The teams are set for the playoff round at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship in Finland and there are two players with BC Hockey League experience remaining in the tournament.
Led by Canadian forwards Kent Johnson and Mathew Barzal, there are seven former BCHLers playing for five different countries in the tournament. Forwards Dante Hannoun and Alex Petan are with Italy, forward Scott Conway and defender Sam Jones represent Great Britain, and forward Brian Lebler plays for Austria.
With the preliminary round over, Canada advances to play Sweden in the quarterfinals at the Worlds, while Italy, Great Britain, and Austria didn’t advance out of their groups.
Kent Johnson (61 goals, 86 assists in 111 games with Trail from 2018-20) – Canada
Johnson started the tournament hot for the Canadians with all five of his points coming in the first five games. Included in that is a pair of assists in a 6-3 win over Kazakhstan. However, Johnson was scoreless in Canada’s last two preliminary round games against Denmark and France, respectively.
Dante Hannoun (no points in one game with Vernon in 2013-14) – Italy
Hannoun tied Johnson for the most points by a player with BCHL experience in the preliminaries with five. His point total led the Italians in scoring, including a goal and an assist in a 5-2 loss to Switzerland. Hannoun added helpers in losses against Denmark, Germany, and Kazakhstan.
Alex Petan (54 goals, 74 assists in 155 games with Burnaby and Coquitlam from 2009-12) – Italy
Like Hannoun, Petan has been a solid player for the Italians at the Worlds. He tied for the team lead in goals with two, and finished second in points with four. Petan notched a goal and an assist against Germany, a goal against Denmark, and an assist in Italy’s opener vs. Switzerland.
Mathew Barzal (two assists in six games with Coquitlam in 2012-13) – Canada
Barzal’s performance at the Worlds has been a bit underwhelming. The New York Islanders star has just two assists in six games. His first helper came in Canada’s opening win against Italy and the second in a 6-3 loss to the Swiss. Barzal also has a plus-minus rating of -1 during the tournament.
Scott Conway (56 goals, 60 assists in 56 games with Penticton in 2015-16) – Great Britain
It’s the second time Conway has represented Great Britain internationally. He finishes the preliminary round with a pair of assists in seven games. They each came in Great Britain’s first two games, a loss to Czechia and a shootout loss to Norway.
Brian Lebler (43 goals, 22 assists in 110 games with Penticton from 2004-06) – Austria
Lebler wound up with one goal in seven games for the Austrians as they finish the prelims with a 2-3-2 record, sixth in Group B. His lone goal came in a 2-1 shootout victory over Czechia, a major upset for Austria, which is ranked 10 spots lower than the Czechs.
Sam Jones (one goal, eight assists in 52 games with Penticton and Cowichan Valley in 2015-16) – Great Britain
Jones only got into four games for the British during the preliminary round and finished with one assist, which came during a 4-3 loss to Latvia. This year’s Worlds is the second go-around for Jones representing Great Britain after he made his debut last year.
