Dylan Cozens’ season isn’t over quite yet.
The 25-year-old centre will soon head to Fribourg, Switzerland as part Team Canada’s entry into the 2026 IIHF World Championship, which begins May 15.
Cozens has played in two World Championships since his NHL career began. He first played in the 2022 edition, when the team was captained by current Senators teammate Thomas Chabot, and then again in 2024, when he led the team in scoring.
Overall, Cozens has proved an extremely valuable player on the international stage, compiling 16 goals and 24 points in 20 games between those two tournaments. He helped Canada to a silver medal in 2022 and a fourth-place finish in 2024.
Cozens is coming off his first full season with the Ottawa Senators, and his best statistically since 2022–23. Cozens finished the year with 28 goals and 31 assists, adding two more goals in the playoffs.
He played much of the second half of the season centring Brady Tkachuk and Ridly Greig on the team’s second line, while often assuming the role of “bumper” on the team’s first power play unit.
Cozens set a career high in the faceoff circle this season, winning 53.2 per cent of his draws. He also smashed his previous career high with 13 power play goals, which tied him for first on the Sens along with Drake Batherson.
“I think I took a step to being the player I want to be this year. I think I still have more to give and more to show, but, you know, I think I really gained some confidence as the year went on,” Cozens told TSN1200’s Graham Creech and Chris Stevenson when the Senators met the media on exit day.
“That’s the player I want to be, I want to have the puck in the neutral zone, I want to be using my speed and taking it wide and taking it to the net. And you know, I think this year was a step in the right direction for me, for sure.”
The World Championships are held every spring in Europe. The 16 competing teams are divided into two groups for a preliminary round, which lasts seven games. The top four ranked teams from each groups advance to the quarter finals.
Canada opens with a game against Sweden at 10:00 a.m. EST on May 15. They’ll also play Italy on May 16, Denmark on May 18, Norway on May 21, Slovenia on May 22, Slovakia on May 24, and Czechia on May 26. You can watch every game on TSN or TSN+.
