The New Jersey Devils will have five players participating in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships, better known as “Worlds”, which begin on May 9th. Captain Nico Hischier will participate for Team Switzerland, along with Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler. Devils’ netminder Jacob Markstrom will play for Team Sweden. Promising Devils’ prospect Lenni Hameenaho will join Team Finland.
Related: Dissecting the New Jersey Devils’ Demise in 2024-25
“It really means a lot to people, especially in Europe,” said Swedish forward Jesper Bratt to The Hockey Writers. Unfortunately for him, he cannot participate due to shoulder surgery. “It’s the biggest type of hockey tournament you can watch of the year, in Sweden especially,” he continued. “You were waiting around as a kid for May to come around just so you could watch NHL players. All the (NHL) games are at midnight, so when you’re back home, you never get to watch NHL players play live. So, it is a really big tournament and people really get together for those tournaments. It’s a cool thing to be a part of.”
It’s not always easy for a player to choose to participate, especially after going through a grueling 82-game season. In the Devils’ case, that also included five playoff games, with two that extended to double overtime. But it’s also what makes the hockey so great; it’s for the love of the game, not the paycheck. They choose to give up valuable and already hard-to-come-by vacation time to help their country strive for a gold medal.
Olympic Hype Starts to Build
What may make the decision a little easier is the fact that the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy are just nine months away. Participating at Worlds can sometimes give bubble players the edge over ones who reject the invitation. It also gets them familiar with the wider, international-sized rinks.
“You know, (Olympics) are super exciting,” forward Tomas Tatar, who is one of very few remaining NHL players who competed at an Olympics, told THW. “The last Olympics where NHL players participated was Sochi (in 2014). I enjoy that a lot so that’s definitely something that gets the motor going. To have that experience again with Team Slovakia, I’m really looking forward to. Obviously there’s no guarantees that you’re going to make a team so you have to work hard and prepare. I think a lot of the NHL guys are super excited for it.”
While Tatar told THW he “unfortunately” couldn’t head to Worlds, citing family matters, he was the captain for Team Slovakia in the Olympic qualifiers last August.
Including Tatar, a large portion of the Devils’ roster will potentially have the chance to participate in the Olympics, including but not limited to: Bratt (Sweden), Markstrom (Sweden), Erik Haula (Finland), Hischier (Switzerland), Siegenthaler (Switzerland), Meier (Switzerland), Simon Nemec (Slovakia), Ondrej Palat (Czechia), Jack Hughes (USA), Luke Hughes (USA) and Brett Pesce (USA).
“As a kid, you look at the things you want to achieve, and Olympics are definitely on there,” Meier said to THW.
The duo of #NJDevils Nico Hischier & Timo Meier returns to international ice. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Ntm1X0oC3W
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) May 5, 2025
At Worlds, the Swiss guys and Markstrom will have some extra motivation. Last year, Switzerland made the final and lost a 2-0 heartbreaker to the Czechs, coming as close as ever to their first gold. Markstrom missed out on the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury and will potentially redeem himself as Sweden’s top goalie option in front of a raucous home crowd; Stockholm, Sweden is hosting the tournament along with Herning, Denmark.
It’s still unclear if Nemec will join Slovakia. Barring his decision, it appears no other Devils will be heading to Worlds. The full tournament schedule and other related information can be found right here: IIHF Worlds 2025. Stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for all relevant coverage.
