Blues G Binnington, three Sabres commit to Canada for IIHF Worlds
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St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington confirmed Thursday he will play for Canada at the IHF World Hockey Championship next month, joining a trio of Buffalo Sabres.
Binnington went 28-21-5- this season with a .913 save percentage and a 2,84 goals-against average, his best numbers since backstopping the Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019. His addition to the roster comes one day after Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault, who was in net for Canada's gold medal win last year, said he would not attend the tournament.
Buffalo Sabres defencemen Owen Power, Bowen Byram, and forward Dylan Cozens all confirmed Thursday they will wear the Maple Leaf.
Power, 21, finished his second full NHL season, recording six goals and 33 points in 76 games.
Drafted first overall by the Sabres in 2021, he has 12 goals and 71 points in 163 career games.
This is Power's third time representing Canada on the senior level after winning gold at the worlds in 2021 and helping Canada to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games
Cozens just completed his fourth NHL season. In 79 games this year, Cozens scored 18 goals and added 29 assists.
The 24-year-old native of Whitehouse was originally taken with the seventh overall selection of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft out of the Western Hockey League's Lethbridge Hurricanes, Cozens has 66 goals and 100 assists in 280 games.
Next month's worlds will be the second time Cozens has represented Canada at the senior level. Cozens had seven goals and six assists in 10 games at the 2022 worlds in Finland where Canada finished as runners-up.
Cozens was also a member of Canada's gold medal-winning entry at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championships in Czechia.
Byram, 22, was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on March 6 in exchange for centre Casey Mittlestadt.
The 6-foot-1 defenceman just wrapped up his fourth season in the NHL, recording 11 goals and 29 points split between the Avalanche and Sabres.
Byram was drafted fourth overall by the Avalanche in 2019 out of the WHL's Vancouver Giants and has 26 goals and 72 points in 164 career games.
The Cranbrook, B.C., native helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2022, the franchise's first since 2001.
This will be Byram's first opportunity to represent Canada on the senior level after helping Canada to World Junior gold in 2020 and a silver medal in 2021.