CALGARY, AB -- Team Canada general manager Bryan Murray announced Tuesday the complete coaching staff along with 17 NHL players that will represent Canada at the 1999 World Championship in Norway May 1-16,1999.

Heading up the coaching staff will be Mike Johnston, current full-time head coach and general manager of the National Men's Team. His assistant with the National team, Willie Desjardins, will be serving in the same capacity at the World Championship. Johnston and Desjardins will be joined behind the bench by associate coach Dave King, who is presently an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens, who was head coach of the Canadian National Team from 1982-93. King captured a silver medal with Canada at the 1992 Winter Olympics as head coach.

Murray also announced that one goaltender, six defencemen and ten forwards will be heading to Norway for the 1999 World Championship. Seventeen NHL-ers have answered the call. The goaltender named is Fred Brathwaite (Ottawa, ON) of the Calgary Flames.

On defence, Murray named Rob Blake (Simcoe, ON), Doug Bodger (Chemainus, BC) and Sean O'Donnell (Ottawa, ON) of the Los Angeles Kings, Bryan McCabe (St. Catherines, ON) of the Vancouver Canucks, Derek Morris (Edmonton, AB) of the Calgary Flames and StŽphane Quintal (Boucherville, QC) of the Montreal Canadiens.

At forward, Murray named Petr Nedved (Liberec, TCH) and Adam Graves (Toronto, ON) of the New York Rangers, Corey Stillman (Peterborough, ON) and Andrew Cassels (Bramalea, ON) of the Calgary Flames, Ray Whitney (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB) and Rob Niedermayer (Cassiar, BC) of the Florida Panthers, ƒric DazŽ (Montreal, QC) of the Chicago Blackhawks, Claude Lapointe (Lachine, QC) of the New York Islanders, Brian Savage (Sudbury, ON) of the Montreal Canadiens and Scott Walker (Montreal, QC) of the Nashville Predators.

Seven players from the Canadian National Team have also been invited to the pre-tournament camp in Toronto, ON. Goaltender Aaron Schweitzer (Regina, SK), defencemen Brian Casey (Grand Falls, NF) and Shayne Wright (Welland, ON) and forwards Jeremy Adduono (Thunder Bay, ON), Bob Maudie (Cranbrook, BC), Chris Szysky (White City, SK) and Troy Stonier (Ottawa, ON) will also be vying for spots on the team that will head overseas.

Murray added that Canada has the option of adding more National Hockey League players following the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Canada can add players until the beginning of the medal round and Murray added that they have the option of using National team players in the early tournament games, and possibly replacing them with NHL players as the tournament progresses.

The team will be getting together in Toronto on Thursday, April 22nd for a three-day camp that will take place at the Beatrice Ice Gardens at York University. The team leaves Canada April 25th for Stockholm, Sweden where they will continue training before heading to Norway on April 29th.

Canada opens the 1999 World Championship on Saturday, May 1 against Slovakia. The two-game gold medal final will be held May 15th and May 16th. TSN and RDS will both televise the World Hockey Championship, beginning with Canada's first game in the second round.