Dillon Dube to captain Canada at world juniors
Dante Fabbro, Victor Mete, Kale Clague will serve as alternates
Kelowna Rockets forward Dillon Dube will captain Team Canada at the upcoming world junior championship.
Defencemen Dante Fabbro (Boston University), Victor Mete (Montreal Canadiens) and Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings) will serve as alternates.
Dube, Fabbro and Clague are returning members from last year's silver-medal winning team.
"It's exciting for me and my family and, overall, it's going to be a great experience," says Dube.
"When things are down, when we have some tough games, it's just about staying positive," says the native of Cochrane, Alta., who was taken 56th overall in 2016 by the Calgary Flames.
"Going through [the pressure] last year, and being able to handle it, now I can pass it on to guys that haven't."
Mete is also looking to help guide the team. Drafted in the fourth round by the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, he is currently in his first NHL season.
NEWS | Dillon Dubé (C), Dante Fabbro (A), Victor Mete (A) and Kale Clague (A) to captain Canada at the <a href="https://twitter.com/HC_WJC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HC_WJC</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> <a href="https://t.co/oClSxtqKcz">pic.twitter.com/oClSxtqKcz</a>
—@HockeyCanada"Going through what I've gone through this year can help in a short-term tournament [like this]," says Mete. "We need to be at our best every game … can't slack at all, because if you lose one game that could be the end."
Fabbro and Clague were also selected in 2016. The former in the first round by the Nashville Predators and the latter in the second by the Los Angeles Kings.
The tournament begins on Tuesday Dec. 26, with Canada first taking on Finland at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Canada will then face Slovakia on the 27th before squaring up against the United States in a repeat of last year's gold medal final (which Canada lost in a shootout) on the 29th.
