Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid will serve as Canadian captain at the upcoming IIHF world hockey championship.
McDavid, who led the NHL with 108 points this season, helped Canada win gold at the 2016 tournament.
READ MORE: Edmonton Oilers captain McDavid headlines Canada’s world championship roster
Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly and St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn will serve as alternate captains at the May 4-20 competition in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.
“We have a mix of youth and veterans on our team, and the three players chosen to wear a letter know what it takes to be successful in international competition and that will help us be successful in our ultimate goal,” Canada head coach Bill Peters said Monday in a release.
Canada is staging its pre-tournament camp in Riga and will play the Latvian national team in a pre-tournament game Tuesday.
Sweden is the defending champion at this year’s competition. Canada settled for silver last year after taking gold in 2015 and 2016.
READ MORE: Canada beats Finland 2-0, wins world hockey championship
Canada will open the tournament Friday against the United States.
Team Canada has won gold at two of the last three IIHF World Championships, going undefeated during the 2015 tournament in the Czech Republic and shutting out Finland in the gold-medal game in 2016 in Russia.
Last year, Canada skated to silver after falling to Sweden in the gold-medal game in Cologne, Germany.
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