'I Was Pretty Choked Up': Seth Jarvis On Team Canada Selection

Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis was one of the 23 players named to the Team Canada roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.

The 22-year-old forward has blossomed into a star for the Canes and it seems that the rets of the hockey world has taken notice too.

We spoke with Jarvis today about getting the call and his emotions on getting the chance to represent Team Canada. Here's what he had to say:

Related: Hurricanes Winger Seth Jarvis Hosts Hilarious Impromptu Online Q&A

When did you find out that you had made Team Canada?: I found out Sunday.

Who called you?: Jim Nill. It was a big surprise. I didn't answer his call at first because I didn't know the number, so then he texted me and it says like, 'Dallas Stars/Team Canada so I was like, 'I either got traded or I think I might have made Team Canada. So I called him back and he told me. I wasn't really expecting it so it was a nice surprise.

Did you see Brad Marchand's comments about being excited to play with you?: That was cool. Big surprise. I wasn't expecting that at all. Obviously he's someone that has a great personality and someone I'm excited to get around too. That was fun, nice to hear and I'm just excited just like them to get around everybody and start to meet everybody. Chills.

It was an emotional call home wasn't it?: My mom started crying right away. She thought something was wrong when I phoned her which probably tells me I should phone her more often, but she started crying right away, I was pretty choked up. Then I phoned my dad and same kind of thing. He didn't... I don't think he cried, but he sounded pretty excited. I haven't heard him like that in a long time and then phoning my brother was cool. He was at work and he just kind of took the call. He was just super pumped, asking a billion questions to things I didn't have answers to, but everyone was just super excited.

Are you going to get the family together to see some of the games?: I hope so. I'm hoping we can figure out how to get my brother off work. My mom will hopefully be retired by then and my dad will be able to take off work. It'll be nice.

What does it mean to be considered one of the top Canadian players?: A lot. It's nice for my confidence, I guess. I know there were a lot players vying for that spot. There's going to be a lot of hard work done from now until then and hopefully whenever I get that chance in February, I'll just be ready to play my best.

How much of an impact do you think rebuilding your game two offseasons ago made in you being selected?: I think a lot. I think that was probably a big reason why I got the nod. Just being able to contribute offensively, defensively, play up and down the lineup, play on both special teams and just really be utilized in a lot of different ways. I think just having that in the back pocket definitely was a bonus for me.

Did you already make plans in February and do you have to cancel those now?: Well KK [Jesperi Kotkaniemi] was trying to figure out the plans and I didn't have the heart to tell him when I knew already. So I was just kind of saying, 'Yeah, I'll go to wherever with you,' and then just waiting until the news broke.

Are you looking forward to going up against Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin?: Slavo more than Fishy. I'll kill Fishy.

Are you going to fight Aho like you said you wanted to? I don't think so. But yeah, I'm just excited. It will be fun to compete against them. Just super excited for it.

Where you surprised you didn't get the call from Team Finland being how much time you've spent with the Finns?: I gotta talk to the President about that. I'd much rather represent Canada though so I'm much happier with where I'm at.

How much did your snub from the 2021 World Junior Championship roster fuel you?: I don't know how much of a snub it really was. I just didn't play good in that camp. I just kind of did it to myself. So I think having that happen, knowing I had a chance on the roster and didn't take advantage of it and now to be able to work my way onto this one means a lot. Not that those guys aren't there or whatever that means, but just to be able to do that for myself, do that for my family and have another chance at representing Canada was really important for me.

Did Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar, your future teammates, say anything to you last night?: No. It was pretty quiet out there. We were focused on that game.

Who are you most excited to play alongside on Team Canada?: There's a bunch. Obviously you have pretty much the best players in the world in MacKinnon, McDavid, Crosby. Another three in Marchand, Point and Konecny are three guys that I can really model my game after and see their tendencies and how smaller players can be as effective as they are. I'm excited to get around them and just see how they operate, see how they practice and just see their habits and see what I can take from that and apply to my own game.