Horvat, Dobson hope World Championships can be…
The season just isn’t over yet for at least two Islanders.
Bo Horvat and Noah Dobson had been named to Team Canada’s roster for the World Championships on Thursday, and it’s a robust chance that Simon Holmstrom will take part in the competitors for Team Sweden as nicely.
For the 2 who have been formally named, this was a logical step to take in advancing their possibilities of taking part in February’s Milano Cortina Olympics after they had been left off Team Canada’s squad at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that many of the initial 15 gamers named to Team Canada on Thursday — Macklin Celebrini, Adam Fantilli, Travis Konecny, Brandon Montour, Travis Sanheim and MacKenzie Weegar, in addition to the pair of Islanders — are someplace on the bubble for the 25-man Olympic workforce.
“I don’t know exactly what it’s like, but the mindset going into it, for me, I only played 70 games this year, my body feels pretty good. And also with the Olympics coming up, it’s an opportunity to represent your country and put yourself in a position to get on the radar going into next season,” Dobson mentioned at breakup day, when the defenseman expressed a robust curiosity in donning the maple leaf. “Go into the summer feeling good, hopefully try and win a gold medal.”
Bo Horvat was named to the Team Canada roster for the World Championships. NHLI via Getty Images
For the 25-year-old Dobson, this is also a probability to get his sport back on monitor after an up-and-down season that represented a step back from a breakout marketing campaign of two years in the past. Dobson had just 39 factors, his worst in any non-COVID-affected season, and struggled all 12 months on the ability play while making a quantity of high-profile errors in his own zone.
He is anticipated to obtain a main bump in pay this offseason and probably a long-term deal as a restricted free agent, but it’s attainable his efficiency this season will trigger some hesitancy for the Islanders to hand out the type of contract for which Dobson will ask.
Horvat also sounded notes of curiosity about World Championships at breakup day, and seems to be a chance to get top-line minutes for Team Canada.
Noah Dobson was named to the Team Canada roster for the World Championships. Michelle Farsi for New York Post
“It’s definitely something to consider,” he mentioned at breakup day. “It’s a pretty big year Olympics-wise, next year. I think it’d be a good stepping stone for me to go prove myself, represent my country. If I do get that opportunity, I’d take it.”
Horvat has performed at Worlds once before, coming in fourth with Team Canada in 2017-18.
The Canadians also completed fourth final 12 months in a event received by host nation Czechia.
While Sweden, one of this 12 months’s hosts along with Denmark, has yet to announce its roster, Holmstrom would be a logical addition after scoring 20 targets with 25 assists for the Islanders this season.
Like Horvat and Dobson, Holmstrom is also a participant with a shot of making the Olympic workforce, and so has one thing to show by representing his nation this spring.
“I haven’t really thought about it that much,” Holmstrom mentioned at Islanders breakup day. “I have a contract that I gotta sign and been focused on this season.”
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