Halifax's Justin Barron will wear the maple leaf at this year's world junior tournament in Edmonton.
The Halifax Mooseheads captain was named to Team Canada's 25-man roster on Friday after a 26-day tryout camp in Red Deer, Alberta.
"Justin is strong, a really good skater, moves the puck well, has a lot of poise and defends well," said Team Canada head coach Andre Tourigny. "I think here at the camp he was really good paired with (Kaiden) Guhle all the way through and they were rock solid for us, both of them.
"He brings that strength on the back end and that stability."
Barron had three goals in four intrasquad games to help clinch his spot. The 19-year-old defenceman has seven points in eight games so far this season for the Mooseheads. Tourigny hasn't yet decided what role Barron will play, except to say he will almost certainly keep him with Guhle.
"Right now it's tough to split them up," said Tourigny, who was the head coach of the Mooseheads in 2016-17. "Why try to fix something when it isn't broken? Him and Guhle are playing together as far I'm concerned so far. I assume they will start the next game against Sweden together and we'll go from there.
"It's tough to know what's ahead but right now they're tough to play against because both of them skate well, they have good size and they move the puck. We like what we see so far."
Other QMJHL players to make the team were: Dawson Mercer (Chicoutimi Sagueneens), Jordan Spence (Moncton Wildcats) and Jakob Pelletier (Val-d'Or Foreurs). Spence is from Prince Edward Island and Mercer is from Newfoundland, as is Boston College forward Alex Newhook who also made the team.
“This camp has been unconventional from the outset with the number of players invited and the length of camp, along with the schedule adjustment due to our two-week shutdown, but we feel we have selected a group that will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal on home ice,” said Alan Millar of the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence management group.
“It is never easy making decisions to trim down a roster, especially when every player handled adversity, faced challenges head on and remained committed to the process through our off-ice workouts and Zoom sessions. We have a lot of people to thank, including the people of Red Deer, the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) and Alberta Health Services, who worked with us to always ensure the health of safety of our athletes, staff and the community at large, and we look forward to representing Canada in Edmonton.”
The tournament starts on Christmas day and wraps up on January 5. Canada opens on Boxing Day against Germany.
