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Eight Boston Bruins are in Fribourg and Zurich, Switzerland, representing their home countries at the 2026 IIHF World Championships.
It’s an opportunity for the younger players to further their development, as well as give veterans the opportunity to continue taking reps throughout the summer. Bruins head coach Marco Sturm, who has coached Team Germany in this tournament, has talked about how pivotal this tournament is for the development of younger players.
Through the first three or four games of the tournament, multiple Bruins have seen their usage shift. Some players are in new roles, some are returning to familiar ones, and some are adjusting to reduced ice time.
TEAM USA
Mason Lohrei(No. 16): 4 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points; +1, 0 PIM, 3 SOG; 19:21 ATOI
James Hagens (No. 10): 3 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points; even, 2 PIM, 2 SOG; 12:31 ATOI
Alex Steeves (No. 21): 4 GP, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points; even, 0 PIM, 9 SOG; 15:08 ATOI
Alex Steeves is the only Bruin to score for the Americans, and did so in the USA’s first game of the tournament. He added an assist on Wednesday.
Steeves saw top-line minutes for two games, though Matthew Tkachuk’s addition to the team moved Steeves to the second line on Wednesday. He started the tournament on the third line, but was moved up after a player of the game performance in the pre-tournament exhibition and a goal in the first game.
Lohrei, one of two returners for Team USA, has been spending time on the top defensive pairing. He has been playing big minutes for the United States, ranking second on the team in average ice time, only behind his partner Justin Faulk.
James Hagens centered the second line during the exhibition game against Germany, but has not returned to the middle of the ice. Instead, he is seeing limited minutes on the left side of the fourth line. He drew out of the lineup for the USA on Wednesday, and through three games, he averaged 12:31 of ice time, the third-lowest among forwards.
TEAM FINLAND
Henri Jokiharju (No. 10): 3 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point; +1, 2 PIM, 3 SOG; 16:33 ATOI
Joonas Korpisalo (No. 70): 1 GP, 1-0-0; 9 saves, .900 SV%, 1.00 GAA
Korpisalo has played in just one game for Finland. He started in their second game, coming against Hungary, and he made nine saves on 10 shots. He backed up Justus Annunen in Finland’s tournament opener and did not dress against the United States.
Jokiharju has been a constant on the Finnish second pair of defense, averaging over 16 and a half minutes of ice time playing on the right side of Mikko Lehtonen. He had a helper in the 4-1 win over Hungary, picking up a secondary assist on Janne Kuokkanen’s late second-period goal.
Finland plays again on Thursday morning.
TEAM CANADA
Fraser Minten (No. 93): 3 GP; 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points; +1, 2 PIM, 1 SOG; 13:38 ATOI
Minten has been centering the fourth line for Canada, playing with Philadelphia’s Porter Martone and New Jersey’s Connor Brown. He had three points in his first two games, then was held off the scoresheet in Canada’s third game against Denmark.
Canada also plays on Thursday morning.
TEAM GERMANY
Lukas Reichel (No. 73): 3 GP; 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points; -2, 0 PIM, 3 SOG; 13:16 ATOI
Reichel did not play in Germany’s first game, as he was a late addition to their roster. He is coming off an Olympic campaign where he scored twice and had an assist, and he has started his World Championships with two assists.
He spent his first two games on the second line before moving to the first for Germany’s game against the United States on Wednesday. The move proved beneficial, as he set up linemate Frederik Tiffels for a goal. They have connected twice this tournament.
TEAM CZECHIA
Matej Blümel (No. 81): 3 GP; 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points; +2, 2 PIM, 11 SOG, 16:52 ATOI
Blümel leads all eight Bruins representatives with four points at the tournament. Despite being scratched for Czechia’s overtime loss against Slovenia, he has played on the first line in each of the three games he dressed for. He skated with Lukas Sedlak and Roman Cervenka.
In Czechia’s first game, he potted an empty-netter and had a two-point night. He followed up with a goal in Czechia’s third game, a 4-3 win over Sweden.
Czechia strikes first as Matěj Blümel finds the back of the net against Sweden.#MensWorldspic.twitter.com/Ryund1xcYy
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 18, 2026
For the rest of the tournament schedule, check it out here.
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The post Early Check-in on Bruins at IIHF World Championships appeared first on Boston Hockey Now.
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