The Boston Bruins have officially loaned center Matthew Poitras to Hockey Canada to compete in the 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC). Poitras has had a remarkable few months to start the season and went from a hopeful to make Team Canada’s roster in September to having no chance because of the impact he was having in Boston, to now being in a place where a chance to play a big role and score some points is what the Bruins organization has deemed best for the 19-year-old’s development.
Poitras is on his way to the tournament’s host city of Gothenburg, Sweden where he will join a Canadian team that had purposefully left one of the forward spots blank in case an NHL team loaned a player with Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Zach Benson being the other players who the empty spot could have been filled by.
So what has led Poitras to this point and what might his addition mean to this year’s Team Canada? Let’s take a closer look.
Poitras’ Precocious Performance
After competing in his second development camp as a member of the Boston Bruins organization last Summer, Poitras was told by management that he could expect to play in at least one preseason game following the team’s training camp in September. He had finished the prior season on a remarkable heater and totaled 95 points in just 63 OHL games. Needless to say, the Bruins were intrigued.
Related: Guide to the 2024 World Junior Championship
He continued to surprise people and surpass expectations at training camp, earning himself much more than a single preseason game, eventually working his way into the opening night lineup, as a middle-six center no less. Obviously the Bruins’ lack of center depth has played a major role there, with the synchronized retirements of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, but Poitras wasn’t simply handed this spot in the lineup.
Poitras got off to a hot start in the NHL, with several goals through the season’s early weeks, and while his production has since slowed down a bit, 13 points in 27 games is no joke for a 19-year-old in the NHL. He has sat out a few games recently and been benched for an entire third period another time, but that is simply a part of adjusting to the NHL pace and lifestyle.
I think the most likely situation is that Poitras will return to the Bruins following this tournament, since he has proven he can hang there and while the team is well established at the top of the Atlantic Division, they won’t want to be without a meaningful player for too long. He isn’t eligible to join the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League and so the only option for him aside from reuniting with Boston is for him to return to the OHL which feels exceedingly unlikely.
How Can Poitras Help Team Canada?
When Hockey Canada announced their final roster for the 2024 WJC last week, they only chose 12 forwards, meaning they anticipated the addition of another player currently unavailable. They had Denver Barkey on standby to be their 13th forward in case nothing came of it, but their hopes were clearly set on a player currently playing in the NHL.
Team Canada is missing several of their best U20 players at this year’s tournament because they are simply too good for this level and will be held onto by their NHL teams. Without Poitras, Canada was expected to have 2024 draft eligible prospect Macklin Celebrini line up as the team’s second line center.
Related: 6 Bold Predictions for the 2024 World Junior Championship
While Celebrini is certainly going to be one of Canada’s best players and has a much more polished two-way game than an average 17-year-old, he is likely better suited either as a top-six winger or down the middle a little bit lower in the lineup.
Important Addition for Team Canada’s Medal Hopes
I don’t anticipate Poitras to be a dominant offensive force in this year’s tournament, but I think his experience playing against the highest level of competition will serve him incredibly well as he faces off against his own age group once again. It will also make him a valuable leader for this team as he has the most NHL experience among all the players on the roster despite Owen Beck and Matthew Savoie (and others) having small amounts of NHL experience of their own.
While this Canadian group doesn’t have a superstar talent like they did in Bedard last year, they have an incredibly deep lineup, especially at forward, and the addition of Poitras only deepens their group. It would be huge for Canada’s three-peat chances if he can be a star two-way center on their top line, something that is entirely possible given his success at times as a second-line center for the Bruins.
However, even a good showing as a strong two-way forward with roughly seven points across seven games and a successful track record on a tough checking line would make this a really positive addition for Team Canada.
