Recent news out of the hockey sphere has been that this year’s International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships are slated to be uber-competitive, as countries are expecting to ice more NHL skaters than usual in preparation for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament in 2025, as well as the 2026 Olympics.
This year’s World Championships begin on May 10th in Czechia. According to a report by TSN’s Gord Miller, Connor Bedard and Sidney Crosby could play for Team Canada. If those two are on the table, it’s likely that not many are off.
Now, it’s important to remember that players can only participate if their team is eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As for the New Jersey Devils, their 0.4% playoff odds (per MoneyPuck) prove that shouldn’t be an issue.
This preseason, when The Hockey Writers asked Nico Hischier about the World Championships, he mentioned that he’d “rather not go to Worlds” this year because that means things didn’t go well in New Jersey. Unfortunately, that was the case and now focus has to shift. Still, playing in a World Championship is a true honor and a great opportunity for players to end the season on a positive note despite missing the playoffs.
Here are five players who are likely to suit up, barring health, for their respective countries at the 2024 IIHF World Championships:
Nico Hischier (Switzerland)
While the captain of the Devils would prefer to be playing in the playoffs, Hischier has been extremely vocal about how much international hockey means to him and his home country. Even in recent years where not many NHLers took part, Hischier has participated in the last four tournaments. In total, he’s amassed 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 28 games.
He captained last year’s Swiss squad that suffered an unfortunate quarterfinal upset loss to a determined Latvian team. Afterwards, he was seen visibly upset on the bench. For players like Hischier, this tournament means so much because it’s one of the very few times that he gets to skate with most of his countrymen in a competitive atmosphere. It’s also a massive opportunity to grow the sport in Switzerland, a country that only has 10 active NHLers.
From 1953 to 2012, Switzerland had not medaled once at Worlds. However, they’ve been stronger as of late with a silver medal in 2013 and 2018. In 2019, they were 0.4 seconds away from upsetting Canada and heading to the gold-medal game; Hischier’s late goal in the second period would have stood as the game-winner. That is, until former Devils teammate Damon Severson scored a dramatic buzzer beater to send the game into overtime, and Mark Stone won it for Canada. Heartbreak.
Hischier is going to have to be on his A-Game to propel Switzerland to any sort of success, especially if the Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi and the Winnipeg Jets’ Nino Niederreiter go on long runs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And if powerhouses like Canada are getting enforcements like Bedard and Crosby, well, that just piles on. But international hockey is crazy, and Hischier has shown an ability to be an ideal captain for a team. Barring injury, it would be surprising to see Hischier opt out of playing in this tournament.
Timo Meier (Switzerland)
While we’re on the subject of Switzerland, it would not be surprising to see Timo Meier step up and become a driving force for the Swiss. Meier has participated in three of six possible tournaments since he became an NHLer, but has found certain success to the tune of 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 23 games.
Almost nobody has been as hot as Meier recently, with 14 goals in his last 17 games. If he’s feeling good, there’s no reason he shouldn’t take the flight to Czechia alongside his captain with the goal of helping Team Switzerland finally get over the hump.
In tournaments like these, one player getting red-hot could completely change the tournament. Patrick Kane had 20 points in 10 games in 2018. Evgeni Malkin had 19 in 2012, en route to a gold medal.
I don’t think it’s a reach to say Meier has the ability to completely take over some games and carry the Swiss to heights they haven’t reached prior. It would certainly not be a shock to see him participate.
Jesper Bratt (Sweden)
Jesper Bratt has been every bit of a sixth-round gem for the New Jersey Devils, and he’s only seemed to get better with time. This season, he’s accumulated a career-high in points with 76 (and counting). He’s not traditionally someone who participates in Worlds – he’s only participated once (in 2019) – but he’s someone who could really benefit from a strong tournament in terms of his future at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympic tournaments.
His 2019 tournament was fairly lackluster, with two assists in six games. But that squad was loaded with talent including the likes of William Nylander, Elias Pettersson, and Gabriel Landeskog. Those two points marked 18th out of 22 Swedish skaters, and he finished with a minus-two rating.
Bratt is a player that could be described as sneaky-good. He’s not super flashy nor does he have a loud personality, but is consummate professional who can be counted on to bring offense nearly every night.
Related: Top 10 Swedes in the NHL Today
With players like Nylander, Pettersson, and Landeskog all slated to make the playoffs, Bratt will have the perfect opportunity to slot into a larger role and make a name for himself on the international stage. Sweden won gold three times in a six-year span from 2013 to 2018, but hasn’t won since.
If they want to still compete with the best of them at Worlds, they’d be doing themselves a disservice by not extending an invitation to Bratt. And he certainly has the talent to bring Tre Kronor’s offense to the next level.
Simon Nemec (Slovakia)
Prior to Dougie Hamilton’s injury, there was a possibility Simon Nemec wouldn’t even play a single second in the NHL this season. Nemec took the opportunity and ran with it, showing professionalism well beyond his 19-year-old age when he was called up.
The blue liner has displayed a very solid two-way game, establishing himself as arguably the best overall defenseman on the team for a good portion of the season. Over a full season, he’d be on pace for around 30 points, impressive for a well-rounded defenseman his age.
Despite his youth, he’s already participated in three World Championships, largely because Slovakia doesn’t have the depth of talent that some larger countries have. He had just turned 17 when he was defending against some top-flight NHLers including Meier and Hischier. In that 2021 tournament, Slovakia got pummeled 8-1 by the Swiss, but a 17-year-old Nemec was a plus-1 and helped to hold Hischier’s line scoreless. That was just a harbinger of what was to come in New Jersey a few years later.
While offense is difficult to come by for a typically-lackluster Slovakian squad, Nemec has still amassed a goal and six assists in his 18 tournament games. The Slovaks will need all the help they can get. If he’s healthy, I would be shocked if Nemec doesn’t return for his fourth Worlds.
Alexander Holtz (Sweden)
This was the first season where Alexander Holtz stayed entirely in the NHL. While there was some good and some bad, he’s tied with Bratt for third on the Devils in even-strength goals (16).
He has not played at the Worlds before, but had success for Sweden in three World Junior Championships, notching 10 points in 12 games. When his final tournament in 2022 got cut short due to COVID, Holtz was one of the players who was visibly emotional and dejected in the hotel lobby. Now would be a chance for him to get some revenge for that.
With other countries loading up on talent, it would be in Sweden’s best interest to invite as many NHLers as possible. Holtz has typically been limited in his ice time and opportunities in New Jersey, which has slowed his production. A successful Worlds could instill some more confidence in him and also put him in good graces with Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympics.
The larger ice size at Worlds should give Holtz, a pure sniper, more opportunity to shine. Those same ice dimensions are where he made a name for himself in the Swedish Hockey League as a teenager.
It is possible, though, that the Devils won’t want him to go and shy away from the habits that are exclusive to the smaller, NHL-sized rink. “Puck battles” and “board play” have been direct reasons for Holtz receiving limited ice time, and those don’t matter as much on larger rinks. We shall see.
Honorable Mentions
While those are the five who (in my opinion) make the most sense to go to Worlds, I wouldn’t rule any other Devils players out. Ondrej Palat (Czechia) played in the 2014 Olympics and 2019 Worlds. He would be a nice complimentary piece for the Czechs.
Dawson Mercer and Kevin Bahl would be solid additions to fill out the Canadian roster, depending on how much talent they’re able to acquire based on availability. Mercer played in 2022, notching five assists in 10 games and grabbing a silver medal. Bahl was supposed to play in 2021 but got pulled due to injury.
Erik Haula (Finland) played at Worlds just once, in 2014, and then the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. If he wants to vie for a bottom-six spot at either the 4-Nations Face-Off or the Olympics, it would be in his best interest to go.
Most players announce their participation in their team’s exit interviews. In the Devils’ case, it should only be a couple weeks before we find out.