The IIHF World Championship begin on May 9 in Sweden and Denmark. The rosters are beginning to take shape. Familiar faces to Islander fans will be part of the tournament. Islanders forward Bo Horvat and defenseman Noah Dobson were named as part of the first 15 players to Team Canada. Horvat brought up the thought of playing in this tournament as well as the Olympics in 2026 during locker cleanup day.
“It’s definitely been talked about. I haven’t made a decision or anything yet. But it’s definitely something to consider, and it’s a pretty big year for Olympic-wise next year. I think it’d be a good stepping stone for me to go prove myself and represent my country. If I do get that opportunity, I’ll take it.”
Horvat has international experience, winning silver for Canada at the World Championship back in 2018. In ten games, the Ontario native had three goals and four assists. He also represented Canada at the 2014 World Juniors, playing for Islander Hall of Famer Brent Sutter.
Dobson will be making his professional international debut. Dobson scored a goal in five games at the 2019 World Juniors. The defenseman started the season with aspirations for the 4-Nations Faceoff. An uneven start to the season negated any hope of that. A strong World Championship could put Dobson on the Olympics radar. Something that is not lost on the defenseman.
“With the Olympics coming up, it’s an opportunity to represent your country and kind of put yourself in a position to get on the radar going into next season and just go into the summer feeling good and hopefully try and win a gold medal.”
The 12th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason after completing a three-year, $12 million dollar bridge deal.
Forward Simon Holmstrom was named to Team Sweden. Holmstrom had a breakout season for the Islanders. The 23rd selection in the 2019 NHL Draft had career highs in goals (20) and assists (25). The 23-year-old is also set to become a restricted free agent this offseason and is in line for a nice pay raise. Holmstrom did not have contract negotiations during the season and will begin once a new general manager is in place.
Be sure to check back with us for more IIHF World Championship roster updates involving the New York Islanders.
Noel Fogelman is a five-time Emmy award winner. He has covered the Islanders for Hockey Buzz, The Hockey Writers and Lighthouse Hockey. Follow Noel on X @TheFirstNoel19
