MONTREAL - Forward Joshua Roy wasn't necessarily looking to make a statement at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in Halifax, but he definitely did.
The Canadiens' prospect tied for fourth in tournament scoring with 11 points - including five goals - in seven games, and collected the primary assist on
Dylan Guenther's dramatic overtime tally that secured a second consecutive gold medal for Canada on home soil.
Only projected first-overall pick
Connor Bedard and fellow NHL draftees
Logan Cooley and
Jimmy Snuggerud put up more points than Roy during the annual event, so he has every reason to be exceptionally proud of his overall performance for his country.
Roy, who also claimed gold in Edmonton last August, believes his personal success with the Canadian contingent this winter had a lot to do with his mindset and his outstanding linemates, too.
"I went to Moncton for selection camp with a good mentality. It wasn't because I made the team this past summer that it was guaranteed I'd make the team again. I knew I had to earn my spot, so I worked very hard at camp. It went well and I had a lot of good practices, so I was confident heading into the tournament," explained Roy, a fifth-round selection of Montreal (150th overall) in 2021. "Then when I got to play with Bedard and Logan Stankhoven, we had very good complicity and it worked very well."