With the 2025 IIHF World Championship just around the corner, teams are beginning to release their starter rosters. USA hockey recently released their starting 18 players on Instagram. Forward Mike Mccarron and defenseman Brady Skjei were among the 18 nominated to represent Team USA this May.
Additionally, Predators insider Nick Kieser reported that forward Ryan O'Reilly was nominated to represent team Canada while goalies Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen will represent team Finland. With many Nashville fans still recovering from another year of a failed playoff appearance, it should be fun to see our guys in some form of championship. Let's take a look into what each of the player will do for their teams next month.
McCarron and Skjei to Give Physicality to Team USA
For starters, the McCarron pick is an extreme surprise. McCarron only averaged around 14 minutes a night and wasn't a top player by any means. However, I believe that McCarron really deserves this opportunity. The Michigan native hasn't represented the red, white, and blue since 2013 and has grown a lot since then.
He recorded 14 points in 74 games this season, consisting of 5 goals and 9 assists. Even though it is a decent drop off from last season—22 points in 70 games—McCarron has still looked strong. As the team's power forward, he laid the boom 149 hits which was best enough for fourth overall on the Predators this year. While the IIHF is mainly known for scoring, Team USA would benefit greatly from a physical presence on the ice.
The less surprising pick was Skjei. The Minnesota-grown defenseman has 33 points—10 goals and 23 assists—in 82 games with Nashville. He was brought on to the team along with forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault in day one of last year's free agency. With captain Roman Josi out for majority of the season, Skjei had to step up and become the Predators' number one D-man. It was this courage and dedication that most likely awared Skjei a position.
Like McCarron, Skjei is also a product of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. His most recent appearance in an American jersey was the World Cup of Hockey in 2018-19. He scored two goals in eight games while also having a +/- of +5. Standing at 6'3", Skjei has a decent height advantage against most of his opponents. Putting someone like Skjei—along with a 6'6" McCarron—can be a threat to any defenders.