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Czechia Releases 2023 IIHF World Championship Roster

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Following Finland who released their group earlier today, Czechia has announced the roster that will represent them at the IIHF World Championships that begin next week. Unlike Finland, Czechia will compete in Group B, meaning their games will take place at Arena Riga, in Riga, Latvia. Their group includes Canada, Switzerland, and regional rival Slovakia, among others.

This Czech roster is a bit lighter on NHL talent compared to Finland, the United States, and Canada, as one might expect. They do have a few names NHL fans would recognize, though, such as New York Rangers rising star Filip Chytil, Arizona Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka, Detroit Red Wings scorer Dominik Kubalik, 548-game NHL veteran Vladimir Sobotka.

The section of the Czech roster that has the fewest recognizable names from an NHL perspective is their defense, which is headlined by 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempny and Boston Bruins 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zboril. Beyond that, they’re relying on Arizona Coyotes farmhand Ronald Knot and a few talented players from European leagues, such as former Carolina Hurricane Michal Jordan.

F Ondrej Beranek
F Jiri Cernoch
F Roman Cervenka
F Jakub Flek
F Filip Chlapik
F Filip Chytil
F Martin Kaut
F Dominik Kubalik
F Lukas Sedlak
F Jiri Smejkal
F Vladimir Sobotka
F Michael Spacek
F David Tomasek
F Daniel Vozenilek

D Tomas Dvorak
D Michal Jordan
D Michal Kempny
D Ronald Knot
D Jan Kostalek
D Tomas Kundratek
D David Nemecek
D Jakub Zboril

G Karel Vejmelka
G Marek Langhamer
G Simon Hrubec

Finland Releases 2023 IIHF World Championship Roster

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Finland has released the roster of players that will represent them at the 2023 IIHF World Championships next week. Finland will compete in Group A of the tournament, a group containing fellow hockey heavyweights such as Sweden, the United States, and Germany. They are hosts for half of the tournament and the medal games, with Group A contests, the semifinals, and finals set to be played at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.

This Finnish roster boasts some impressive talent, notably headlined by Colorado Avalanche superstar Mikko Rantanen. Other current NHLers on the roster include Kaapo Kakko, Olli Maatta, Kasperi Kapanen, and Joel Armia. Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine, one of the most naturally talented Finnish players in the world, won’t be playing in the tournament due to injury. Per a team announcement, Laine isn’t yet back to 100% after missing the final 12 games of the NHL season with an injury and prioritizing his recovery the choice was made to not represent Finland.

Perhaps the most interesting group of players to look at outside just the NHLers is in the crease. The Finns have 26-year-old Christian Heljanko as an option, fresh off of a season where he shined in the highest-pressure moments for his club Tappara Tampere. He backstopped Tappara to a Champions Hockey League title and Liiga title, but one wonders if that’ll be enough to unseat last year’s starter Jussi Olkinoura.

Olkinoura began the year with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but struggled through 15 games and eventually left to help save Brynas IF from relegation from the SHL, an attempt that ultimately failed. He shined in international play last year, though, earning Goalie of the Tournament honors at last year’s edition as well as the gold medal at both the IIHF Worlds and 2022 Winter Olympics. Also in the mix to start for Finland is Emil Larmi, who was among the best goalies in the SHL this season and recently led Vaxjo Lakers to a championship, winning playoff MVP honors along the way.

Will Finland trust their tournament in the hands of one of two players coming off of an excellent club season? Or will they keep faith in Olkinoura, who struggled in club play this season but led the country to Olympic and World Championship glory last year, and has a 14-1-1 record, 1.17 goals-against-average, and .947 save percentage in IIHF World Championship play?

Here’s the team as a whole:

F Marko Anttila
F Joel Armia
F Hannes Bjorninen
F Teemu Hartikainen
F Kaapo Kakko
F Kasperi Kapanen
F Juho Lammikko
F Sakari Manninen
F Waltteri Merela
F Ahti Oksanen
F Harri Pesonen
F Mikko Rantanen
F Jere Sallinen
F Antti Suomela

D Niklas Friman
D Miika Koivisto
D Mikko Lehtonen
D Olli Maatta
D Atte Ohtamaa
D Ville Pokka
D Mikael Seppala

G Christian Heljanko
G Emil Larmi
G Jussi Olkinuora

Snapshots: Hofer, Middleton, Senators, Korpisalo

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After revealing their initial roster yesterday for the upcoming World Championship, Hockey Canada announced (Twitter link) that Blues goaltender Joel Hofer and Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton have been added to the roster.  Hofer spent most of the season with AHL Springfield but didn’t look out of place in six games with St. Louis where he posted a .905 SV%.  He’s expected to be the backup for the Blues next season and will compete for playing time in this event with Buffalo’s Devon Levi and Montreal’s Samuel Montembeault.

As for Middleton, the 27-year-old played in 79 games for the Wild this season, picking up 15 points and 155 blocks while logging over 19 minutes a night, all career bests.  He also picked up a pair of assists and 24 blocked shots in Minnesota’s opening-round exit to Dallas.  It will be his first time representing Canada internationally.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Another celebrity has joined in on the bidding for the Senators as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that The Weeknd has joined the Kimel bid, one of the seven groups believed to still be in the race for the team. This comes on the heels of Snoop Dogg partnering up with Neko Sparks’ bid in recent days while Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group are known to be putting together a competitive bid.  The rough deadline for final offers is the middle of May.
  • When he met with the media earlier this week including Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider, Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo indicated that there hasn’t been much in the way of discussions on a possible contract extension. The 29-year-old was quite impressive for Los Angeles down the stretch, posting a 2.13 GAA with a .921 SV% in 11 games, helping him earn the starting role for the playoffs.  Korpisalo is finishing a one-year, $1.3MM deal that was signed on the heels of an injury-riddled season but now, he’ll enter the open market as one of the top netminders available which could more than triple that rate on his next contract.

Hockey Canada Releases Initial 2023 World Championship Roster

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Hockey Canada has released the initial complement of 20 players that will represent their country at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships next week in Finland.

It’s a more experienced roster than their American counterparts released, at least in terms of current NHL caliber. In net, they’re likely the most well-set team in the tournament, with projected rookie sensation Devon Levi sharing the crease with Montreal Canadien Sam Montembeault, who had a strong season in a tandem role with Jake Allen.

While 2023 presumptive first-overall selection Connor Bedard won’t join the team, likely to avoid risking injuries prier to his rookie season in the NHL, projected second-overall pick Adam Fantilli will. After capturing the Hobey Baker award in what’s likely his only season at the University of Michigan, Fantilli will join seasoned NHL veterans such as Milan Lucic, Scott Laughton, and Tyler Toffoli as Canada goes for gold at the Worlds.

Their defense is highlighted by MacKenzie Weegar. Although he had a tough season in Calgary, he’s not far removed from being a top 20 defender in the world and should make a significant impact at the tournament. Youngsters Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Justin Barron will also get a chance to shine for the Canadians.

The full 20-player roster is as follows:

F Cody Glass
F Jack McBain
F Milan Lucic
F Peyton Krebs
F Scott Laughton
F Jack Quinn
F Jake Neighbours
F Lawson Crouse
F Tyler Toffoli
F Sammy Blais
F Joe Veleno
F Adam Fantilli

D Pierre-Olivier Joseph
D Justin Barron
D MacKenzie Weegar
D Tyler Myers
D Ethan Bear
D Jake Walman

G Devon Levi
G Sam Montembeault

Snapshots: Gavrikov, Rossi, Teravainen

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Earlier this afternoon, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times took some quotes from Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, telling the reporter that his family loved living in Los Angeles for the last couple of months, but also said “We’ll see what happens” on whether or not he will extend his tenure with the Kings. Gavrikov is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

Gavrikov had previously spent three seasons playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but with the Blue Jackets not meeting expectations this season, Gavrikov was subsequently dealt to the Kings with teammate Joonas Korpisalo. In 52 games in Columbus this season, Gavrikov scored three goals and seven assists, and would almost match that same output in only 20 games in Los Angeles. Gavrikov is one of the better defensive defensemen in the game, as he has blocked over 100 shots in each of his previous last two seasons.

In their opening-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, Gavrikov continued his strong play on the Kings’ back end, playing in all six games, accruing 16 hits, and earning a rating of +5. In the upcoming free agency period in July, Gavrikov joins a list of notable defensemen that play best on the defensive side of the puck, such as Ryan Graves, Scott Mayfield, Connor Clifton, and Dmitry Orlov.

Other snapshots:

  • Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Minnesota Wild prospect, Marco Rossi, will suit up for Team Austria in the 2023 IIHF World Championships. Although playing in limited NHL action over the last two seasons, Rossi has been one of the better performers in the AHL, playing for the Iowa Wild. In his rookie season, Rossi scored 18 goals and 35 assists in 63 games played, and followed that up with almost a point-per-game performance this year, scoring 51 points in 53 games. In the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, although his team was eliminated in two games by the Rockford IceHogs, Rossi managed a goal and an assist.
  • In some positive news regarding an injury for the Carolina Hurricanes, Tom Gulitti of the NHL reports that forward Teuvo Teravainen participated in an off-ice workout today. Teravainen is currently healing from a broken hand, and although this is a major step in the right direction for his return, it is still unknown whether or not he will be back for the playoffs. In somewhat of a down year compared to his previous standards, Teravainen only managed 37 points in 65 games this year, but would undoubtedly be a welcome return to a surging Carolina team.

Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko Heading To World Championship

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New York Rangers forwards Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko will join Team Czechia and Team Finland, respectively, at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship, they told reporters today.

Coming off the heels of a disappointing first-round loss, the two Rangers youngsters now get a shot at redemption at the closest thing to a best-on-best tournament in men’s hockey today. The 2023 edition of the tournament, which will take place in Tampere and Helsinki in Finland, begins next week.

Neither Czechia nor Finland have announced their full rosters for the tournament. They’ll be competing in separate groups, with Finland among the assumed leaders in Group A alongside Sweden and the United States, while Czechia is at the higher end of Group B with Canada and Slovakia.

This will be Chytil’s fourth appearance with Czechia at the tournament. In 20 games combined in the 2018, 2019, and 2021 tournaments, he’s registered four goals and eight points. After a breakout season this year in which he broke the 20-goal and 40-point plateaus for the first time, expect a rejuvenated performance from him.

For Kakko, it’s his second appearance at the tournament after scoring six goals in 10 games with Finland in 2019, leading the team to a gold medal. Finland has reached the final game in three consecutive tournaments.

Jake Guentzel To Miss World Championships

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Earlier this afternoon, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported that Pittsburgh Penguins all-star forward, Jake Guentzel, will miss the upcoming IIHF World Championships due to an undisclosed injury. It was also noted that Guentzel is not necessarily physically unable to play, but this move is mostly precautionary.

Initially, during the Penguins’ exit interviews on April 15th at the conclusion of the season, Guentzel did note that he expected to play for Team USA during this year’s World Championships. As recently as Tuesday, during a podcast with Craig Custance of The Athletic, the head coach of the USA team, David Quinn, also expected Guentzel to be a part of the team as well (Tweet Link).

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Guentzel’s agent, Ben Hankinson, mentions that the injury is not very serious, and Guentzel will be ready to start the 2023-24 season with the Penguins. Being one of the few bright spots on Pittsburgh’s roster this year, Guentzel is not a forward that the Penguins could afford to miss.

For the fifth year in a row, Guentzel once again hovered close to a point-per-game, scoring 36 goals and 37 assists in 78 games played. This season, Pittsburgh finished 16th in the NHL in Goals For with a total of 261 as a team on the year. Scoring 13.8% of all Penguins goals this season, Guentzel is leaned on in a huge way as a big part of Pittsburgh’s offense.

Rasmus Sandin To Play At World Championships

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Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin has been selected to represent Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, as announced by the team today. Sandin, 23, had a career-high 35 points this season, including seven goals and 28 assists, in 71 games with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Capitals.

His arrival will be invaluable for the Swedish team at the tournament. They’ll be without a big contributor on offense due to an insurance issue stopping Vancouver Canucks superstar Elias Pettersson from suiting up for them at the tournament.

After being acquired by the Capitals from the Maple Leafs via trade on February 28, Sandin recorded 15 points in 19 games, including three assists in his Capitals debut on March 4 against the San Jose Sharks. He became the first defenseman and seventh skater in Capitals franchise history to record three points in his first game with the team. Sandin also set a franchise record for the fewest games required by a defenseman to reach 10 points in the team’s history, achieving the feat in just seven games.

Sandin’s selection to represent Sweden is not a new experience for the young defenseman, as he previously represented Sweden at the 2019 and 2020 World Junior Championships. In 2020, he earned a bronze medal and was named the tournament’s top defenseman, recording 10 points in seven games, which was the most by any defenseman in the tournament.

His international success is not limited to his play at the Worlds. He also participated in the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, where he helped Sweden earn the bronze medal. Sandin also captained Sweden to the gold medal at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Snapshots: Laine, Jagr, Perreault

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Columbus Blue Jackets winger Patrik Laine is heading to the World Championships per a team release. The tournament is taking place in Riga, Latvia and Tampere, Finland which is Laine’s hometown. The tournament begins May 12 and gold medals will be handed out on May 28. Laine has represented his country in the past, but not since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. He last played at the World Championships in 2016 where he scored seven goals and 12 points in 10 games.

Laine is available due to Columbus finishing the regular season near the bottom of the NHL standings. The 25-year-old sniper scored 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games this season, but the Blue Jackets ended up in 31st with 59 points in the standings. Laine dealt with a number of injuries this season, including an elbow injury that caused him to miss a couple of weeks in October, an ankle injury that knocked him out for another couple weeks in November and an arm injury that caused him to miss the final three weeks of the regular season. A trip to the World Championships in his hometown is a nice way to end a bumpy season that was filled with nagging injuries and many losses.

  • Another player who will be playing again in his hometown is veteran winger Jaromir Jagr. Derek O’Brien of IIHF.com reports Jagr will return to Kladno’s lineup next season, during such time he will turn 52 years old. The veteran superstar last played in the NHL in 2017-18, but has been playing in Czech Extraliga ever since where he scored 14 points in 26 games. Jagr scored 766 goals and 1921 points in his NHL career.
  • Per Chris Peters of FloHockey reports Gabe Perreault has broken an impressive USA Hockey record. The 17-year-old forward is playing at the World Under-18 Hockey Championships for USA and had a five point effort against Norway today. In the process, he broke the single-season points record by a U.S. National Team Development Player. Perreault now has 121 points on the season. The previous record of 117 was held by Auston Matthews. Will Smith, another draft eligible forward on the team this season has 113 points. The only others to ever score 100 points for the program are Jack Hughes, Clayton Keller and Cole Caufield.

Connor Bedard Will Not Play In World Championships

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Jeff Marek of Sportsnet reports that the presumptive first-overall pick in this year’s upcoming draft, Connor Bedard, will not suit up for Team Canada in the upcoming World Hockey Championships. This indicates that we have seen the last of Bedard for this season, and his next bit of competitive hockey action will be in the NHL next year.

In one of the most incredible junior seasons throughout WHL history, Bedard cemented himself as one of the most important prospects in the game. In 57 games played for the Regina Pats, the captain of the team scored 71 goals and 72 assists, leading Regina to an 11th-place finish in the league. Outside of the WHL, Bedard also led Team Canada in this year’s World Junior Championship, scoring nine goals and 14 assists in only seven games, leading Team Canada to the gold medal.

In an unfortunate end to his likely last season in junior hockey, the Regina Pats were eliminated by the Saskatoon Blades in seven games, eliminating Regina from the WHL playoffs, and ultimately the Memorial Cup playoffs as well. Although losing, it was no fault of Bedard, as the young prospect scored 10 goals and 10 assists in their opening-round matchup.

In just over two weeks, the NHL and its fans will learn who will likely take Bedard first overall in this year’s draft, as the NHL draft lottery is scheduled for May 8th. In recent years, there have been some surprise teams leap into the first-overall slot, but it will most likely fall to either the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, or Chicago Blackhawks, as all three teams have over a 10% chance of winning the draft lottery in May.

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