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USA Hockey Announces Final 2024 World Championship Roster

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May 5: USA Hockey has invited nine more players to join their upcoming World Championship roster, including college hockey standouts Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The roster now carries 21 skaters and two goaltenders, one shy of the limit for both positions. There’s been no indication of who could round out Team USA’s roster, or if the team will look for additional hands at all.

It has also been announced that Dylan Larkin will no longer be able to participate due to injury, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Larkin has been removed from the official roster.

Apr. 24: USA Hockey announced the first 15 players named to their roster for the 2024 World Championship on Wednesday. The remaining eight-ish players will be announced before tournament action begins on May 10.

Only players on the 16 NHL teams who missed out on the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are on the initial roster. Others will join in as their clubs are bounced from postseason action, even after the World Championship begins.

Early on, it’s clear that the promise of potential spots on the United States roster for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics is making this a more well-attended World Championship than in years past. Some big-ticket stars like Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, and Blue Jackets stars Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski highlight the initial roster. The full slate is as follows:

F Matt Boldy (Wild)
F Cole Caufield (Canadiens)
F Michael Eyssimont (Lightning)
F Joel Farabee (Flyers)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Blue Jackets)
F Kevin Hayes (Blues)
F Luke Kunin (Sharks)
F Ryan Leonard (Boston College, Capitals)
F Brock Nelson (Islanders)
F Shane Pinto (Senators)
F Will Smith (Boston College, Sharks)
F Brady Tkachuk (Senators)
F Trevor Zegras (Ducks)

D Luke Hughes (Devils)
D Seth Jones (Blackhawks)
D Jake Sanderson (Senators)
D Alex Vlasic (Blackhawks)
D Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)
D Jeff Petry (Red Wings)
D Matthew Kessel (Blues)
D Michael Kesselring (Utah HC)

G Alex Lyon (Red Wings)
G Trey Augustine (Michigan State, Red Wings)

This year’s Worlds will take place in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia, although some pre-tournament action is taking place across the border in Bratislava, Slovakia. The U.S. is the highest-ranked country in Group B, which will play its round-robin schedule in Ostrava’s 10,004-seat Ostravar Aréna.

Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson is at the helm of this year’s men’s national team before Wild GM Bill Guerin takes the reins for the truly best-on-best 2025 and 2026 tournaments. The Americans have won bronze medals in four of the last 10 World Championships (2013, 2015, 2018, 2021) but haven’t won gold since 1960, as part of that year’s Winter Olympics in California. Wild head coach John Hynes will be behind the bench.

Snapshots: Draft Lottery, Petry, Blues

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The NHL announced today the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery will be held on Tuesday, May 7, to determine the order of selection for the first 16 picks of the first round. It’s widely regarded as a deep class at the top with not much separation throughout the top 10 prospects, but there is a clear-cut choice at first overall.

That’s Boston University center Macklin Celebrini, who’s coming off one of the most memorable freshman seasons in NCAA history. He did everything short of winning the national championship, winning the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player after leading the Terriers in scoring with 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games. He’s also the youngest player in NCAA history, playing his entire freshman year at age 17. He doesn’t turn 18 until June 13.

The Sharks have the best odds to land him after finishing last in the league with 47 points. They have an 18.5% chance of winning the first lottery draw and a 25.5% chance of exiting the night with the first-overall pick. A rule change that took effect in 2022 ensures only the top 11 teams in the standard draft order have a shot at moving up to first overall, as each team in the drawing can only move up a maximum of 10 spots. The other 10 clubs with a shot at landing Celebrini are the Blackhawks (13.5%), Ducks (11.5%), Blue Jackets (9.5%), Canadiens (8.5%), the yet-to-be-named Utah franchise (7.5%), Senators (6.5%), Kraken (6%), Flames (5%), Devils (3.5%) and Sabres (3%).

Other tidbits from around the league:

  • Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry has been added to USA Hockey’s roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, reports NHL Network’s Jon Morosi. The initial roster of 15 skaters, announced earlier this week, includes Red Wings teammates Dylan Larkin at center and Alex Lyon in goal. Petry, a right-shot, projects to serve third-pairing duties for now behind Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. He’s a candidate to be moved down the depth chart as the tournament progresses as players on teams eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs join their national teams partway through. The 36-year-old had a rough first season with his hometown team, posting three goals, 24 points and a -7 rating in 73 contests while averaging 18:47 per game. It was his worst offensive output since the 2015-16 season. He’s suited up for the U.S. at three prior World Championships, all as a member of the Oilers organization in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
  • The Blues are one of many teams looking to fill a head coaching vacancy after rolling with an interim down the stretch or making a change over the offseason. Drew Bannister is still a strong candidate to land the job after leading the club to a much-improved 30-19-5 record after taking over for Craig Berube in December, but the organization is still conducting an external search before removing his interim tag. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Matthew DeFranks examined who those external options could be in an article Friday (subscription required), namely University of Denver head coach David Carle, fresh off his second national title in three years. The 34-year-old will likely receive calls from all teams still with a hole, including the Senators and Sharks, so the Blues won’t be alone in their potential pursuit. Carle also added to his trophy case this season by leading the U.S. contingent to a gold medal at the 2024 World Juniors. A trio of coaches fired mid-season also made DeFranks’ list, including ex-Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft and former Kings coach Todd McLellan. Former Wild coach Dean Evason could also be an option, although he’s already been linked to Ottawa’s coaching vacancy.

Devils Notes: Barabosha, Meier, Foote, Hughes, Nemec

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According to James Nichols of NJ Hockey Now, the New Jersey Devils have lost one of their defensive prospects for the next three years. In the article, Nichols announces that defenseman Artyom Barabosha has signed a three-year extension with CSKA Moskva of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Nevertheless, it may be the best option forward for both player and organization, as Barabosha’s future with the Devils was always a longshot considering he was the 198th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. Now that he is committed to the KHL for the next three years, New Jersey can continue to let him develop in a comfortable environment while retaining his signing rights.

In his first year in the KHL this past season, Barabosha suited up in 21 games for CSKA Moskva, scoring one goal and five points in total. While offensive play is not his strong suit, Barabosha is a punishing defender, regularly laying devastating hits without remorse against his opposition overseas.

Other Devils notes:

  • In his first full season with the Devils, forward Timo Meier got off to an unexpectedly slow start. Thanks to team reporter Amanda Stein, we now have a little more information regarding Meier’s poor play from October into December. Stein reports that Meier was dealing with two separate MCL injuries, causing him to score just nine goals and 16 points in his first 30 games, while also causing him to miss stretches of games entirely.
  • Only managing to string together eight games combined between the NHL and the AHL, Nolan Foote had a season to forget. Stein reports that Foote was dealing with a lingering back issue that cost him the season, and has also caused him to miss time the last four years. Without alluding to the possibility of surgery, it is the most likely outcome for Foote to continue his professional career without missing any more time.
  • With most members of New Jersey having their eyes set on the 2024-25 offseason, some players are looking ahead to the 2024 IIHF World Championships that begin on May 10th. For the first time in his career, young defenseman Luke Hughes will join Team USA for the tournament (X Link). Only a year removed from international competition, Hughes was a member of the U20 Team USA roster that earned a bronze medal in the 2022-23 IIHF World Junior Championship.
  • Joining Hughes in the World Championships will be fellow defenseman Simon Nemec, who will be joining Team Slovakia (X Link). Unlike Hughes, Nemec did suit up for Team Slovakia in last year’s World Championships, while also scoring one goal and five points in five games in the 2022-23 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Central Notes: Coyotes Relocation, Neighbours, Krug, Mrázek, Mišiak

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Short of an official announcement from the league, the Coyotes are relocating to Salt Lake City next season and being sold to Smith Entertainment Group, the ownership of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, with the league as an intermediary. GM Bill Armstrong traveled to Edmonton yesterday to inform the team of the relocation while on their road trip, and players and staff are expected to travel to Utah sometime next week.

Over the next few days, when a sale announcement comes, it will become clear how complex this transaction will be. One rumored piece of the sale appears to be set in stone, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will indeed retain the intellectual rights to the franchise as part of the sale. If he can get an arena built within five years and various other benchmarks are met, he’ll have first right of refusal for a Phoenix-area team and can trigger an expansion draft. In doing so, he’d need to return the $1B he’ll receive from the league for the franchise this offseason as an expansion fee.

Other tidbits out of the Central Division:

  • Blues breakout winger Jake Neighbours has likely played his last game of the season, interim head coach Drew Bannister said Saturday (via NHL.com’s Lou Korac). The 22-year-old is dealing with an upper-body injury he sustained on April 6 against the Sharks. He’s missed the last three games and is on track to miss St. Louis’ final two after they were eliminated from playoff contention last night. It puts a bow on a good campaign for the 2020 first-round pick, who set career highs with 27 goals, 11 assists and 38 points in 77 games while creeping into top-six minutes (15:42 per game). While his nearly 19% shooting rate is likely unsustainable, he’s been steadily increasing his shot volume – averaging 1.88 per game this season compared to 1.23 last year. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension beginning July 1, with his entry-level contract set to expire in 2025. Bannister also said that defenseman Torey Krug won’t suit up in tomorrow’s game against the Kraken but could return for their final game of the season in Dallas on Wednesday. The left-shot offensive defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained on April 10 against the Blackhawks, already keeping him out of one game.
  • A pair of European Blackhawks players found themselves in the news today, including starting goaltender Petr Mrázek. He told reporters today, including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he’ll join the Czech national team at the conclusion of the season in advance of this year’s World Championship in Prague and Ostrava. The 32-year-old has only suited up at the Worlds twice, once as a teenager in a backup role in 2012 and again as the starter in 2017, posting a .881 SV% and 2.47 GAA in four outings. It was quite a strong season for Mrázek in the Chicago crease, managing to stay healthy and start a career-high 51 games. He did so quite competently, recording a .906 SV% behind a leaky Blackhawks blue line that resulted in him accumulating 4.7 goals saved above average, his highest mark in eight years. He or Ducks up-and-comer Lukáš Dostál will likely occupy the starter’s crease for Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Additionally, 2023 second-round pick Martin Mišiak signed an ATO with AHL Rockford today and will make his North American professional debut. The Slovak winger spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League, racking up 23 goals and 47 points in 60 games with a -14 rating.

Don Sweeney, Jim Nill To Manage Team Canada At 4 Nations

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Team Canada has announced that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will serve as the team’s general manager for the upcoming 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has been named the associate general manager (Twitter link). They were chosen by Doug Armstrong, the management group lead for Canada’s National Men’s Team, with support from Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Salmond, Katherine Henderson, and Pat McLaughlin.

This will be Sweeney’s first time managing an international team – and his first time managing a team not called the Bruins. He’s been confined to the Boston organization since his managerial career began in 2006-07, serving as Boston’s GM for the last nine seasons. His only international experience to this point was 11 games at the 1997 IIHF World Championship, where Sweeney potted four points as Canada paved their way to a Gold Medal. He’s since added the 2011 Stanley Cup and the 2019 General Manager of the Year award to his trophy cabinet, on top of leading some of the most impressive regular season performances the NHL has ever seen.

Sweeney will be flanked by Nill, who has plenty of international experience under his belt. Nill served as Canada’s GM at the 2004 and 2015 World Championships, winning a Gold Medal both times. He also garnered plenty of experience as a player – joining Canada at the 1980 Winter Olympics, the site of America’s prolific Miracle on Ice. That experience could light a fire under Nill, who is bound to face tough competition from the United States at 4 Nations.

The duo of Sweeney and Nill not only connects two of the top GMs in the NHL, it marks the first big step from Armstrong and his new management group for the Canadian National Men’s Team. They will look to takeaway  all of the learning lessons that they can, with the 2026 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching.

Metropolitan Notes: Phillips, Harkins, Werenski, Svechnikov

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The Capitals have once again brought forward Matthew Phillips up from the AHL on an emergency loan, per a team release. It’s the fourth recall for Phillips in the past few weeks after Washington re-claimed him off waivers from the Penguins in March. Why exactly Phillips has been added to the roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Hurricanes is unknown – no Capitals forwards are carrying injury designations other than T.J. Oshie, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was already available as an extra forward. There may be a few undisclosed game-time decisions in the works up front. Phillips, 25, has a goal and four assists in 31 appearances with the Caps and Pens this season.

Other updates from the Metro:

  • Moving over to Pittsburgh, winger Jansen Harkins was cleared for contact Friday and was a full participant in practice, head coach Mike Sullivan told Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 26-year-old has been on LTIR since March after undergoing hand surgery and has now missed 15 games, but he could be an option for the final few tilts of the season as the Penguins try to sneak their way into the postseason. The high-end AHL scorer has had no offensive impact in 43 NHL appearances this season, going without a goal and posting four assists in 43 games while averaging just over eight minutes a night.
  • Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski will join the United States national team after the end of the regular season in preparation for the 2024 World Championship in Czechia, he told Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. In doing so, the 26-year-old is strengthening his candidacy for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, as Team USA GM Bill Guerin has made it clear national team hopefuls for those big-ticket tournaments should attend this year’s World Championship if possible. Today, Werenski was named the Blue Jackets’ nominee for the 2024 Masterton Trophy, churning out All-Star-caliber minutes this year after missing most of 2022-23 due to shoulder surgery.
  • The Hurricanes will be without winger Andrei Svechnikov at home against Washington tonight due to illness, per a team announcement. The 2018 second-overall pick has been limited by injuries to 55 games this season but has played solid hockey, churning out 17 goals and 46 points. He’s gone through quite a cold stretch over the past few weeks, though, only recording a goal and two assists in his last 12 games with a -5 rating. He’ll look to reset and rebound before the playoffs begin on April 20.

Metropolitan Notes: Merzlikins, Gustafsson, Lindgren

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Some players on non-playoff teams still have the chance to play meaningful games over the next couple of months by representing their national teams at the 2024 Men’s World Championship in Czechia. One will be Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzļikins, who confirmed to Latvian reporter Ulvis Brože that he’ll represent his country at the tournament. The Riga-born netminder will make his sixth appearance at the tournament, although only his second since joining Columbus in 2019. He’s done quite well at the tournament, posting a .917 SV%, 2.51 GAA, and three shutouts in 27 appearances despite playing behind one of the historically weaker rosters at the tournament. A leg injury stopped him from joining Latvia at last year’s event, which paved the way for Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs to put together a .921 SV%, 2.20 GAA, and 7-3-0 record in 10 games as the squad upset their way to a bronze medal.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Heading to the Big Apple, the Rangers were without defenseman Erik Gustafsson at Monday’s practice due to an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old Swede is listed as day-to-day but has not been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Flyers. He’s provided great value for the Blueshirts on a one-year, $825K deal, crossing the 30-point plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. The offensive-minded blue-liner has also posted solid possession metrics, boasting a 54.0 CF% at even strength along with a +7.2 expected rating. While averaging 17:15 on the season, he’s been promoted to a top-four role in recent days, with Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba both absent due to lower-body injuries.
  • Speaking of Lindgren, the top-pairing fixture is inching toward a return as he took to the ice in a non-contact jersey at today’s practice for the first time since sustaining his injury against the Islanders on March 17, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports. He sustained an apparent severe knee injury after falling awkwardly into the boards during a collision with Isles center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, but a return to the ice just over a week later suggests he’s avoided the worst. The Minnesota native has battled through multiple injuries this season, though, influencing some unusually poor possession numbers despite being stapled to number-one defenseman Adam Fox when in the lineup. Averaging 19:13 per game, he’s posted a 47.1 CF% at even strength and a -3.5 expected rating, both serving as the worst numbers since his rookie season. Still, it’s promising he’ll likely have a chance to return to the lineup and regain comfort with his game before the postseason begins.

IIHF Bars Russian, Belarusian National Teams Through 2024-25

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The International Ice Hockey Federation announced Monday that all Russian and Belarusian national and club teams will remain barred from IIHF-sanctioned competitions for the 2024-25 championship season. As such, the two countries will not field squads at the upcoming Men’s World Championships this spring, at the 2025 World Juniors, and, more importantly for Belarus, the final qualification round for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

This decision does not mean that Russia will be barred from the 2026 Olympics, which will be the first edition that NHLers are permitted to attend in 12 years. The IIHF Council cited current safety risks for their decision and will review each country’s status again in May 2025.

The upcoming World Juniors in Ottawa will be the fourth straight in which the Russian and Belarusian contingents have been expelled due to the former’s invasion of Ukraine and corresponding safety risks. Russia’s last appearance at the tournament came in the zero-spectator 2021 tournament held in the Edmonton bubble due to COVID-19, in which Predators prospect Yaroslav Askarov backstopped the team to a bronze-game loss. Belarus won promotion at the Division 1A tournament in 2022 and was slated to appear in the 2023 World Juniors, but was barred from competing by the IIHF. Belarus’ last top-division World Juniors showing was in 2018, where a team that featured Flames forward Yegor Sharangovich failed to avoid relegation.

While Belarus will miss the 2026 Olympics by default, given they won’t participate in the qualification tournament, Russia has automatic entry into the tournament via their world ranking – if the IIHF lifts their sanctions on the country by then. Russian teams have won gold and silver medals at the previous two Olympics without NHL participation.

David Krejčí To Announce Retirement Soon

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According to Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now, David Krejčí will announce his retirement from the NHL and hockey in the very near future. Krejčí returned to the Boston Bruins this past season after taking a one-year hiatus to play overseas with Olomouc HC in the Czech League during the 2021-22 season. He had a good year for Boston but did wear down a bit towards the end of the year. In his return, Krejčí had 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games while centering Boston’s second line.

Murphy mentions in his piece that rumors have been swirling that Krejčí may return to Czechia to play for Olomouc once again, but an NHL source of his has told him that won’t happen. There is, however, an outside chance he could play for the national team, which would leave the door open for Krejčí to dress for Czechia in the 2024 World Championships.

It has been quite a run for the former 2004 second-round pick. Through his NHL career Krejčí has posted 231 goals and 555 assists in 1032 regular season games to go along with a +166 plus-minus rating. He was also a clutch playoff performer with Boston, helping to lead the team to three Stanley Cup finals and one Stanley Cup title in 2011 in which he led the Bruins in scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists in 25 games.

Krejčí’s retirement will bring the Bruins closer to the end of an era as only Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic remain from the squad that won the Stanley Cup 2011. It will also close out the run of one of the best 1-2 center combinations we’ve seen in recent memory. Krejčí and Patrice Bergeron brought something unique to the center position that few other teams had, both men could create offense and play a solid two-way game. Bergeron was one of the best at it, but it always felt like Krejčí’s ability to play on both sides of the puck was overlooked because of who he played behind. Krejčí was a unique talent and will certainly be missed by the Bruins and their fans.

Blue Jackets Officially Name Mike Babcock As Their Head Coach

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The final NHL head coaching vacancy has officially been filled.  Prior to the opening of free agency today, the Blue Jackets announced that they have named Mike Babcock as their new head coach, signing him to a two-year deal.  Earlier this week, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported (subscription link) that the contract will pay Babcock $4MM per season.  GM Jarmo Kekalainen released the following statement:

Our goal at the outset of this process was to find a coach to give our players the best chance to succeed through structure, discipline and experience as we continue to build a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup championship. After a very thorough and lengthy process we are pleased to welcome Mike Babcock as the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was reported last month that Babcock was set to take over as the new bench boss for Columbus.  However, since he was still under contract with Toronto until yesterday, the team waited until today to make the hire to ensure that the Maple Leafs alone were the only team paying out the remainder of his record-breaking eight-year, $50MM contract.

Babcock hasn’t been behind an NHL bench for a while as he last coached during the 2019-20 campaign before being let go by Toronto after an underwhelming 9-10-4 start to their season.  Since then, his coaching experience has been limited to one season as a volunteer coach at the University of Saskatchewan.  However, the Blue Jackets believe that he’s the right fit to turn things around after they finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season.

Babcock has a 700-418-183 record over parts of 17 NHL seasons between Anaheim, Detroit, and Toronto.  Internationally, he is the only member of the ’Triple Gold’ club among coaches (Olympics, World Championships, and a Stanley Cup).  That experience comes in stark contrast to former head coach Brad Larsen who was a first-time NHL bench boss before being let go after the season.

Columbus has certainly been active this offseason already, looking to augment its roster.  On the back end, they’ve acquired Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, giving them two proven top-four pieces to help take some of the pressure off Zach Werenski who should be ready to go after missing most of last season due to injury.  Up front, they picked up Adam Fantilli in the draft this week and are encouraging him to turn pro right away; TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests (Twitter link) that his signing could occur today.  With nearly $5MM in cap space, per CapFriendly, they could still try to add another piece or two in free agency or on the trade front.

Kekalainen clearly believes last year’s showing was an aberration with the hiring of Babcock, a win-now coach, and his defensive upgrades.  The Blue Jackets play in a tight Metropolitan Division that has only one team (Philadelphia) looking to bottom out so even with these moves, their work to get back to the playoffs is going to be cut out for them.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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