The Boston Bruins assigned rookie Matthew Poitras to Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship on Dec. 18.
The 19-year-old forward will substitute his Spoked-B uniform for Canada’s red, white and black when he appears in the tournament, held in Gothenburg, Sweden from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
Poitras lit the lamp in Team Canada’s tune-up against Switzerland on Friday, and on Christmas Eve, Bruins fans got an early present when the forward was named as one of the team’s alternate captains.
Team Canada named Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten captain of the squad joined by Montreal Canadiens’ Owen Beck, Buffalo Sabres’ Matthew Savoie and Arizona Coyotes’ Maveric Lamoureux.
In Poitras’s Get to Know You card, the Ajax, Ontario native used “competitive” as the one word to describe himself. He listed shooting as his favorite skill to work on and said the best advice he was ever given was, “Work hard in everything you do.”
Appearing in 27 games for Boston this season, Poitras has notched 13 points on five goals and eight assists. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said there was “no downside” for Poitras to play in the tournament and that he would return to Boston following the conclusion.
Team Canada will face Finland in its first matchup of the tournament on Tuesday. Bruins fans will have the opportunity to watch Poitras and the rest of the games as they will air on NHL Network in the United States.
