Habs’ Montembeault, Barron Named to Team Canada Roster

Most of the Montreal Canadiens‘ brass are enjoying the warm weather and refreshing drinks, but the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Ice Hockey World Championship is right around the corner. This year’s tournament will take place in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia, and will feature 16 teams in two groups to determine the best in the world.

Last year, Team Canada’s roster contained just one player from the Canadiens roster. Josh Anderson dressed with the country’s maple leaf on his chest, bringing back home a silver medal after a crushing overtime loss to host Finland in the final. Anderson’s performance was remarkable, as the winger completed the tournament with one goal and eight points in 10 games.

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The Canadian roster added two representatives from the Habs’ camp in this year’s tournament, shifting their focus to feature more youth and talent at all positions. As most of the city will already be cheering on Canada, it’s encouraging to see more players from the Montreal organization suiting up.

Justin Barron

In a season full of injuries, Justin Barron provided the Canadiens with stability on the back end. He arrived in Montreal via trade from the Colorado Avalanche in the Artturi Lehkonen deal but was one of the final cuts during the training camp ahead of the 2022-23 season. He eventually got into the lineup and consistently gave the team solid efforts without being the flashiest player on the ice.

Barron can easily fit in with any style of defender he’s paired with, whether it’s a stay-at-home defenseman or one that loves to rush the puck up the ice. He does all the little things right and, on most nights, will go unnoticed (in a good way). He had good chemistry with Michael Matheson towards the end of the season and got time on the penalty kill, so expect him to have a similar role with Canada.

Samuel Montembeault

The crease had mighty big shoes to fill with the absence of Carey Price, but Samuel Montembeault helped ease that pain amidst a forgettable season. He completed the season with a .901 save percentage despite a goals-against average of 3.42 and, on some nights, was the team’s best player. He shared the crease with Jake Allen but, by season’s end, earned the confidence of head coach Martin St. Louis.