During the Pittsburgh Penguins locker cleanout day, Jake Guentzel stated that he would be taking part in the 2023 IIHF World Championships in Eastern Europe.
Guentzel will not be the only Penguins representative, either, as goalie Casey DeSmith and forward Nick Bonino will also make the trip.
Team USA head coach Dan Quinn confirmed with the Athletic that DeSmith and Bonino are among the first five on the roster.
Guentzel, DeSmith and Bonino were listed along with Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres and Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks.
DeSmith played in a career-high 38 games during the 2022-23 season with a 15-16-4 record.
Through those games, DeSmith made 33 starts and finished the year with a .905 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average.
At the age of 31-years-old, DeSmith has never represented Team USA in his professional career.
Bonino made his return to Pittsburgh at this years’ trade deadline and played only three games before being shelved for the remainder of the season with a lacerated kidney.
In his three games in his return with the Penguins, Bonino didn’t record a point and finished the season with 19 total points (10G-9A).
Bonino is a 35-year-old forward and has had relative success in previous IIHF World Championship Tournaments.
In the 2015 and 2018, Bonino represented the United States and took home Bronze both times.
In 15 total games played between the two tournaments, Bonino scored eight points (3G-5A).
The 2023 IIHF World Championship is set to begin May 12 and will be played in Latvia and Finland.
Team USA has not won gold at the World Championship since 1933.
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