, and how great I was with the young guys, how great of a season I had.

"But apparently something happened in the summer that I wasn't aware of. It was all new to me and news to me. It was interesting."

Kane added that he hasn't spoken to any of his Sharks teammates.

"I've been doing my own thing, getting myself prepared. Handling my business, as I'm sure they have," Kane said, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

The winger cleared the league's September investigation into allegations from his estranged wife, Anna, that he gambled on NHL games. The league later opened up two subsequent probes looking into domestic abuse accusations made by Anna and Kane's alleged use of a fake vaccination card.

"You'll have to refer to the NHL statement that they put out via the suspension," Kane said. "I served my time, I did my 21 games, now I'm back.

"I'm fully vaccinated, and that's all I have to say about it."

Kane also stayed tight-lipped about his plans for his future within the organization and league.

"I think we have a good plan in place. I'm not going to get into that too much. But I'm looking forward to it," he said.

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Former Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois isn't quite sure what to expect from his first game back in Columbus since being traded to the Winnipeg Jets in a blockbuster shakeup last January.

When asked if he'd thought about the reception he might receive from the fans when the Jets square off against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night, the 23-year-old laughed and said, "a little bit."

"It's been almost a year now, but I'm expecting some people still to maybe be unhappy, disappointed," Dubois said in a media scrum before the game. "If they're happy, that's great. If they're not happy and booing me, I've heard it before."

Dubois has highly anticipated his return to Columbus ever since the team traded him (along with a 2022 third-round pick) to Winnipeg in exchange for forwards Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.

"I circled this date on my calendar. Not because of the players involved, but because it's my first time being back. I saw the news about (Laine's) father this week, I’m really sorry about that," Dubois said. "We're all feeling for him. Hopefully I get to play against him in Winnipeg."

Laine, who remains sidelined with an injury, is dealing with the death of his father Harri and is unavailable for the contest.

Dubois added it "definitely feels weird" being on the visitors' side of Nationwide Arena.

"Tonight, I think it might take a little part of the warm-up, maybe first shift, second shift (to adjust), and then after that, it'll be just a normal game."

The Blue Jackets selected Dubois third overall in the 2016 draft and he put up 159 points in 239 career games with the franchise.

Dubois called the end of his tenure in Columbus "complicated" and "choppy," but he once again stayed away from revealing any more details as to why he requested a trade.

"It wasn't a decision made because of someone or some things. I felt like it was the right time to move on, and I’m happy here in Winnipeg. It's going well, I've learned a lot, and I'm gonna keep learning," he said. "It was just time for something new."

Dubois has returned to form with the Jets to start the season, registering 10 goals and six assists in 18 games.

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