Mathew Barzal is virtual a lock to win the Calder Memorial Trophy this season as NHL rookie of the year and it looks as though he’ll represent Team Canada at the upcoming 2018 IIHF World Championship.
New York Islanders beat writer Andrew Gross of Newsday reported the news Tuesday.
Barzal, the 16th-overall pick from 2015, has produced at a point-per-game pace through 79 games this season with 20 goals and 59 assists.
As Gross mentioned in his tweet, Barzal is looking forward to the possibility of playing with Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid at the tournament. McDavid is rumoured to be heading to Denmark to don the maple leaf, although no official announcement has been made. Barzal, 20, could also be joining his Islanders teammate John Tavares, who, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, is considering accepting an invitation to the worlds.
Barzal has thrived in a Team Canada uniform in previous international tournaments. He won gold at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, back-to-back bronze medals at the 2014 and 2015 under-18s then had 11 points in 12 total games with Canada at the world juniors in 2016 and 2017.
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