Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Declan Carlile will have a busy spring, as he’s been named to the United States National Team’s preliminary roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship as of Thursday afternoon.
The 25-year-old defenseman played the most NHL games of his young career during the 2025-26 season, taking the ice 42 times for the Lightning as injuries decimated the players ahead of him on the depth chart and created an opportunity for him. During that span, he scored one goal, the second of his career, and two assists. He also registered 40 penalty minutes and was a +5. Carlile also appeared in two playoff games for the Lightning.
Carlile also made 16 appearances for the Syracuse Crunch, where he served as an alternate captain and recorded 11 points. Currently, Carlile is a pending unrestricted free agent and is set to hit the open market on July 1 unless Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois signs him to a new deal.
Carlile is one of eight defensemen named to the preliminary roster. He’ll be joined by Will Borgen, Connor Clifton, Justin Faulk, Wyatt Kaiser, Ryan Lindgren, Mason Lohrei, and Ryan Ufko.
The 2026 IIHF World Championship will begin in just over a week, as the puck will drop in Zurich, Switzerland on May 15. The United States, who will be looking to win the tournament for the second straight year, will open their portion of the tournament against the hosting Swiss National Team at 2:20 ET on May 15.