A Chicago Blackhawks goal scorer was officially cut from Team Canada's roster.
Team Canada has made swift roster decisions after their 2-1 victory over Sweden in their pre-tournament opening game.
On Thursday afternoon, they deemed that forward Marek Vanacker, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, would be returned to his team.
The Blackhawks prospect will return to his OHL team, the Brantford Bulldogs, where he'll continue his season, having scored 41 points (25-16) in 28 games with the juniors.
The Brantford Bulldogs were an OHL team that attempted to have four players on Team Canada, like the 2012 Niagara IceDogs, in the same season.
After Team Canada's roster cuts, the only two Bulldogs players remaining are forward Jett Luchanko and defenseman Ben Danford.
Chicago Blackhawks goal-scoring prospect Marek Vanacker cut from Team Canada's roster
Marek Vanacker was the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
This was his fourth season in the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs, and the prestige of playing for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships would look great on a future resume.
He was one of several Blackhawks prospects who were hoping to take part in this year's WJC as an official roster player.
The goal-scoring forward began his attempt to make the WJC roster with Team Canada as someone who wasn't an invitee.
Vanacker made the most of his short time on the roster; he and linemate Jake O'Brien were unable to overcome mistakes, which may have overshadowed their intentions.
Outside of a high-danger scoring chance off the rush in the first period, that all-OHL line was quiet, and Vanacker and O'Brien each had a poor turnover at the offensive blueline that helped Sweden get back up ice. They didn't play awful last night, but they didn't make Canada's decision tougher.
Vanacker and O'Brien both played on Team Canada's fourth line against Sweden, and the assignments weren't exactly playing to their skill sets. Given the high-end talent across the lineup, including Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, Michael Misa, TJ Iginla, and Luchanko, the roster was already deep.
Even then, that reasoning won't fly for a team that depends on work ethic and a can-do attitude for hockey players who want to show they have what it takes at a high level in the IIHF.
Putting Vanacker in a bottom-six checking role didn't suit his skillset as a poised goal-scoring forward. Though he has elite playmaking skills, he put in his best effort in a role unfamiliar to him, and they played well on the forecheck, but not to Canada's standards.