Tampa Bay Lightning D Nikita Nesterov Added to Team Russia

The Tampa Bay Lightning will already be well represented at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, but one more Bolt was recently added to one of the eight rosters competing in the tournament in September.

After a 12 year absence, the World Cup of Hockey is making a comeback and will feature some of the best hockey players in the world. Spread among the eight rosters, excluding Team Europe, are 12 players from the Tampa Bay Lightning and one head coach in Jon Cooper. You could say the Lightning will be well-represented in Toronto this September.

One of those 12 players, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nikita Nesterov, was recently added to Team Russia’s roster after the Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced that former Los Angeles Kings defenseman, Slava Voynov, is not allowed to participate because of his ongoing suspension from the NHL.

Voynov was charged with spousal abuse back in late 2014 and subsequently suspended because he was under criminal investigation, which the league is allowed to do under the rules of the CBA. He returned to Russia in 2015 and began playing in the KHL, eventually leading to him earning a spot on Team Russia.

Tampa Bay Lightning

However, the NHL decided to make the 26-year-old blueliner ineligible for this year’s tournament. Ultimately, this led to Nesterov cracking the roster, giving him the chance to represent his country internationally. He had previously played for Russia during the Under-18 World Junior Championships in 2010 and 2011 and the World Junior Championships in 2012 and 2013.

During those tournaments, Nesterov has compiled six goals and 15 points. It’ll be a great opportunity for the young defenseman and 2011 draft pick to showcase his skills to the world, depending on how much playing time he receives.

This past season, he played in 57 games and produced three goals and six assists to go along with 41 penalty minutes in 2015-16.

Nesterov will be joined by fellow Tampa Bay Lightning teammates in forwards Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. With the addition of Nesterov on Monday, the Lightning will have the most players from one team playing on the same roster.

It’s only fitting that the Tampa Bay Lightning are well represented in this tournament and the world will see just how talented this team is, but just spread across seven teams. If not for Ryan Callahan having to undergo hip surgery earlier in the offseason, the Lightning would be sending 13 players to Toronto this fall, but 12 is impressive in its own right.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Salary Cap Situation Going Forward

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey should be very exciting, especially after a 12-year break and you won’t want to miss watching some of the top hockey talents in the world. The two-week tournament will be broadcast on ESPN in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. All games will take place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.