Five former Boston University men’s ice hockey standouts will be representing their respective countries in the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship, which begins on Friday in Czechia. Among these Terriers are Joel Farabee, Brady Tkachuk, Alex Vlasic, and Trevor Zegras, who will all be playing for the United States under coach John Hynes (’97). Ahti Oksanen (’16) will be on Finland’s roster for the second consecutive year.
Leading up to the tournament, Brady Tkachuk was named Team USA’s captain, following in the footsteps of Nick Bonino who captained the team in 2023. All four Team USA skaters have recently played in the NHL. Joel Farabee set new career highs in goals, assists, and points in his fifth season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators, had a career-high 37 goals and 74 points in his sixth season. Alex Vlasic, who signed a six-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, had 16 points in 76 games this season. Trevor Zegras played 31 games for Anaheim, totaling 15 points in his fourth season with the Ducks.
John Hynes, the head coach of Team USA, was recently appointed as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild after a successful season. Ahti Oksanen played in Sweden for Oskarshamn IK, where he tallied 25 points in 40 games.
Both Team USA and Finland will kick off their preliminary round on Friday. Finland will face Czechia in Group A play while Team USA will take on Sweden