The United States is bringing back two players this month as it defends its rare gold medal at the IIHF men’s hockey world championship.
The International Ice Hockey Federation’s marquee tournament is often a tough sell because it falls in May during the NHL playoffs. Golden goal scorer Tage Thompson is still playing for the Buffalo Sabres and captain Clayton Keller and goalie Jeremy Swayman played in the NHL first round. Swayman also has a child on the way.
Advertisement
Some players need to recover from injuries after grueling seasons and there’s no Olympics on the horizon as a carrot to attend.
But that doesn’t mean there are no intriguing players at this year’s hockey worlds. The Florida Panthers missing the playoffs after back-to-back titles opened some unexpected options for their players’ countries.
Here are eight players to watch at the IIHF world championships:
He’s usually unavailable because of deep NHL playoff runs. But he’ll be the USA’s marquee player and the lone Olympic gold medal winner on the team. If he helps the USA repeat, he’ll be the first American on the triple gold club with Olympic, world championships and NHL titles. He’s scheduled to arrive on May 19. Boston‘s Mason Lohrei and Edmonton prospect Isaac Howard are the returnees. Washington’s Ryan Leonard and Boston’s James Hagens have chemistry from Boston College and the world junior championships.
Advertisement
He had a spectacular sophomore season. He set a Sharks team record with 115 points, was a standout for Team Canada at the Olympics and is a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player. He’ll be Canada’s captain.
He joined after the Penguins were eliminated by the Flyers. He’s a triple gold club member already and played in last year’s tournament. That super team featuring Nathan MacKinnon, Crosby, Celebrini and others was stunned by Denmark in the quarterfinals. Crosby will be an alternate captain.
Advertisement
He missed the 2025-26 NHL season after injuring his ACL during his first day in training camp. This will give him an opportunity to suit up for his country after he missed the Olympics. His NHL teammate, Anton Lundell, will also play for Finland.
He finished third in Olympic scoring with nine points and is coming off his third consecutive 70-point season with the Red Wings.
Switzerland lost to the USA in the 2025 championship game and is the host country this season. It has its share of NHL players, including Predators captain Josi, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Nino Niederreiter, Pius Suter and J.J. Moser.
Advertisement
Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg
He’s projected to be one of the top picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. He helped Sweden win the world junior championships. Gavin McKenna, the projected top pick, isn’t playing in this tournament
Latvia’s Alberts Smits
He’s another top prospect for the NHL draft. He already has represented his country at the world juniors and Olympics this season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World championships hockey stars to watch as tournament gets underway
