After two consecutive feverish Februarys, we’re getting a break from best-on-best international hockey.
But not a long one.
The 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and 2026 Winter Olympics — which featured NHLers for the first time since 2014 — reminded us all how intense high-level international hockey can be. And, roughly 16 months from now, we’ll get another wonderful dose when the first World Cup of Hockey since 2016 takes place in February of 2028.
With a two-year gap between Team USA’s gold medal showing at the ’26 Games and the next big international event, we want to examine which teams are poised to make the biggest jump for the ’28 World Cup.
This isn’t a power ranking of the teams and we’re not going to sketch out full rosters. But we will look at the lineups from six months ago in Italy and rank teams according to how much meaningful improvement they can make ahead of the WC. To do that, we’ll consider injured players who missed the Olympics, where key players from last time will be in their career arcs by 2028 and, of course, who some of the newcomers could be for a given nation.
While nothing is yet written in stone, we know eight countries will compete at the 2028 WC and we expect them to be Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia and Germany.
With that in mind, let’s rank those countries in terms of who could make a huge leap — for one reason or another — at the next massive international event.
1. Sweden
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Leo Carlsson, C; Jonas Brodin, D
New-guy candidates: Ivar Stenberg, W; Anton Frondell, C; Simon Edvinsson, D; Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D; William Eklund, W
Ready for a big role? Leo Carlsson, C; Jesper Wallstedt, G; Philip Broberg, D
This is really about the potential for Leo Carlsson — who missed the 2026 event completely — and Jesper Wallstedt — who didn’t start a game for Sweden — to be among the very best in the world at their position by the 2027-28 season. Carlsson, you’ll recall, carries the highest cap hit in the NHL into this coming season thanks to the five-year offer sheet he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers that was ultimately matched by the Anaheim Ducks. He’s a huge, two-way centre with elite offensive abilities who will be 23 years old at the next WC.
Wallstedt, meanwhile, had a very strong rookie season this past year after years of being a heralded goalie prospect. He’ll be 25 in February of 2028 and could essentially be at the height of his goalie powers.
Ivar Stenberg will only be 20 years old at the World Cup, so maybe it’s a bit premature to ask him to be a difference-maker. Still, he’s a very skilled, smart and competitive winger who was picked second overall in June for a reason.
While the Swedes have to be a little concerned with an aging forward core — the likes of William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad, Filip Forsberg, Adrian Kempe and Gabriel Landeskog will all be over 30 and, in some cases, well into their 30s by 2028 — having difference-makers like Carlson and Wallstedt at prime positions like centre and goalie will really move the needle for Sweden.
2. Canada
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Brayden Point, C; Anthony Cirelli, C
New-guy candidates: Matthew Schaefer, D; Connor Bedard, C; Wyatt Johnston, C; Evan Bouchard, D; Dylan Guenther, W; Adam Fantilli, C; Porter Martone, W; Joel Hofer, G; Noah Dobson, D; Owen Power, D; Will Cuylle, W, Gavin McKenna, W; Jet Greaves, G; Mackenzie Blackwood, G; Scott Wedgewood, G
Ready for a big role? Logan Thompson, G; Matthew Schaefer, D; Connor Bedard, C
Canada entered the tournament without Swiss Army Knife Brayden Point, played almost all of it without key defenceman Josh Morrissey and finished it without captain Sidney Crosby. Clearly, the Canadians will be hoping for better injury luck in 2028.
Can we all agree a 40-year-old Crosby will start on Canada’s fourth line at the ’28 WC and probably finish on one of the top two units?
Macklin Celebrini could be the unquestioned top player in the world by 2028, with Connor McDavid (31 in 2028) and Nathan MacKinnon (32) still only a hair behind.
The real game-changer for Canada, though, could be Schaefer’s emergence on the blueline. With Cale Makar and Devon Toews — 29 and 33, respectively, at the start of the ’28 WC — still likely to form one top pair, having Schaefer anchor a second duo could be huge for a Canadian crew that did not send A+ defence crews to the 4 Nations or Italy.
While there’s clear potential for Canada to improve, it’s worth pointing out that — for all the groaning about the goaltending situation — Jordan Binnington has been somewhere between very good and great when Canada needed him most the past two Februarys. Maybe, at 34, it’ll be Binnington’s job again. But there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll be as good as he has been in the past and there’s still not a clear fantastic option emerging behind him.
3. Finland
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Aleksander Barkov, C; Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G
New-guy candidates: Konsta Helenius, W; Julius Miettinen, C
Ready for a big role? Anton Lundell, C
Did any single team miss any one player more than Finland missed Aleksander Barkov at the 2026 Games? His presence alone at the World Cup will be a massive game-changer for the Finns, who might well have eliminated Canada in the semifinals in Italy had Barkov been in the lineup to protect the 2-0 lead Finland held on Canada halfway through the game.
The issue for Finland, though, is that there’s not much coming through the pipeline that figures to make a huge difference by 2028.
Anton Lundell has almost taken the mantle from Barkov — his countryman and Panthers teammate — as the best-kept secret in the league. Maybe by 2028 — when he’s 26 — he’ll be a 65-point two-way force instead of the 45-point guy he is now.
4. United States
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Seth Jones, D
New-guy candidates: Jason Robertson, W; Lane Hutson, D; Logan Cooley, C; Adam Fox, D; Cole Caufield, W; Will Smith, W, Cutter Gauthier, W; Matthew Knies, W; Ryan Leonard, W; Shane Pinto, C
Ready for a big role? Jason Robertson, W; Logan Cooley, C; Jeremy Swayman, G
Before anybody freaks out about three teams being ahead of Team USA, let’s remember that the Americans’ need to improve is smaller than every other country’s because they left Italy with gold. And remember, if we were power ranking the teams ahead of the WC, the U.S. would be no lower than 1A.
This really comes down to what happens with the likes of veteran forwards Vincent Trochek, Brock Nelson and J.T. Miller. Trocheck, in particular, was a hugely important role player for Team USA at the Olympics. In theory, all three guys could be back — Nelson would be the oldest in 2028 at 36 — but might the Americans lean into the many skilled options available to them?
It’ll be an interesting debate.
Connor Hellebuyck was obviously a massive part of the Americans’ triumph, but if his game slips in the next year-and-a-half, Jeremy Swayman would be more than capable of providing top-flight goaltending.
5. Czechia
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Pavel Zacha, C
New-guy candidates: Jakub Dobes, G; Jiri Kulich, C; Adam Jiricek, D; Radim Mrtka, D; Vaclav Nestrasil, W; Eduard Sale, W
Ready for a big role? Jakub Dobes, G; Jiri Kulich, C
Goalie is probably the position Czechia is deepest at and, unfortunately for the Czechs, only one guy can man that spot at a time. We thought Lukas Dostal could be an X-factor at the ’26 Games, but he never really found his A-game. Could that change by 2028, when he’s 27 and potentially has more playoff experience with the Anaheim Ducks under his belt?
Speaking of the post-season, Jakub Dobes was one of the breakout stars of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading the Montreal Canadiens to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final. If he builds on that momentum to become a legit stud No. 1 in the NHL, Czechia — a country that once rode an unbeatable goalie to gold when Dominik Hasek and Co. won the 1998 Olympics — could have some intriguing crease options by 2028.
Czechia’s mega-stud wingers — David Pastrnak and Martin Necas — will be 31 and 29, respectively, at the World Cup, so they’ll still be going strong as offence-drivers.
Czechia is the only country to earn a medal at each of the past four World Junior Championships, so talent is on the way.
6. Slovakia
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Samuel Honzek, W
New-guy candidates: Adam Gajan, G; Max Strbak, D; Adam Goljer, D; Michal Pradel, G
Ready for a big role? Simon Nemec, D; Dalibor Dvorsky, W
The Slovaks are coming, but maybe not until the 2030 Olympics. The country produced eight players selected in the 2026 draft, so talent is starting to rise through the ranks.
Of course, it was four years ago that Slovaks headlined the 2002 draft, when Juraj Slafkovsky went first overall to the Habs, right before the Devils snagged Simon Nemec at No. 2. Slafkovsky has already demonstrated he loves the international spotlight by coming up big for Slovakia at both the ’22 and ’26 Olympics. He could be one of the defining players on any team at the 2028 World Cup.
As for Nemec, he’s going to get a new role and all kinds of opportunities in Calgary after the Flames acquired him earlier this summer from Jersey. Can he develop into a true top-pair guy by the ’28 WC?
Adam Gajan was technically on the Slovakian roster in Italy, but didn’t see action. The Blackhawks second-rounder will jump from college to the pro ranks in the fall, so let’s see what he becomes in the next 18 months.
7. Switzerland
Key 2026 injury-related absences: Lian Bichsel, D
New-guy candidates: Leon Muggli, D
Ready for a big role? Lian Bichsel, D; Akira Schmid, G
Lian Bicshel may have been the only Swiss NHLer to miss the ’26 Olympics completely, but Kevin Fiala — a top-scoring option on the team — was forced out of the event in the second round-robin game versus Canada with a gruesome leg injury. Making matters worse, the Swiss also lost Denis Malgin — a player with significant NHL experience — in the same contest for the rest of the tournament.
Those were two huge in-tournament losses for Switzerland, which was still painfully close to making the semifinals. Recall that the Swiss held a 2-0 lead over Finland with fewer than 10 minutes to go in their quarterfinal match and were clinging to a one-goal lead with just over a minute to play, but ultimately lost 3-2 in overtime.
Bichel would — at six-foot-seven — quite literally be a huge addition for a defence corps that already boasts Roman Josi and J.J. Moser.
Leonardo Genoni (what a handle!) has been a stud in goal at international events for the Swiss, but it would be great if the only Swiss NHL puck-stopper — Akira Schmid — or a youngster like Ducks prospect Elijah Neuenschwander could take a meaningful step.
Switzerland is projected to be a very strong team in 2028, as is now standard for that nation. However, there aren’t any high-level youngsters set to pop for the team in the next little while and Josi will be 37 at the WC, so it’s tough to say the Swiss are primed to make a big leap forward.
8. Germany
Key 2026 injury-related absences: None
New-guy candidates: Arno Tiefensee, G; Julian Lutz, D
Ready for a big role? JJ Peterka, W
Leon Draisaitl will still be one of the best forwards in the NHL in 2028 when he’s 32 years old and Moritz Seider’s status as one of the premier do-it-all defencemen on the planet will only be further cemented by the time he’s 26 years old at the WC.
Throw in Tim Stutzle’s incredible offensive ability and it’s easy to see why Germany can put a scare into any team in the tournament. That said, the country doesn’t have any prospects coming even near the tier of the players we just mentioned.
Peterka — who’ll be 26 in 2028 — is obviously an established go-to guy for Germany already, but if he can find the 40-goal form some have predicted for him in a new home in Boston, it could help push the Germans further than they’ve been able to go previously at best-on-best events.
