Mironov On Team Russia
The Moscow native practiced with the team Wednesday
by Ryan Boulding @rboulding / ColoradoAvalanche.com
Colorado Avalanche prospect Andrei Mironov is on the preliminary roster for Team Russia at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, the Russian Federation revealed on Wednesday.
The defenseman practiced with a 25-player squad in Cologne, Germany, ahead of Friday's game versus Sweden.
"The IIHF have a rule of only 25 players being able to train on the ice at one time, so three players sat today's session out," Russia's head coach Harijs Vitolins told the Russian Federation's website.
According to Vitolins, the 21-man roster is still in flux.
"We haven't decided on our roster yet, but we will register two goalkeepers, seven defensemen and 12 forwards," he said.
Mironov is no stranger to representing Russia at IIHF-sanctioned events, so he has a good chance of making the final squad. Although he didn't play in the tournament last year, the 6-foot-3, 194-pound defenseman got his first taste of the World Championship in 2015, where he put up an assist through nine games en route to Russia skating away with a silver medal.
Prior to that, Mironov played at the 2013 and 2014 World Junior Championships, where he won bronze both times. The Moscow native registered four points (one goal, three assists) in seven contests at the tournament in 2014, where he also served as an alternate captain, and posted two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games in 2013.
Mironov also participated in the 2012 U18 World Championship, where he recorded one goal in six matches.
Most recently, the rear guard accrued four points (one goal, three assists) while playing for Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League in a campaign that saw him limited to just 18 regular-season games due to injury.