SPRINGFIELD, Mass. —  Hockey Canada announced today that Springfield Thunderbirds goaltender Colten Ellis will represent Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31. Ellis becomes the first active Thunderbirds player to participate in the tournament. For Team Canada's complete roster, click here.

Ellis, 24, is in his fourth professional season after being selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. The netminder has picked up points in the standings in his last eight starts, setting a new Thunderbirds team record. Overall, the River Denys, Nova Scotia native, has an 8-4-2 record with a 2.70 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage this season.

In 36 career AHL games, Ellis has posted a record of 16-16-4 with the Thunderbirds while accruing a .915 save percentage and a 2.99 goals-against average. With Ellis joining Team Canada, the St. Louis Blues announced that they have reassigned goaltender Will Cranley to the Thunderbirds from the ECHL's Florida Everblades. He will join the Thunderbirds in Belleville.

Ellis and Team Canada begin tournament play on Thursday, Dec. 26, against HC Davos of the Swiss National League at 2:15 p.m. ET. A full tournament schedule can be found here. Other participating teams include the Straubing Tigers (Deutsche Eishockey Liga - Germany), Kärpät Oulu (Liiga - Finland), HC Dynamo Pardubice (Extraliga - Czechia), and HC Fribourg-Gottéron (National League - Switzerland).

Established in 1923, the Spengler Cup is an annual invitational tournament in Davos that pits HC Davos against competition worldwide. It is often cited as the world's oldest international invitational ice hockey tournament. Since the tournament's inception, professional teams from 13 different nations have won the tournament championship. Team Canada has captured the Spengler Cup 16 times, tied with HC Davos for the most titles in the event's history. For a complete history of the Spengler Cup tournament, click here. 

For tickets to upcoming Thunderbirds games, fans can call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com to learn how to become a regular at the Thunderdome.