Kraken's Oleksiak Warms To Usual Rivals As Team Canada Teammates

Towering defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (above photo) is one of three Seattle Kraken on the Team Canada roster at the IIHF World Championship in Czechia.

Most of his Canada teammates are players he normally faces as opponents in the NHL, like Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard. "The kid is special. It's fun to watch," Oleksiak said in an IIHF interview. "Great head on his shoulders. He's going to be a great player for the game."

Olekisak adds that Team Canada coaches have prioritized making rivals into a unit. "Coach (André) Tourigny and everybody have put an emphasis on making sure that we spend time together. It's an opportunity to play with guys that you really don't get the chance to regularly."

(Other Team Canada Kraken are Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev. Tourigny is coach of the Utah NHL team previously known as the Arizona Coyotes.)

Here's highlights from Seattle Kraken who played tournament games Wednesday.

Tomas Tatar

Tatar captains Team Slovakia, which shut out Poland, 4-0. Tatar led the way with a goal and two assists, five shots, +3 in 16 minutes of ice time.

In an IIHF interview, Tatar said Slovakia has come back strong after a shaky opening game, a 6-4 loss to Germany. "We went through a lot of emotions. We've talked in the locker room that that can't happen. We dialed in. We've played three great matches in a row."

Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard

Fisker-Mølgaard, a 2023 2nd round draft choice, scored for Denmark in their 7-4 loss to Czechia. He took two shots in 13 minutes of ice time.

Philipp Grubauer

Grubauer stopped 20 of 21 shots in Team Germany's 8-1 rout of Latvia.

Thursday games involving Kraken include Andre Burakovsky and Team Sweden facing Team Kazakhstan; Pierre-Edourad Bellmare and Team France vs. Team USA; and Team Canada vs. Team Norway

Here are the current World Championship standings: