David Pastrnak joins Team Czechia at the World Championship

After packing his bags in Brighton on Monday afternoon, Bruins sharpshooter David Pastrnak was sent abroad to play for Team Czechia at the ongoing IIHF World Championship.

Pastrnak will join a Bruins graduate and fellow Czech David Krejci, 36, who decided against signing again with the Bruins last summer and instead played the 2021-22 season with Olomouc in the Czech top flight.

Pastrnak, who grew up in Havirov, played for the Czechs at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Cups, playing 21 games and scoring 6-13-19.

Canada and Sweden have each won gold three times since 2012. The Czechs haven’t won a championship since 2010.

Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who has been in the net in the Bruins’ last five playoff games, is included in the Team USA roster.

Pastrnak, who spoke to reporters on Monday as players cleared their lockers at the Bruins practice facility, noted he was dying to turn the page after a difficult few months that included the loss of his young son and a season cut short by a rib injury about three weeks in April.

Pastrnak, one of the game’s elite shooters, became the club’s top scorer (40) and his 77 points placed second in the team standings behind Brad Marchand (80).

Pastrnak, 25, also delivered a 3-3-6 line in the seven playoff games against the Canes.

The World Cup started in Finland on May 13 with matches in Helsinki and Tampere and will end a week before Sunday (May 29). The IIHF website published Tuesday morning that Pastrnak has joined Team Czechia.