Montreal Canadiens
Josh Anderson To Represent Canada At World’s
Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson will be heading over to Helsinki to represent Canada for the World Championships.
Hockey Canada made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon that the Canadiens’ power forward will be part of the team they take with them overseas to defend their title. Last year’s 2021 edition of team Canada won gold in Latvia, and you can expect that they’ll want to continue their winning ways this year as well. Canada will play their first game of the IIHF World Championships on May 13th as they open against the Germans.
Anderson is an interesting player to target for Team Canada, as the Canadiens forward has not represented his country internationally since the 2014 World Junior Championships in Malmö, Sweden. His wealth of leadership, quick skating and tough play could be valuable in such a tournament, especially with the tournament taking place on larger ice in Finland.
The roster is relatively young, counting just a handful of players over the age of 28. This is likely where Anderson’s skills as a hockey player, but also as a leader, will prove most valuable in helping to ground some of the younger players as they get they prepare for the tournament. His speed will mesh well with the style that all of these talented players exert on the ice, while adding a little bit of sandpaper in case the opposition decides to play a tighter, and more physical game.
Nick Suzuki was also asked to join this roster but ultimately refused the invitation. The young Montreal Canadiens centerman wanted to represent his country, but felt he needed the summer to heal some lingering injuries and rest up for next season; as he had a rather short offseason last year. It would have been a treat to see a player like Suzuki with all these other talented youngsters, but the Montreal Canadiens forward made the right call for himself and is likely cheering on his teammate from afar.
Introducing … Team Canada! 🇨🇦
2️⃣4️⃣ players will wear the 🍁 at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland.
ROSTER ➡️ https://t.co/HtfCt890zU
NEWS RELEASE ➡️ https://t.co/gCjdgMd9xP#IIHFWorlds | @iihfhockey pic.twitter.com/3dQvhfusAE— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 9, 2022