Team USA will be hard for Ottawa fans to cheer against with at least three Senators answering the call of duty.
Several members of the Ottawa Senators will be extending their hockey seasons next month in Czechia, representing their country at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.
The Senators will be well represented on Team USA with Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson and Shane Pinto all confirming they've agreed to play.
"Yeah, I made the commitment to go over there. And they haven't won gold since I think 1933 or something like that," Tkachuk said at the team's year-end media availability Thursday. "So yeah, to be able to play in May and start learning how to handle the games in May is something that was important to me. And yeah, I'm excited to represent my country."
Pinto will be one of the freshest NHL players in the tournament, having missed the first 41 games of his season due to a violation of the NHL's gambling rules. His struggle is restricted free agency, which usually results in players refusing to go until they get their NHL contract situation sorted out. In Pinto's case, he's planning on getting insurance to make it happen.
“I definitely want to go to worlds,” Pinto said. “It’s a good opportunity for me, just to play more games. Obviously, I only played in 41 so, yeah, I think that’s the plan so far.”
We also know that Sens winger Dominik Kubalik will represent Czechia, the host nation. It's possible that Jiri Smejkal, who played 20 games in Ottawa this season, may get some attention from Czechia as well after stepping up for them at the 2022 Olympics. It's hard to imagine his Belleville teammate Mads Sogaard won't get a call from Denmark.
None of the national teams for the Worlds has been formally announced so it's possible the list of Senators competing in the event may expand further in the coming days.