Alumni contend for the Cup

The Stanley Cup Final includes 12 players who wore the Maple Leaf at the IIHF World Junior Championship

Lee Boyadjian

June 29, 2021

()

2021-22 National Junior Team

There are only two teams remaining in the hunt for the Stanley Cup – the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.

In total, 26 of the 44 players who have dressed for the Canadiens (13) and Lightning (13) during this playoff run have worn their country’s colours at the IIHF World Junior Championship, including 12 who represented Canada.

The list includes seven gold medals, three sets of Canadian teammates (Weber and Perry, Stamkos and Schenn, Cirelli and Joseph), one Most Valuable Player (Price) and one Top Goaltender (Price).

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Carey Price

2007 – 6GP 6-0-0 1.14GAA .961SV% 2SO (gold medal)

In the middle of Canada’s second five-peat, Price was named MVP and Top Goaltender thanks in part to one of the most exciting shootouts in Team Canada history. With the semifinal locked at 1-1 with the United States after overtime and the first round of the shootout, Canada sent Jonathan Toews to centre ice twice. He scored on every attempt and Price made 34 saves to send the Canadians through to the gold medal game, where they would pick up their third straight gold medal with a 4-2 win over Russia.

Corey Perry

2005 – 6GP 2G 5A 7P (gold medal)

The 2005 version of Team Canada is among the best to hit the ice and with a top line of Perry, Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron, it’s hard to argue. This group was the first to bring home a gold medal since 1997 and they did it in impressive fashion, a 6-1 win over Russia marking the first time Canada would defeat its rivals in a gold medal game.

Shea Weber

2005 – 6GP 0G 0A 0P (gold medal)

The back end of that same 2005 team was lead by Weber, who would finish the tournament pointless but tied for third in plus-minus at +10.

Brendan Gallagher

2012 – 6GP 3G 3A 6P (bronze medal)

The 2012 edition of Team Canada faced off against the Russians in the semifinals, leading to another classic clash. Down 6-1 in the third period, Brendan Gallagher scored and added two assists to lead an attempted comeback that fell a goal short. Canada would go on to defeat Finland 4-0 to pick up the bronze.

Phillip Danault

2013 – 6GP 0G 1A 1P (4th)

A tough loss in the semifinals (5-1 to the U.S.) and heartbreaker in the bronze medal (6-5 in overtime to Russia) left the Canadians without a medal for the first time since 1998. Canada was stymied in the bronze medal game by Russian netminder Andrei Makarov, who made 50 saves, including 13 in overtime.

Josh Anderson

2014 – 7GP 1G 0A 1P (4th)

In its third-straight bronze medal game appearance, Canada would again struggle to defeat the Russians. After giving up a pair in the first period, the Canadians were able to get one back in the third before dropping a 2-1 decision.

Nick Suzuki

2019 – 5GP 0G 3A 3P (6th)

The youngest Team Canada alumnus in the Stanley Cup final, Suzuki and team played to a sixth-place finish in Vancouver. He finished with three assists and a +3 rating.

Other WJC Alumni

Joel Armia (FIN 2011/2012/2013) – 19GP 11G 9A 20P (6th/4th/7th)
Cole Caufield (USA 2020/2021) – 12 GP 3G 4A 7P (6th/gold)
Artturi Lehkonen (FIN 2013/2014/2015) – 17GP 6G 3A 9P (7th/gold/7th)
Jon Merrill (USA 2011/2012) – 12GP 1G 8A 9P (bronze/7th)
Alexander Romanov (RUS 2019/2020) – 14GP 2G 12A 14P (bronze/silver)
Tomas Tatar (SVK 2009/2010) – 13GP 10G 6A 16P (4th/8th)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Brayden Point

2015 – 7GP 2G 2A 4P (gold medal)
2016 – 5GP 1G 4A 5P (6th)

The only Canadian to play in multiple tournaments was Point, though his experiences were very different. The 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship was the first of two Hockey Canada-hosted tournaments to be played in Montreal and Toronto. The 2015 gold medal game was in Toronto and marked Canada’s first title since the run of five ended in 2009.

Steven Stamkos

2008 – 7GP 1G 5A 6P (gold medal)

As part of that run in the early 2000s, Stamkos helped to capture the fourth straight gold for Canada in 2008. His lone goal came in the third period of the semifinal, in which Canada would take down Finland 4-2, en route to another overtime thriller in the gold medal game. That one ended 3-2 in overtime.

Luke Schenn

2008 – 5GP 0G 0A 0P (gold medal)

Schenn was a leader in the defensive end for Canada during that 2008 gold-medal push. Pointless throughout the tournament, he led the team in plus-minus at +5 and played alongside Thomas Hickey as the Canadians' top pairing.

Anthony Cirelli

2017 – 7 GP 3G 4A 7P (silver medal)

The second half of the Montreal-Toronto hosting duties came in 2017. With the gold medal game in Montreal, Canada and the United States played in front of a packed Bell Centre. Tied 4-4 after regulation and overtime, Canada would fall in the shootout.

Mathieu Joseph

2017 – 7GP 1G 4A 5P (silver medal)

Earlier in that same 2017 gold medal game, Mathieu Joseph scored his lone goal of the tournament in the third period to put Canada ahead 4-2. Though the Americans would work their way back into the game and eventually claim the gold medal.