Are you surprised that the Norwegians sit ninth in the IIHF World Ranking? That’s understandable, as they came 13th at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Copenhagen. However, they also earned a respectable eighth-place finish at the PyeongChang Olympics. Alexander Bonsaksen’s 2-1 overtime winner versus Slovenia – prior to Norway’s 6-1 quarter-final loss to the Russians – made what had been a relatively lackluster trip to Asia into a moderate success.

Like climbing Norway's 2,469-metre Galdhopiggen mountain, it will be a challenge for the Polar Bears to stay in the hunt this year.

Goal

If you want a parallel with the Swedes, there’s a major Henrik focus between the Norwegian pipes. With longtime starter Lars Haugen declining this year due to family reasons, Henrik Haukeland will carry the load in his third Worlds. Haukeland, 24, recorded a 2.94 GAA and 91.4 save percentage with TPS Turku this season. Six-time Norwegian champion Henrik Holm, who made last year’s Olympic and World Championship rosters but did not play, will back Haukeland up. Jonas Arntzen, who helped Leksands IF earn promotion from the Allsvenskan to the SHL, is the third goalie. 

Defence 

Captain Jonas Holos, who plays for the Swiss NLA’s Fribourg-Gottern, remains a tireless two-way workhorse. The 31-year-old Holos will likely log close to the 24:12 per game he averaged at last year’s Worlds.

Mattias Norstebo played 18 games for SHL champion Frolunda this season, and the swift-skating 23-year-old also brings positive Slovakia-related vibes. In 2015, Norstebo scored his first two World Championship goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-2 victory over the Slovaks. Alexander Bonsaksen, who spent this season as an assistant captain with Finland’s Koo Koo, boasts more than 60 games of World Championship experience at age 31. He also won back-to-back titles with Tappara Tampere (2016, 2017).

That said, the Norwegian defence will struggle against both the pace and the power of NHL- and KHL-heavy rosters.

Forward

Scoring may be an issue, especially against top-flight nations, for the Norwegians. At last year’s tournament, they were blanked consecutively by Finland (7-0), Canada (5-0), and Denmark (3-0). 

At forward, there is no immediate and obvious solution, as top NHLer Mats Zuccarello is not coming after his Dallas Stars playoff run ended. Patrick Thoresen, a two-time Gagarin Cup winner with Salavat Yulayev Ufa and SKA St. Petersburg, finished third in GET-Ligaen scoring with 65 points as Storhamar’s captain. Yet at 35, the big winger is no longer the elemental force that produced 18 points at the 2012 Worlds, and could miss games early in this tournament due to injuries. Tobias Lindstrom (Valerenga) finished 13 points ahead of Thoresen for second place in GET-Ligaen scoring. If he can match his four points from last year’s Worlds, that would be helpful.

The Olimb brothers won’t be able to perform their rough approximation of Henrik and Daniel Sedin at this tournament. Mathis Olimb, the 2015 Champions Hockey League MVP with Frolunda, chipped in 24 points this season with Skelleftea. However, unfortunately Ken Andre Olimb (Dusseldorfer EG) is sidelined due to shoulder surgery. Andreas Martinsen, the lone participating NHLer, was limited to one goal and four points in 24 games with the Chicago Blackhawks this season.

Coaching

Head coach Petter Thoresen returns for his third straight Worlds, and the five-time Olympian’s challenge is to bring out the warrior mentality that was his trademark as a player. So far, Thoresen’s best result has been 11th place in 2017, right after taking over from longtime national team bench boss Roy Johansen.

The 57-year-old Oslo native, whose son is Patrick Thoresen, must devote special attention to special teams: at last year’s tournament, Norway’s power play was third-worst (13.79 percent) and its penalty-killing second-worst (66.6 percent). A defence-first posture will serve this squad best.

Projected Results

In Group B, Norway has little hope of knocking off Russia or Sweden. It will vie for a quarter-final berth against the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Latvia. Norway has lost its last four games against the Czechs by a combined total of 16-0, but generally hangs tough against the latter two nations.

The Norwegians are a tight-knit group and will need to play like one. This year, a top-10 finish would be a reasonable goal. Making the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 would be gravy.