Forward Zuccarello from Minnesota is also nominated by the Norwegian hockey players for the World Cup

Thirty-six-year-old Zuccarello has so far competed in four World Championships and two Olympic Games (2010 and 2014). Since the World Cup in Moscow, he has worn the jersey of the Norwegian national team only because of the Olympic qualifications in the 2016/17 and 2021/22 seasons. In 2016, he presented himself at the World Cup in Toronto, where he played in the final with the Selection of Europe.

In this NHL season, the 173-centimeter forward scored 63 points for 12 goals and 51 assists in 69 games. The former New York Rangers and Dallas player has a total of 835 regular season games and 636 points on 198 goals and 438 assists. In 96 playoff games, he scored 55 points on 18 hits and 37 assists.

Thoresen last played for the national team also in the 2021/22 season, when he took part in the Olympic qualification. He was last at the WC in 2019 in Bratislava. The tenth world championship awaits the participant of three Olympics. He played in the NHL between 2006 and 2008, playing for Edmonton and Philadelphia. He returned to Storhamar in 2018 and this year as captain led it to the title after six years.

The 32-year-old Martinsen, who is preparing for his twelfth World Championship, played in the NHL from 2015 to 2019 for Colorado, Montreal and Chicago.

Defenders Sander Hurröd from Storhamar, Sander Vold Engebraten from Jukuritu Mikkeli and 18-year-old Stian Solberg from Valerenga Oslo can make their debut at a major international event, along with forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard from second division Swedish club Mora, who started at the U20 World Cup in Gothenburg this year, as well as another forward Eskild Bakke Olsen from Karlskoga also from the Swedish Allsvenskan. In addition to them and Zuccarella, only forward Martin Rönnild from Storhamar was missing from last year’s World Cup. According to forecasts, Brandsegg-Nygard could come in the 1st round and Solberg in the 2nd round of the June NHL draft. Nineteen-year-old striker Petter Vesterheim, also from Mora, who already played at the world championship last year, also made an appearance at this year’s Junior World Cup.

The Norwegians are counting on possibly two more reinforcements from overseas. Defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, who made his NHL debut this season, is finishing the season on the Tampa Bay farm in the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Forward Emilio Pettersen plays for the Dallas farm. He didn’t even get a chance in the NHL as a Calgary player before moving to the Stars in March.

The Norwegians lost to Denmark 1:3 in the warm-up and then beat them 3:2. They lost to Hungary 1:2 and 2:3. In other duels with the Danes, they won 4:3 in extra time and 2:1 in extra time. They defeated the Latvians 1:0 in extra time and then suffered a debacle with them 0:8.

On Saturday, from 20:20, they will be the second opponent of the Czech national team in basic group A in Prague. They will enter the tournament a day earlier against Switzerland. Finland, Denmark, Canada, Austria, Great Britain await them in the next matches.