Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse lead a group of five Edmonton stars headed to Switzerland, joining forces for Team Canada while teammates Mattias Ekholm and Josh Samanski chase gold.
The Edmonton Oilers may be out of the Stanley Cup race, but several players will continue their seasons at the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland from May 15–31.
With Edmonton eliminated early, four players are set to represent their countries on the international stage. Two will be joining Team Canada, one to Team Sweden, and one Team Germany.
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Leading the group is Evan Bouchard, who will suit up for Canada after a breakout campaign that saw him lead all NHL defencemen in scoring. He’ll be joined by teammate Darnell Nurse, giving Team Canada a familiar Oilers presence on the blue line.
Bouchard is waiting to hear from the NHL as to whether he's among the three finalists up for the Norris Trophy this season.
His playing partner, Mattias Ekholm, will represent Sweden, returning to international play despite being left off the country’s Olympic roster.
Meanwhile, young forward Josh Samanski will skate for Germany, continuing his rapid rise after making his NHL debut this season. Samanski joined Leon Draisaitl at the Olympics for Team Germany, but it appears he'll be going alone as Draisaitl is still recovering from a nagging injury that didn't keep him out of playoff action, but did limit his effectiveness.
** Update: Isaac (Ike) Howard, will also be going to the Worlds for Team USA. He was named as part of the team's full preliminary roster.
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