It didn't take Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras very long to make a strong impact on Team Canada in their preparation for the upcoming 2024 World Junior Championships in Sweden.
Poitras was the Canadians' first-line center Friday morning when they played against Switzerland in a pre-tournament exhibition game.
He doubled Canada's lead to 4-2 in the second period when he capitalized on a scoring chance in front of the net. Conor Geekie, the brother of Poitras' Bruins teammate Morgan Geekie, picked up the primary assist with the nice pass.
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The Bruins assigned Poitras to Team Canada earlier this week. The WJC will give him a nice break from the grind of NHL hockey, while also giving him some valuable experience in high-pressure situations against top players his age. The World Juniors is a huge deal in Canada, and the expectations for these players are sky high.
Poitras figures to play a prominent role for Canada during the tournament. He'll be one of the top-six centers along with Macklin Celebrini, who currently plays for Boston University and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Canada's group stage schedule begins next Tuesday, Dec. 26 against the Czech Republic.
