Shining Stars at the IIHF World Championship: Penguins Players Make a Splash in Prague and Ostrava

In the 2024 IIHF World Championship held in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia, several Penguins players shone. Let’s take a closer look at their performances.

Erik Karlsson and Marcus Pettersson played for Team Sweden and won the bronze medal. This was Karlsson’s second bronze of his IIHF career, having previously won in 2010. As the team captain, Karlsson scored six goals and recorded 11 points in 10 games. Pettersson, who was playing in his third-ever Worlds, earned his first-ever medal. He scored three goals and five points in 10 games.

Michael Bunting represented Team Canada but unfortunately lost to Sweden in the bronze-medal game. This was Bunting’s second appearance at the tournament, having won gold in 2021. In 10 games, he contributed one goal and three assists.

In the quarterfinals, Finland’s Valtteri Puustinen and Jesse Puljujarvi were eliminated by Sweden. Puustinen, a 24-year-old drafted in 2019, scored a goal and an assist in seven games. Puljujarvi had three goals in eight games but had returned from bilateral hip surgery this season.

Finally, Alex Nedeljkovic made his World Championship debut representing Team USA. The goaltender earned two wins, including a shutout against France. Unfortunately, the U.S. was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Czechia, who went on to win the gold medal on home soil.

Overall, it was an impressive performance by these Penguins players at the IIHF World Championship!