Five Minnesotans were named to the roster for the U.S. men's national team that will compete in the IIHF World Championship from May 13-29 in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland, USA Hockey announced Thursday.
Making the 24-team roster – comprised mainly of players from NHL teams that did not advance to the playoffs or players who aren't eligible for the postseason – from Minnesota are former Gophers Vinni Lettieri (Excelsior) of the Anaheim Ducks, Ben Meyers (Delano) of the Colorado Avalanche and Nate Schmidt (St. Cloud) of the Winnipeg Jets. Former Minnesota Duluth standout Karson Kuhlman (Esko) of the Seattle Kraken also made the team, as did Edina native Kieffer Bellows of the New York Islanders.
Minnesota State Mankato coach Mike Hastings is an assistant coach for Team USA.
The U.S. national team leaves for Finland on Saturday, plays an exhibition game against Canada on Wednesday and opens the tournament on May 13 against Latvia. The United States won the bronze medal in the 2021 tournament.
