Blue Jackets’ Performances at the 2024 World Championships

The 16 countries are split into two groups to play a preliminary round, which is played in a round-robin fashion. After this round, the top-four ranked teams from both groups will advance to the quarter-finals where the groups will mix, with the first-place team of each group playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team playing the third-place team.

The selected Blue Jackets are playing on Team USA, Team Canada, and Team Latvia, along with multiple trainers and equipment managers for Team USA and a general manager position for Team Canada.

Team USA

Zach Werenski, Johnny Gaudreau, and Gavin Brindley were all selected to represent Team USA on the ice. Werenski was named as an alternate captain for Team USA, along with former teammate and current Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones and New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson. Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk was named the captain for Team USA.

Werenski has played in all three of Team USA’s games but has only been able to score once, in the first game where they lost 5-2 to Sweden. However, his lack of points is not something to be worried about. He has had a record-breaking season and has never had trouble persevering through on-ice troubles in the past.

Gaudreau has also played in all three Team USA games, where he currently has one goal and four points. His lone goal came during Team USA’s 6-1 win against Germany.

Gaudreau has never shied away from racking up points, as he led the Blue Jackets this season with 60 points, closely followed by Werenski at 57 points. Overall, he has 243 goals, 500 assists and 743 points in 763 games, so the stats show that Gaudreau is never afraid to take a shot.

Brindley has not played any games yet for Team USA, but there is still time for him to show his talents. The former University of Michigan Wolverine signed his entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets on April 15, 2024, and played in the last 2023-24 Blue Jackets game on April 16, recording 14 shifts and 12:20 time on ice (TOI). During his time with the Wolverines, he played in 81 games with 37 goals, 54 assists, and 91 points across two seasons.

The Blue Jackets will also have head athletic trainer Mike Vogt, equipment manager Jamie Healy and assistant equipment manager Dustin Halstead participating for Team USA.

Team Canada

Werenski is not the only Blue Jacket who will wear a letter for their team. Defenseman Damon Severson was named as an alternate captain for Team Canada, along with Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane and St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, under the captaincy of Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares.

Severson has played in all three Team Canada games, but has not recorded a point yet. He ended the 2023-24 season with just 28 points through 67 games. There are still three more games in the preliminary round for Severson to put some points on his scorecard.

Blue Jackets alum and current director of player development Rick Nash will also be participating this year as the general manager for Team Canada.

Team Latvia

Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will represent his home country of Latvia this year at the World Championships. Before joining Team Latvia this spring, he finished the Blue Jackets’ 2023-24 season with a 13-17-8 record and one shutout in 41 games.

While his Blue Jackets season may not have been his best, he has had an excellent start with Latvia. In two games played, Merzlikins has faced 51 shots and has a save percentage of .882%. The two games with Merzlikins in net went into overtime, with Latvia receiving the win in both.

Latvia will be the next to play, with their game against Germany on May 15 at 10:20 am EST. Canada and USA will both play next on May 16 at 2:40 pm EST, Canada against Norway and USA against France.