Nick Suzuki gets bombarded with good news

The Habs' first center got the news three days after signing his eight-year, $63 million contract. It was Roberto Luongo, the team's general manager, who made the call. A gesture that the young star greatly appreciated.

Getting a call from Luongo meant a lot," Suzuki admitted. It was really nice. Just to be on that long list is an honour. Team Canada has a lot of depth and there are obviously some great players."

One NHL executive isn't too surprised to see No. 14 on that list.

"Suzuki has earned Team Canada's attention because of his versatility. Regardless of whether he succeeds or not, he is a complete and competitive player on his way to becoming one of the best youngsters in the country. You've seen him on most nights, not just this one," a National Hockey League executive told Sportsnet via text message Thursday night after the Montreal Canadiens' 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames.

According to Dom Ducharme, Suzuki has exactly what it takes to represent his country in China next winter.

It's already pretty similar to what we do here. Dom [Ducharme, the Canadiens' head coach] comes from a Hockey Canada background and he promotes the Canadian way of playing to his players. You have to be solid on both sides of the ice, whether you're playing on the first or fourth line. As you grow up and play at the U16-17-18 level and at World Juniors, that way of doing things gets stuck in your head and you just try to play that way," he said of the Canadian style of play.

There's a lot of talent in the country, so if Suzuki is going to make the starting lineup, he's going to have to work hard. He shouldn't be taken out of the equation too quickly.