Looking at Team Canada's Decision to Swap Celebrini and Fantilli for Dubois, Hagel and Paul

Pierre-Luc Dubois Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 World Championship is just about here, as the tournament is set to begin on May 10. Many NHL players who aren’t still in the Stanley Cup playoffs have headed to Czechia for the tournament.

Team Canada made some roster changes on Tuesday in the lead-up to the Worlds. They added Los Angeles Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul to their group. As a result, projected No. 1 NHL draft pick Macklin Celebrini and Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli have left the team.

“We are excited to add Pierre-Luc, Brandon and Nick to our roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, as they will be valuable pieces of our team and provide leadership to our strong roster,” Canada GM Rick Nash said in a team release. “All three bring previous world championship experience and over 700 games played in the NHL, and we look forward to them joining our team and helping us defend our gold medal.”

Per Hockey Canada’s announcement, Fantilli is returning to North America for the NHL draft lottery and to prepare for the NHL combine. Meanwhile, Fantilli will focus on getting ready for the 2024-25 NHL campaign.

NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that Celebrini and Fantilli originally accepted the invitation knowing their roster spots were not guaranteed if more veterans became available.

This is undoubtedly a big decision made by Team Canada GM Rick Nash. Celebrini and Fantilli are two young forwards with immensely high ceilings and could have made a big impact in the tournament. However, he has instead elected to go with experience by adding Dubois, Hagel and Paul.

Macklin Celebrini Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

With this being a short-term tournament, it is understandable that Nash wanted established players. Canada enters tournaments with the expectation of winning it all rather than focusing on developing any younger players.

Dubois should give Canada a big boost down the middle. While he had a down season with the Los Angeles Kings, he still recorded 40 points and is a legitimate top-six forward when playing at his best. He can be an offensive threat who plays with an edge.

But adding Hagel could be a home run for Canada. The 25-year-old winger had an impressive season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, posting 26 goals and a career-high 75 points. Bringing in a proven two-way player who produced at nearly a point per game makes total sense for Canada.

Brandon Hagel Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Paul is an interesting addition. The 29-year-old also had a career year for the Lightning, recording 24 goals, 22 assists and 46 points in 82 games. However, Team Canada likely brought him in because of his strong defensive play, grit and leadership rather than his offense.

It still would have been exciting to see Celebrini and Fantilli play on a squad featuring Connor Bedard and other young guns, including Ridly Greig and Dylan Guenther. Celebrini had a dominant freshman season with Boston University, winning the Hobey Baker Award, and Fantilli had 27 points in 49 games with the Blue Jackets before suffering an injury.

Canada’s first game of Group A action takes place at 6:20 a.m. ET on Saturday against Great Britain. For more international hockey coverage, visit The Hockey News’ international site.