Given the reality of taking place concurrently with the NHL Playoffs, the IIHF World Championship usually ends up going a bit overlooked. But there has certainly been some memorable hockey over the years, and 2025 has been no exception. The biggest story has certainly been Denmark’s stunning victory over Canada in the quarterfinals. Additionally, the United States won their first World Championship since 1933, and both host countries, Denmark and Sweden, faced off against each other for the bronze medal.
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With the Boston Bruins missing the playoffs, many players decided to head over to Sweden and Denmark to participate in the tournament. In total, seven players participated in the tournament. Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, and Jeremy Swayman joined Team USA, Elias Lindholm for Sweden, David Pastrnak and Jakub Lauko on Team Czechia, and prospect Dans Locmelis played for Team Latvia.
Many of the Bruins have had major impacts on their national teams at Worlds, ending the 2024-25 season on a high note after the disappointment of missing the playoffs.
USA – Jeremy Swayman, Andrew Peeke & Mason Lohrei
One of the main stories coming out of this tournament from an individual player perspective is the fantastic play of Swayman in net. The goaltender was undefeated in the tournament, appearing in all 10 games with a 1.69 goals-against average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage. He capped off the tournament with a shutout in the gold medal match against Switzerland. He has been incredibly solid in net the last few weeks, and while the level of competition is not necessarily as high as the NHL, it is nice to see him getting some confidence back and looking more like the goalie he’s shown himself to be prior to the 2024-25 season.Â
This performance should also have implications for keeping him in the rotation for the 2026 Olympics after he made the roster but didn’t appear in any games for the US during the 4 Nations Face-Off this past winter.
Peeke and Lohrei also had solid tournaments, contributing to Team USA’s historical success. In the semifinal against Sweden, Peeke had two shots on net and over 18 minutes of ice time. Overall, his offensive game has gotten more of a chance to show in this tournament as he had a goal and three points in 10 games. In comparison, he had one goal in the entirety of the 2024-25 season. Additionally, he had a plus-8 rating and further proved that while he may not necessarily be the most exciting defenseman in the game, he can be a solid presence on any blue line.
Lohrei was limited to five games, and did not appear in the Final, but similarly to Peeke, he ends his tournament with a goal and three points. Given the USA’s depth on defense, he most likely will not be a factor in 2026 Olympic considerations. But as he continues to have more professional experience and hopefully make improvements to his defensive game in 2025-26, maybe he’ll have a shot at the 2030 roster.
Czechia – David Pastrnak & Jakub Lauko
After winning Worlds last year, Czechia found themselves eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sweden. Still, as expected for Pastrnak, he led the tournament with six goals and 15 points in eight games, continuing his incredible scoring pace from the second half of the 2024-25 season. He was also awarded the Directorate Award as the tournament’s top forward. From a pure scorer perspective, I think it would be harder to rank anyone above him at this point.Â
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Lauko, a bottom-six player for the Bruins, also had a solid tournament prior to Czechia’s elimination. In seven games, he notched a shorthanded goal and an assist.
Sweden – Elias Lindholm
The USA boys were not the only Bruins to walk away with a medal at the Worlds as Lindholm played a vital part in Sweden’s bronze medal campaign. Similarly to Swayman, he is a player who has had some redemption at the 2025 World Championship. He had a slow start to the season, which, after his reveal at the end of the season that he suffered a back injury in August, makes a lot more sense in hindsight. It was a difficult situation for him given the fact that his major payday during the 2024 offseason was naturally going to bring him increased scrutiny.Â
Still, Lindholm did start to pull it together in the second half of the season, looking more and more like the top-line center the Bruins are paying him to be. That momentum followed him into the tournament, and he was arguably one of the best players at Worlds. He had 14 points in ten games, trailing only Pastrnak on the points leaderboard, including a tournament-leading eight goals. In only 10 games, he had almost half the number of goals he had in 82 games (17) during the regular season, showcasing that he is much better than the player he was at the start of the season. Also, it is important to note that 11 of his 17 goals came in the 2025 calendar year. Outside of the points, Lindholm has also been impressive on faceoffs, and his leadership has shown through for Team Sweden.
For the Bruins, this tournament confirms that Lindholm has turned things around now that he is healthier. The player that takes the ice for the Bruins in October for the 2025-26 season should be more like the guy he’s been in the 2025 calendar year than the one who first put on the Spoked-B in 2024.
Latvia – Dans Locmelis
Locmelis, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick of the Bruins, is looking more and more like a draft win for general manager (GM) Don Sweeney. After closing out his NCAA career with UMass Amherst, he signed his entry-level contract and joined the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the final few games of their season. He is expected to be in Providence at the start of the 2025-26 season, but the 21-year-old should be given a look to make his NHL debut at some point next season.
Locmelis is certainly doing everything right on his end to help make his way to the NHL sooner than many expected, following up his North American professional hockey debut with a solid World Championship appearance. He was second on Team Latvia in points with four goals and six points in seven games.Â
While Latvia did not advance beyond the preliminaries, that did not stop people from noticing Locmelis’ skills and impressive play at this tournament. Analysts, pundits, and players themselves, like Sidney Crosby, have taken notice of Locmelis, only increasing the excitement to see what he can do in 2025-26.
What’s Next this Offseason?
With Worlds finished, and the NHL playoffs getting closer and closer to figuring out the two teams that will compete in the Final for the Stanley Cup, the 2025 offseason is almost officially in full swing.Â
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The big attention grabber for the Bruins is, of course, the 2025 NHL Draft, where Sweeney and the front office will have eight picks, including seventh overall. Then comes free agency, beginning July 1, where the team has some significant restricted free agents that need new contracts, including Morgan Geekie and Lohrei. The next six weeks or so will certainly be interesting before things in the hockey world get a bit quiet.
