As the first round of the NHL playoffs unfold, the Chicago Blackhawks are on the outside looking in. Most of the players are vacationing before they get back to their summer workouts and training. Meanwhile, the front office is focusing on who will be their head coach in the 2025-26 season. Even in the offseason, the news and rumors never end. Let’s get to the latest.
Vlasic & Nazar Headed to World Championship
Last Thursday (Apr. 24), USA Hockey released the first 18 members of the 2025 Men’s National Team for the upcoming IIHF World Championship. Blackhawks’ defenseman Alex Vlasic and forward Frank Nazar have both been selected to the initial roster.
Introducing the first eighteen members of the 2025 U.S. Men’s National Team! 🇺🇸#MensWorlds roster details: https://t.co/OnrdtipMAP pic.twitter.com/qoLr1rDPNn
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) April 24, 2025
Vlasic is 23 years old and a native of nearby Wilmette, Illinois. He’s currently the leading defensive defenseman for the Blackhawks, despite just having finished only his second full season in the NHL. Vlasic represented the United States in U17 Hockey Challenge tournament in 2017 and the U18 World Championship in 2019. He also participated in last year’s World Championship, where he contributed two assists.
Nazar is 21 years old and hails from Detroit, Michigan. While starting this season with the Rockford IceHogs, he was called up to the Blackhawks in mid-December and played in 53 games with the big club. He’s a dynamic player that’s just starting to hit his stride, contributing three goals and five points in the last three games of the season. Nazar represented the United States in the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship and the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Furthermore, Blackhawks’ assistant coach Kevin Dean will be a part of the coaching staff for Team USA. He already knows two of the team’s players quite well!
Other players will likely be joining Team USA as their respective teams are eliminated from the playoffs, but I would fully expect both Vlasic and Nazar to be integral members of the lineup. Just one more reason (two…
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