Jets' Vilardi joins Canada, Niederreiter skates for host Switzerland, and Heinola heads to Finland for the IIHF World Championship showdowns.
Several members of the Winnipeg Jets will be taking their talents overseas this spring, as rosters begin to take shape for the upcoming IIHF World Championship set to begin May 15 in Switzerland.
Among the highlights, forward Gabriel Vilardi will join Mark Scheifele and Dylan DeMelo on Team Canada, giving Winnipeg a strong presence on the national roster. The trio will look to help Canada return to the top of the podium after recent mixed results at the tournament.
Canada will be without one key contributor, however, as defenseman Josh Morrissey declined an invitation to participate. Morrissey, who has represented Canada during the recent Winter Olympics, is opting to focus on recovery after dealing with injuries during the NHL season.
Historically, Canada’s World Championship roster is often impacted by NHL playoff availability, preventing the country from icing a full-strength lineup. Even so, Canada has managed to capture gold medals in 2021 and 2023, its only titles since 2017. With a mix of experience and skill, the Jets trio will aim to add another gold to that total.
Elsewhere, veteran winger Nino Niederreiter will represent both his home country and the host nation, Switzerland. Niederreiter will be a central figure for a Swiss team that has come close in recent years, finishing with silver medals in back-to-back tournaments and now pushing to finally secure gold on home ice.
On the blue line, Jets defenseman and pending unrestricted free agent Ville Heinola will head to Finland’s camp. Finland will be looking to return to the medal podium for the first time since winning gold in 2022, bringing a competitive roster into the tournament.
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