MONTREAL -- Dylan Strome was named captain of Canada's team for the world junior hockey championships with Mathew Barzal and Thomas Chabot as alternate captains, Hockey Canada announced Monday.
All three are back from last year's world juniors, where Canada was eliminated in the semifinals by host Finland.
The choices were no surprise. Strome, an Erie Otter forward who started the season with the Arizona Coyotes, Barzal, a New York Islanders first round pick and a Seattle Thunderbirds forward, and Chabot, an Ottawa Senators prospect defenceman from the Saint John Sea Dogs, are expected to be key players when the tournament opens Jan. 26 in Toronto and Montreal.
"We have eight players on this team who are captains of their club teams, and numerous other associate captains, so there is an abundance of leadership," coach Dominique Ducharme said in a statement. "Dylan, Mat and Thomas have been through this tournament before and we have confidence in their ability to lead this team on and off the ice."
Strome, of Mississauga, Ont., Barzal, of Coquitlam, B.C., and Chabot, of St. Marie de Beauce, Que., all had experience on Canadian teams at the under-18 level before moving up the national junior squad.
