Six members of the Blackhawks have been named to their national teams for the IIHF World Championship in 2024 and it will be great for them to play games that matter.

Six players from the Chicago Blackhawks will participate in the 2024 IIHF World Championship: Connor Bedard (Canada); Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic (U.S.A.); Petr Mrazek (Czechia); Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland); and Lukas Reichel (Germany).

The 16-team tournament runs May 10-26, with games Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

General manager Kyle Davidson is all for Blackhawks players participating at the World Championships because "we didn't play meaningful games at the end of the year, and if players can go and play some meaningful games, then I think that's a great opportunity."

Especially for young players, skating in competitive games against some of the best players in the world only helps them gain more experience that the Blackhawks can't provide. Chicago finished 31st in the NHL this season and was out of the playoff race for a long time.

Connor Bedard Back in Canada's Jersey 

It's no surprise that Bedard is representing Canada as this generational talent put up 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games despite missing 14 contests with a fractured jaw. Though Bedard is just 18 and coming off his rookie season, he might be best player on the 22-man roster that was announced for Team Canada. https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/team-canada/men/national/2023-24/world-championship/stats/team-rosters?teamid=268

Bedard will be able to play with some exciting young players, including former Blackhawk Brandon Hagel, in a high-tempo tournament. Blackhawks rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski was left on the roster for Team Canada, but could play in the near future for his country. 

Jones and Vlasic could be paired together at the World Championships for Team U.S.A. as they played well together on the Blackhawks. Team success doesn't necessarily indicate it but Jones had a much stronger second half, and Vlasic, at a young age, already looks mature and solid on the back-end.

Vlasic technically wasn't a rookie in 2023-24 since he had played at least six games in two seasons prior to this one, but having only played 15 games in total, he impressed despite the lack NHL experience. 

Jones has played in a winning environment before and will be a leader on the team, but Vlasic will gain a good amount of experience and also feel what it's like to compete against the best in meaningful games. Both were named to the roster as part of the early 15 selections.

Hometown Goalie

Mrazek was an obvious choice as the goaltender for Czechia as there aren't necessarily enough NHL players to even fill the country's team. He had a strong 2023-24 season, especially considering the chances and opportunities against him all season on the rebuilding Blackhawks.

It makes sense for the 32-year-old Mrazek to continue his great year for his home country in his home country as the starting netminder. He previously played in the World Championships in 2012 and 2017.

After showing flashes in in prior seasons, but Kurashev finally had his breakout year in 2023-24. He was attached at the hip to Bedard on the top line and the power-play, but earned every minute of playing time he got. 

Kurashev doubled his career high in goals (18) and more than doubled his career high in points (54). He is one of 10 Swiss nationals who played a game in the NHL this season; only one made it past the first playoff round. Kurashev will be an important piece and want to continue his strong season.

After the Blackhawks' season ended, Reichel was sent to the AHL to help the Rockford IceHogs in the playoffs and find his game after a tough season. Rockford was eliminated after four games, but Reichel had two goals and two assists. 

It was a busy time for him as he then signed a two-year deal with the Blackhawks and then headed overseas to compete in the World Championship for Germany. It will be his third time representing his country in this tournament. The other two came in 2020 and 2021, and the talented young forward recorded 11 points in 13 games.

If an NHL team misses the playoffs, then there is a much longer time between the end of the season and the next one. Playing meaningful games at a high level elevates skills and competitiveness, and Davidson also wants his players to come into 2024 training camp as prepared as possible. The World Championships will only help ready the players selected for next season when the Blackhawks need to finish higher in the standings.

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