Add to the list of Toronto Maple Leafs players appearing at the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia from April 29 to May 15, as both Mike Brown and Carl Gunnarsson have confirmed that they will represent their countries.
USA Hockey revealed their preliminary list of players who will play at the Worlds on Wednesday, and among that group are Leafs tough guy Mike Brown and prospect Jake Gardiner, who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Francois Beauchemin.
Brown played for the US National Development team for two seasons before leaving to play for the University of Michigan. The Northbrook, Ill. native has represented the US twice before, playing in the World Under-18 Junior Championships in 2003, as well as the 2005 World Juniors in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In his first season with the Leafs, Brown had a very injury plagued year, playing in only 50 games while scoring three goals and five assists and registering 69 penalty minutes.
Jake Gardiner had three assists in 10 games with the Marlies this season after signing a three-year, entry level deal with the Leafs on Mar. 15. He was a standout with the University of Wisconsin, scoring ten goals and adding 31 assists in 41 games in his final collegiate season. The 20-year old blue liner played for Team USA at the 2010 World Juniors in Saskatoon, registering three assists and winning a gold medal.
Brown and Gardiner join Leafs defenceman Mike Komisarek on Team USA's preliminary roster. Also named to the team were Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele, as well as Thrashers forward Blake Wheeler, Islanders goaltender Al Montoya, and former Leaf farmhand Tim Stapleton.
Also confirming that he will play at the Worlds was defenceman Carl Gunnarsson who accepted an invitation to play for Sweden. Gunnarsson played for Sweden at the 2010 World Championships, scoring one goal and one assist en route to winning a bronze medal.
The 24-year old Swedish defenceman had a career-year with the Leafs, registering four goals and 16 assists for a total of 20 points in 68 games. Gunnarsson was relied on heavily after Toronto traded blue liners Francois Beauchemin and Tomas Kaberle, being promoted to the second defensive unit to play alongside Luke Schenn.
There are now a total of 12 Leafs players and prospects that have confirmed that they will play at the World Championships, though that number may go up as Clarke MacArthur is rumoured to be up for a spot on Canada's roster.
Leafs at the Worlds
Canada
Dion Phaneuf
Luke Schenn
James Reimer
USA
Mike Brown
Jake Gardiner
Mike Komisarek
Belarus
Mikhail Grabovski
Germany
Korbinian Holzer
Marcel Mueller
Russia
Nikolai Kulemin
Slovakia
Juraj Mikus
Sweden
Carl Gunnarsson
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