“It’s been a great time so far,” he said of the Concordia training camp. “It’s a great facility, and it’s nice to be living on the campus, only a hundred metres away.”
As the 19-year-old prepares for his first season playing in North America — most likely for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League — de la Rose says he’s hopeful that he’ll one day get to wear the coveted Habs jersey.
“I’m going to the training camp in September, then we’ll see what team it will be,” he said. “Everybody who is drafted by the Canadiens’ dream to play with the Canadiens. It’s the same for me, and hopefully one day I can play with them.”
Sweden hosted last year’s IIHF World Junior Championships in Malmo, suffering a heart-breaking overtime loss to Finland in the gold-medal game. De la Rose had six points in the tournament. Even though it’s probably still too early to say, he’s confident about his team’s chances at the 2015 tournament.
“It’s the first time we’re playing together, so maybe we need some games to get the group together. But we have really good, skilled, individual players, and I think we have a good team.”
Want to check out some of the world junior hockey action at the Ed Meagher Arena next week? Visit the Hockey Canada website to purchase tickets.