5 New Jersey Devils Players Who Could Be Bound For World Championships
By Nick Villano
![Nico Hischier (SUI) celebrates his goal with teammates during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group B game between Latvia and Switzerland at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 12, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images) Nico Hischier (SUI) celebrates his goal with teammates during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group B game between Latvia and Switzerland at Ondrej Nepela Arena on May 12, 2019 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/08081e41adba5441a2bde0d88f62e6742da5198e93fc65fad634920ab47a16f1.jpg)
Jesper Bratt – Sweden
Jesper Bratt doesn’t have to prove anything after the year he had. He’s scoring just under a point per game, leading the Devils in points and assists. Despite being called out by his coach twice this week, Bratt has been the surprise of the season. In his contract year, he’s proven that he can be a star in the top six. The Devils have one of their top wingers when it was still very much up in the air who would be there long term.
Bratt looks really good and he doesn’t need to have a good showing to prove himself to the Devils. They don’t need to see how he performs on an international stage. He performed just fine on the NHL stage.
However, he seems to love to play for Sweden. He represented them at the World Championships, scoring two points in six games. He hasn’t played since the start of the pandemic, but as we said, things are a little easier now. He can play in Finland, which is literally connected to Sweden (although only at the very top). It would be a very easy move for him to make.
Bratt might also want to keep his momentum going into this offseason. He’s never played hockey like this before in his life. When that happens, players want to keep the good times rolling. Bratt might be in the same spot, especially since this year’s world championships are so close to home.