Hockey Canada announced Sunday that Shane Wright will captain Team Canada at the 2023 men's World Junior Hockey Championship.
Joining Wright on the leadership squad as alternates are Ethan Del Mastro, Nathan Gaucher, Logan Stankoven, and Dylan Guenther
“I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Canada on home ice at the World Juniors, and it is a true honour to be named captain on a team with so many great players and leaders,” Wright said in a statement. “Ethan, Nathan, Dylan and Logan are deserving of this recognition, and I look forward to contributing to the team’s success with them as part of the leadership group. We are excited to play in front of Canadian fans in Halifax and Moncton as we look to defend gold.”
The 2022 fourth-overall pick has had a shaky start to his NHL career with only two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games for the Seattle Kraken. Wright will want to kickstart the new calendar year by leading the Canadian junior squad.
As part of their pre-tournament tune-up, Canada will face Switzerland on Dec. 19, Slovakia on Dec. 21 and Finland on Dec. 23. The Canadians will kick off their World Juniors campaign on Boxing Day against Czechia.
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