Devoid of NHL players for the first time in decades, it's anyone's best guess who the United States will take to the 2018 Winter Olympics.
But in the first, incomplete glimpse at the men's ice hockey team, USA Hockey on Wednesday announced the roster that will compete in the Deutschland Cup, the only organized pre-Games tournament in which the national team will participate before the U.S. braintrust makes their selections for Pyeongchang.
NHL veterans Brian Gionta and Ryan Malone are among the more notable names on the 29-man roster for the tournament, held Nov. 10-12 in Augsburg, Germany.
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Gionta, an NHL free agent, and Malone, who's playing for the AHL's Iowa Wild, are eligible for Pyeongchang because they aren't signed to NHL contracts. Both were members of the 2006 and 2010 Olympic teams, and are likely to be the only ones with prior Olympic experience, should they make the Team USA roster.
When it comes to final selections, the majority of the roster will be made of a relatively anonymous group of Americans playing professionally in Europe.
A total of 21 players included on the Deutschland Cup team have NHL experience, though most are playing overseas in 2017-18.
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The tournament roster doesn't include top NCAA players like Jordan Greenway or Troy Terry, who are considered Olympic locks. If selected, they'll play out their collegiate seasons before joining the national team to practice in the weeks before the Olympic tournament begins.
The full roster is below. Each player is listed with their current professional team.
2017 U.S. men's national select team
Forwards
Sean Backman, Eisbären Berlin (DEL)
Garrett Roe, EV Zug (NLA)
Drew Shore, ZSC Lions (NLA)
Robbie Earl, EHC Biel-Bienne (NLA)
Broc Little, HC Davos (NLA)
Dan Sexton, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (KHL)
Jim Slater, HC Fribourg-Gottéron (NLA)
Brian Gionta, NHL free agent (Played 2016-17 season with Buffalo Sabres)
Brian O'Neill, Jokerit (KHL)
Andy Miele, Malmö Redhawks (SHL)
Chad Kolarik, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
Mark Arcobello, SC Bern (NLA)
Ryan Lasch, Frölunda HC (SHL)
Ryan Malone, Iowa Wild (AHL)
Ryan Stoa, Spartak Moskva (KHL)
Defense
Noah Welch, Växjö Lakers (SHL)
Mike Lundin, Jokerit (KHL)
Matt Donovan, Frölunda HC (SHL)
Jonathan Blum, Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)
Matt Gilroy, Jokerit (KHL)
Mark Stuart, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
Ryan Gunderson, Brynäs IF (SHL)
Tom Gilbert, Nürnberg Ice Tigers (DEL)
Dylan Reese, HV71 (SHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti, HC Lugano (NLA)
Chad Billins, Linköping HC (SHL)
Goaltenders
David Leggio, EHC München (DEL)
Ryan Zapolski, Jokerit (KHL)
Brandon Maxwell, BK Mlada Boleslav (Czech)
