Although the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship was played in empty arenas because of the coronavirus, there were still many great games, a thrilling OT finish, and stories aplenty to follow from the players since that time. Here is a look at ten notable players from the Riga World Championship who have used that tournament to make even greater career strides in the months since.

Andrew Mangiapane – Drafted a lowly 166th by Calgary in 2015, Mangiapane was at best a mid-level player until last spring when he represented Canada for the first time. After quarantining, he joined the team at the World Championship and almost single-handedly led them to a gold medal, being named MVP along the way. This year, he has kept right on going, and now has 18 goals in just 34 games with Calgary, matching his career high in less than half a season. All of this meant he would likely have been named to the Olympic team had NHLers participated. Amazing late bloomer.

Brian Boyle – Boyle didn’t play a game in the NHL in 2020/21, but he kept training in the hopes a team would sign him prior to the deadline. That also didn’t happen, but USA Hockey took notice and invited him to Riga. Boyle provided leadership, and when captain Justin Abdelkader was injured Boyle inherited the “C”, taking the team to a rare bronze medal. Pittsburgh signed him to an NHL contract in the summer, and now Boyle, unwanted a year ago, finds himself playing alongside Sid and Gino on a Stanley Cup contender. Nice.

Moritz Seider – A top prospect with Detroit, Seider was named the best defenceman in the Swedish league in 2020/21 before joining Germany at the World Championship. He was named IIHF Directorate Best Defender and joined the Red Wings at training camp last fall. Seider has been arguably the best rookie blueliner in the NHL this season and will claim his share of Calder Trophy votes at season’s end.

Anton Lundell – As a rookie with the high-flying Florida Panthers, Lundell is another European who will get serious consideration for the Calder Trophy. By the time he was 19, he had done something few players have ever done—won medals at the U18, U20, and senior World Championship. In 2021, he also played at both the World Juniors (bronze) and World Championship (silver) in Riga. A superstar in the making.

Owen Power – The first overall draft choice, by Buffalo, at the 2021 Entry Draft, Power joined Team Canada at last year’s World Championship after a sensational season with the University of Michigan. The hulking defenceman played a steady and reliable game, earning more ice time as the tournament progressed. He opted to return to the Wolverines this season and was on Canada’s World Junior Team in Calgary last month. His development has been visible and measurable almost week by week.

Gregory Hofmann – Perhaps the most fascinating story from the World Championship that carried over to the 2021/22 hockey season, Hofmann was drafted by Carolina back in 2011. But over the course of the next decade he remained in Switzerland, playing for a variety of teams and always being one of the league’s top players. But last year Columbus acquired his rights and he made his NHL debut a month before his 29th birthday. By this time, he had also played the U18, two World Juniors, four World Championships, and the 2018 Olympics. But when his wife gave birth late last year Hofmann returned home to be with her…and never returned to Columbus. He is now back home to resume his career in Switzerland and at the Olympic Winter Games, but he is now a member of the NHL fraternity as well.

Adam Huska – One of many Slovaks to move to North America to try to make the NHL, goaltender Huska was a low-draft choice by the New York Rangers back in 2015 while he was playing in the ECHL. He went on to the University of Connecticut, then back to the “E” and then AHL. Along the way he played for Slovakia at the U18 twice and the U20 twice, and helped his nation to the playoffs at last year’s Worlds. He made his NHL debut last month, and although he allowed seven goals, he realized a dream and is working towards earning another start.

Kristians Rubins – Never drafted, the big, Latvian defender moved from Sweden to Western Canada in search of experience and the opportunity to realize his dreams. He was an impressive player for Latvia at last year’s Worlds after having played previously at the U18 and U20 level, as well as the 2018 Worlds, but it was the Toronto Maple Leafs that gave him his first chance. Rubins played for the AHL Marlies for the better part of three years and made his NHL debut with the Leafs last December. 

Adrian Kempe – A first-round draft choice by Los Angeles back in 2014, Kempe was for several years a star in the making but one who fell a bit short of expectations. But he had a good World Championship in Riga with a very inexperienced team and has had a career year with the Kings in 2021-22. He has already scored 17 goals and 24 points, both career bests.

Vladimir Tarasenko – Coach Valeri Bragin convinced Tarasenko to join the ROC team in Riga after St. Louis had been eliminated from the playoffs. It was a happy reunion of the two from a decade earlier when Bragin coached Tarasenko as a junior to a stunning gold at the World Juniors, overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the third period to Canada. Tarasenko had missed much of the two previous years with a serious shoulder injury, but he scored the shootout winner against Sweden and had two assists in three games. Back in St. Louis this year, healthy, Tarasenko is back contributing more meaningfully.