The IIHF World Championship is set to take place from May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. As part of Team USA’s roster for the event, Kevin Hayes and Matthew Kessel have been announced.
Kevin Hayes, who hails from Dorchester, Massachusetts, will be representing Team USA for the third time at the World Championship. In his first year with the St. Louis Blues last season, he recorded 29 points including 13 goals and 16 assists along with 12 penalty minutes in 79 regular-season games. Hayes has played a total of 10 NHL seasons accumulating an impressive 415 points in 713 career regular-season games.
On the other hand, Matthew Kessel will be making his debut appearance for Team USA. During his rookie season in the NHL last year, he posted seven points with one goal, six assists and 12 penalty minutes in just 39 regular-season games for the Blues. Kessel was also productive with the Blues’ AHL affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds where he tallied eight points including three goals and five assists along with 16 penalty minutes in just 36 regular-season games. He was drafted by the Blues in the fifth round of the NHL Draft in
