Plenty of local ties at world championships

Dawson Mercer and Drake Batherson help Canada to 3-0 record

The 2022 IIHF World Men’s Ice Hockey Championships are underway in Finland and local hockey fans don’t have to look far to find some familiar names.

There are 11 players and coaches from four countries who are participating in the tournament and who have ties to this province.

Of those 11, nine have played in St. John’s for either the Maple Leafs, the Icecaps or the Growlers.

These players represent Canada, Finland, Sweden and Latvia.

At the top of the list is Bay Roberts native Dawson Mercer. The 20-year-old accepted an invitation to skate with Canada at the event once his rookie season with the New Jersey Devils finished late last month.

Mercer played all 82 games in his first season with the Devils, and put up a respectable 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists).

He has previously played for Canada at the world junior championships, winning a gold medal in 2020 and bringing home a silver from the 2021 event.

Through three games with Canada (3-0), Mercer has three assists.

Mercer isn’t the only Canadian at the world championships who has family ties to Newfoundland and Labrador. Drake Batherson, who has family from Port aux Basques, is also suiting up with Canada.

Fresh off a 44-point season with the Ottawa Senators, Batherson has registered one assist so far with Canada.

He previously won a gold medal at the 2018 world junior tournament with Canada.

In the first game of the tournament against Germany, Batherson and Mercer skated on Canada’s third line, but they’ve been split up since then. For the last two contests, Batherson has skated with Mathew Barzal and Kent Johnson.

Meanwhile, Mercer has centred a line with Nash Gregor and Max Comtois.

In addition to Batherson and Mercer, there are three other Canadians who should be familiar to hockey fans in St. John’s.

Winnipeg Jet Adam Lowry has registered four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in three games with the Canadian team. The winger played 77 games across two seasons with the Winnipeg-affiliated Icecaps, where he put up 34 points (17 goals and 17 assists).

Former Icecaps forward Eric O’dell was listed among the original 24-man roster for the world championships, but he has yet to suit up in a game.

O’dell last played for Team Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

Players aren’t the only ones with connections to hockey in St. John’s. Canadian assistant coach D.J. Smith was a St. John’s Maple Leaf from 1996 to 2002.

Meanwhile, several other former St. John’s players are suiting up at the world championships for their respective countries.

Finland goaltender Jussi Olkinoura is 2-0 at the 2022 world championships with a .50 goals-against average. He played 11 games with the Icecaps across three seasons.

Earlier this year, Olkinoura suited up with Finland at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Joining him on Team Finland is Joel Armia, another former Icecap. In 2014-2015, Armia played 21 games in St. John’s and picked up eight points.

The player with the most experience playing in St. John’s is Sweden’s Carl Klingberg. Like Olkinoura and O’dell, Klingberg was a member of his country’s Olympic Games entry. Previously, he played for his country twice at the IIHF under-20 championships, in 2010 and 2011, and twice at the world championships, in 2017 and 2021.

As an Icecap, Klingberg suited up for 248 games.

Sweden’s Max Friberg was the Icecaps’ last captain and played for the team from 2015-2017. He played 113 games in St. John’s.

Former Newfoundland Growlers defenceman Kristians Rubins is the latest player to join Team Latvia at the world championships.

Rubins was a member of the inaugural Growlers, playing 56 games with the club in the regular season and another 17 in the playoffs.

Rubins joins former Icecaps defenceman Artus Kulba on the blueline for Latvia. Kulba played 63 games in St. John’s in 2011-2012.

With the tournament still in the group stage, there is a chance there will be more familiar names added to rosters as teams get eliminated from the playoffs.

Team Canada is scheduled to play Kazahkstan on Thursday, May 19.