Brady Tkachuk, Cole Caufield highlight initial USA roster for 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship
On Wednesday, USA Hockey released its first official roster for the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship.
The initial roster featured 15 players: nine forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender.
Here is the initial 15-man roster for the United States:
Introducing the first fifteen members of the 2024 U.S. Men's National Team! 🇺🇸#MensWorlds roster details → https://t.co/sNQ5JMERag pic.twitter.com/vgPNAPSRWm
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 24, 2024Among those players, Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) and Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens) stand out most.
Tkachuk will be making his Men’s World Championship debut. The Senators’ captain last played on the international stage at the U-20 World Junior Championship in 2018. Tkachuk tallied nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games for Team USA on the way to a bronze medal.
Tkachuk also dawned the USA sweater during the U18 WJC in 2017, the U17 World Hockey Championships in 2016, and as part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
The 24-year-old finished with 74 points (37 goals, 37 assists) in 81 regular-season games for the Senators in 2023-24. Ottawa missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
Caufield will also participate in his first Men’s WHC. The 23-year-old Wisconsin native recorded five points (two goals, three assists) for Team USA at the 2021 U20 WJC and also played for the US in 2018 (WHC and U18 WJC), 2019 (U18 WJC), 2020 (U20 WJC), and was part of the USNTDP.
Caufield finished his third full NHL season with a career-high 65 points (28 goals, 37 assists) in 82 games for the Montreal Canadiens. The speedy winger played all 82 games for the first time in his career, and the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
The 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship kicks off May 10 from Czechia and will feature top-tier NHL talent like Connor Bedard (Canada) and future superstars like Macklin Celebrini (Canada).
The United States will be coached by John Hynes (Minnesota Wild) and take on Sweden, Germany, Slovakia, France, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Latvia in the preliminary round before the quarterfinals begin.