Five Boston University Alumni Headline IIHF Men’s World Championship

Five former Boston University men’s ice hockey stars are set to compete in the 2024 IIHF Men’s World Championship, which will take place in Czechia on Friday. Among them are Joel Farabee, Brady Tkachuk, Alex Vlasic, and Trevor Zegras, who will all represent the United States under coach John Hynes (’97). Ahti Oksanen (’16) has been named to Finland’s roster for the second consecutive year.

In preparation for the tournament, Tkachuk was named Team USA’s captain, following in the footsteps of Nick Bonino who led the team in 2023. All four Team USA skaters have recently played in the NHL. Farabee set new career highs in goals, assists and points in his fifth season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators had a career-high 37 goals and 74 points in his sixth season. Vlasic signed a six-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks and had 16 points in 76 games this season. Zegras played 31 games for Anaheim Ducks totaling 15 points in his fourth season with the team.

Hynes is an accomplished coach who previously coached at BU where he led them to two Beanpot Championships before being hired by New Jersey Devils as their head coach. He then took over as head coach of Minnesota Wild after a successful season and has now been appointed as an assistant coach for Team USA. Oksanen played for Oskarshamn IK in Sweden where he tallied 25 points in 40 games last season.

Both teams will kick off their preliminary round on Friday, with Finland facing Czechia in Group A play while the United States will take on Sweden in Group B action. The full schedule and broadcast information can be found on NHL Network.

The tournament is expected to be highly competitive with some of the best players from around the world participating.

Overall, it’s going to be an exciting tournament with some talented players competing for glory on an international stage.

The five former Boston University men’s ice hockey standouts are looking forward to representing their countries and showcasing their skills against some of the best players from around