Q: Why do the Norwegian Ships have barcodes on the bottom? 
A: So they can Scandinavian!
Q: What is the purpose of this post?
A: To announce the s64 TEAM NORWAY IIHF ROSTER!

*** FORWARDS ***

S54- Dwight Knight (TBB): @hockeyiscool /// 2013 TPE
Knight leads the squad in TPE and will look to lead us to the promised land as well.  He's just finished up his 9th season as a member of the Tampa Bay Barracudas, and though he might be starting to get a little older, it hasn't affected his gaudy numbers yet.

s56- Vladimir Petrov (TBB): @Muford  /// 1856 TPE
Another high TPE Barracuda, Petrov has nicely settled in to the Norwegian team after becoming a Russian transplant a few seaons ago.  He'll look to tap in to that Tampa chemistry with Knight and help lead the offense throughout the tournament.

S57- Rob Wright (BAP): @Snuffalupagus/// 1607 TPE
Wright had a solid year for the Platoon and will look to carry that over into the IIHF with Norway.  Having matched his personal career high for goals this season with 19, he will surely have the "Wright" stuff to get Team Norway where it wants to be. Sorry I had to.

S52- Adam Scianna (TEX): @RedCapeDiver/// 1575 TPE
Scianna plies his trade as a Dman in Texas, but per usual he'll play as a forward with his native Norway.  He's getting older, but will look to employ all the wily tricks of the trade he's picked up with his years in the league and try to prove to the world that he's still got it.

S56- Slava Petrov (NOL): @ckroyal92/// 1458 TPE
Petrov will once again team up with his brother Vladimir as a member of team Norway.  Despite coming back to earth a little bit in the goal scoring department this season, he did match his career high in assists with 19.  It would not surprise me to see the Petrov Bros. and Knight on a line together for ultimate chemistry points. (I'm not actually sure if that's a thing...)

S59- Salzberger Lillehammersson (ATL): @NorwegianDemon ///  1422 TPE
Lillehammersson is not only the most Norwegian of all these players, he's also potentially the most dangerous.  He notched a career high 26 goals this season for Atlanta in the regular season with another 11 in the playoffs so far.  The only question is whether or not the run to the Cup Finals will leave him with dead legs when the tournament starts.

S47- **A** Eko Van Otter (ATL): @hotdog /// 1409 TPE
Van Otter is definitely on the downside of his career, but he'll provide valuable leadership for this Norwegian side.  Like SHL teammate Lillehammersson, the biggest question is whether or not he'll be able to recover in time following a run all the way to the Cup Finals with Atlanta.  

S60- Gonzo Gobbledygook (WPG):  @tweedledunn /// 1270 TPE
I'm not totally sure if Most Improved Player is an actual award they give out in the SHL, but if it is, my vote goes to Gonzo.  He nearly doubled both his goal and assist output, and has to be one of the young players to watch for this tournament!

S45- **C** Andreas Kvalheim (TEX): @raymond3000/// 1230 TPE
De Kaptein is also getting older nearly dead but continues to pile on the points for a Renegades team that was bounced earlier than most expected in the playoffs.  The fresh legs will do Kvalheim good though, and he'll be looking to lead the boys to the promised land, even if it isn't with top line minutes anymore.

S61- Grogu Mandusson (CGY): @Muerto /// 1089 TPE
A decent rookie output for the young dragon, and he'll hope to provide the youthful energy and spark to a mostly aging roster.  Mandusson will look to plant his big body right in front of opposing goalies and be as pest-like as possible. 

S62- Aksel Fiske (MAN): @mer /// 887 TPE
While Fiske is yet to make his SHL debut, he's been absolutely dominant in juniors, putting up 61 points this season with QCC.  While he won't get a ton of ice time, he looks to be one of the future leaders of this team and will hope to get some good experience at the international level.

S62 Cup Noodle (HAM): @Vulfzilla /// 719 TPE
The former SMJHL Rookie of the Year will be playing out of position for this tournament, but hoping to use his offensive prowess to make a difference on the 4th line.  He should make a decent 2 way forward with plenty of defensive prowess and the ability to find goal scorers with the puck, as he had 22 assists in his rookie season with Hamilton.

*** DEFENSE ***

S55- Teddy Murphy (SEA): @trashae /// 1868 TPE
Murphy joined Seattle this year after years being one of the faces of the powerful Baltimore franchise.  His numbers took a big hit, but it shouldn't make a difference now that he's back with his countrymen.  He'll be the defensive leader of this team and look to punish opposing forwards in the tradition of the Vikings.

S58- Ole Olson (NOL): @Amidships /// 1617 TPE
Olson had his best offensive year of his career and will look to add that into the mix with team Norway.  He took a ton of shots and blocked a ton of shots this year which is what you like to see from an offensive DMan.

S50- Samuel Michaud (PHI): @golden_apricot /// 1389 TPE 
Michaud is finally back to playing his natural position with the national team.  He's been the epitome of consistency for years and will look to help anchor the second D pair with his natural 2 way game.

S46- **A** Karlstasse Scholz (EDM): @karlssens /// 1182 TPE
Scholz is another aging player on this squad, but like many of the others, his abilities have really yet to drop off.  He's only ever played for 2 teams during his pro career: the Blizzard and Team Norway.  That familiarity with the team and the scheme will help him stay on top of his game even if he might be a step slower than we're used to seeing.

S56- Tanjiro Kamado (CHI): @Andy /// 1525 TPE
Kamado had possibly his best pure defensive season this year while completing his 2nd season with Syndicate.  His fearsome presence at the blueline has helped his team to the Cup Finals against Atlanta where he'll  look to shut down his Norwegian teammates Van Otter and Lillehammersson. Should make for some interesting conversations in the locker room.

S54- Bork Lazer (PHI): @Frick_Nasty /// 1498 TPE
Lazer blocked the 2nd most shots of his entire career this season with Philadelphia and will hope to continue clogging up the lanes for Team Norway as well.  He also set a career high for assists this season with 29 and points with 38.

*** GOALTENDERS ***

S52- Cillian Kavanagh (TEX): @takethehorizon /// 1699 TPE
Kavanagh is arguably the best goalie in the tournament and he'll hope to get hot in time to lock down the goalmouth.  He didn't have a great playoff run though, posting one of the highest playoff GAA's he's had in years, so he'll really have to shake it off if this team is to go far.

S63- Hank Stopper (GFG): @TacocaT 2/// 452 TPE
Stopper is receiving his first call-up to the national team after a decent season with Great Falls in the Juniors.  The only way he'll see much time in this tourney is if Kavanagh is hurt or getting blown up, so we'll just hope he's a good locker room dude and doesn't see much time for this tournament at least...


------------------------------------

Outlook: Team Norway is stacked with talent all over the ice, but the biggest question is do these guys have a shelf life? The strongest players are all starting to reach the end of their careers, and some of the younger players are getting better but not quite there yet.  If they can make it out of the group and into the medal round they should be satisfied, and then can hopefully ride a hot Kavanagh to a Gold with house money.  No matter where they end up, they should be an entertaining watch with several of the most exciting players in the SHL in the squad.

Alt for Norge!!!!