By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
The Boston Bruins may have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they finished skating for the year. The IIHF World Championships took place from May 9 through May 25, and the Black and Gold had no shortage of representation across the tournament. Here’s how the seven members of the Bruins fared at the World Championships:
David Pastrnak
How would David Pastrnak follow up his 43-goal, 106-point season? Well, all he did was lead the World Championships in scoring and take home the most significant individual award.
Although Pastrnak and the Czechs weren’t able to repeat as world champions, Boston’s perennial all-star posted 6-9-15 through 8 contests. That performance was good enough to earn him the IIHF Directorate Award as the tournament’s top forward and a spot on the Media All-Star Team.
Death, taxes, and Pastrnak’s production are some of the only things the Boston Bruins have to hang their hat on over the past few months, and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to slow down anytime soon.
Jeremy Swayman
It would be the understatement of the year to call Jeremy Swayman’s 2024-25 campaign underwhelming. The Maine native finished the season with a record of 22-29-7, a goals-against average of 3.11, and a save percentage of .892.
People around Boston viewed the World Championships as an opportunity for their newly signed netminder to find his game and return to form. Although there were some bumps along the way (a five-goal outing against Norway in particular), Swayman discovered his game and looked like himself. He finished the tournament with a 7-0-0 record and registered an impressive 1.69 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
His tournament culminated in a 25-save shutout of the Swiss to secure the US its first gold medal at the World Championships since 1933.
The biggest positive for Bruins fans was that Swayman looked his best when the lights were brightest. His calling card en route to his new contract was his clutch play, and seeing him reignite that spark and shut the door on opponents should be a promising development.
Elias Lindholm
Boston’s top center was also subject to an underwhelming 2024-25 season. The newly signed Lindholm notched 17-30-47 in 82 games for the Black and Gold. The one glimmer of hope fans could cling to was the Swede’s strong finish to the season (4-5-9 over the last seven games).
Lindholm was able to carry his hot streak over to the World Championships effortlessly. He paced his countrymen with 8-6-14 across ten games and helped lead Sweden to a Bronze Medal. Lindholm’s eight goals led the tournament, and he, like Pastrnak, was named to the Media All-Star Team.
The team and Lindholm himself mentioned how much of a setback his early back injury was to this season. With a healthy summer and a full training camp, there’s no reason to believe he can’t improve on his play from last season and provide Boston with more strength down the middle.
Dans Locmelis
The biggest story heading into the World Championships was Bruins prospect Dans Locmelis and his red-hot AHL start. The Latvia native reported to Providence after a solid sophomore season at UMass (8-25-33 in 40 games) and immediately set the American League on fire.
He appeared in six regular season games before the AHL playoffs and posted 3-9-12 over that time while skating with Matt Poitras. Locmelis added an assist during his four-game playoff stretch, bringing his AHL totals to 3-10-13 in 10 games.
The 21-year-old left Providence early to play for his country at the World Championships. While centering Latvia’s first line, Locmelis produced 4-2-6 in seven games. His play even caught the eye of future hall-of-famer Sidney Crosby, who reportedly “approached Dan Lochmelis after the World Cup game against Latvia, tapped him on the shoulder, and praised his performance.”
Locmelis’ upward trajectory was one of the few bright spots to end last season. He may compete for a roster spot next fall, but expect him to continue to hone his game in Providence and become a more well-rounded pro.
Mason Lohrei
Boston’s highest-scoring defenseman had a solid and encouraging World Championships after an up-and-down season. Lohrei notched 1-3-4 through 5 games and was +4. According to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Lohrei was “skating as one of the team’s top defensemen (and offensive weapons) before exiting play.”
Lohrei missed the final five games of the tournament, and although no official reports have been made, the general sentiment is that he suffered an injury that kept him out of the lineup. However, he was able to celebrate in uniform with his teammates when they secured gold.
Lohrei was thrown to the wolves this season, and despite his defensive warts, he showed why he’s a valuable asset to the franchise. The return of Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm should take some responsibilities off his plate and allow him to develop his impressive offensive game further.
Andrew Peeke
All things considered, Andrew Peeke had a pretty solid season for the Boston Bruins. He posted a career-high 17 points and was one of the team’s more reliable defenders throughout the tumultuous campaign.
Peeke appeared in all 10 games for the US at the World Championships, finishing with 1-2-3 and a +8 (tied for 20th in the tournament. The 27-year-old spent the majority of his tournament alongside Brady Skjei on America’s second pairing, where he provided a strong and stout defensive presence.
With McAvoy and Lindholm returning, Brandon Carlo out the door, and the team needing help on offense, Andrew Peeke could be up for a promotion into the team’s top-four defenseman. His solid showing at this tournament only furthers his case to be given a look alongside Lindholm as Boston’s 2RD.
Jakub Lauko
Rounding out the list of Bruins at the World Championships is speedy winger Jakub Lauko. The 25-year-old suited up in 7 games for the Czech Republic and posted 1-1-2.
Lauko enters this offseason as a restricted free agent, so if the Bruins want to keep him around, they should have no trouble locking him up in a bottom-six role.
He may not put up the numbers fans like, but he’s one of the few players from today year’s roster who brings the kind of energy, snarl, and speed that good teams need to be successful. Pairing him with Mark Kastelic and one of John Farinacci/Riley Duran/Trevor Kuntar on Boston’s fourth line could solidify their bottom trio for years to come.
Leave a Reply