Will the NHLPA exclude its own players from the World Cup of Hockey?

The World Cup of Hockey is an international best-on-best tournament featuring eight countries from around the world. Put on by the NHL and the NHLPA, the World Cup began in 1996 and later returned in 2004 and 2016 with the next rendition set for the 2028 mid-season break. The NHL recently announced that the preliminary rounds will take place in Calgary, Alberta and Prague, Czechia and the finals will be in Edmonton, Alberta.

The NHL has not confirmed which countries will participate. Based on the 2026 Olympics and the success of the Four Nations Face Off last year, the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland are all but guaranteed to have a spot. Since the event will  take place in part in Prague, it’s safe to assume Czechia will have a team. NHL reporters have also speculated Switzerland and Germany, two other emerging hockey nations, will be in attendance. This leaves one spot left, with many questioning if it will go to Slovakia… or Russia?

In February 2022, the IIHF suspended all Russian and Blarusian national teams from participation in every age category and in all IIHF competitions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has not been allowed to participate in hockey on the international stage since.

The United States, Canada, and Sweden were the only teams at the 2026 Winter Olympics to field their men’s rosters with entirely NHL players. Notably, all but one player on team Finland played in the NHL. Russia, unlike Germany, Switzerland, and Slovakia, has enough active NHL players to roster a full team of NHL players (and then some).

As talks of Russia’s possible return made rounds on social media, Czech reporter Robert Rampa shared that Sweden, Finland, and Czechia informed the NHL that the nations would not participate in the World Cup of Hockey if Russia was included. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly later said they had not received a formal declaration from those countries, but assured the league was aware of where those countries stand. According to Eric Engels, Senior writer for Sports Net, the NHL is not interested in including Russia in the World Cup unless they end the war with Ukraine.

Is this fair to Russian players? Unlike the Olympics and IIFH Worlds, this event is put on entirely by the NHL and the NHLPA. According to QuantHockey, 70% (696/993) of active NHL players are from Canada (418) and the United States (278). After that, Swedes are the third largest nationality with 97 players, or 9.9% of the league. Russians are the fourth largest group with 65 active players, totaling more than Czechia (28), Switzerland (11), Slovakia (9), and Germany (8) combined. This means that the NHLPA plans to put on an event that excludes 6.5% of its membership.

Personally, I’m of the belief that we won’t have true international best-on-best hockey if Russia isn’t in the mix. However, two things can be true at once, and as much as I would love to see Ovechkin, Kucherov, and Kaprizov play on the same team, sanctioning Russia for its senseless war is a far greater concern than the entertainment value of a hockey tournament. But still, I don’t think this situation is as black-and-white as excluding Russia from the Olympics or IIHF tournaments. This event is put on by the same organization that employs these Russian players. Is that fair? For now, it seems only time will tell.