Red Wings at 2022 IIHF World Championship: May 13-18 Recap

The Detroit Red Wings continue to impress at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Finland.

Six players who suited up for the Red Wings this season are representing their respective countries in the international tournament, with plenty of action still to be had heading into the weekend.
Here's what's happened so far during the preliminary round of the 17-day competition.

UNITED STATES

Grand Rapids Griffins forward Riley Barber is continuing his strong play at the World Championship after being named the American Hockey League Player of the Month for April.
Barber, who led the Griffins with 28 goals this season, scored a first-period goal in the 4-1 win over Latvia last Friday.

"I think the starts are crucial in tournaments like these,"

. "I've played in a few and I think getting that power play going, that's gonna be a big thing."
The 28-year-old logged 15:39 of ice time in Sunday's 3-2 overtime win over Austria. The next day, Barber had a plus-1 rating in a 4-1 loss to Finland.
Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who was originally set to suit up for the U.S., did not register for the tournament due to a lower-body injury.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Team Czech Republic, featuring forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Filip Hronek, had a strong opening game in the international tournament.
In last Saturday's 5-1 win over Great Britain, Hronek led his native country with 23:28 of ice time while Vrana registered 16:45.
Just over 24 hours later, Hronek played a team-leading 23 minutes in a 5-3 loss to Sweden. Neither Vrana nor Hronek collected a point in Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to Austria.

GERMANY

Defenseman Moritz Seider is continuing to excel with his playmaking at the World Championship.
Seider, a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist this season, scored one goal and tallied two assists in Germany's 5-3 loss to Canada last Friday.

He registered 22:35 of ice time, the most by any German player, in a 2-1 win over Slovakia last Saturday. Two days later, Seider once again paced his team in minutes (21:53) in a 3-2 win over France.

SWEDEN

Goaltender Magnus Hellberg has been a steady presence in the crease for Sweden.
The Red Wings' recently signed netminder did not play in last Saturday's 3-1 win over Austria, but made 18 saves in the win over the Czech Republic.
"We know they (Czech Republic) don't like to defend but they're a skilled team,"
Hellberg told IIHF.com on Sunday.
"I'm proud of how the guys played in front of me today."
Hellberg recorded his second career World Championship shutout with a 16-save performance in Tuesday's 6-0 victory over Great Britain. He played in his third straight game the next day, making 29 saves to beat Finland, 3-2, in a shootout.

Also representing Sweden is Detroit prospect Elmer Söderblom, the Red Wings' sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old forward has yet to make his 2022 World Championship debut.

SWITZERLAND

Forward Pius Suter and Switzerland are off to a strong start in Finland.
After logging 16:02 of ice time in last Saturday's 5-2 win over Italy, Suter collected a goal and an assist in a 6-0 win over Denmark the following day.

He had a plus-1 rating in 17:14 of ice time in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Kazakhstan. On Wednesday, Suter was named the Swiss Player of the Game for his three-assist effort in a 5-3 win over Slokavkia.
Full standings through Day 6 of the international tournament, including the full schedule, can be found at
iihf.com
.