(Budapest) Young prospects Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli have chosen to return to North America as the World Hockey Championship approaches, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.
Posted at 1:43 p.m.
Hockey Canada said Celebrini plans to attend the NHL draft lottery Tuesday night. The 17-year-old could be the top pick in the next NHL draft.
Fantilli, 19, has chosen to focus on next season with the Columbus Blue Jackets after his rookie season was cut short at 49 games due to a calf laceration. He participated in Canada’s winning gold at the World Cup last year.
Forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul were therefore added to the Canadian team.
Hagel and Paul became available after the Lightning were ousted by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, while Dubois suffered the same fate after the Los Angeles Kings were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers.
Paul scored the winning goal in Canada’s 3-2 overtime victory over Finland in the 2021 World Hockey Finals in Riga, Latvia Hagel was also on the team.
Dubois was part of the Canadian team that lost 4-3 in overtime to Finland in the final of the 2022 World Hockey Championship.
Canada will play its first game at the 2024 World Hockey Championship on Saturday against Great Britain in Prague.
#Canada
