The Canadian formation has one of Bettman Circuit’s brightest hopes on the blue line at the World Junior Hockey Championship. The Los Angeles Kings announced Wednesday that they have loaned defenseman Brandt Clarke to the Maple Leaf team.
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19-year-old Clarke is expected to be at the center of Canada’s power play. He made his National Hockey League debut that season and had two assists in nine games.
The eighth overall pick of the 2021 draft also played in five AHL games with Ontario Reign, where he had two points in five games.
If he stays at the end of camp as expected, Clarke will make his first World Juniors appearance. In 2021, he represented the Maple Leaf at the World U18 Championships and led his team to a gold medal by scoring seven points in as many games.
Barring a huge upset, Seattle Kraken center Shane Wright was also set to be loaned to the Canada team and it would be official, according to the ESPN network.
Remember that the tournament takes place in Halifax and Moncton from December 26th to January 5th.