from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com,

In early July, about two months before the start of training camp for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, general manager Doug Armstrong and coach Mike Babcock held a conference call with the 23 members of the Team Canada roster.

Armstrong said Babcock gave simple instructions for the summer: "Train to be ready to play. We're not going to wade into this."

It is now early August, a month before the start of camp, and amid the quietest period of the NHL offseason, there is a sense of urgency for those involved in the World Cup because of the timing and format of the tournament. What players do now in rinks and gyms across North America and Europe will impact not only who wins the World Cup, but who emerges healthy for the NHL season.

There is particular pressure on Team Canada, which won the past two Olympic gold medals and will play on home ice. The Canadians open camp Sept. 4 in Ottawa. They play Team USA on Sept. 9 in Columbus in their first of three exhibitions. They play the Czech Republic on Sept. 17 in Toronto in their first of three preliminary round games.

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