“Every year, I’ve taken away something different, whether it’s confidence or learning to play a different role or the experience of playing with different players,” said Larkin. “I think it really sets me up for a great summer of training.”
His head coach echoes just that.
“Whether it was as a leader, whether it was as a center, whether it was as a bumper on the power play, I think it’s been a real positive as an individual, for Team USA and for the Detroit Red Wings,” said Blashill.
Larkin has represented the United States seven times internationally, including five appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team, once with the U.S. National Junior Team and also the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team.
“Every time you represent your country in a tournament where the best players in the world go and play and it’s a three-week tournament,” Larkin said, “you play a lot of games in a short amount of time. You grow as a player and a person, and for me, I think I’ve really grown in all roles of my game, playing in big minutes and being a leader on and off the ice. It’s always a great experience going over and growing not only as a player, but as a person.”
