The Chicago Blackhawks may have a handful of participants in the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks only had one active player participate in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. For the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, there should be a lot more than that.
On Monday, the NHL announced several details about the upcoming event scheduled for February 2028. Eight teams will be involved, but the league will wait for a later date to announce which ones.
Half of the pool will play their round robin in Prague, Czechia, and the other half will play in Calgary, Alberta. The semi-final and final will then be played in Edmonton, Alberta.
By the time this event rolls around, the Blackhawks should be on the cusp of some special things in the NHL. If that is the reality, more than one roster player will be invited to represent their country. These 7 players have a chance:
Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard had a legitimate shot at playing for Team Canada in Milano Cortina, but he fell just short. The injury he sustained in early December may have had something to do with his snub, but nobody will ever truly know.
During the 2025-26 season, Bedard has established himself as one of the premier offensive players in the entire National Hockey League. He was a top-five scorer when he went down, and has maintained the same point-per-game pace since returning.
Going into last off-season, Bedard knew that his speed needed to improve if he were going to have a chance at making a team with superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar, amongst others. He put in the work to make that happen.
Now he has another two years to get ready for another opportunity. By then, he may not only make the team but also be one of their main contributors in the top six.
Spencer Knight
Nobody was going to start for Team USA in goal over Connor Hellebuyck, no matter what, in 2026. It also made sense for them to run back the same trio (Hellebuyck with Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger) that they had at the 4-Nations Face-Off in 2025.
However, Spencer Knight was a great option if one of them were to be hurt. Next time, it is almost certain they will need a new face in there, given the ages of their 2026 trio.
Right now, Knight is one of the top rising American goaltenders, which makes him someone to keep an eye on as it gets closer to 2028. He has kept a developing Blackhawks team in more games than they deserved to be in, and he gets better with every passing day.
Frank Nazar
Team USA has been known to bring players to best-on-best tournaments who display elements of the game that are needed to win, besides scoring. For example, JT Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Brock Nelson were on the Gold Medal-winning team in Milano Cortina.
All three of those guys score at an above-average pace with their NHL teams, but they all kill penalties, defend well, and bring a steady presence in all three zones.
The Blackhawks know that Frank Nazar can score and make plays, but he is a great young penalty killer who brings a tenacious effort every night.
They will need a new crop of role players who possess that versatile skillset in 2028, and Nazar fits the bill. He has two years to prove his worth by bringing his game to another level.
Alex Vlasic
Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski will still be the go-to offensive guys for Team USA by 2028. A guy like Lane Hutson may also be called upon next time, as he seems to be an elite offensive defenseman.
They will all need partners who focus on the defensive side of the game. In 2028, players like Jaccob Slavin and Charlie McAvoy filled that role. In the future, Alex Vlasic is a guy who could perform as a defensive specialist on a team like that.
Vlasic is never going to impress with video game numbers offensively, but it is really hard to create a forecheck or play a rush game when he's on the ice. By 2028, if the Blackhawks keep improving as a team, he may have the resume to make USA Hockey consider him an option for the World Cup.
Anton Frondell
Anton Frondell is not currently a roster player for the Chicago Blackhawks, but he will be soon. By the time it gets to 2028, he will have a couple of years at the NHL level already under his belt. If all goes well, Team Sweden will be looking at him for the World Cup of Hockey.
At the 2026 Olympics, Sweden was one of just three out of 12 teams to feature all NHL players. You can make a case that Frondell deserved to be there over a handful of the NHL players they had, but they ultimately opted for veterans.
Frondell was one of the top performers for Sweden at the World Junior Championships back in December and January, meaning he is one of the leaders for the next generation of Swedes in pro hockey. Hitting the ground running would certainly get his name in the mix for the next best-on-best tournament.
By the 2030 Winter Olympics in France, not only should he be on the Olympic team, but he should also be one of their top players. The 2028 World Cup of Hockey would be a wonderful appetizer.
Teuvo Teravainen
Teuvo Teravainen is the one Blackhawks roster player who went to the Olympics in Milano Cortina. There, he and his Finnish teammates captured the Bronze Medal.
Teravainen is not one of Chicago's main offensive contributors anymore, but he gives enough as a depth playmaker to make him valuable in the top-six. He is also incredibly smart with his stick positioning, making it hard to create when he's out there defending.
On Team Finland, his offensive role is even smaller. He won't likely be in their top six in 2028, unless he really heats up at that time, but having him on the team for penalty killing, defensive assignments, and depth line rolling will be something to consider.
Adam Gajan
Adam Gajan is a Blackhawks prospect playing at the University of Minnesota Duluth. It is not projected that he will be on the NHL roster by 2028, either, but he was in Milano Cortina for the Olympics.
Team Slovakia had him there as their third-string goalie. If he is in the AHL playing for the Rockford IceHogs by the time the World Cup of Hockey arrives, he will be in consideration for Slovakia again.
Slovakia lost to Finland in the Bronze Medal Game. Although it was heartbreaking for them, they made it significantly farther than anyone thought they would when the tournament began. Gajan will have a chance to help get them over the edge next time out.
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