BLOG: Six Blackhawks Competing at 2024 World Championships

The 2024 IIHF World Championships begin on Friday, and six Blackhawks are set to represent their countries at the annual international tournament. 

Connor Bedard (Canada), Seth Jones (USA), Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland), Petr Mrazek (Czechia), Lukas Reichel (Germany) and Alex Vlasic (USA) are all taking part in the 16-day competiton, hosted in Mrazek's native Czech Republic between the nation's capital in Prague and the third-largest city, Ostrava. 

All 16 teams participating in the tournament will play seven preliminary round games between May 10-21, with the top eight reaching the knockout round, culminating in the gold medal game on Sunday, May 26.

Check out the full schedules for the participating Blackhwks below, and catch select action on NHL Network throughout the tournament.  

SETH JONES & ALEX VLASIC - USA

The Blackhawks will make up a third of the U.S. blueline during their time in Czechia, with Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic both named to the squad. 

It's the second straight year attending Worlds for Jones, who served as the U.S. captain a year ago, and fifth apprearance overall at the competition, including a bronze medal win at the 2015 tournament. In 28 total games across four appearances, the defenseman has four goals and 16 assists. 

Vlasic makes his first appearance at Worlds, having represented the U.S. at the U18 and U17 levels, most recently at the U18 World Junior Championship in 2019.

CONNOR BEDARD - CANADA

Rookie Connor Bedard will represent Team Canada for the first time after appearing in both the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships over the past three years. Across both competitions, the forward has ammassed 52 points (26G, 26A) in 25 games, most dominantly in his U20 World Juniors appearance last year posting 23 points (9G, 14A) in seven games.

PETR MRAZEK - CZECHIA

Netminder Petr Mrazek is set to represent the host nation at Worlds in his first national team appearance since the 2016-17 season, a year in which he also played four games at the World Championships. It's his third appearance at Worlds overall. 

Mrazek is coming off statistically his best NHL season since 2019-20, with 18 wins and a .908 save percentage to go along with a career-best 56 games played.

LUKAS REICHEL - GERMANY

Forward Lukas Reichel is making his third Worlds appearance for Germany over the last four years, combining for 11 points (4G, 7A) in 13 games in the 2021 and 2022 tournaments. Reichel is a regular on the international stage for Germany, representing his home nation at the U16, U17, U18 and U20 levels before joining the senior team.

PHILIPP KURASHEV - SWITZERLAND

Coming off a career season in the NHL, Philipp Kurashev returns to the World Championships for Switzerland, his fourth appearance overall and first since 2022. In three previous tournaments, the forward has posted 13 points (3G, 10A) in 24 games. Kurashev has also represented the Swiss team at the U16, U17, U18 and U20 levels throughout his career totalling 70 junior national team games.