We’re just days away from the start of the 2026 IIHF World Hockey Championship, which is returning to Switzerland for the first time since 2009. Zurich and Lausanne were originally supposed to co-host the tournament back in 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the IIHF opted not to run the event. Flash forward six years later, Zurich will remain as the main host of the tournament, getting both semi-finals and medal games, while Fribourg replaces Lausanne.
As is the case every tournament, 16 nations are divided into two groups of eight using the serpentine system based on the previous year’s results. Those 16 nations each play seven round robin games, with the top four in each pool advancing to the playoff round on Thursday, May 28th.
Group A (hosted by Zurich) will feature last year’s gold medalists, the United States, along with host nation Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary and Great Britain, the latter of whom was promoted from Division 1A after coming in first place.
Group B (hosted by Fribourg) consists of Canada, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia and Italy. This marks Italy’s first tournament back in the top division since 2022 after being relegated that year and spending three years in Division 1A.
Nation-by-Nation breakdown
Austria
The 2025 IIHF World Championship was quite successful for Austria in many ways. After starting off the tournament with back-to-back losses against Finland and Sweden, Roger Bader’s group won four of their next five, including a 6-1 drubbing of Latvia on the final day of the preliminary round, which secured them a spot in the quarterfinals and guaranteed themselves their highest finish at the tournament since 1957.
As Austria looks to build off last year’s performance, they’ll be without several of their big stars. Defenseman David Reinbacher was called up to be a “black ace” for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens, while Marco Rossi and Marco Kasper continue to recover from injuries sustained during the regular season. Austria might have a bit of a tough time trying to get back to the playoff round, especially in a group with the hosts, Switzerland, along with Finland, Germany and the United States, but they have the potential to pull off an upset. Austria will get things going on Saturday at 6:20 am ET against Great Britain.
Austria’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Great Britain (6:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Hungary (10:20 am ET)
- May 19th vs Latvia (10:20 am ET)
- May 20th vs Switzerland (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Germany (2:20 pm ET)
- May 24th vs Finland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 26th vs United States (10:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Leon Kolarik (Peterborough Petes – OHL)
Canada
After back-to-back years without bringing home a medal and a massive upset in the quarterfinals to co-host Denmark last May, Canada is looking to return to the podium at the 2026 IIHF World Championship and will be doing so with plenty of star power once again.
When Canada unveiled their roster late last week, Macklin Celebrini was the highlight and prior to Sunday’s pre-tournament game against France, he was named captain, with John Tavares and Ryan O’Reilly serving as alternates. Flash forward to Tuesday and Hockey Canada announced a major addition to their roster – Sidney Crosby. This will mark Crosby’s second straight appearance at the IIHF World Championship and the fourth time in his career (2006, 2015, 2025, 2026). It’s unclear what Canada’s captaincy situation will be at the time of writing this, but I personally wouldn’t be surprised if Celebrini gave Crosby the ‘C’. We’ll see what the next couple of days brings.
Goal scoring won’t be an issue at all for Canada and quite frankly, I’m expecting them to lead the way in that category through the preliminary round. The blue line looks fairly solid and between the pipes, it looks like Jet Greaves will be the starter going into the tournament. It’ll be his first appearance for Canada at any level.
Canada’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Sweden (10:20 am ET)
- May 16th vs Italy (10:20 am ET)
- May 18th vs Denmark (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Norway (10:20 am ET)
- May 22nd vs Slovenia (10:20 am ET)
- May 24th vs Slovakia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 26th vs Czechia (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks – NHL)
Czechia
Much like Canada, Czechia saw themselves bow out of the 2025 IIHF World Championship in the quarterfinals after an impressive showing in the preliminary round. Two years ago, Czechia won the gold medal on home ice and now 24 months later, their roster is looking a bit weaker than previous years, but that won’t stop them from competing for a medal.
Czechia released their roster on Sunday and it features just ONE full-time NHLer, that being defenseman Filip Hronek of the Vancouver Canucks. However, they do have some other key players to keep an eye including future IIHF Hall of Famer Roman Cervenka, 2026 IIHF World Junior All-Star Tomas Galvas, and several former NHLers – Michal Kempny, Martin Kaut, among others.
Can Czechia contend for the gold medal with this roster? Maybe not, unless they’re able to get some reinforcements from the National Hockey League, but they’re more than capable of pulling off an upset in the playoff round and other nations should be on their toes should they face the Czechs over the next few weeks.
Czechia’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Denmark (2:20 pm ET)
- May 16th vs Slovenia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 18th vs Sweden (2:20 pm ET)
- May 20th vs Italy (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Slovakia (10:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs Norway (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Canada (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Jakub Flek (Brno Kometa – Czech Extraliga)
Denmark
Fresh off their best-ever finish at a IIHF World Championship, Denmark’s goal this year is to make it back to the playoff round, but they’ll have to do so without two of the nation’s best – Nikolaj Ehlers and Frederik Andersen, both of whom are gearing up for the Eastern Conference Final with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Danes will have several players on their World Championship roster from their second appearance at the Winter Olympics back in February, which didn’t go so well for the nation as they won just one game in the preliminary round before falling to Czechia in the qualification playoff round. Among those Olympians are Mikkel Aagaard, Morten Poulsen, Markus Lauridsen, Frederik Dichow and Mads Sogaard, the latter of whom played in two games with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators this season.
Denmark will likely be competing with Slovakia for the fourth and final quarterfinal spot in Group B when all is said and done, with the two nations slated to meet on May 21st in what should be an entertaining and emotional game for both sides.
Denmark’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Czechia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 17th vs Sweden (10:20 am ET)
- May 18th vs Canada (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Slovakia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 23rd vs Slovenia (6:20 am ET)
- May 24th vs Italy (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Norway (6:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Mikkel Aagaard (Skelleftea AIK – SHL)
Finland
The late 2010s and early 2020s started out strong for the Finns at the IIHF World Championship. After winning gold in 2019, silver in 2021 and gold again in 2022, Finland has exited the tournament in the quarterfinals in each of the last three years. The last time Finland failed to make the semi-finals in three consecutive years was 2003 to 2005.
With gold on their mind, Finland has some big names making the trip to Switzerland this year. Headlining their roster is Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, who didn’t play at all during the 2025-26 season due to an injury sustained in training camp. Barkov was also set to represent the Finns at the Winter Olympics and likely would’ve served as captain too if it wasn’t for his injury.
Joining Barkov on Finland’s roster is his Florida Panthers teammate Anton Lundell, Teuvo Teravainen of the Chicago Blackhawks, Aatu Raty of the Vancouver Canucks, former fourth overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi (Geneve-Servette HC – NL), Henri Jokiharju and Joonas Korpisalo the Boston Bruins, along with Justus Annunen of the Nashville Predators.
Finland should certainly be considered one of the gold medal favourites for the tournament.
Finland’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Germany (10:20 am ET)
- May 16th vs Hungary (10:20 am ET)
- May 18th vs United States (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Latvia (10:20 am ET)
- May 22nd vs Great Britain (2:20 pm ET)
- May 24th vs Austria (2:20 pm ET)
- May 26th vs Switzerland (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Patrik Puistola (Orebro HK – SHL)
Germany
Last year, for the first time since 2018, Germany failed to qualify for the playoff round at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. It came down to the final day of the preliminary round in a game against the co-hosts, Denmark, with the latter winning in a shootout and booking their spot in the quarterfinals.
While Germany might not have Leon Draisaitl or Tim Stutzle, they were able to land Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider, Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer and Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Samanski from the NHL. The usual German national team staples such as Marc Michaelis, Fabio Wagner, Maximilian Kastner and former NHLer Dominik Kahun will all be in attendance as well.
The final quarterfinal spot in Group B will likely come down to Germany and Latvia, but it won’t be an easy start to the tournament for the Germans. They’ll open things up on Friday against Finland before facing Latvia, hosts Switzerland and the United States in their first four preliminary round games. Germany will wrap up the preliminary round with games against Hungary, Austria and Great Britain, where they should pick up at least 8 or 9 points.
Germany’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Finland (10:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Latvia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 18th vs Switzerland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 20th vs United States (2:20 pm ET)
- May 22nd vs Hungary (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Austria (2:20 pm ET)
- May 25th vs Great Britain (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Leon Gawanke (Adler Mannheim – DEL)
Great Britain
Great Britain is back at the top division of the IIHF World Championship after being relegated to Division 1A in 2024. Thanks to solid performances from star forward Liam Kirk and goaltender Ben Bowns, Great Britain was able to claim the gold medal at last year’s Division 1A tournament, earning promotion to the top division this year.
There’s no question that Great Britain head coach Peter Russell will be relying on Liam Kirk to deliver the offense for the nation once again. Kirk, a former draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes, is coming off the best season of his professional career (32 G, 55 PTS) and his second consecutive DEL championship with Eisbaren Berlin.
With Jackson Whistle on the sidelines due to an injury, it appears that Ben Bowns will get the starting reigns, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, while former Iowa Wild & Rochester Americans netminder Mat Robson has been called up to the national team for the first time.
One name to keep an eye on is 21-year-old forward Sam Lyne, who was named as a late addition to their roster on Wednesday. Lyne has spent the last two seasons in the BCHL with the Cranbrook Bucks and is heading to Colgate University (NCAA) in the fall.
Great Britain and their supporters have May 19th circled on their calendar. That day, they’re set to face Hungary, with the winner of that game likely remaining in the top division of the IIHF World Championship for 2027. A win in their opening game against Austria would also go a long way in aiding their chances of playing in Germany next May.
Great Britain’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Austria (6:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs United States (6:20 am ET)
- May 19th vs Hungary (2:20 pm ET)
- May 21st vs Switzerland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 22nd vs Finland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 24th vs Latvia (10:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs Germany (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Liam Kirk (Eisbaren Berlin – DEL)
Hungary
Thanks to a 4-2 win against Kazakhstan last year, Hungary was able to remain in the top division of the IIHF World Championship for a second consecutive year, something they’ve never done under the current format (top division, D1A/B, D2A/B, D3A/B, D4).
Hungary’s biggest threat coming into the tournament in Great Britain as it’ll more than likely be between those nations to see who is relegated to Division 1A for 2027. The Hungarians are confident in their ability to remain in the top division next year and have named a fairly decent roster in order to achieve that goal.
Headlining Hungary’s roster is Doman Szongoth, a 17-year-old forward that spent the 2025-26 season with KooKoo U20 in Finland. Szongoth is looking to become the highest drafted Hungarian ever into the NHL and has a decent opportunity to do so next month after being ranked 40th among European Skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Goaltenders Adam Vay and Bence Balizs will form a tandem once again this year and will play a crucial role in helping Hungary remain in the top division for Dusseldorf-Mannheim 2027.
Hungary’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Finland (10:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Austria (10:20 am ET)
- May 19th vs Great Britain (2:20 pm ET)
- May 22nd vs Germany (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Switzerland (10:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs United States (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Latvia (6:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Doman Szongoth (KooKoo U20 – U20 SM-sarja)
Italy
After spending the last three years in Division 1A, Italy is back at the top division of the IIHF World Championship for the first time since 2022 and just three months after hosting the Winter Olympics in Milan, they’re hoping to prove to everyone that they belong and can compete at this level on a yearly basis.
One big absence, at least to start the tournament, will be between the pipes. At the end of Brynas IF’s season, Damian Clara made his way to North America to finish off the year with the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls. Once the Gulls were eliminated from the postseason, Clara was called up to the Anaheim Ducks to serve as their third goaltender for the postseason. Should Anaheim lose their second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the expectation is that Clara will head to Switzerland for the tournament.
Despite not having Clara, Italy’s strength this tournament is in goal, with Davide Fadani more than capable of taking the starting reigns. The 25-year-old had a 2.59 goals against average and a .917 save percentage with HC Kloten in Switzerland this season.
Italy’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Canada (10:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Slovakia (6:20 am ET)
- May 19th vs Norway (10:20 am ET)
- May 20th vs Czechia (10:20 am ET)
- May 22nd vs Sweden (2:20 pm ET)
- May 24th vs Denmark (10:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs Slovenia (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Tommy Purdeller (HC Pustertal Wolfe – ICEHL)
Latvia
The Latvians come into the IIHF World Championship with a fairly young roster and no full-time NHLers, although Sandis Vilmanis will represent his nation after appearing in 19 games with the Florida Panthers this season and 48 with AHL Charlotte. 37-year-old Kaspars Daugavins is not on their roster this time around, neither is Arturs Silovs, Elvis Merzlikins, Teddy Blueger, Rodrigo Abols, Zemgus Girgensons or Uvis Balinskis.
Among those on Latvia’s roster this year is one of the top defensemen available for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft – Alberts Smits, who has had quite the year playing at the IIHF World Juniors, Winter Olympics, as well as the top divisions in Finland and Germany. Joining Smits on Latvia’s roster is 17-year-old Olivers Murnieks, who made 31 appearances for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs this season. Murnieks has committed to playing for Boston College (NCAA) starting in 2027 and is ranked 98th among North American Skaters by Central Scouting for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Latvia will push for a quarterfinal spot this year and if they’re able to get over the hump, likely by defeating Germany and Austria – their two biggest threats – it’ll be just their third trip to the playoff round at the IIHF World Championship in the last 16 years (8th in 2018, 3rd/Bronze in 2023).
Latvia’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Switzerland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 17th vs Germany (2:20 pm ET)
- May 19th vs Austria (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Finland (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs United States (6:20 am ET)
- May 24th vs Great Britain (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Hungary (6:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Alberts Smits (Jukurit – Liiga/Red Bull Munchen – DEL)
Norway
It’s been a tough go for the Norwegians at the IIHF World Championship over the last 13 years. The last time Norway made it to the playoff round was in 2012, finishing that year in 8th place after a quarterfinal loss to Russia.
This year won’t be any easier, especially with a couple of their top players unavailable to them to start the tournament. Veteran forward Mats Zuccarello is currently in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Minnesota Wild, who could see their season end tonight and if that’s the case, it opens up the door for him to participate at the World Championship. Also missing is 20-year-old Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, as he’s set to begin his AHL Central Division Final with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday night.
In their absence, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Noah Steen will be one to keep a close eye on. Steen spent the majority of his season in Sweden with Orebro HK before making the trip across the Atlantic to join the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar, Mathias Emilio Pettersen and former NHLer Andreas Martinsen are all going to play big roles as Norway looks to break their lengthy playoff round drought.
Between the pipes, Norway has a very intriguing option to be the nation’s starter for many years to come – Tobias Normann. Normann, 24, is coming off the best season of his professional career with Frolunda HC (SHL). In 24 regular season games, he sported a 1.68 GAA, a .923 save percentage and had three shutouts, while in the playoffs had a 1.33 GAA, a .921 save percentage and one shutout in five games.
Norway’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Slovakia (6:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Slovenia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 19th vs Italy (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Canada (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Sweden (2:20 pm ET)
- May 25th vs Czechia (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Denmark (6:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Noah Steen (Orebro HK – SHL/Syracuse Crunch – AHL)
Slovakia
Slovakia is looking to rebound after a disappointing performance at last year’s tournament, finishing sixth in Group A and missing out on the playoff round for the second time in three years.
Unfortunately for Slovakia, they’ll have just one full-time NHLer on their roster this time around – Martin Pospisil of the Calgary Flames. Juraj Slafkovsky is looking to help the Montreal Canadiens reach the Eastern Conference Final, while defensemen Simon Nemec and Erik Cernak are opting to rest and recover after suiting up for the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively, this season. Surprisingly, veteran forward Tomas Tatar is also not on Slovakia’s roster.
Adam Gajan and Samuel Hlavaj, Slovakia’s goaltending tandem at the Olympics, have been named to the nation’s roster, as have Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mesar, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jozef Viliam Kmec and New York Rangers prospect Adam Sykora, who made a name for himself at the 2022 tournament in his draft year, putting up two goals in six games as a 17-year-old.
Slovakia’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Norway (6:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Italy (6:20 am ET)
- May 19th vs Slovenia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 21st vs Denmark (2:20 pm ET)
- May 23rd vs Czechia (10:20 am ET)
- May 24th vs Canada (2:20 pm ET)
- May 26th vs Sweden (10:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Adam Liska (Severstal Cherepovets – KHL)
Slovenia
On the penultimate day of last year’s World Championship, Slovenia managed to secure a victory over France to remain in the top division for a second consecutive year. The last time Slovenia was in the top division in back-to-back years was 2005 and 2006.
While they might be in the mix for relegation once again this year, they do have a number of exciting players to keep an eye on, among them being 19-year-old defenseman Jan Golicic, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect who spent the 2025-26 season with the Gatineau Olympiques and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, registering a career-high 44 points in 57 games.
Along with Golicic, 22-year-old Matic Torok (Ilves Tampere – Liiga) and former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Jan Drozg (Ljubljana Olimpija HK – ICEHL) are two other names fans should watch closely. Torok, who turns 23 this summer, set new career-highs in goals (18), assists (19) and points (37) this season in Finland, while adding ten points in 13 playoff games.
Slovenia’s goaltending situation is where things get a little dicey, but it’s safe to assume that Lukas Horak will be the starter right out of the gate after strong season with Ljubljana Olimpija HK in the ICE Hockey League.
Slovenia’s schedule:
- May 16th vs Czechia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 17th vs Norway (2:20 pm ET)
- May 19th vs Slovakia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 20th vs Sweden (2:20 pm ET)
- May 22nd vs Canada (10:20 am ET)
- May 23rd vs Denmark (6:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs Italy (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Jan Golicic (Gatineau Olympiques/Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – QMJHL)
Sweden
After a bronze medal win on home ice last year, Sweden has their sights a bit higher this time around, but with a roster that’s on the weaker side, in terms of NHL talent, when compared to what we’ve seen from them in past years.
Despite that, there’s plenty for Swedish fans to be excited about including a three highly touted prospects 19 and under on their roster – Anton Frondell (19), Ivar Stenberg (18) and Viggo Bjorck (18). Ivar Stenberg had a historic season with Frolunda HC (SHL) and is projected to be taken with one of the first two picks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Viggo Bjorck won’t be on the board for long, with many expecting him to go in the top-ten.
Sweden will rely on that youth heavily throughout the tournament, but also have plenty of experience to draw upon if and when things get tough as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mattias Ekholm and Jakob Silfverberg will provide the veteran presence that the Swedes will need in the dressing room.
Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, who is coming off his third straight season with 70+ points, is going to be driving the bus offensively for Sweden in the tournament, something he’s more than capable of doing after putting up nine points in five games at the Winter Olympics in February.
In goal, look for Arvid Soderblom of the Chicago Blackhawks to carry the load for the tournament, with former NHLer Magnus Hellberg and 19-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect Love Harenstam also options for Swedish head coach Sam Hallam.
Sweden’s schedule:
- May 15th vs Canada (10:20 am ET)
- May 17th vs Denmark (10:20 am ET)
- May 18th vs Czechia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 20th vs Slovenia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 22nd vs Italy (2:20 pm ET)
- May 23rd vs Norway (2:20 pm ET)
- May 26th vs Slovakia (10:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Ivar Stenberg (Frolunda HC – SHL)
Switzerland
When you host the IIHF World Championship, it’s never hard for players from the National Hockey League to say ‘yes’ to an invite unless they’re injured or taking part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For this year’s hosts, Switzerland, they have plenty of NHL talent on their roster as they chase the gold medal following back-to-back silver medals in 2024 and 2025.
Nico Hischier, Roman Josi, Timo Meier, J.J. Moser, Pius Suter and Nino Niederreiter have all be named to Switzerland’s roster for the tournament. While Kevin Fiala and Jonas Siegenthaler are unavailable, this is a really strong Swiss roster and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if they finish first place in their group ahead of Finland and the United States.
39-year-old Reto Berra and 38-year-old Leonardo Genoni are nearing the end of their respective careers and would love nothing more than winning Switzerland’s first gold medal in IIHF World Championship history on home ice. It’s unclear who exactly will be the starter right away, especially given how well Reto Berra played with HC Fribourg-Gotteron (NL) this season and Leonardo Genoni’s strong performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but it’s safe to say the Swiss are set up for success up and down the lineup.
Switzerland’s schedule:
- May 15th vs United States (2:20 pm ET)
- May 16th vs Latvia (2:20 pm ET)
- May 18th vs Germany (2:20 pm ET)
- May 20th vs Austria (10:20 am ET)
- May 21st vs Great Britain (2:20 pm ET)
- May 23rd vs Hungary (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Finland (2:20 pm ET)
Player to Watch: Attilio Biasca (HC Fribourg-Gotteron – NL)
United States
92 years. That’s how long it took the United States to win the IIHF World Championship again and after taking home the gold medal last spring thanks to an overtime winner from Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson, it’s going to be very tough for them to repeat.
Youth will be on the United States’ side this year as all but three players on their roster are under the age of 30, including two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2026 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk, who headlines the American squad in Switzerland. Justin Faulk, the elder statesman on the roster at 34-years-old, was named captain recently.
James Hagens, Ryan Leonard and Isaac Howard will all play big roles offensively for the United States. Team USA’s roster also includes three members of their 2026 World Junior roster – the aforementioned James Hagens, Ryker Lee and Max Plante. 20-year-old New York Islanders prospect Danny Nelson (Notre Dame – NCAA) has also been named to the roster.
In the crease, the United States have three pretty good options available to them – Joseph Woll of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Devin Cooley of the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Drew Commesso. While Woll and Cooley will play the majority of the games for the United States, I look at that May 25th game against Hungary as an opportunity for Don Granato to give Drew Commesso a start.
United States’ schedule:
- May 15th vs Switzerland (2:20 pm ET)
- May 17th vs Great Britain (6:20 am ET)
- May 18th vs Finland (10:20 am ET)
- May 20th vs Germany (2:20 pm ET)
- May 23rd vs Latvia (6:20 am ET)
- May 25th vs Hungary (10:20 am ET)
- May 26th vs Austria (10:20 am ET)
Player to Watch: Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals – NHL)