The IIHF World Championship returns next month with Switzerland as host, splitting its slate between Fribourg and Zurich.
Since Washington's NHL club came up short of a playoff berth, plenty of its skaters now have a window to represent their homelands at the event. A handful made clear they would gladly pull on their national sweaters, but several others, speaking at Thursday's Breakdown Day, said recovery and downtime would take priority over the coming months.
Ryan Leonard became the first Cap to confirm he is in, having locked up a spot on the United States squad. As a freshman in the NHL, Leonard put together a 45-point line of 20 goals and 25 assists over 75 contests. Before he went pro, Leonard also suited up in half a dozen contests for the U.S. side at 2024's edition of the event.
Speaking Thursday, Leonard confirmed he would head to men's worlds, explaining the matter had been discussed over the previous couple of weeks. He said he hadn't wanted to dwell on it while the club was still chasing a playoff berth, and that he sorted most of the details the day before. He acknowledged he had no firm itinerary yet, calling it strange that the event remained roughly a month out. His loose plan, he said, was to linger locally for a stretch, fly over, ideally win gold, then take a breather, head back, share a place with his sibling, and visit his parents often.
One more Cap voiced a desire to compete abroad next month: 19-year-old blueliner Cole Hutson. The young defenseman, who will soon room alongside his teammate in the nation's capital, earned a place on the American roster a year ago but logged ice time strictly in tune-up exhibitions.
The two have shared a marquee international stage together previously, capturing World Junior Championship gold as teammates in 2025.
Hutson said no invite had come his way so far, leaving it open, but added he would gladly join in should Leonard make the trip.
Though both young Americans came across as keen, a few veteran Canadians on the roster appear inclined to say no or have settled on staying put.
Dylan Strome said his situation was unsettled, noting he hadn't been asked and that his agent had mentioned the night before he might hear from someone that day. Having gone once already, he was unsure, pointing out the event runs from roughly May 15 through May 31, after which a short break pushes a player's summer start into the first days of June. He recalled that pattern from the prior summer, when the team played into the back half of May, and said he was probably leaning against attending. Since he had done it before, he reasoned it was a solid window to let his body recover and reach full health ahead of next year.
Back in 2019, Strome took part in the competition, posting a goal plus four assists — five points in all — over a 10-game run for a silver-winning Canadian squad. One of his teammates back then was Pierre-Luc Dubois, who is unavailable this year regardless of his wishes after breaking his hand as the regular season closed.
The franchise's pair of February Olympians from Canada, Logan Thompson and Tom Wilson, are similarly mulling downtime rather than donning the national crest again.
Thompson said he didn't intend to participate this season, explaining that after talking it over with the people involved, he had logged a heavy workload and wouldn't mind a breather. Truly switching off once the season ends is something he prizes and deems healthy, and he planned to take roughly two months to clear his head before returning for the following year.
Wilson said he hadn't settled on anything and was worn out, noting his family had stuck by him through the long campaign, including stretches alone during road trips. He referenced the 10-to-12-hour trips to Italy lasting two or three weeks. His young son, by contrast, is bursting with energy and would likely enjoy Switzerland, but Wilson wasn't sure they had it in them, saying he would make the call.
Several more Capitals kept quiet on whether they might play but could still get the call from their respective hockey federations. On the Canadian side, those names are Jakob Chychrun and Connor McMichael. Representing the United States, there are Matt Roy and Charlie Lindgren. Timothy Liljegren could suit up for Sweden, while Martin Fehervary is an option for Slovakia.
The 16-country competition launches preliminary play May 15, and the title game follows two weeks later, May 31. The United States arrives defending its crown after beating the host Swiss in the previous gold-medal final.