Eight teams descend on Riga, Latvia to play in Group B of the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, but only four of them will advance to the quarter-finals. There are four clear favourites to take those spots with another ready to challenge. At the other end, there could be an intense battle to avoid relegation.
Canada
This is a young Canadian team coming to Riga, with the only 30-plus players so far being defenders Tyler Myers and Brad Hunt and Calgary Flames forwards Tyler Toffoli and Milan Lucic. Myers and Toffoli are the only two players on the team with previous World Championship experience, while 23-year-old centre Jack McBain played in last year’s Olympics. Nonetheless, expectations will be high for the entry from the country that has made each of the last three World Championship finals. Two years ago in the same arena, Canada lost its first three games before rallying to win seven in a row and the gold medal.
Adam Fantilli, one of the top-rated prospects at this year’s NHL Entry Draft, will be interesting to watch. The only full-time NHLer in goal is Montreal’s Samuel Montembeault, with prospects Joel Hofer and Devon Levi ready to step in if necessary.
Czech Republic
Last year under new coach Kari Jalonen, the Czechs won their first World Championship medal in a decade. This year, they bring a team that doesn’t quite have the firepower of last year’s squad – although there is the possibility of a couple more NHL reinforcements – but it is an experienced group led by captain Roman Cervenka that intends to not only return to the podium but possibly climb higher.
Goaltending looks strong, with Karel Vejmelka, Marek Langhamer and Simon Hrubec all experienced internationally. Defence is also experienced, with Michal Jordan playing in his sixth Words – behind only Cervenka’s 10. The only NHLer so far on the blueline is 26-year-old Jakub Zboril. Up front, players like Dominik Kubalik, Michael Spacek, Filip Chlapik or Filip Chytil may get a chance to shine offensively.
Slovakia
Things have been trending upward for Slovakia in recent years, having made the quarter-finals at the last two World Championships (after a six-year drought) and winning Olympic bronze last year. This year’s team in Riga is a young one, but that’s not necessarily a problem. Like Finland under Jukka Jalonen and Czechia under Kari Jalonen, Slovakia in recent years has developed a real team-first system under Craig Ramsay.
Some of the young talent 23 and under includes defender Samuel Knazko and forwards Martin Chromiak, Milos Kelemen and Pavol Regenda. And they do have experience in the form of Peter Cehlarik, Marek Hrivik, Libor Hudacek, Richard Panik and Adam Janosik. One area of concern might be in net, with none of the three goalies on the roster having ever played in a World Championship.
Switzerland
Once an elevator team, Switzerland is now firmly entrenched as one of hockey’s world powers, having played in the top division continuously since 1998, with a pair of silver medals in that time, and a five-year streak of making at least the quarter-finals. Anything less than a return to the top eight would be a huge disappointment, but not a guarantee with Latvia playing on home ice.
Switzerland has one of the oldest teams in Riga and plenty of experience, starting with 39-year-old Andres Ambuhl, who enters his record 18th World Championship at the top level. Every game he plays will add to his games-played record, currently at 123. In goal is 35-year-old Leonardo Genoni, one of the heroes of 2018. There’s also young talent, with 2000-born NHL defencemen Tim Berni and Janis Moser, and NHL forwards Nino Niederreiter and Denis Malgin.
Latvia
Two years ago, the last time they played on home ice, the Latvians opened with a huge 2-0 upset win over Canada but losses to Norway and Kazakhstan kept them from advancing. There’s a clear top four in this group, so if Latvia wants to make the quarter-finals for the first time since 2018, they’ll have to beat at least one of those teams and also make sure they don’t leave any points behind against the teams they should beat.
Last year, Latvia almost advanced on the back of goaltender Arturs Silovs and after a strong season in the AHL and five NHL games, the 22-year-old is back as the team’s clear starter. This team is deep in experience, with 15 players having played in at least four previous World Championships – this will be the 12th for forward Andris Dzerins. At the other end, watch for 19-year-old centre Dans Locmelis, who impressed at this season’s World Junior Championship.
Norway
This is Norway’s 17th consecutive World Championship in the elite group but the team hasn’t made the quarter-finals since 2012. Looking at the rest of their group, it would be a surprise if both trends didn’t continue. They always seem to play the role of spoiler for some hopeful teams but never accumulate enough points in the end.
A strong team game under coach Petter Thoresen has always been Norway’s strength, but his retirement and a younger roster will present an interesting challenge. There are still recognizable names like veteran forwards Ken Andre Olimb and Andreas Martinsen, but there are also several young players, led by 22-year-old defenceman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, an Arizona Coyotes prospect.
Kazakhstan
Two years ago in Riga, Kazakhstan had its best-ever World Championship, finishing 10th thanks to wins over Finland and Germany. But then last year in Helsinki, the Kazakhs needed a win in their last game against Italy to avoid relegation. With a very young and inexperienced roster, things aren’t likely to improve much this season.
Veteran forwards Roman Starchenko and Yevgeni Rymarev are familiar names that will try to lead the way on this almost entirely homegrown roster. One notable exception to that is 22-year-old Colorado Avalanche prospect Andrei Buyalsky, who plays for the University of Vermont.
Slovenia
After winning Division I Group A last year with a perfect record, Slovenia is back in the top flight for the first time since 2017. As always, the Slovenes will have their work cut out for them at this level, . From a country of just over two million, Slovenia’s best-ever finishes at the World Championships were a pair of 13th placements in 2002 and 2005 – the only times they’ve managed to avoid relegation. If they want to manage that again, they are probably looking ahead to their final game against Kazakhstan as the most winnable on the schedule.
This roster consists of eight players from Olimpija Ljubljana, the Slovenian club in the Austrian-based ICEHL. The team does have experience, with an average age of nearly 30 and five players entering their fifth Worlds in the top flight, led by defender Blaz Gregorc and forward Robert Sabolic.