Why Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov decided to play at the 2026 World Championship
This article originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
It had been 324 days since Aleksander Barkov lifted the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last year until he returned to game action.
During the preseason, disaster struck Barkov. The Finnish center suffered an injury during practice, and it was later confirmed that Barkov had encountered the worst-case scenario. He had torn his ACL, meaning he would miss the entire NHL season.
Last week, Barkov finally made his return from injury. During the Beijer Hockey Games in Sweden, hockeysverige.se had the chance to speak with the 30-year-old Finn.
“It’s the worst thing, missing an entire season,” Barkov said. “I’m a hockey player — it’s both my life and my job — and I always want to help my team win. Obviously, it was really tough not being able to play and having to watch the whole season from the sidelines. Right now, I’m just very happy to be back playing again, and that everything feels good.”
After missing the entire NHL season, Barkov could have stayed home to rest and ensure his knee fully healed and recovered properly. Instead, he chose to challenge himself by joining Finland for the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland, which began on Friday.
“My goal is to win World Championship gold. I haven’t thought about anything else,” Barkov said. “I was really happy when I got the call from the coach and GM, and for me it was an easy decision to say yes. I’m really happy to be here and playing again.”
Barkov says he had mentally prepared himself to play for the Panthers during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Florida’s disappointing season left the two-time defending champions out of the playoffs. Barkov had expected to return once the postseason started, but instead shifted his focus toward the World Championship.
“I talked to (the Panthers) a little bit, of course, but they didn’t object at all,” Barkov said. “They were just happy for me that I’d get the chance to play at the World Championship.”
Barkov was supposed to represent the Finns at the 2026 Olympics. He missed out, but this gives him a chance to wear his nation’s colors again, regardless
“It’s always a huge honor for me every time I get the chance to represent Finland. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the Olympics, the World Championship, or anything else. Right now, I’m just really happy to be here, and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Internationally, championships have eluded him. Barkov won an Olympic bronze with Finland’s men’s national ice hockey team in 2014, and he also played in the 2016 World Cup and the 2025 Four Nations tournament, falling short in both. At the World Championship level, Barkov only has a silver medal from 2016.
Now, Barkov dreams of finally winning gold with Finland.
“Finland should aim to win every time we play. The goal is always to win gold. Now we’re here again, and hopefully we can have a great tournament and achieve that goal.”