The 2025 edition of the IIHF men’s World Championship tournament has come and gone, with the United States winning their first championship at that event since 1933.

This year’s Worlds were an unusually star-studded edition, with several prominent players treating this event as either a tune-up or an audition for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Indeed, the hope for a lot of players involved in the tournament was to boost their chances of representing their nation at the Olympics this coming February.

With the Worlds complete, what are the chances we’ll see members of the Calgary Flames organization represented at the Olympics? Here are our educated guesses at which Flames we could see in Italy.

The case for: Andersson just represented Sweden at both the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Worlds, captaining Sweden to a bronze medal at the Worlds. He can play basically every game situation.

The case against: Andersson was the seventh defender at the 4 Nations Face-Off, playing just once, and he’s coming off a season where he, by his own phrasing, “was chewing on minuses.”

Our read: A year ago, Andersson had never represented his country on the senior level. He’s since played in both major tournaments and Sweden’s brass has gotten some long looks at him. He’s undoubtedly on their radar, but he’s far from a lock.

The case for: If you want to be sentimental, Backlund is an old favourite of the Swedish association who’s represented them (and won medals) at many events over his career. An Olympic appearance would put a bow on the international career for a great soldier for their national team. If you want to be cold and analytical, Backlund remains one of the top 200-foot centres in the NHL even as he delves deep into his 30s and he can be a tough-minutes resource.

The case against: While he’s still good, Backlund will turn 37 a few weeks after the Olympics and he’s not quite what he used to be. If you’re the Swedish association, perhaps you would rather give the Olympic opportunity to a younger player who could be representing your national team for awhile in the future.

Our read: Backlund was quite good at the Worlds and he’s a known quantity to the Swedish brass. We suspect he’ll be given some consideration as long as he’s not struggling to start the 2025-26 NHL season, but he’ll be competing against several younger forwards for a roster spot.

The case for: Once a well-kept secret, Weegar’s really blossomed in Calgary. He represented Canada at the last two Worlds and was in the mix for a 4 Nations Face-Off roster spot. He can play either side, left or right, and any game situation. His versatility alone would make him an attractive depth player.

The case against: The only knock against Weegar is that the guys he’s battling for roster spots with have all either won Norris Trophies or been in the mix for them in the recent past. Weegar’s very, very good, but the guys who make the Canadian Olympic team are elite.

Our read: Weegar has some work to do, but he’s undoubtedly on the radar. It’s probably just the sheer high-end depth of Canada’s blueline that is keeping him on the outside looking in right now. If he gets off to a strong start to 2025-26, though, who knows?

The case for: While he wasn’t on the World Championship team, Wolf emerged as one of the top young goaltenders in the NHL during the 2024-25 season. He’s represented the United States in the past, including serving as Spencer Knight’s backup on a World Junior gold medal team years back.

The case against: Wolf wasn’t on the World Championship team, and he’s battling against some older American netminders like Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman that are more established on the senior level. As good as Wolf is, it might not be his turn yet.

Our read: Wolf’s gotta be on USA Hockey’s radar, but it feels like he has to play his way onto the team (and somebody else might need to play their way off of it).

The case for: While Pospisil missed the Worlds – he was a bit banged up after the NHL season, according to media reports from Europe – he was a big part of Slovakia’s national team qualifying for the Olympics.

The case against: If Pospisil’s healthy, he’s playing at the Olympics.

Our read: Slovakia doesn’t have a ton of forward depth, so Pospisil is a virtual lock.

The case for: Honzek’s represented Slovakia a bunch at the junior level and made his senior level debut at the Worlds.

The case against: He didn’t play in every game at the Worlds, though, as Slovakia’s coaches rotated some players in and out.

Our read: Honzek is definitely on the radar, but he’ll need to prove early in the 2025-26 season that he’s a better option than some of the more experienced Slovak forwards playing in the European leagues.

The case for: Klapka has forced his way onto the Flames’ lineup through his combination of size and skill, and that led to him getting a spot at the Worlds on the Czech national team. He didn’t play every game, but he showed flashes of brilliance when he did.

The case against: The Czechs have some decent forward depth between the NHL and the European leagues.

Our read: Klapka won’t get a spot by default, and like Honzek, he’ll probably need to prove during the 2025-26 season that he’s a better option than the more-established veterans playing in Europe.

The case for: Vladar’s one of just a handful of Czech netminders in the NHL, and he showed well during the Worlds.

The case against: Vladar has yet to put together a strong season in the NHL, and he’s primarily worked as a backup. Heck, he was Karel Vejmelka’s backup, functionally, during the Worlds. Other goaltenders may have more chances to make their case for a roster spot during the early part of the 2025-26 season.

Our read: While he may or may not be representing the Flames next season, we think Vladar has a pretty decent chance of being one of the Czech goaltenders.

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