Mathew Barzal is prepared and willing to play in a World Cup of Hockey.
The NHL has yet to announce the subsequent edition of the event, which first took place in 2016, but reports indicate it’s aiming for a four-team tournament in February 2025 between america, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Barzal, who was vocal about wanting to represent Canada within the 2022 Olympics before NHL participation in Beijing was nixed because of pandemic concerns, has never played in a best-on-best tournament but twice wore the maple leaf at World Championships.
“I feel like I’ve at all times loved representing my country,” Barzal told The Post before Wednesday’s 3-2 Islanders win over the Flyers. “Feel like I’ve played some good hockey wearing the Canadian jersey. I’d like to be a component of that.”
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters in Sweden that the league is working with the NHLPA to establish the February 2025 edition, with the goal of usually rotating between the World Cup and Olympic participation.
An agreement to send NHL players to Milan-Cortina in 2026 continues to be being hashed out between the league and the IOC.
The 2016 World Cup in Toronto was won by Canada, which defeated Team Europe in a best-of-three final.
Because Russia can be excluded from any international tournament due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, a 2025 tournament can be without Ilya Sorokin and Alexander Romanov from the Islanders.
But Barzal, Adam Pelech and Noah Dobson can be candidates for Team Canada; Brock Nelson would have a likelihood at making Team USA; and Pierre Engvall and Simon Holmstrom might need an out of doors shot at making Team Sweden.
“It’s something you wish to do,” Barzal said. “You ought to represent your country. If I got the nod for that, it might be pretty special. Hopefully I can play there on that team.”
With Cal Clutterbuck’s 1,000th profession game Wednesday, the Islanders have had a player reach that milestone in each of the past three seasons, with Andy Greene doing so in 2021-22 and Josh Bailey last season.
The Islanders honored Clutterbuck in the course of the game with a scoreboard graphic and the fans gave him a standing ovation.
“I don’t really take care of that type of attention all that well. I don’t know if anybody does,” Clutterbuck said. “It was nice. I just wish to be certain I had the presence of mind and I used to be taking it in.”
Fittingly, No. 15 is fifteenth all-time on the franchise list for games played with 653 games as an Islander.
Matt Martin (upper body) missed his third straight game against the Flyers with Hudson Fasching continuing to fit in.
