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Canada’s world junior team got a major boost when the Ottawa Senators decided to loan forward Curtis Lazar to them.
And now that he knows he’s going back to the world juniors, Lazar has one goal to strive for. “We’re on home soil here. The expectation is for us to win gold. I have this pro experience, so if I can bring that, the pro mentality, there’s no off days.”
“You gotta work. I’m looking forward to that and getting to know the guys too because that’s tough just to hop into things right away.”
The rest of the Team Canada hopefuls were on the ice at the Meridian Centre in St Catharines when the Ottawa Senators made the official announcement. And it’s true what they say: good news travels fast.
Sam Reinhart: “When it started going around at the end of practice, guys instantly got more excited and felt more confident, so…”
And players weren’t the only ones who were happy: so was Scott Salmond, VP of hockey operations. “He’s not coming back here for the experience, he’s coming back for something we didn’t get last year.”
In 27 games with the Sens this season, Lazar scored his first — and only — professional goal, and added six assists. At last year’s world junior tournament, he scored 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games.
But it’s not just his exceptional hockey skills that have veteran players anxious to welcome him back: Lazar is likely to be chosen the team’s captain.
Connor McDavid played with Lazar on the last junior team: “Whether he’s smiling or cracking a joke, he always brings down the pressure, he’s always gonna’ be a huge leader, the biggest leader on this team, so it’s a big addition.”
As for Lazar: “I can’t even wrap my head around what it’s like to play in Montreal and Toronto. It’s probably the only time I get cheered for in those 2 buildings, I can enjoy that aspect but just go out there and leave it all on the ice.”
