Canadiens Top Candidates To Play At World Championships

With the season winding down for the Montreal Canadiens, there could still be hockey to be played for some top players this spring.

The IIHF World Championships will be kicking off on May 12 in Tampere and Riga.

Team rosters are comprised primarily of  NHL players whose teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Canadiens could have a few players on various national teams come May.

Even head coach Martin St-Louis was asked to join the team’s coaching staff, but the Montreal Canadiens bench boss politely declined in order to spend time with his family this offseason.

Here’s who could be playing some extra hockey this spring:

Nick Suzuki

After politely declining last season in order to get some well-deserved rest, Nick Suzuki would be a prime candidate to represent his country at the tournament.

The 23-year-old represented his country at the junior level back in 2019 and would be a coveted piece of any roster representing the Maple Leaf this spring.

Posting a career year from an offensive perspective, Suzuki has shown an ability to play both sides of the puck and come in clutch when needed.

He’s had to carry the Montreal Canadiens many times this season, and could be a major piece of a young and dynamic Team Canada roster.

Mike Matheson

Mike Matheson would understandably be a top choice for Team Canada, should he feel up to playing more hockey this year.

The 29-year-old has represented Canada on two previous occasions at this tournament, in 2016 and 2017.

With the explosive defender posting a career season for the Montreal Canadiens and seemingly playing the best hockey of his career of late, he would be a shoo-in for Team Canada; given the potential defencemen available to choose from.

Samuel Montembeault

Finally healthy and playing the best hockey of his career, Samuel Montembeault could be called upon as one of the three goaltenders set to represent Team Canada.

The 26-year-old has routinely had to bail out a very inexperienced and decimated club over the last few months and has stolen quite a few games for the Montreal Canadiens down the stretch.

It’s worth imagining how well Montembeault could perform if he had a more experienced defensive corps in front of him with top-end NHL talent at forward to boot.

Sean Farrell

Sean Farrell was a very busy player for Team USA, representing them at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and again at the 2022 World Championships.

Tema USA likes to bring very young rosters to these tournaments to give their up-and-coming players a taste of international action, and this could be an excellent opportunity for Farrell to get his feet wet yet again.

The 21-year-old played in 10 games last spring for Team USA, posting two goals and four assists for six points. He played an important role on the team’s powerplay and looked like one of the more dangerous forwards by the tournament’s end.

With Farrell ineligible to play in the AHL this season, heading to Europe to represent his country could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Joel Armia

With Joel Armia back to health after missing extended parts of the season, the rugged winger could be representing Finland yet again this spring.

Having won the gold medal last year with his native Finland, Armia could once again figure prominently on the club of one of the host countries in this year’s edition.

The veteran forward hasn’t had it easy this season, but, now that he’s heating up to end the season, he could be a no-brainer selection for Team Finland, should Armia be up to the task.

Jordan Harris

After a registration technicality kept Jordan Harris out of last year’s tournament for Team USA, it could be his turn to finally dawn the Red, White and Blue yet again.

The 22-year-old has been one of the most stable defencemen for the Montreal Canadiens this season, routinely logging around 20 minutes of ice time and playing in the more difficult defensive situations.

Harris’ cool and collected style of play is extremely attractive in these short tournaments, as his reliability and sound mobility would make him an asset in tough games later on.

With the youngster nursing a minor lower-body injury to finish this season, it would be understandable if the young defenceman would rather rest his body than play more hockey.