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International Flavor

Though many of the Blue Jackets who will appear in the World Championships will be a part of Team Canada (not surprising, with how Canadians dominate the Jackets’ Roster), we do have a decent amount of international players who have represented their countries in international play before.

With that in mind, though most squads have not announced their rosters yet, who else should we look for when they hit the ice in Bratislava?

Team Czech Republic

Jan Hejda and Jakub Voracek seem like likely callups – both have experience with their National team, with Hejda manning the blue line in the 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008 WC’s as well as last year’s winter Olympics, while Voracek joined the Czech Republic team for their run to a gold medal in last summer’s Worlds. Tomas Kubalik also seems like a potential reserve invite after such a strong first year in pro hockey, especially since he has represented the Republic in their last two World Junior teams.

Team Russia

I’d be shocked if Fedor Tyutin isn’t on Team Russia – he’s answered the call of Da Rodina in his junior and professional career, most recently on their Olympic squad where he had a pair of assists during their brief tournament. The bigger question might be Nikita Filatov – after what I will politely call a “rocky” experience at the WJCs last year, he was given an invitation to camp to join the squad for the World Championships last summer before being bumped from the squad when several higher profile players were unexpectedly available after the early rounds of the NHL playoffs.

If Filatov is still on the Russian National Program’s radar, I would assume he’s in a similar position this year – a player who will be invited to camp, but may be considered a reservist who would be ‘bumped’ if, say, the Washington Capitals get upset in the first round again.

Team Sweden

Kristian Huselius will likely miss the WCs, as he was discussing the need for hip surgery with the media following the finale vs. Buffalo. Samuel Pahlsson, though, seems like a likely invite for the Tre Kronor, and I could potentially see Anton Stralman given the call as well.

Team Finland

After sending several representatives to the call of the Blue and White, this time around the only likely Jacket to appear for Team SUOMI is Sami Lepisto.

Team USA

R.J. Umberger was invited to participate in the Worlds with Team USA, but will return to Ohio State to complete his degree. Sad for hoping to see him in a bit more hockey this year, but great for his continuing education.