2 NY Rangers Players Taking Home Medals From IIHF World Championships

The IIHF World Championships were very successful for two New York Rangers players.

Jan 23, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (18) before the start of warm ups against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers had a few players, such as Gabe Perreault, who opted not to participate in the IIHF World Championship this year. 

Others were hoping to get the invite to play, but their national teams went in a different direction. Despite that, the Rangers were very well represented during the competition, with five players representing their countries.

Defenseman Will Borgen suited up for Team USA. Urho Vaakanainen, another defenseman, played with Finland. Forward Adam Sykora was with Slovakia, while Jaroslav Chmelar suited up for Czechia. Last but not least, prospect Mikkel Eriksen played for Norway.

It was a great opportunity for New York fans to see some of their players participating in meaningful action during the offseason. The experience gained should only help them once the NHL regular season rolls around again this fall.

Two Rangers win medals at 2026 IIHF World Championships

Nov 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA;New York Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (18) skates with the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Benchmark International Arena. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Out of the five participants, two of them were on teams that came away with medals. Vaakanainen helped Finland win the tournament, taking home gold. Eriksen and Norway lost in the semifinals, but still managed to win the bronze.

Finland was able to defeat Switzerland in the final, and it was a thriller that needed overtime to decide the outcome. In the championship game, the only goal scored was by Helenius Konsta just about halfway through the overtime period.

Vaakanainen recorded two points during the 2026 IIFH World Championships, both of which were assists, and had a plus/minus of +3, making a positive impact while he was on the ice throughout the tournament.

He appeared in seven out of the team’s 10 games played. Six shots were recorded on goal, and he received 16:25 minutes per game. That was the fifth most amongst the eight defensemen who got into games for Finland.

Congrats to Urho Vaakanainen and @leijonat on winning Gold and to #NYR prospect Mikkel Eriksen and @norskishockey on earning Bronze at the 2026 IIHF #MensWorlds! pic.twitter.com/hwNwr0lulY

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 1, 2026

Just like the gold medal game, the bronze medal matchup also went to overtime. Norway was able to come away with a 3-2 victory, defeating Canada.

Unfortunately, Erikson wasn’t in the lineup for that game. He was seldom used by the Norwegian coaching staff throughout the tournament, appearing in only six out of their 10 games played. He didn’t record a point and had a plus/minus of -1 with five shots on goal.

The Rangers prospect played only 53:16 total minutes, but getting that kind of international experience can only help his growth moving forward.

Fresh off their international performance, the players will get some rest before shifting their focus to the 2026-27 season.