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Two Devils Join Switzerland at Worlds, One Sidelined by Injury
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- Two Devils Join Switzerland at Worlds, One Sidelined by Injury
New Jersey Devils forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier are set to represent Switzerland at the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship, which is being hosted in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland, from May 15 to May 31, 2026.
Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler will not participate. He is absent from the roster due to injury and will miss the World Championship on the ice, however, he is expected to be with the team while the games are underway in his home country—specifically in Zurich where he was born.
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The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation announced their roster on Monday morning which includes five NHLers. Joining Hischier and Meier are Roman Josi ( Nashville Predators ), Nino Niederreiter ( Winnipeg Jets ), and Pius Suter ( St. Louis Blues ).
Philipp Kurashev ( San Jose Sharks ) has yet to be named to the roster as he is being assessed for an injury, and can later be named to the team.
The NHL players could have joined Switzerland earlier to play for them at the Beijer Hockey Games in Ängelholm, Sweden. However, they were given time off to rest and recover from the 82-game season and games in Milan.
"Due to the heavy workload from the season and the Olympic Games, we deliberately gave these players a slightly longer break. They are now rejoining the team fresh, to be physically and mentally ready for the upcoming home World Championship," explains Head Coach Jan Cadieux.
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The 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship was originally supposed to be hosted in Switzerland during 2020. However, the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, and rescheduled for this spring.
Despite the disappointing 2025-26 team campaign, Hischier is coming off a 28-goal and 66-point season. He was also the only center in the NHL to eclipse 900 & 1,000 faceoff wins in 2025-26.
On the scoresheet, Meier recorded his weakest season in a Devils uniform, scoring just 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games.
Hischier and Meier each represented Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing second in their group to Canada.
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