Lukas Bernasiewicz
On Saturday, Hockey Canada released their roster for the 2023 U18 IIHF World Hockey Championships that will be held in Switzerland.
As anticipated, Oakville’s Calum Ritchie and Nick Lardis will be part of the roster as Canada aims to capture a gold medal after being eliminated in the Quarter Finals last year.
Calum Ritchie being on the team was not a shock. Ritchie has been a top player in his age group for many years. This year he scored 59 points in 59 games for the Oshawa Generals.
Ritchie is also expected to be a mid to late first-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft after ranking seventeenth among North American players by NHL central scouting.
This will be Ritchie’s second time representing Canada on the world stage, as he played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer.
Not only did Calum win gold, but he led all players in the tournament in points with 10 in only five games.
Nick Lardis, on the other hand, would have been a surprise if you were to tell me this back in September.
After an okay rookie season, Nick started the 2022-23 season at a similar pace to his rookie season and looked destined to be an average OHL player.
But halfway through the year, Lardis was in a massive trade that sent him from Peterborough to Hamilton, giving him a fresh start with a new team.
With this fresh start, Nick absolutely tore up the league showing off his skill and speed as well as demonstrating his incredible shot.
After arriving in Hamilton, Lardis scored 46 points in 33 games and cemented himself as the top-line right winger on the team.
Hamilton was able to make the playoffs but was bested by the Barrie Colts in six games; however, in those six games, Lardis scored five goals and five assists for 10 points.
Due to this incredible season, Lardis was a lock for this Canadian team, has shot up draft boards, and is anticipated to be a late-first or early second-round pick.
Lardis and Ritchie also have a history together, as they started playing on the Oakville Rangers as kids.
The two have a long history of winning together, and they hope to continue their winning ways once the puck drops on Thursday for Canada’s first game against Sweden, which you can watch on TSN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
