Four members of the Vancouver Canucks will represent their countries this year at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. All four players have taken part in the World Championships before, with their experience ranging from one to four other tournaments. Let’s take a look at each participating Canuck and what fans can expect from them.
This Isn’t Drew O’Connor’s First Rodeo
Acquired by the Canucks on January 31, 2025, Drew O’Connor will be representing Team USA for the second time in his career and his first as a Canuck. His first time at the IIHF World Championship was in 2023. In 10 games played to get Team USA to fourth place, O’Connor scored three goals and five assists.
This year, Team USA looks to be much deeper and younger offensively than they did in 2023. Young stars such as Matty Beniers , Logan Cooley , and Cutter Gauthier — all of whom represented USA at the World Juniors at some point — have been named to the roster. Because of this, O’Connor is likely to get pushed down the lineup, dressing in a third or fourth-line role. His speed on the forecheck will be an asset to Team USA, especially if paired alongside a sparkplug like NHL teammate Conor Garland .
2025 Will Be Conor Garland’s Third Time at the IIHF World Championship
Garland has been widely touted as a leader in the Canucks’ locker room. In this year’s tournament, he’ll have a chance to prove this as an assistant captain for Team USA. This will be his third time at the IIHF World Championship and his second with a letter on his uniform. Utah Hockey Club ’s Clayton Keller (C), Nashville Predators ’ Brady Skjei (A), and Buffalo Sabres ’ Tage Thompson (A) will also lead Team USA.
In 20 IIHF World Championship games, Garland has posted eight goals and 13 assists. USA has finished with a bronze medal (2021) and in fourth place (2023) with Garland in their lineup. Despite their recent successes in the World Juniors, 2021 was the last time Team USA placed on the podium in the IIHF World Championships. As a player who saw a spike in power play and penalty kill time with the Canucks this season, expect Garland to have an increased role on all sides of the ice.
Will Marcus Pettersson Win His First IIHF World Championship Gold?
The 2025 IIHF World Championship marks Marcus Pettersson ’s fourth time dressing for Sweden in the tournament. Sweden’s defensive core will host talent like Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames , Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings , and Adam Larsson of the Seattle Kraken . Pettersson likely won’t be expected to contribute as much offensively compared to the other defenders. However, his 11 points in 31 games with Vancouver this season prove he can still chip in when needed.
Throughout his IIHF World Championship competition, Pettersson has yet to see a silver or gold medal. In his most recent endeavour in 2024, he and Team Sweden pushed their way to a bronze medal. However, prior to that, Pettersson and Sweden failed to crack the top-four. Before Pettersson joined the team in 2019, Sweden went on a gold medal-repeat in 2017 and 2018. With Sweden’s steady increase in recent tournament standings, 2025 could be the year Pettersson grabs his first gold medal at the IIHF World Championship.
Filip Hronek Is a Veteran of the Tournament
This year, Filip Hronek will be joining the IIHF World Championship gold medal-defending Team Czechia. He has not participated in the tournament since being traded to the Canucks in 2023. Prior to that, he played in four other tournaments, with his most recent resulting in a bronze medal. Joining Hronek and Czechia in this year’s IIHF World Championship are David Pastrňák and Jakub Lauko of the Boston Bruins , and Filip Zadina of the San Jose Sharks .
As it stands, Hronek is the only NHL defenceman on Czechia’s roster, meaning he’ll likely see the most playing time. Increased minutes aren’t uncommon to him. Throughout this season, Hronek has taken the role as the Canucks’ top defenceman, filling in for an injured Quinn Hughes . Because of this, he was also given 108:51 minutes on the power play. This year’s IIHF World Championship could provide him with an opportunity to build on this progress on international ice.
Main Photo: Bob Frid- Imagn Images
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