Charlie Lindgren Headed To Worlds To Play For Team USA; Why He Changed His Mind

Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren originally turned down an invite to represent the United States at the IIHF World Championships, but now, he's headed to Prague to play for Team USA between the pipes.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan announced Lindgren's change of plans on Saturday.

Lindgren originally declined the invite, saying his focus was on the Capitals and that he wanted to spend time in Minnesota with his grandfather. However, a hand injury to Alex Lyon left the United States without a key netminder, so Lindgren was happy to go fill in.

Given Lindgren's stellar showing this season, he will likely be the go-to option in net as USA enters elimination play.

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The 30-year-old is coming off a stellar season with Washington, where he played in a career-high 50 games and boasted a 25-16-7 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.67 GAA, along with six shutouts.

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Lindgren last joined Team USA at Worlds in 2018 but did not play.

He joins Trey Augustine and Alex Nedeljkovic as the other Team USA goaltenders and also joins fellow Capitals prospect Ryan Leonard on the roster.

Martin Fehervary is the only other Washington skater playing at Worlds, as he is representing Slovakia.