All four participating members of the Vancouver Canucks will be taking part in the quarter-finals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
The quarter-finals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship are set to take place on Thursday, May 28, with four members of the Vancouver Canucks and their teams partaking in the next stage of the tournament. Here’s how the four Canucks fared during the 2026 World Championship’s preliminary round.
Max Sasson, USA
Sasson became a key piece of Team USA’s “identity line” early on, slotting into their bottom-six alongside Paul Cotter (New Jersey Devils) and Mathieu Olivier (Columbus Blue Jackets). The Canucks forward skated in all of his team’s games during the preliminary round, averaging 13:53 minutes played per matchup (seventh-most among forwards on Team USA). He registered his first career World Championship point in a 5–1 win against Great Britain on May 17 and scored his first goal on May 20 in the U.S.’s 4–3 overtime victory against Germany.
Linus Karlsson, Sweden
Throughout this year’s World Championship thus far, Karlsson has consistently stuck on Sweden’s second line alongside Jacob de la Rose, with their third linemate shifting on occasion. The duo started and ended the tournament with New York Islanders forwards, beginning with Simon Holmström and ending with Emil Heineman. Through all seven games of the competition, Karlsson put together a goal and three assists in an average of 14:24 minutes played per game. The Canucks forward recorded his first World Championship point on opening day (May 15) in a 5–3 loss to Canada and scored his first goal in a 6–2 win against Denmark on the 17th.
Filip Hronek, Czechia
Just like with the Canucks, Hronek has served as Czechia’s top-defenceman during this year’s tournament. While his defensive partners have varied with each game, for the majority of the preliminary round, Hronek has been paired with veteran defenceman Michal Kempný. The Canucks defenceman finished his first seven games of this year’s tournament with two assists and 14 shots on goal through an average of 24:11 minutes played per matchup.
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek (17) makes a pass against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesAatu Räty, Finland
Räty has had a great start to his first career 2026 World Championship, playing a big role in Finland’s offence through their seven preliminary-round games. The Canucks forward put together a six-game point streak consisting of three goals and three assists. He scored his first career World Championship point and goal on opening day in a 3–1 win against Germany. Through seven games, he averaged 13:13 minutes played per matchup alongside a revolving door of linemates including Jesse Puljujärvi and Sakari Manninen.
May 28 Schedule:
Finland vs. Czechia - 7:20 am PT
Canada vs. USA - 7:20 am PT
Sweden vs. Switzerland - 11:20 am PT
Norway vs. Latvia - 11:20 am PT
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