Shortly after Washington announced it wouldn’t be sending Andre Burkovsky to the World Junior championships, the Canucks did the same with their budding young talent.
Bo Horvat, the ninth overall pick at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, won’t be released to Team Canada for the Worlds, to be played in Toronto and Montreal from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
"[Bo] is a solid two-way player,” Canucks GM Jim Benning explained, per The Province. "[He’s] strong in the faceoff circle and displays a maturity beyond his years.”
Horvat, 19, scored three points in seven games for Canada at last year’s tournament and was one of four NHLers pegged as potential selections for this year’s (along with Jonathan Drouin, Curtis Lazar and Anthony Duclair, the latter of whom is going.)
Horvat has acquitted himself nicely with the Canucks this season, though, and that’s why he’s staying put. The former OHL London standout has five points through 17 games and has been a lineup fixture ever since Zack Kassian was lost to a finger injury.