Tomasino to Represent Canada at 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship

Philip Tomasino will represent his country at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Team Canada announced its roster for the tournament on Friday afternoon, and the Predators prospect was one of 25 players to see his name on the final ledger. Tomasino is one of 14 forwards to make the team after a total of 47 players participated in Team Canada's camp.
The Preds loaned the 19-year-old to Team Canada on Nov. 17 for their World Junior Championship selection camp, after he recorded 100 points (40g-60a) in 62 OHL games with Niagara and Oshawa during the 2019-20 season. Nashville's first-round pick in 2019 (24th overall) was fourth in the OHL in points, tied for fifth in assists and ninth in goals en route to hitting the 100-point mark for the first time.

Tomasino was five points shy of tying David Legwand for the most points (105 in 1997-98) in a single OHL season by a Predators draft pick and was named a finalist for the OHL's Red Tilson Trophy, awarded to the league's most outstanding player. He has recorded 196 points (79g-117a) in 190 career OHL contests since first entering the league in 2017-18.
The Mississauga, Ontario, native signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on Oct. 21, 2019. Internationally, the 6-foot, 183-pound center represented Canada at the 2019 U-18 World Championship, where he recorded five points (1g-4a) in six games. He also competed for Team Canada Black at the 2017 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, picking up an assist in five contests.
Tomasino is expected to have a chance to play for the Predators in the upcoming NHL season, as the team looks to get younger at the forward position.
"He looks like he's going to be a terrific player," Predators General Manager David Poile said of Tomasino back in September. "It's not a question of if, it's just a question of when… I would really like to keep some flexibility open to give him a really good chance at training camp, because he could be a player that could surprise. I'm very open minded to give him as good of a chance as anybody come this training camp."
"They're not just on the team because they're young players - they have to help you win," Predators Head Coach John Hynes said in August. "Phil Tomasino, he's a guy that's a highly talented player, very driven, very mature for his age, which is important. I had the opportunity in New Jersey to work with some young players, some more mature, and ready to play right away. I think Tomasino is a guy who's got a high motor, loves the game, lots of things that surround the game, which is important for a young player if you're going to play the National Hockey League."
The 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship begins on Christmas Day with three games before Canada kicks off its tournament schedule on Dec. 26 against Germany 5 p.m. CT in Edmonton, Alberta.