The 2018 World Championship will take place in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark starting on Friday, and Team USA’s Dylan Larkin headlines a group of seven Red Wings players and prospects taking part in the tournament.
MLive’s Ansar Khan penned an article about Larkin’s belief that his second consecutive World Championship appearance will help him hone his NHL game:
“It’s an experience for me not being complacent with finishing in early April,” Larkin said. “Playing hockey into May is what it’s all about and I’m young, have a lot of energy, have a lot of passion. … Moving forward with my career, the next step is becoming a winner. When we get into games late I want to have that extra factor where I take my game to the next level to either hold on to a lead or try to get that goal to tie it up or win.”
Team USA, with Larkin and Detroit defenseman Nick Jensen, coached for the second year in a row by the Red Wings’ Jeff Blashill, play host Denmark in an exhibition game Tuesday (2:30 p.m. ET) and open the tournament Friday against Canada (10:15 a.m., NHL Network).
Larkin (two goals, eight assists) was second in scoring on the U.S. last season. The Americans went 6-2, losing to Finland 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
“He’s going to be a big factor in it. It’s why I think Larks is a great competitor,” Blashill said. “He looks at this year and says, ‘I can be a better winner.’ I think that’s great to hear. What you want are athletes who want it on their shoulders when it matters most and he’s certainly one of those guys.
Larkin was a brilliant pick. He says all the right things and then backs it up with his play. Attitude + Behavior = Success.
I hope the rest of the young players see this and follow his lead. Larkin is going to be a good player to build a team with. Good pick Kenny!