Six CBJ players and coaches are representing their countries at the international tournament that runs through May 25
Bragging rights are on the line as 16 countries from across the world are battling for this year’s title at the IIHF World Championships, and interest in international hockey is at a fever pitch.
The 4 Nations Face-Off this February was the biggest story in sports, and the 2026 Winter Olympics featuring NHL players is on the horizon. Teams are gearing up for the battle for gold at Milano Cortina 2026, and this year’s Worlds is a chance for squads to keep building toward that tournament.
Games are being held in Herning, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden, with pool play continuing through May 20. Quarterfinals are set for May 22, the semifinals will take place May 24, and medals will be decided May 25. Games will be shown on NHL Network and on ESPN+ throughout the tournament.
Six players and coaches with CBJ ties are taking part, a list headlined by head coach Dean Evason and defenseman Zach Werenski. One year after serving as an assistant for Canada at the tournament, Evason is the head coach for his home country for the first time, while Werenski is donning the Red, White and Blue after leading the 4 Nations in scoring and earning recognition this season as a Norris Trophy finalist.
Evason has brought CBJ assistant coach Steve McCarthy with him to serve in the same role with Canada, and the coaches will have two Blue Jackets at their disposal in forwards Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. In addition, defenseman Samuel Knazko, a 2020 third-round draft pick who spent this season with AHL Cleveland, is representing Slovakia for the third time.
READ MORE: Player/coach bios for the Blue Jackets at the Worlds
Follow along as the Blue Jackets trade union blue for their country’s colors at the tournament.
Fantilli (CAN): 3 GP, 0-0-0, 5 SOG, +1, 10:14 TOI
Johnson (CAN): 3 GP, 2-1-3, 8 SOG, +3, 12:31 TOI
Werenski (USA): 0 GP
Knazko (SVK): 2 GP, 0-1-1, 2 SOG, +3, 15:32 TOI
Slovakia (Knazko) vs. France, 10:20 a.m.
United States (Werenski) vs. Norway, 10:20 a.m.
Thursday, May 15
Canada (Evason, McCarthy, Fantilli, Johnson) vs. Austria, 2:20 p.m.
Friday, May 16
No games featuring CBJ players/coaches
Saturday, May 17
United States (Werenski) vs. Germany, 6:20 a.m.
Canada (Evason, McCarthy, Fantilli, Johnson) vs. Slovakia (Knazko), 2:20 p.m.
Tuesday, May 13
Canada moved its record to 3-0 at the event with a 5-0 blanking of France in which the Canadians had a 36-15 edge in shots on goal.
Johnson got on the scoresheet for the second consecutive game, setting up Will Cuylle for a 2-on-1 goal that gave Canada a 2-0 lead in the opening frame. The Canadians now lead Group A with nine points and have outscored the opposition 16-1.
Monday, May 12
Zach Werenski had a pretty good reason why he wasn’t able to play in Team USA’s 3-0 loss to Switzerland — his gear still hasn’t arrived in Denmark.
With that in mind, Werenski said he hopes to be on the ice for Wednesday’s clash with Norway provided his gear makes it, but he was still on the sidelines as the Americans dropped their first game of the tournament. Switzerland scored twice in the first period and got an insurance marker from former CBJ defenseman Dean Kukan in the third to earn the shutout victory.
Knazko and Slovakia rallied from a two-goal deficit to take Austria to overtime before falling 3-2 in a shootout. Knazko skated 17:05 and finished plus-2.
Sunday, May 11
Kent Johnson scored the first two goals for a Blue Jackets player at the tournament, getting on the board twice in Canada’s 7-1 win vs. Latvia. Johnson tallied both of his goals in the second period, scoring from in front after taking a pass from Brandon Montour to make it 3-1 and then making it a three-goal lead 3:59 later with a wrist shot on the rush. Evason improved to 2-0 behind the bench in his first stint as Canada’s head coach.
Knazko got on the ice for the first time in Slovakia’s 3-1 win over Slovenia, notching an assist in his tournament debut. The defenseman’s point shot was tipped home by Pavol Regenda to give the Slovaks a 2-0 lead in the first period that they wouldn’t relinquish.
For the second straight game, Werenski did not play for Team USA in its 6-0 victory vs. Hungary after committing to join the squad in the days leading up to the tournament.
Saturday, May 10
Canada got off to a strong start with Evason and McCarthy behind the bench, downing Slovenia by a 4-0 score in their tournament opener.
Fantilli skated on a line with Sidney Crosby and Macklin Celebrini, while Johnson was paired with Ryan O’Reilly and Tyson Foerster. The two CBJ players did not get on the score sheet, though, as Canada scored three power-play goals in the victory.
Friday, May 9
Both the United States and Slovakia opened the tournament, but neither Werenski nor Knazko were on the ice.
The U.S. squad began play with a 5-0 victory over Denmark, but Werenski was unavailable after committing to join the squad this week. Meanwhile, Knazko did not play in the Slovaks’ 5-0 loss to Sweden due to travel.
