A substantial statement has been released and three players have left the Blackhawks organization

May 9th has finally arrived, and for hockey fans, it's a kickoff to a very exciting week of hockey in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark.

Five members of the Blackhawks are set to compete in this year's international tournament, spanning across four different countries.

Following an announcement by the Blackhawks, the five have departed from the organization and have arrived in Europe:

Forward Teuvo Teravainen will be representing Finland, goaltender Arvid Soderblom and head coach Anders Sorensen have joined Sweden, forward Lukas Reichel has joined Team Germany, and forward Frank Nazar and defenseman Alex Vlasic will be suiting up for Team USA.

From May 9-20, several preliminary games will take place followed by the 'knockout stage' from May 22-24, with the Gold Medal game being on May 25.

Multiple Blackhawks will face each other and actually be enemies on the ice while repping their countries home colors.

Stockholm will be hosting Group A which includes two quarterfinal matchups, both semifinal games, and the bronze and gold medal games.

NHL network and TSN will be showcasing the tournament games, and the tournament info can be found out on the IIHF website.