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Bruins Well-Represented in IIHF World Championship Semifinal

Henri Jokiharju, Boston Bruins (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

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Bruins Well-Represented in IIHF World Championship Semifinal

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Brandon Share-Cohen | Last updated May 29, 2026 3:25 PM ET

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When the IIHF World Championship semifinal game between Canada and Finland takes place, Boston Bruins fans will see some familiar faces. Fraser Minten will compete for Canada while Henri Jokiharju and Joonas Korpisalo will represent Finland.

For anyone keeping up with the tournament, Canada’s quarterfinal game against the United States also featured current Bruins players James Hagens, Alex Steeves and Mason Lohrei. In this game, Minten won 66% of his faceoffs in 13:02 of ice time, recording two shots and two blocked shots while skating on the team’s fourth line between Porter Martone and Connor Brown. Minten has scored one goal and four points in eight games in this tournament so far.

In Finland’s game against Czechia, Jokiharju led all Finnish defenders with 19:22 of ice time and also has the most points of any defender on Finland’s roster with eight points, including two goals, in eight games. Korpisalo has cemented himself as the backup for Finland, but he’s still an option for the team should they need him.

Bruins Benefitting From Tournament Showcase

While serving as a way for Bruins fans to get their hockey fix, the World Championship could also benefit the Bruins themselves. Most NHL teams, including the Bruins, are already putting together offseason plans and evaluating both their short-term and long-term roster outlook. For the Bruins, this game and tournament as a whole can serve as an additional evaluation of Minten, as well as a showcase for players they may want to move this offseason, specifically in Korpisalo and Jokiharju.

It will be hard to showcase Korpisalo as the backup, but Jokiharju’s performance could be enough to interest another team this offseason. It may seem bizarre for the Bruins to want to move on from Jokiharju just one season into a three-year, $9 million contract extension, but the additional cap space could be helpful for a team looking to revamp its defensive unit.

Jokiharju is a capable player, but the Bruins’ decision to regularly use four left-shot defensemen while frequently leaving him out of the lineup, even when healthy, may have revealed how the organization currently views him. If he is not going to be a regular part of the team’s plans on the backend, moving him for value and finding another option could make sense this offseason. At the same time, they could decide to give him another chance this offseason, but getting some value back for him may not be the worst idea in the world.

This tournament could help generate trade interest.

Minten Still Playing Meaningful Games

As for Minten, this is a good way for the Bruins to see how one of their promising young forwards performs when the pressure is on, especially in such an important game. Any sort of playoff experience is valuable, and Minten not only got that in the NHL this season but is also playing in a similar environment in an elimination-style tournament.

Fraser Minten, Boston Bruins (Winslow Townson-Imagn Images)

The Bruins are high on Minten and rightfully so. The 21-year-old came in this season and immediately left his mark with 17 goals and 35 points in 82 games as a rookie. The moment never looked too big for him and it’s a major factor in why he never left the lineup during the regular and postseason.

It’s obvious that the Bruins have something in Minten, but this tournament has served as another way for the Bruins to see the extent of his abilities. Even when playing on Canada’s fourth line, Minten is making a difference. While he shouldn’t play a similar role in the NHL, it’s encouraging to see that he can make the best out of any situation and play up and down the lineup.

For those interested in watching this game and seeing some familiar Bruins’ faces in action, the game takes place Saturday at 2:00 PM Eastern.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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