TORONTO — Morgan Rielly won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2016 world championships, and he still wishes he had tried to repeat the following spring.
A young, exciting Toronto Maple Leafs group had just been eliminated in six games by the Washington Capitals.
Rielly’s friend and teammate, Mitch Marner, raised his hand to go play in France under national coach Jon Cooper. Canada settled for silver, losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to Sweden in the gold medal game.
Though Rielly was selected to Team North America at the 2016 World Cup, that trip to Russia in the spring of ’16 as a 22-year-old would be the last time he’d represent his country on the global stage.
If the star defenceman could go back, he’d accept that invitation from Hockey Canada in 2017.
“I didn’t go. And that’s one of my biggest regrets, not going,” Rielly said, taking time to discuss that other tournament during Toronto’s second-round series versus the Florida Panthers.
“It’s a nice opportunity for guys, especially young guys. And then you can see as guys getting older, whether it’s (Ryan) O’Reilly or Sid (Crosby) or (Marc-André) Fleury, whatever it may be, that ignites again. You want to get back over there and do it. That’s cool.”
Canada’s 2025 roster at the worlds — the final top-level international contest before the NHLers return to the Olympic Games in February — is stacked with savvy veterans (Jordan Binnington, Travis Konecny, Bo Horvat, MacKenzie Weegar, et al.) and the next wave of Olympic hopefuls (Macklin Celebrini, Kent Johnson, Noah Dobson).
But it speaks volumes about leaders like Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, who are choosing to extend their season even though they needn’t audition for the ’26 squad.
“All those guys you named have that reputation of being great teammates and having a passion for the sport and competing and what it takes to be successful in the sport,” Rielly said. “I can speak firsthand: Playing for Canada at the men’s world is really special. And when I was younger, my first year (2014), I was debating whether to go or not — and I feel foolish for that now, because it’s an incredible honour.
“I ended up going, and I was very glad I made that decision. But it’s just an incredible opportunity. And you can tell that it’s not lost on guys who have been around for as long as those guys have. It’s a great experience and a special feeling as an athlete.”
When considering the star power at this month’s worlds in Stockholm, the absence of 2023 first-overall draft pick Connor Bedard is a curious one. Bedard did fly over after his rookie season. He scored five goals and eight points for Canada in 2024’s fourth-place finish and was invited to the ’25 team.
He turned Hockey Canada down. Bedard’s choice, not that of the Chicago Blackhawks.
“But I thought it was a really mature decision on his end to take care of himself, make sure he’s prepared and putting himself in the best position to succeed moving forward,” Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said. “He’s going to have a lot of those opportunities moving forward, to compete for Canada.
(Hot take: A great way to prepare and develop is sharing a dressing room and some shifts with Crosby and MacKinnon. Also, Bedard has the right to make his own career decisions.)
Rielly remembers fellow stud WHL left-shot defenceman Ryan Murray getting invited to go to worlds in their draft year.
“And I was pretty envious of that,” Reilly recalled. “It’s a cool opportunity to meet new guys and play with different guys and build relationships with coaches. You know, Tree (Leafs GM Brad Treliving) was on our staff. So, you start those relationships, and you have that experience together, and hopefully, you win. But even if you don’t, it’s a good experience.”
Rielly understands that the allure of the world championships is stronger among European players, what with the time difference and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in full swing in North America.
He suggests it would be unique for a non-NHL Canadian market like Halifax or Quebec City to host. And, looking back now, he kinda wishes he’d used the work trip as an excuse to vacation afterward. Instead, he and his dad Andy flew back after the hockey.
“I can see that guys want to go, and I think the ease in that decision has increased because of the experience that guys like myself had,” Rielly said.
“We went to Saint Petersburg and Moscow when we won. That’s some of my fondest memories in my life. And to have that chance is special. And hopefully the popularity of the tournament in Canada grows.”
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