Nathan MacKinnon hasn’t missed a beat at the 2025 IIHF World Championships. Following his disappointing departure from the Stanley Cup playoffs in which he scored seven goals in the series against the Dallas Stars, MacKinnon has continued to put the puck in the back of the net.
In three games for Team Canada thus far, MacKinnon has racked up two goals and three assists for five points. He has shown the same type of determination and commitment to winning another major international tourney representing Canada as he did during the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year.
While winning the World Championships doesn’t quite compare to winning the Stanley Cup, it would be a solid consolation prize after a disappointing end to the Colorado Avalanche’s NHL season.
Team Canada’s next game will be on May 15 against Austria. While there are no easy opponents, there’s a good chance Canada will remain undefeated as the team marches toward its first major showdown against Finland on May 19.
The star-studded Team Canada side has a solid chance of winning back Gold after a dismaying fourth-place finish last year.
Looking at Nathan MacKinnon’s track record in international competitions
According to Hockey Reference, Nathan MacKinnon has played twice before at the World Championships.
He first wore the red maple leaf in 2014 as an 18-year-old, scoring one goal and adding three assists for four points in eight games. He was back on the team in 2015, playing 10 games, scoring four goals and five assists for nine points.
MacKinnon would also play in the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 for Team North America. He registered three points in three games.
This year, MacKinnon won tourney MVP at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He ended the tourney with four goals in four games. MacKinnon led the tourney with his four tallies, providing precisely the scoring depth Team Canada needed from its second line.
Moving forward, MacKinnon looks to be a lock for the 2026 Olympic roster. While there is no word on preliminary selections, it would be baffling to see MacKinnon’s name left off Team Canada’s roster for the most important international hockey tournament of the last decade.
If anything, the 4 Nations and the World Championships have been successful auditions for Canada’s Olympic roster.
We can only wait to see the sort of mind-shocking lineups that every nation will bring to the world’s biggest hockey stage in roughly nine months.