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Flames' Weegar gets IIHF honour with Canada at World Championship

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 27 2023, 4:35 pm
Flames' Weegar gets IIHF honour with Canada at World Championship

MacKenzie Weegar has made a serious impact on Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship.

The Calgary Flames’ defenceman, who is an assistant captain at the tournament, is already up to three goals and 10 points in just nine games. Thanks to his incredible play, he has been named one of Canada’s top three players at the event, alongside Montreal Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault and Arizona Coyotes’ Lawson Crouse.

“This has been a great experience,” Weegar said. “First time here at the Worlds. We’ve got a great team great coaching staff. It’s a privilege to represent Canada.”

After he and his Flames teammates failed to make the playoffs, Weegar had a decision to make on attending the tournament. From the sounds of it, the decision was an easy one.

“I think just never playing in a World before, I haven’t worn the Team Canada jersey in a long time,” Weegar said. “For me, it was a no-brainer. Two great cities great coaching staff. It was just an easy decision, I want to wear the jersey and represent Canada.”

For Flames fans, it is an excellent sight to see Weegar not only thriving but enjoying the game again. The 2022-23 season was a tough one on the 29-year-old for a number of reasons.

Both Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau were shocked last offseason when they were traded from the Florida Panthers to the Flames in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk. While Weegar was able to get more comfortable over the second half of the season, he never seemed to play with as much confidence as he had displayed in seasons prior. Perhaps his performance at the World Championship was exactly what the veteran blueliner needed to help turn things around.

Thanks in large part to Weegar’s play, Canada was able to punch their ticket to the gold medal game after a 4-2 win over Latvia on Saturday morning. They will now await the winner of USA vs Germany to determine who they will play for gold on Sunday. Puck drop is set for 1:20 pm ET/10:20 am PT.

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