The NHL off-season has begun for the Winnipeg Jets, as they can only sit back and watch the playoffs unfold over the next two months. They’ll be lots of questions (and answers) about what went wrong this season, but for now, there’s some news about some Jets who will be continuing their seasons at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship. The tournament will be played in Zurich and Fribourg in Switzerland between May 15th and May 31st, and there are currently five Jets confirmed to be playing at this “year end” tournament for international hockey glory.
Team Canada – Mark Scheifele, Dylan DeMelo, and Gabriel Vilardi
Mark Scheifele just concluded his best season of his career, but he feels there’s more to give at the World Championship. The 33-year old finished the 2025-26 season with 82 games played, 36 goals, 67 assists and a new Jets 2.0 franchise record of 103 points. After getting snubbed from the Canadian Olympic team this past winter, Scheifele wants to get on the radar for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey with this tournament coming up.
Dylan DeMelo has never represented Team Canada before at any level, until now. The 32-year old defender had an identical season to his 2024-25 season, finishing with 3 goals and 16 assists for 19 points. DeMelo was another one of the few Jets players who appeared in all 82 games this season, but clearly there’s more in the tank as he prepares to wear the Canadian colours for the first time in Switzerland.
Gabriel Vilardi was shuffled between the top and 2nd line throughout the season at times, and he still managed to have a career best season. The 26-year old had his first fully healthy season of his career, appearing in all 82 games. Vilardi set a new career high in goals (30), a career high in assists (39), and a career high in points with 69. Vilardi’s impact on the Jets this season may have been overlooked with the success of Scheifele and Kyle Connor, but Vilardi was easily the 3rd best forward throughout the season, and he’ll get a chance to build on his successful season with Team Canada.
Team Switzerland – Nino Niederreiter
The Swiss legend Nino Niederreiter will once again wear the Switzerland jersey this spring. Niederreiter has played on Team Switzerland in the World Juniors, the Olympics (including the 2026 Olympics) and at multiple World Championships. The 33-year old didn’t have a great season, and he missed some time due to injuries. Niederreiter appeared in 61 games this season, scoring 8 goals and 11 assists for 19 points, a notable drop from his 37 points last season. Niederreiter will use this opportunity with Team Switzerland as an early tune up for next season, which will be the final year of his current contract with the Jets.
Team Finland – Ville Heinola
Apart from Dylan DeMelo, the most “surprising” player headed to the World Championship from the Jets has to be Ville Heinola. There’s some history with Heinola and Finland, as he was on the 2019 and 2020 World Junior team. The 25-year old continues to be working towards becoming a regular NHLer, but that doesn’t seems like it will happen with the Jets. Heinola is open to be moved via trade, but the Jets want to make sure the trade makes sense before moving on from the former 1st round pick. Heinola had 0 points in 5 games with the Jets, and 21 points in 44 games with the Manitoba Moose this season.
Up Next
The first “event” of the NHL off-season (which happens during the playoffs) will be the NHL Draft Lottery on May 5th, where the Winnipeg Jets will have a 6.5% chance of winning the draw for the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in late June.
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