The men’s hockey World Championship is about two weeks away, and Canada's national team must find out who wants to play.
The international tournament begins on May 9, co-hosted by Sweden and Denmark. However, exhibition games take place on Sunday, May 4, when Canada takes on Austria.
Rosters have not been announced yet, but some players are interested in playing, while others are still considering it. Canada’s World Championship roster is often mainly made up of NHL players who are either not participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs or are eliminated early.
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas will be the GM of Team Canada for the tournament. He was the associate GM in the 2024 tournament with Rick Nash as the GM.
Whether 4 Nations Face-Off Canadian captain Sidney Crosby will join Dubas remains to be seen.
"I told (Dubas) I'll just take some time here and see how I feel,” Crosby told reporters on Friday.
The 37-year-old discussed the hockey he had already played this season with little rest.
“It's almost better when you keep going, you know?” he said. “As far as 4 Nations, we didn't really have a break. We jumped right back into it, and I was able to just keep playing. And, sometimes, when you finally stop, that's when you realize how you really feel.”
Steven Stamkos is another big name eligible to join Team Canada if he’s invited and willing to attend. His Nashville Predators were eliminated from playoff contention in late March, and he had a season to forget by his standards. He scored 27 goals and 53 points this season, which is a step down from his 40 goals and 81 points with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023-24. It could also be a chance for him to try out for the 2026 Olympics team.
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard could also use the World Championship as a 2026 Olympics tryout. The 2024 Calder Trophy winner and 2023 first-overall pick said last week he isn’t sure on whether he intends to play for Canada at the Worlds or not.
The first-overall pick in 2024, San Jose Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini, said he does want to represent Canada at the World Championship. The 18-year-old has already represented Canada three times in his young career, including at the 2024 World Junior Championship and U-17 and U-18 tournaments beforehand.
Speaking of youngsters, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Zayne Parekh and Porter Martone may be joining the team “for at least some exhibition games.”
Parekh made his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames in their last game of the regular season, scoring his first goal and finishing with a plus-3 rating. Martone is projected to be an early first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 NHL draft.
Along with Bedard, Canada had a handful of stars participate in the 2024 Worlds, including captain John Tavares and Brandon Hagel. They finished fourth, while Sweden won bronze. Czechia captured gold in front of home fans, while Switzerland earned bronze.
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