The 2016 World Cup of Hockey gets underway on Saturday and, fittingly, includes a host of players with ties to Minnesota - either as members of the Wild, Minnesota-based college teams or State of Hockey natives. Case in point, nearly 35 percent of Team USA's roster hails from the state. 

Here's the breakdown:

Minnesota Wild Players (6)

• Nino Niederreiter (Team Europe)
• Mikael Granlund (Team Finland)
• Mikko Koivu (Team Finland)
• Erik Haula (Team Finland)
• Zach Parise (Team USA)
• Ryan Suter (Team USA)

*Former Wild stars Marian Gaborik (Team Europe) and Brent Burns (Team Canada) are also World Cup participants

Minnesota-Based College Players (6)

• Blake Wheeler (University of Minnesota; Team USA)
• Erik Johnson (University of Minnesota; Team USA)
• Thomas Vanek (University of Minnesota; Team Europe)
• David Backes (Minnesota State; Team USA)
• Matt Niskanen (University of Minnesota Duluth; Team USA)
• Haula (University of Minnesota; Team Finland)

Minnesota-Born Players (8)

• Derek Stepan (Hastings; Team USA)
• Dustin Byfuglien (Roseau; Team USA)
• Ryan McDonagh (St. Paul; Team USA)
• Backes (Minneapolis)
• Parise (Minneapolis)
• Wheeler (Plymouth)
• E. Johnson (Bloomington)
• Niskanen (Virginia)

Additional:

• Sidney Crosby (Shattuck-St. Mary's; Team Canada)
• Jonathan Toews (SSM; Team Canada)
• Nathan MacKinnon (SSM; Team North America)
• Jack Johnson (SSM; Team USA)
• Stepan (SSM)
• Parise (SSM)
• T.J. Oshie (Warroad High School; Team USA)

For more information about the World Cup of Hockey, check out:

World Cup of Hockey Official Site

World Cup of Hockey - Scores & Schedule

Wild Players Look to Learn from Tournament

World Cup Features Former College Stars