Four Blackhawks Named To United States World Championship Preliminary Roster

Four Blackhawks Named To United States World Championship Preliminary Roster

USA Hockey announced its preliminary roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship on Thursday, with the tournament beginning in just over one week in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.

Four members of the 2025-26 Chicago Blackhawks were named to the roster — Sam Lafferty, Oliver Moore, Wyatt Kaiser, and Drew Commesso. Scott Powers of The Athletic reported in late April that Lafferty, Moore, and Kaiser were expected to represent the Red, White, & Blue in Switzerland, and Commesso will now join them.

Should Moore and Kaiser crack the final roster, it will mark the first appearance at the World Championship for both players in their young careers.

Moore, a native of Mounds View, Minnesota, played for the United States Development Program as a junior from 2021-23. He also represented Team USA at the 2023 U18 World Junior Championship, the 2024 U20 World Junior Championship, and the 2025 U20 World Junior Championship, winning a Gold Medal in all three tournaments.

Kaiser, a native of Andover, Minnesota, has represented the United States twice before, playing in the 2020 U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2022 U20 World Junior Championship.

Lafferty, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, played in the 2022 World Championship for Team USA, recording three points (1G, 2A) in 10 games. The 31-year-old forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and isn’t expected to be re-signed by the Blackhawks.