TAMPA — For the second straight year, Lightning forward Mikey Eyssimont will play for Team USA in the annual International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships.
Eyssimont was one of nine players named to the Team USA roster Sunday morning. The championships, which will be played in Czechia, begin on Friday and run through May 26.
Last year, Eyssimont had a goal and two assists in nine games in the United States’ fourth-place finish at worlds. Last year’s U.S. team was the first to win its first eight games.
Eyssimont, a Littleton, Colorado, native, will report to Bratislava, where the team is currently training. Team USA’s first of eight preliminary-round games is Friday against Sweden in Ostrava. Select games will be broadcast on NHL Network.
Eyssimont, is coming off his best season, becoming a full-time NHL player for the first time this season with the Lightning at the age of 27. He scored 11 goals and 25 points (both career highs) playing mostly on the team’s third line. His 135 hits ranked third on the team, and he played a strong two-way game dictated by his solid forechecking.
He was also the Lightning’s nominee for this season’s Bill Masterton Trophy, which annually goes to a player who best displays perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
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