Canadiens D Matheson to join Team Canada for men's worlds
Published
Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson confirmed on Friday that he will join Team Canada for the upcoming IIHF men's world championships.
The tournament runs from May 9 to 25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark. Hockey Canada announced the initial 15-player roster for the tournament on Thursday.
This will be Matheson's third trip to the world championships. In 2016, he helped Canada win gold and took home IIHF Directorate Award for best defenceman. During the 2017 tournament, he earned silver.
In the Canadiens' five playoff games before being eliminated by the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, Matheson had one assist while averaging 24:50 minutes of ice time.
Matheson logged heavy minutes in his third season with the Canadiens in 2024-25, averaging 25:05 minutes of ice time and scoring six goals with 31 points in 80 games.
A first-round pick (23rd overall) by the Florida Panthers in 2012, Matheson was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in September of 2020. He spent two seasons there before being acquired by the Canadiens in July 2022.
The 31-year-old is heading into the final season of an eight-year, $39 million contract with an AAV of $4.875 million.
The Pointe-Claire, Que., native has appeared in 627 career NHL games, scoring 74 goals with 265 points, split between the Panthers, Penguins and Canadiens.