"It's a huge honor. It's going to be my first time representing Canada, so I'm really excited," Blais told stlouisblues.com. "You go there and you want to win a medal for sure, so I'm going there to have fun and try to bring one back."
"Another chance to represent your country is always an honor," added Neighbours, who has played for Team Canada at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 junior tournaments. "It will be a good opportunity to meet a bunch of other guys around the League, guys from your home country and get a chance to win a gold medal. It will be super exciting."
Blais matched a career-high in goals with nine this past season, scoring all of them with the Blues after joining the team in February in the trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers. Blais recorded five assists with the Rangers prior to the deal and added 20 points in 31 games with the Blues to set a new career high with 25 points in 2022-23.
Neighbours spent half the season with the Blues, recording six goals and four assists (10 points) in 43 games in the NHL. In 23 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL, he netted nine goals and seven assists (16 points).
He won a silver medal with Team Canada in the U-20 tournament in 2019.
"They're obviously not inviting anybody (to the World Championship) that hasn't earned it. So through my work ethic, trying to stick with it all year, I've obviously earned myself an invite," Neighbours said. "Now I've got to go over there and try to make the team."
The tournament will feature players from 16 countries and begins May 12. The teams will be divided into two groups and will compete in a preliminary round-robin to determine seeding for the tournament. The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals as they pursue the tournament's top prize - a gold medal - which will be awarded on May 28.
Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong is serving as the architect for Team Canada
, and
Scott Perunvoich will also represent Team USA
In the tournament.
Regardless of the outcome, the experience gained at the World Championship will certainly help the Blues moving forward.
"Playing with other guys around the League, you get a chance to learn from some of the top players in the NHL," Neighbours said. "I'm sure there will be guys there I grew up watching and I will get a chance to pick their brains and see how they do things. It's something I learned this year, my first year pro, so it's another great chance to learn from some great hockey players over there."
