More Sharks are heading to Denmark to join their home nations at the 2018 IIHF World Championships. Even though the tournament began on Friday May 4, 2018, teams can still add to their final roster during the round robin.
The hosts picked up the services of both Jannik Hansen and Mikkel Boedker to bolster their squad. Team Canada also added defensive ace Marc-Édouard Vlasic to their team. All three players have already left the Bay Area to join their countries.
Hansen is a Danish National Team veteran, having played 49 senior level games for his homeland. He has scored nine goals and amassed 19 total points. His most recent appearance came in 2016-17 when he played during the Olympic game qualifying contests. Hansen also represented Denmark at the U18 and U20 championships as a junior player and was part of Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey. Hansen appeared in 46 games for San Jose this season, but did not suit up for the playoffs. He will provide fresh legs for Denmark. This will be his seventh World Championships.
Mikkel Boedker is also a veteran of the Danish team. Over the course of 31 senior level games for Denmark, Boedker has scored nine goals and collected 17 total points. He too was on the Danish Olympic qualifying team in 2016-17. Like Hansen, Boedker also represented Denmark at the U18 and U20 championships as a junior and was also on Team Europe for the World Cup of Hockey. Boedker played in 74 regular season games with the Sharks this past season and suited up for all 10 playoff games. This will be the fifth World Championship appearance for Hot Boed.
Marc-Édouard Vlasic is also heading to Denmark to join Team Canada in their pursuit of a gold medal. When Vlasic joins Canada he will become the shutdown defenseman for them and will most likely take his place on the top pair. He is no stranger to international competition, having played 29 senior level games. Most recently he played in the 2017 World Championships, having also been a part of the gold medal 2014 Olympic team and the gold medal World Cup of Hockey team. Pickles only has one goal and six points internationally but his role is of pure defense, often times pairing with Drew Doughty to form the shutdown tandem. This past season, Vlasic suited up for 81 regular season games as well as all 10 playoff games while averaging 22 and 25 minutes respectively. This will be Vlasic’s fourth World Championships.
Denmark’s (1-2-0) next game will be Wednesday May 9, against Finland (3-0-0). Canada’s (2-0-1) next contest will be Thursday May 10, against Norway (1-1-1).
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