Center Matthew Poitras of the Boston Bruins has been formally loaned to Hockey Canada so he can participate in the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC). Poitras has had an incredible few months to begin the season. In September, he was a strong candidate to join Team Canada, but due to his impact in Boston, he was given no chance. Now, the Bruins organization believes that giving the 19-year-old a chance to play a major role and score some points will be best for his development.
Poitras is traveling to Gothenburg, Sweden, the site of the tournament, where he will play for a Canadian team that had intentionally left one forward place unfilled in case an NHL team might want to sign him loaned a player with Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Zach Benson being the other players who the empty spot could have been filled by.
What has brought Poitras this far, and how will his inclusion impact Team Canada this season? Let’s investigate more closely.
Poitras’s Abrupt Performance
Following the team’s training camp in September, Poitras was informed by management that he might anticipate playing in at least one preseason game after participating in his second development camp as a member of the Boston Bruins organization last summer. The previous season, he had concluded on an incredible high, amassing 95 points in just 63 OHL games. The Bruins were obviously fascinated.
After earning himself more than one preseason game and continuing to shock and amaze everyone at training camp, he eventually made his way into the starting lineup on opening night—as a middle-six center no less. With David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron retiring at the same time, the Bruins’ obvious lack of center depth has been a key factor in this situation, but Poitras wasn’t just handed this slot in the lineup.
Poitras scored a number of goals in the first few weeks of the NHL season, and even if his output has subsequently decreased, 13 points in 27 games is still a respectable total for a 19-year-old in the NHL. He has recently missed a few of games and once experienced a whole third period benching, but that is just a natural adjustment to the fast-paced, high-level NHL.
Given that Poitras has shown he can hang there and that the Bruins are a formidable club at the top of the Atlantic Division, I believe the most likely scenario is that he will rejoin the team after this tournament. After all, they won’t want to be without a key player for too long. The only thing left for him to do, short of rejoining Boston, is to return to the OHL, which seems improbable given his ineligibility to play for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.
How Can Team Canada Benefit From Poitras?
Hockey Canada only selected 12 forwards for their final roster for the 2024 World Junior Championship, indicating that they planned to add a player who is now out of commission. In case it didn’t work out, they had Denver Barkey on standby to be their 13th forward, but their sights were firmly fixed on an NHL player.
Several of Team Canada’s greatest U20 players aren’t competing in this year’s event because they are simply too excellent and will be retained by their NHL teams. In Poitras’ absence, Macklin Celebrini, a prospect eligible for the 2024 draft, was predicted to start for Canada as the second line center.
Celebrini is undoubtedly going to be among Canada’s finest players, and his two-way play is far more refined than that of a typical 17-year-old. However, his best position is either down the center, slightly lower in the lineup, or as a top-six winger.
Significant Development for Team Canada’s Medal Prospects
Poitras won’t likely be a dominant offensive force in this year’s tournament, but I believe his exposure to the toughest opposition will be a huge asset when he plays against players in his own age group once more. In addition, even though Owen Beck and Matthew Savoie (among others) have less NHL experience than he does, he is the team’s most experienced player, which will make him an invaluable leader.
Even though they don’t have the same superstar player as they did in Bedard the previous season, this Canadian team still has an exceptionally strong lineup, particularly up forward, and Poitras’ acquisition just makes them stronger. Given his performance at times as a second-line center for the Bruins, it would be enormous for Canada’s prospects of winning a three-peat if he could be a standout two-way center on their top line.
But even a respectable performance as a potent two-way forward with seven points in seven games and a proven track record on a challenging checking line would make this an extremely useful addition for Team Canada.
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