Canada forward Macklin Celebrini celebrate his goal against U Sports during first period Canadian World Juniors selection camp hockey action in Oakville, Ont., on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Macklin Celebrini will be on the plane to Sweden.
The 17-year-old presumptive No. 1 pick at June’s NHL draft was named to Canada’s roster announced Wednesday for the 2024 world junior hockey championship.
Celebrini sits second in the NCAA with 10 goals and 25 points in 15 games this season for Boston University.
The smooth-skating centre from Vancouver is part of a group led by three players with NHL experience – forwards Fraser Minten and Owen Beck, and defenceman Tristan Luneau – set to compete at the under-20 showcase, which runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Canada heads to Europe on Thursday, with the first pre-tournament game set for Tuesday against Denmark’s under-25 team.
The Canadians will then meet Switzerland on Dec. 22 and the United States the following day before opening their world juniors Dec. 26 against Finland at Gothenburg’s Scandinavium arena.
Canada doesn’t have any returning players from the 2023 tournament who are currently in the NHL, with Connor Bedard (Chicago), Adam Fantilli (Columbus) and Kevin Korchinski (Chicago) all playing big roles for their teams.
Matthew Poitras (Boston), Zach Benson (Buffalo) and Shane Wright (Seattle/AHL), the other eligible players playing professionally, have yet to be made available by their teams.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023.
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