On Thursday, it was confirmed that Vancouver Canucks forwards Conor Garland and Drew O’Connor will join Team USA for the upcoming IIHF World Championship.
The pair were previously teammates on the American roster for the 2023 edition of the tournament, where the United States finished in fourth following a 4-3 OT loss to Latvia in the bronze medal match. Both skaters finished with eight points across the tournament’s 10 games, with O’Connor scoring three goals in his international debut and Garland picking up two.
Garland has one other international appearance to his name, having played in the World Championships in 2021, where he finished second overall in points with six goals and seven assists, totalling 13. After falling to their Canadian rivals in the semi-finals, the US settled for bronze with a 6-1 defeat of Germany. Garland had the game-winner and three points in the third-place tilt.
The two Canucks will now attempt to get the US back on the podium for the first time since that 2021 bronze medal. Or at the very least, improve on a quarter-final exit last year. While the IIHF Worlds typically don’t feature all of each nation’s top talent due to the NHL playoffs, the US hasn’t even reached the finals since 1960, when they last took home Gold.
After he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in February, O’Connor had four goals and nine points in 31 games played with the Canucks this year. He’ll be looking to use this year’s Worlds as a boost to improve his game this off-season, especially after signing a two-year contract extension in Vancouver.
Garland meanwhile kept steady with the consistent pace of his last few seasons, finishing third in points on the Canucks with 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points total – his second 50-point season. A highlight of his year was the 29-year-old’s work on the man advantage, with a career-high seven goals and 16 points total on the power play.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics coming up, this year’s Worlds are certain to be a test for some players looking to earn their spot at international hockey’s biggest event. The 4 Nations Face-Off showed that Team USA will be a tough roster to crack, and while O’Connor is on the outside looking in, Garland could be seen as a long shot with the potential to fight for a spot with a strong performance at this year’s Worlds and through next season.
