Defenceman Braden Schneider will draw back into the lineup for Canada Tuesday night against Switzerland after serving a one-game suspension at the World Juniors for a hit to the head of German forward Jan-Luca Schumacher. In an interview with TSN, the 19-year-old stated he will not be changing the way he plays in light of the punishment.
"I wasn't trying to hurt the guy, and I was happy to see him back in the game and playing," said Schneider. "But, I was just trying to take my body and get some space for the guy behind me. I caught him a little higher than I would have liked. I wasn't meaning to do that by any means."
"It was a hockey play," Schneider continued. "And I paid the price for it."
"I'm still going to play the game I like to play," said Schneider. "I play with an edge, I'm hard to play against, that's part of my identity and that's why I made this team. I think I'll play a little bit smarter and pick my places a little bit better. I think I learned that. But I'm not going to chance my identity as a player."
Schneider was drafted in the first-round, 19th overall, by the New York Rangers in this year's draft. In 60 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the OHL last season, he had seven goals and 45 points.
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Source: TSN.ca
