Blackhawks Players Gear Up for 2024 IIHF World Championships

The 2024 IIHF World Championships are set to begin on Friday, with six Blackhawks players representing their respective countries at the annual international tournament. Connor Bedard (Canada), Seth Jones (USA), Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland), Petr Mrazek (Czechia), Lukas Reichel (Germany), and Alex Vlasic (USA) will be competing in the 16-day event, hosted in Mrazek’s homeland of the Czech Republic, spanning Prague and Ostrava.

During the preliminary round, which runs from May 10-21, all 16 participating teams will play seven games, with the top eight advancing to the knockout stage. The tournament will culminate in the gold medal game on Sunday, May 26. Fans can watch select action on NHL Network throughout the competition.

Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic will be representing the U.S. at the World Championships, contributing to a third of the American team’s blueline. Jones, who is attending his second consecutive Worlds, previously served as the U.S. captain and has made five overall appearances at the tournament, including a bronze medal win in 2015. In 28 games across four tournaments, the defenseman has recorded four goals and 16 assists. Vlasic, on the other hand, will be making his debut at Worlds after representing the U.S. at the U18 and U17 levels, most recently at the U18 World Junior Championship in 2019.

Connor Bedard is one of Canada’s top prospects for this year’s tournament as he led his team in scoring during last year’s tournament where they won silver medal.

Philipp Kurashev is Switzerland’s key player who scored six goals in eight games during last year’s championship.

Petr Mrazek is another crucial player for Czechia as he was part of their bronze medal win last year and is also known for his impressive performance during international tournaments.

Lukas Reichel has been playing well for Germany lately and has been instrumental in their success during qualifications.

Overall, these six players have a lot of experience playing together through their time with Blackhawks franchise but it would be interesting to see how they perform against different opponents and under pressure of world championships.