S. Korea finalizes men's hockey roster for world championship

SEOUL, April 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea finalized its men's hockey roster for next month's world championship on Wednesday. Coached by former National Hockey League (NHL) defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea will send 25 players to the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship scheduled for May 4-20 in two cities in Denmark -- Copenhagen and Herning. It is the highest tier among the IIHF's world championships, and South Korea will play at this level for the first time after earning a promotion with a runner-up finish at last year's Division I Group A tournament. From the team that competed at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February, defenseman Cho Hyung-gon has been replaced by Asian league rookie Song Hyung-chul. South Korea also has a new third-string goalie in Lee Yeon-seung. Those are only minor changes, as the core of the team has been kept intact. Canadian-born goalie Matt Dalton will be in net, with fellow Canadian-natives Eric Regan, Alex Plante and Bryan Young leading the defense. Brothers Kim Ki-sung and Kim Sang-wook will again lead the attack, joined by U.S.-born winger Mike Testwuide and former NHL draftee Brock Radunske. There are two groups of eight nations at the competition. South Korea, at No. 19, is the lowest-ranked participant. The top four teams from each group will reach the quarterfinals, while the last-place teams from the two groups will be relegated to Division I Group A in 2019. South Korea will be in for a tough fight in Group B against Canada (No. 1), Finland (No. 4), the United States (No. 5), Germany (No. 7), Norway (No. 9), Latvia (No. 13) and Denmark (No. 14). Since the IIHF adopted the current promotion-relegation system for its world championships in 2012, no nation has survived the top-tier event after getting promoted from Division I Group A. At PyeongChang 2018, South Korea lost all four matches -- three in the group stage against the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Canada, and one in the qualification playoffs against Finland. The Olympic tournament didn't feature any NHL players, but NHL stars whose teams miss the playoffs that start later this month will suit up for their countries at the world championship. That means South Korea could go up against reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid, whose Edmonton Oilers have long been eliminated from playoff contention, among other Canadian stars. At the PyeongChang Olympics, South Korea battled Finland hard in a 5-2 loss, but it will face a vastly different Finnish team this time with NHL regulars like Teuvo Teravainen (Carolina Hurricanes) or Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo Sabres) in the lineup. jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)