Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Allan, Barracuda
While Sharks center Macklin Celebrini didn’t take home a gold medal in international action this year, he’s taking home an end-of-year international award. The IIHF announced that Celebrini has been voted the IIHF’s Male Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho (Finland) finished second in voting while Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (USA) was third. On top of finishing fourth in NHL scoring last season with 115 points, Celebrini had 10 points in six games at the Olympics, adding 14 more in 10 appearances at the Worlds, finishing second in scoring in both events. That earned him a spot on nearly 41% of the ballots which was enough to take home the award.
More from San Jose:
- Assistant GM Joe Will met with reporters today to discuss the team’s farm system. He noted to reporters including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that he expects Nolan Allan to make a push for a roster spot with the Sharks in the fall. Acquired midseason as part of the Laurent Brossoit trade, the 23-year-old will be waiver-eligible for the first time in 2026-27 which could help his chances of breaking camp with the big club. Allan has 43 career NHL contests under his belt with Chicago and had 14 points in 35 games with the Barracuda after being acquired. He signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract last month.
- Speaking of the Barracuda, Will indicated (via Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller) that a pair of veterans aren’t expected to return next season in Colin White and Oliver Wahlstrom. White spent the last two seasons in San Jose, playing primarily in the minors. The 29-year-old is coming off a strong showing, notching 48 points in 46 games but appears to be moving on. As for Wahlstrom, he notched 24 goals and 18 assists in 62 games last season, his first in the organization after coming over from Boston. The 2018 first-rounder had to settle for an AHL contract for 2025-26 and could be facing that same fate again heading into next season.
- Lastly, the Barracuda will be losing another netminder as AHL Hartford announced the signing of Gabriel Carriere. The 25-year-old played in 31 games for the Barracuda last season, posting a 2.76 GAA and a .896 SV%. Meanwhile, Hartford also revealed that they’ve inked forward Lucas Vanroboys for next season. The 26-year-old had seven points in 33 AHL contests last season.
International Notes: Worlds, IIHF Hall Of Fame, Subban
Sunday represented the end of the 2026 World Championship, with Finland taking on the host Switzerland in the Gold Medal Game. After the game was goalless in regulation, both teams drew iron with shots in first four minutes of overtime. Then, a little past the midway mark of overtime, Konsta Helenius (a late-event addition after the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs) was able to beat Leonardo Genoni to give Finland the Gold. It’s the third straight year that the Swiss squad has made the championship game and the third straight time they failed to score a goal. Although they came up short, Predators defenseman Roman Josi was named tournament MVP.
Meanwhile, in the Bronze Medal Game, Norway pulled off the upset, overcoming a blown two-goal lead with less than two minutes to go to beat Canada 3-2 in overtime. The winner was scored by Lightning prospect Noah Steen, who finished off the season in the minors with Syracuse. Heading into the tournament, Norway’s best finish came all the way back in 1951 when they finished fourth. It’s their first-ever medal in any IIHF top-division tournament. Canada, meanwhile, has now failed to secure a medal for the third straight year.
Other news from the world of international hockey:
- As is customary on the final day of the tournament, the IIHF revealed its 2026 Hall of Fame Class. A trio of former NHL players are among the class: center Patrice Bergeron, winger Thomas Vanek, and defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Winger Andres Ambuhl, briefly a Rangers prospect, was also among this year’s class with the mandatory waiting period being waived; he played in a record 20 World Championship events for the Swiss. Former NHL head coach Ralph Krueger along with Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Florence Schelling, and outgoing IIHF President Luc Tardif round out the class.
- After failing to land a deal in North America at the start of the season, Malcolm Subban had to wait a little more than a month before he landed a deal in Czechia. He didn’t play a ton (just 11 games between two leagues) but he did well enough for the league champions to stick around. HC Dynamo Pardubice announced that they’ve inked the 32-year-old for the upcoming season. Subban is only a couple of years removed from being pressed into NHL action but with limited playing time since then, it’s looking less likely that he’ll receive another opportunity at the top level.
Timo Meier Given One-Game Suspension In World Championship
According to a public announcement, the IIHF Disciplinary Commission has given a one-game suspension to Team Switzerland’s Timo Meier for a knee-on-knee hit in the quarterfinals against Team Sweden. It’s a tough blow to Team Switzerland, as they are looking to reach the Gold Medal game for the third consecutive season.
The play of note came in the second period of the quarterfinal matchup. Oskar Sundqvist received the puck in the offensive zone and quickly adjusted when Meier was attempting to deliver a check. Instead, Meier followed Sundqvist’s path and was given a minor penalty for the play.
As is typically the case, the IIHF Disciplinary Commission reviewed whether there was a reasonable expectation of Meier being able to get out of the way. If it’s clear that he wasn’t, there likely wouldn’t have been a suspension since intent would have been removed from the situation.
In the announcement, the Disciplinary Commission said, “The Disciplinary Panel determined that this was not a situation where a sudden movement by the opposing player created unavoidable contact. Rather, Meier adjusted to his opponent’s movement and extended his knee, causing direct knee-on-knee contact.”
Although he’s had his offensive struggles for the New Jersey Devils, that hasn’t been the case for Meier at the World Championships. Playing on the most dominant team thus far, Meier is third on the team in scoring with three goals and 11 points in eight games with a +10 rating.
Team Switzerland will have to beat Team Norway tomorrow to reach the Gold Medal game for the third consecutive year. Unlike the Swiss, the Norwegians have never reached the Gold Medal game and have only finished as high as fourth in the tournament, most recently in 1951.
IIHF To Decide On Russia Participation On Event-By-Event Basis
The IIHF announced an update this morning to Russia’s eligibility to compete in IIHF competitions for the 2026-27 season. The announcement came during the organization’s annual congress held in Zurich, Switzerland this week.
In its update, the IIHF wrote that the original decision made by the IIHF Council in January to rule out Russian participation in IIHF events for the 2026-27 season, which was appealed by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, has been overturned by the IIHF’s Disciplinary Board.
The IIHF stressed that this does not mean that Russia has automatically been reintegrated. Instead, they said the decision has been sent back to the IIHF Council to be re-analyzed “based on safety, security, operational, and sporting plans.”
As a result, the IIHF says it will decide on Russian eligibility to participate in IIHF competitions “on an event-by-event basis.”
While the decision is by no means an indication that Russia will be able to quickly re-enter IIHF events, it does mark a notable development in Russia’s favor as the country looks to return to full international competition. That the country has no longer been fully ruled out for the upcoming season is an improvement from their position in the last few years. The move comes just one day after Belarus was reinstated for IIHF tournaments.
Russia and Belarus have not been allowed to participate in any major international competition since the former’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a result of the conflict, the IIHF cited security concerns in keeping the country out of competition.
Russia’s ice hockey federation issued a statement against the ban in February, which read in part: “the argument regarding the impossibility of ensuring the safety of participants in international tournaments involving Russian national teams is no longer relevant, lacks any basis, and is merely a formal pretext for denying our country’s participation.”
The key underlying issue with Russia’s participation is the stance of numerous European hockey federations, including superpowers Sweden, Finland, and Czechia.
Sweden’s federation has previously strongly backed the IIHF’s ban, calling it “absolutely necessary.” The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported earlier this year that it was “highly unlikely Finland, Sweden or Czechia would agree to play in any tournament featuring a team from Russia with the war ongoing.” The source he cited “also questioned whether the Canadian government would allow its athletes to participate in such an event.”
Now that the IIHF will have to decide on Russian participation on an event-by-event basis, it appears the governing body’s disciplinary board has dealt a blow to the IIHF’s previous argument that cited safety concerns.
While this is by no means a guarantee Russia will return to international competition at any specific point, it does make that a more realistic possibility than it has been at any point since the country’s ban was originally imposed, though significant opposition from other federations remains.
Belarus Reinstated For IIHF Tournaments
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has announced that Belarus will be reinstated for competition beginning next season per Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff. The announcement came during the organization’s annual congress held in Zurich, Switzerland this week. Belarus has been barred from international competition since 2021 due to their involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a statement, the IIHF said:
This decision was not taken lightly. The safety and well-being of players, officials, fans, volunteers, and all participants remains our highest priority. Based on the assessments conducted and ongoing consultations with relevant stakeholders, we believe this can be done in a safe, responsible, and controlled manner.
No update was provided on Russia’s eligibility for IIHF tournaments. In a statement, the Russian Hockey Federation acknowledged their partnership with the IIHF to work back towards tournament eligibility while also noting that their ban remains in place.
Belarus’ last participation in an IIHF tournament was at the 2022 World Junior Championship Division-1A tournament. They won the tournament with a 5-0-0 record and 26-to-eight goal differential. Their roster was laden with NHL talent. Top draft pick Artyom Levshunov led a group that also featured forwards Vitali Pinchuk and Yegor Sidorov, defensemen Dmitri Kuzmin and Daniil Karpovich, and goaltender Aleksei Kolosov. Belarus was suspended from IIHF competition following this tournament and Latvia – the Silver Medal winners – were promoted in their place.
Belarus appears set to join the top division of the World U18 Championship, but the second division of the World Championship, ahead of the IIHF’s 2027 tournaments. The country will bring a high-powered roster to the men’s tournament, while also boasting a chance to showcase their top draft-eligible prospects next season.
Evening Notes: Avalanche, Trocheck, World Championship
Yesterday, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar called Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns, and Artturi Lehkonen day-to-day, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. However, after today’s skate, Bednar has a positive update this afternoon on their current injury list, saying, “I think everyone is going to be available, but we will see.”
During this afternoon’s skate, Manson was on the ice in a regular jersey, which is a great sign. Additionally, Sam Malinski, who had been skating in a non-contact jersey, returned to full participation today, though he has not been listed day-to-day. Makar, Burns, and Lehkonen were still not on the ice. Taking necessary precautions with a banged-up D-corps, defenseman Alex Gagne was at practice with the Avalanche today.
The Avalanche still have two days off before they begin their Western Conference Final matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. The Avalanche bested Vegas in their regular-season meetings this year, going 2-0-1. However, when they last met in Round 2 of the 2021 postseason, Vegas eliminated Colorado in six games. With a Cup Final appearance on the line, the extra rest could prove pivotal for a banged-up Avs squad.
Additional evening notes:
- New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck’s name has been circulating amongst trade rumors for some time now. The Rangers are trying to get rid of his contract, per Darren Dreger of TSN, which has three more years remaining at a $5.63MM AAV. The original asking price for the 32-year-old center was a first-round pick, a top-level prospect, and an additional asset, and according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that remains unchanged. It is no secret that teams around the NHL are always interested in a first or second-line center, as they seldom become available, so this will be an intriguing story to follow throughout the summer. Trocheck had 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games last season.
- Day three of the IIHF Men’s World Championship concluded this afternoon in Switzerland. Through two games, Group A is led by Austria, Finland, and Switzerland, tied with six points each, with Austria holding the tiebreaker in goal differential. Group B sees a similar logjam at the top, as Canada and Slovakia are also deadlocked at six points apiece, with Canada owning the tiebreaker. Team USA bounced back this afternoon with a 5-1 victory against Great Britain after suffering a tournament-opening loss to the Swiss on Friday. Former NHL forward Jesse Puljujärvi leads the tournament in scoring through two games with three goals and five points. The action starts back up for day four tomorrow with Finland vs USA and Canada vs Denmark, both starting at 9:20 AM CST.
Blackhawks’ Teuvo Teravainen To Miss Remainder Of World Championship
Winger Teuvo Teravainen will miss the remainder of the 2026 IIHF World Championship with an undisclosed injury, Team Finland announced on Saturday. Teravainen recorded two assists in Finland’s win over Team Germany to start the tournament.
This will be an irreplaceable loss for the Finns. Teravainen led the team in scoring at the 2025 World Championships with 11 points – including a tournament-leading 10 assists – in seven games. He failed to keep that hot scoring rolling in the 2026 Winter Olympics, with just one point in six games. Still, Teravainen’s two-way, veteran presence has proved to be a reliable part of Finland’s top-six.
That is the same role he has brought to the Chicago Blackhawks over the last two seasons. He reached 58 points in the 2024-25 season, his first year back on the middling Blackhawks lineup. Those numbers fell to 35 points in 76 games this year, though Teravainen still seemed to stand out on a nightly basis while supporting Blackhawks youngsters Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.
Teravainen’s summer focus will now turn towards working back to full health before returning to that spot in Chicago’s lineup next season. It will be the final year on his current contract and should go better than last season, thanks to the addition of Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov.
Team Canada Notes: Crosby, Barzal, Mercer
Sidney Crosby will join Team Canada at the IIHF Men’s World Championship tournament, Hockey Canada announced today. Crosby’s decision marks the second consecutive season in which the Penguins’ captain has decided to head to IIHF Worlds. Crosby scored 12 points in eight games at last year’s edition of the tournament, although Canada was upset in the quarterfinals by Denmark. One of the game’s greatest players of all time, Crosby has already represented Canada on numerous occasions. He’s a member of the Triple Gold Club, meaning he has won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal, and IIHF World Championship.
Crosby joins a Canada roster that is already looking like the strongest in the tournament by a wide margin. The Canadians are set to be captained by 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini. It is unclear if Celebrini will hand over the captaincy to Crosby, who has served as captain for Canada every time he’s represented them over the past decade. If nothing else, it would be quite the sight to see Celebrini, 19, serving as Crosby’s captain. In any case, the announcement is a good sign for Crosby’s health. He briefly left the bench during game five of the Penguins’ first-round loss to the Flyers to get his knee checked, but it appears that he has not suffered an injury of any sort.
Other notes from Hockey Canada:
- While Canada has added one of the game’s top forwards in Crosby, they’ve also lost another premier NHL forward: Mathew Barzal. The New York Islanders star will miss IIHF Worlds as what Hockey Canada describes as “a precaution” due to a “minor, pre-existing injury.” Barzal, who scored 19 goals and 72 points this past season, has played at two prior IIHF Worlds tournaments. He scored eight points in nine games during the 2022 tournament, and had seven points in 10 games at the 2018 championship. He won a silver medal for Canada in 2022 but is still waiting on his first gold.
- Team Canada also added another forward from the Metropolitan Division today: Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. Like Barzal, Mercer has also represented Canada at IIHF Worlds on two occasions: first in 2022, and again in 2024. Mercer won a silver medal with Barzal in 2022 and has scored nine points in 19 career games at the World Championships. The 24-year-old can play both center and on the wing, and scored 20 goals and 42 points for New Jersey this past season.
Czechia Shares World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship getting started in Switzerland on Friday, May 15, Czechia also released their roster earlier today, joining Canada, United States, and Finland. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward roster is below:
Goaltenders
Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Praha, Czechia)
Petr Kváča (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia)
Dominik Pavlát (Ilves, Liiga)
Defensemen
Marek Alscher (Panthers)
Tomas Cibulka (HC Motor České Budějovice, Czechia)
Tomáš Galvas (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia) —
Libor Hájek (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Filip Hronek (Canucks)
Michal Kempný (Brynäs IF, SHL)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät, Liiga)
Forwards
Ondřej Beránek (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Matěj Blümel (Bruins)
Jiří Černoch (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Roman Červenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jaroslav Chmelař (Rangers)
Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Michal Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Dominik Kubalík (EV Zug, Swiss NL)
Jan Mandát (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Matyáš Melovský (Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
David Tomášek (Färjestad BK, SHL)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Out of a group with less NHL talent, Hronek’s name jumps out on the page, a top defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks who played a career high 25 minutes a night this season. Missing superstar David Pastrňák, who came away as the top scorer of the tournament last spring, it is Hronek who will be leaned on heavily by the Czechs. Elsewhere, Chmelař, Alscher, Blümel, and Tomášek are the only other players on the team who skated in the NHL this year.
Tomášek joined the Oilers as a 29-year-old free agent, his tenure ending in December, returning to the SHL. Alscher and Blümel played in four games each, the former making a nice impression with Florida, while Blümel netted 21 goals in 58 games with the Providence Bruins, a step down from his AHL-leading 39 the year prior. Finally, Chmelař recorded just six points in 28 games with the Rangers, but at 6’4″ and just 22, he’s a nice piece to their future bottom six.
Moving along, Červenka will add another feather to his cap of a long career. Playing in the NHL with the Flames in 2012-13, he has since carved out a tremendous career spanning across several leagues, now aged 40. The forward has served as captain for Czechia across international competition for nearly a decade, including the Olympic Games, and he’s still a top scorer with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
Kubalík, Kempný, and Sedlák are recognizable former NHL names, the first of which with a 30-goal campaign to kickstart his NHL career with the Blackhawks six years ago. Unfortunately he was never able to replicate such production, leaving the NHL after 2023-24, and since playing in Swiss-A.
Rounding out the group of names to watch, Melovský and Galvas stand out as being young NHL hopefuls. Galvas, 20, is a notable prospect for the 2026 draft, expected to have his name called in the second or third round. A 5’10” lefty defenseman, his best trait is skating ability, impressively leading all defenseman in scoring on Bílí Tygři Liberec. Melovský, meanwhile, will be watched by Devils fans especially, a sixth round pick of the team in 2024. Already in North America, he came away with 26 points in 55 games with Utica in his first professional season. It’s a good start for a former fringe prospect who hopes his physicality will lead to an NHL role some day.
The Czechs will be lead by Radim Rulík. The 60-year-old served as the nation’s head coach in the Olympic Games, a highlight as part of his experience since joining the international circuit in 2021.
Finland Releases World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship underway on Friday, May 15, Finland was the latest notable squad to release their roster earlier today, joining Canada and the United States. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward group, headed to Switzerland, is as follows:
Goaltenders
Justus Annunen (Predators)
Joonas Korpisalo (Bruins)
Harri Säteri (EHL Biel-Bienne, NL)
Defensemen
Ville Heinola (Jets)
Henri Jokiharju (Bruins)
Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC Lions, NL)
Olli Määttä (Flames)
Nikolas Matinpalo (Senators)
Vili Saarijärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Mikael Seppälä (HC Sparta Praha, EHL)
Urho Vaakanainen (Rangers)
Forwards
Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
Hannes Björninen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Eemil Erholtz (Kärpät Oulu)
Lenni Hämeenaho (Devils)
Janne Kuokkanen (Malmö Redhawks, SHL)
Anton Lundell (Panthers)
Saku Mäenalanen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Sakari Manninen (Gèneve Servette HC, NL
Waltteri Merelä (SC Bern, NL)
Sami Päivärinta (HPK Hämeenlinna)
Patrik Puistola (Örebro HK, SHL)
Jesse Puljujärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Aatu Räty (Canucks)
Teuvo Teräväinen (Blackhawks)
Far and away the biggest name of the group, it’s encouraging for Panthers fans to see Barkov set to go after suffering a major knee injury in the first practice of training camp, requiring surgery on both his ACL and MCL. Obviously not the type of hockey the 30-year-old has become accustomed to playing in May, as Florida came up short of making the playoffs and buying enough time for his return, Barkov returns to the international stage. Having missed the chance at the Olympic Games earlier this year, he most recently represented Finland at the NHL 4 Nations Tournament. The 30-year-old last played in the IIHF World Championships one decade ago, a young star skating alongside national legends Mikko Koivu and Jussi Jokinen.
Puljujärvi is another interesting name to watch out of the forwards, as he finished second in team scoring on Geneve Servette in the Swiss league with 52 points in as many games, his first season post-North America. A teammate of former NHLers such as Markus Granlund (their top scorer), Jan Rutta, and Jimmy Vesey, the group had a strong season but lost four games to one versus Fribourg in the playoffs. If he can continue to stack up such production, another NHL look isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but of course far from his former elite potential as a fourth overall pick (2016).
Lead by head coach Antti Pennanen, the roster is largely built of more experienced players, lacking young prospects who have yet to break into the NHL. Tampa Bay’s unsigned 20-year-old Benjamin Rautiainen, who led Liiga with 77 points in 59 games, is not on the roster at this point with the league finals still ongoing. Still, out of their 12 NHL players, Finland boasts one of the best players in the tournament in Barkov, who will look to make something of his 2025-26 year before moving on to next fall with Florida.
Pennanen, 47, will be hungry to prove something in the tournament after a rough showing at the 4 Nations left a mark on his record. He and Team Finland bounced back into a bronze medal in Milan, now seeking IIHF gold for the first time since 2022.