The St. Louis Blues ended their season about a month ago. It’s been quiet, except for the offseason news the team continues to make.
But for three players, they will compete for one more chance at a championship this spring. We’re talking about Blues reps going to play at the IIHF World Championships in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway will be playing for Team Canada. Meanwhile, Oskar Sundqvist will hit the ice for Team Sweden.
Thomas will likely be a top-line player alongside the likes of Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets.
As for Holloway, he’s coming off his recently signed contract extension. He’ll have a chance to prove why the Blues inked him for the long haul.
As for Sundqvist, he’ll have a chance to earn such highly useful international experience. For up-and-coming players, facing high-level opponents in events like the IIHF World Championships is always a welcome situation.
The tourney will kick off on May 15 and will run through May 31 in Switzerland.
Playing for Team Canada is about paying dues
One of the unofficial motivations some NHLers have for representing Canada and the US at the IIHF World Championships is that it’s a way of paying their dues. Both Canada and the US have loosely admitted that players who volunteer for events like the World Championships get a foot in the door for major tournaments like the Olympics.
That situation was on display at this year’s Olympics. Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who served as Team Canada’s GM, discussed how important it was for them to take players who had been a part of the World Championships and the Four Nations Face-Off in 2025.
Similarly, Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman got the nod after his strong showing at the 2025 World Championships. The US highlighted how important it was for the US to include Swayman, who had led the Americans to their first gold at the World Championships since the 1930s.
For Thomas and Holloway, there’s an element of pride in representing their native country. But don’t be surprised if it’s also a way of laying the groundwork for the 2030 Olympic squad. Just about every veteran on this year’s Olympic team will not likely make it in four years.
So, Thomas, who’s 26, and Holloway, 24, will be prime candidates for Team Canada in France at the 2030 Winter Games.
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