After missing the playoffs for the eighth straight season, some of Carolina’s best will be playing in the 2017 World Championships.
A frustrating end to the season has surely left a sour taste in mouths of Hurricanes fans, coaches, and players. Everyone must look forward. For seven players, that means participating the 2017 World Championships in Paris and Cologne.
If seven players sounds like a lot, that’s because it is by recent Carolina Hurricanes standards. For example, in 2016, only two Canes players participated; Noah Hanifin and Michal Jordan. Sebastian Aho was there as well, but he hadn’t signed yet. Coach Bill Peters was head coach of gold medal winning Canada.
This edition of the tournament though will feature many more Canes players, especially for team Sweden, which is set to feature four Hurricanes. After coming on late in the season, Eddie Lack looks like the main goalie for Sweden (as of right now). Joakim Nordstrom will make his Worlds debut for Sweden as well. The group is rounded out by Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm, both of whom will be making their second appearance at the tournament.
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Sebastian Aho is back representing Finland. He managed to get 7 points in 10 games in last year’s tournament. Aho figures to be one of Finland’s biggest pieces and should see lots of ice. Pretty impressive that the 19 year old is playing in his 2nd World Championships already.
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Canes leading goal scorer Jeff Skinner is back to play for Canada after being absent for four years. Only Mark Scheifele recorded more points this season on team Canada than Skinner. Expect the former rookie of the year to challenge for the competition’s goal scoring title.
Finally, on team USA, Carolina has a hold over from last season in Noah Hanifin. The 20 year old defenseman came on after the trade deadline, so it will be interesting to see how many minutes he logs. Personally, I’d love to see him be paired with Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets.
Interestingly, there will be no Bill Peters at the Worlds this year. He has put together an impressive international resume recently with gold medals as an assistant in the 2015 Worlds and the World Cup of Hockey. He of course won gold as head coach at the 2016 Worlds as well.
Surely other Hurricanes could be playing as well. Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, and Justin Faulk are clearly good enough to go. It might be a blessing it disguise though. As Canes fans surely remember, an injury sustained to Eric Staal at the Worlds in 2013 started his collapse.
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Hopefully that doesn’t happen this year. It is good to see Carolina’s talent get recognized though. It is also cool for guys like Lack and Nordstrom, both of whom are making international debuts. The tournament starts May 5th.