CALGARY — Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown will lead a young Canadian squad at the world hockey championship in Riga, Latvia.
Hockey Canada announced Friday its roster of 14 forwards, eight defencemen and three goaltenders for the event, which starts May 21.
Brown is coming off a 2020-21 campaign that saw him score a career-high 21 goals in just 56-games, including an eight-game goal-scoring streak between March 25 and April 12.
Canada is going with a relatively inexperienced squad in Latvia. Only three players — goaltender Darcy Kuemper, defenceman Troy Stecher and forward Adam Henrique have previous experience at the world championship.
Goaltender Mike DiPietro was on Canada's 2018 roster as an 18-year-old but didn't appear in a game.
Henrique and Stetcher were part of the Canada squad that finished runner-up to Finland in 2019. The 2020 world championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also Friday, Michael Dyck was named an assistant coach on André Tourigny's staff.
"We know the players and staff will represent Canada with pride as they compete for a gold medal in Latvia,” Canada general manager Roberto Luongo said in a release. “Our roster combines veteran leadership with a lot of young talent, and we are excited for a number of players who have the opportunity to represent their country for the first time.”
Canada plays its first game May 21 against host Latvia.
Canada:
Forwards — Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Calgary, Los Angeles (NHL); Connor Brown, Toronto, Ottawa (NHL); Michael Bunting, Toronto, Arizona (NHL); Maxime Comtois, Longueuil, Que., Anaheim (NHL); Justin Danforth, Oshawa, Ont., Columbus (NHL); Dillon Dubé, Cochrane, Alta., Calgary (NHL); Liam Foudy, Toronto, Columbus (NHL); Brandon Hagel, Morinville, Alta., Chicago (NHL); Adam Henrique, Burford, Ont., Anaheim (NHL); Andrew Mangiapane, Bolton, Ont., Calgary (NHL); Nick Paul, Mississauga, Ont., Ottawa (NHL); Cole Perfetti, Whitby, Ont., Saginaw (OHL); Brandon Pirri, Toronto, Chicago (NHL); Gabriel Vilardi, Kingston, Ont., Los Angeles (NHL).
Defencemen — Nicolas Beaudin, Chateauguay, Que., Chicago (NHL); Mario Ferraro, King City, Ont., San Jose (NHL); Colin Miller, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Buffalo (NHL); Owen Power, Mississauga, Ont., University of Michigan; Braden Schneider, Prince Albert, Sask., Brandon (WHL); Troy Stecher, Richmond, B.C., Detroit (NHL); Sean Walker, Keswick, Ont., Los Angeles (NHL).
Goaltenders — Michael DiPierto, Amherstberg, Ont., Vancouver (NHL); Adin Hill, Calgary, Arizona (NHL); Darcy Kuemper, Saskatoon, Arizona (NHL).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2021.
The Canadian Press
