COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Earlier this summer, Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter took a break from helping out at the family hockey school in Wisconsin and skating with the USHL team in Madison that he partly owns to play golf with some pals.

That, in and of itself, is not particularly noteworthy except for two things.

First, unlike hundreds of his peers, Suter is not an avid golfer.

“I think it was the first time I played all summer,” he said.

Second, his pals turned out to be all but two of his teammates from the American entry in the World Cup of Hockey, which begins in Toronto on Sept. 17.

Although not an official USA Hockey or Team USA event, the casual two-day outing organized by Suter was Step 1 for a group of American players for whom expectations are certainly muted heading into training camp this week in Columbus.

"I think it’s very important," Suter, 31, said. "Because you don’t have a lot of time. Everyone’s got to get on the same page fast so that you can be successful. Obviously, the team that can turn it on the fastest is probably going to do the best.

"I think we just kind of decided, let’s try to do something. It worked out perfect."

One of the touchstones for this American team will be the 1996 U.S. team that shocked the hockey world with a victory over a star-laden Canadian team in the first World Cup of Hockey. Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Mike Modano, among others, cite the bond formed away from the rink as a catalyst to their victory two decades ago.

In forming this team, USA general manager Dean Lombardi and his executive group eschewed some highly skilled players in favor of ones they felt had the personalities that might allow such a bond to be formed, and formed quickly.

The fact that the players, such as T.J. Oshie and Joe Pavelski, took it upon themselves to travel from all around North America in their offseasons speaks to an understanding of the importance of forging a special relationship. And it speaks to a kind of urgency this team has.

Funny, though, as the group gathered in Madison -- only two of the 23 roster players could not make it work for their summer schedules -- it wasn't about talking strategy or how to shut down Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid or Alex Ovechkin, but something more organic.

"That was a big thing: just getting together," Suter said. "That's the thing about this group is there are no guys with egos or anything. Everyone was there and having a great time. We didn’t even really think about hockey, it was just being with your buddies and hanging out.

"Basically, we just paired off into groups of four and had a good day. A lot of the guys had never been to Madison. It was kind of off the radar. Nobody really knew who we were, we were just hanging out."

Can you draw a line from such an event to something that might be considered another seminal moment in U.S. hockey history? We’re about to find out.