2023 IIHF World Championship

2023 edition of the IIHF World Championship

2023 IIHF World Championship
Tournament details
Host countries  Finland
 Latvia
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Dates12–28 May
Opened bySauli Niinistö
Teams16
Final positions
Champions  Canada (28th title)
Runner-up  Germany
Third place  Latvia
Fourth place United States
Tournament statistics
Games played64
Goals scored354 (5.53 per game)
Attendance442,160 (6,909 per game)
Scoring leader(s)United States Rocco Grimaldi (14 points)
MVPLatvia Artūrs Šilovs
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 IIHF World Championship was co-hosted by Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. The tournament was held from 12 to 28 May 2023, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

As in the 2022 edition, the tournament saw several upsets: Kazakhstan's win over Norway, Hungary's win over France, Latvia's first-ever victory over Czechia, Norway’s second-ever win over Canada, as well as Kazakhstan's first-ever victory over Slovakia.[1][2] The playoffs also saw major upsets, as Latvia reached the semi-finals for the first time after defeating favourite Sweden 3–1 in the quarter-finals,[3] Germany upset Switzerland 3–1 and the reigning Olympic and World Champion Finland lost to Canada 4–1. Czechia finished in 8th place after losing to the United States (USA) 3–0 in the quarter-finals, which is that nation's worst placement to date in the history of the World Championship. Germany reached the final for the first time since 1930 after upsetting the top-seeded USA 4–3 in overtime.

Canada won its 28th title by beating Germany 5–2 in the final.[4] The silver was Germany's first medal since 1953. Latvia claimed its first ever IIHF medal after defeating the USA 4–3 in overtime and finishing third.[5]

Host nation bid

The event was originally planned to be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, but, in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called for Russia and Belarus to be stripped of hosting rights to all international sporting events due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6] On 26 April 2022, Russia lost their rights to host the World Championship.[7]

After being promoted to the top division, Slovenia and Hungary bid to co-host the event in Ljubljana and Budapest.[8] The bid was withdrawn due to Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation informing the IIHF that it did not receive the governmental guarantees to host. Finland and Latvia submitted a joint bid, with Nokia Arena in Tampere and Arena Riga in Riga as potential host venues.[9] On 27 May 2022, the IIHF confirmed that Finland and Latvia would host the tournament, with Finland having also hosted the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Tampere (Nokia Arena) and Helsinki (Helsinki Ice Hall).[10]

Venues

Finland Latvia
Tampere Riga
Nokia Arena
Capacity: 13,455 		Arena Riga
Capacity: 10,300

Participants

Qualified as hosts
Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2022 IIHF World Championship
Qualified through winning promotion at the 2022 IIHF World Championship Division I

Seeding

The seedings in the preliminary round are based on the 2022 IIHF World Ranking, as of the end of the 2022 IIHF World Championship, using the serpentine system while allowing the organizer, "to allocate a maximum of two teams to separate groups."[11][12]

Group A (Tampere)
Group B (Riga)

Rosters

Each team's roster consists of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders. All 16 participating nations, through the confirmation of their respective national associations, have to submit a "Long List" no later than two weeks before the tournament, and a final roster by the Passport Control meeting prior to the start of the tournament.

Match officials

16 referees and linesmen were announced on 6 April 2023.[13][14]

Referees Linesmen
  • Canada Adam Bloski
  • Canada Mike Langin
  • Czech Republic Jan Hribik
  • Denmark Mads Frandsen
  • Finland Lassi Heikkinen
  • Finland Mikko Kaukokari
  • United Kingdom Liam Sewell
  • Germany Sirko Hunnius
  • Germany André Schrader
  • Latvia Andris Ansons
  • Sweden Tobias Björk
  • Sweden Christoffer Holm
  • Switzerland Stefan Hürlimann
  • Slovakia Miroslav Štolc
  • United States Sean Fernandez
  • United States Sean MacFarlane
  • Austria David Nothegger
  • Canada Brett Mackey
  • Canada Tarrington Wyonzek
  • Czech Republic Daniel Hynek
  • Czech Republic Jiří Ondráček
  • Denmark Andreas Krøyer
  • Finland Onni Hautamäki
  • Finland Tommi Niittylä
  • France Nicolas Constantineau
  • Germany Andreas Hofer
  • Latvia Dāvis Zunde
  • Slovakia Šimon Synek
  • Sweden Emil Yletyinen
  • Switzerland Eric Cattaneo
  • United States Nick Briganti
  • United States Jake Davis

Preliminary round

The groups were announced on 29 May 2022,[15] with the schedule being revealed on 8 September 2022.[16]

Group A

A game between France and Hungary in Nokia Arena
Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1  United States 7 6 1 0 0 34 8 +26 20 Quarterfinals
2  Sweden 7 5 1 1 0 26 7 +19 18
3  Finland (H) 7 5 0 1 1 28 15 +13 16
4  Germany 7 4 0 0 3 27 16 +11 12
5  Denmark 7 2 1 0 4 19 26 −7 8 Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship
6  France 7 0 1 2 4 10 31 −21 4
7  Austria 7 0 1 1 5 11 27 −16 3[a]
8  Hungary 7 0 1 1 5 12 37 −25 3[a] Relegation to 2024 Division I A
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Austria 4–3 Hungary
12 May 2023
Finland  1–4  United States
Sweden  1–0  Germany
13 May 2023
France  2–1 (OT)  Austria
Hungary  1–3  Denmark
Germany  3–4  Finland
14 May 2023
United States  7–1  Hungary
France  3–4 (OT)  Denmark
Sweden  5–0  Austria
15 May 2023
Germany  2–3  United States
Finland  1–2 (GWS)  Sweden
16 May 2023
Denmark  6–2  Austria
France  2–3 (OT)  Hungary
17 May 2023
United States  4–1  Austria
Finland  5–3  France
18 May 2023
Hungary  1–7  Sweden
Denmark  4–6  Germany
19 May 2023
Hungary  1–7  Finland
Austria  2–4  Germany
20 May 2023
United States  3–0  Denmark
Austria  1–3  Finland
Sweden  4–0  France
21 May 2023
Germany  7–2  Hungary
United States  9–0  France
22 May 2023
Denmark  1–4  Sweden
Austria  4–3 (GWS)  Hungary
23 May 2023
Germany  5–0  France
Sweden  3–4 (OT)  United States
Finland  7–1  Denmark

Group B

Watching hockey in Dome Square, Riga
Postgame between Sweden and Latvia in Arena Riga
Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1   Switzerland 7 6 0 1 0 29 10 +19 19 Quarterfinals
2  Canada 7 4 1 1 1 25 11 +14 15
3  Latvia (H) 7 3 2 0 2 21 17 +4 13[a]
4  Czechia 7 4 0 1 2 22 16 +6 13[a]
5  Slovakia 7 3 0 2 2 15 15 0 11 Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship
6  Kazakhstan 7 1 2 0 4 14 31 −17 7
7  Norway 7 1 1 1 4 9 17 −8 6
8  Slovenia 7 0 0 0 7 9 27 −18 0 Relegation to 2024 Division I A
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best-ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament
(H) Host
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Czechia 3–4 Latvia
12 May 2023
Slovakia  2–3  Czechia
Latvia  0–6  Canada
13 May 2023
Switzerland  7–0  Slovenia
Norway  3–4 (GWS)  Kazakhstan
Slovakia  2–1  Latvia
14 May 2023
Slovenia  2–5  Canada
Norway  0–3   Switzerland
Czechia  5–1  Kazakhstan
15 May 2023
Slovakia  1–2 (GWS)  Canada
Czechia  3–4 (OT)  Latvia
16 May 2023
Slovenia  0–1  Norway
Switzerland  5–0  Kazakhstan
17 May 2023
Latvia  2–1  Norway
Canada  5–1  Kazakhstan
18 May 2023
Czechia  6–2  Slovenia
Switzerland  4–2  Slovakia
19 May 2023
Latvia  3–2  Slovenia
Kazakhstan  4–3 (GWS)  Slovakia
20 May 2023
Norway  0–2  Czechia
Canada  2–3   Switzerland
Kazakhstan  0–7  Latvia
21 May 2023
Slovenia  0–1  Slovakia
Czechia  2–4   Switzerland
22 May 2023
Canada  2–3 (GWS)  Norway
Kazakhstan  4–3  Slovenia
23 May 2023
Slovakia  4–1  Norway
Canada  3–1  Czechia
Switzerland  3–4 (OT)  Latvia

Playoff round

There was a re-seeding after the quarter-finals.[17] If Finland and Latvia were to play in the quarter-finals, there would have been no cross-over for the quarter-finals.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
 25 May
 
 
1A
 United States		3
 
27 May
 
4B
 Czechia		0
 
1
 United States		3
 
 25 May
 
8
 Germany (OT)		4
 
1B
  Switzerland		1
 
28 May
 
4A
 Germany		3
 
8
 Germany		2
 
 25 May
 
4
 Canada		5
 
2A
 Sweden		1
 
27 May
 
3B
 Latvia		3
 
4
 Canada		4
 
 25 May
 
6
 Latvia		2 Third place
 
2B
 Canada		4
 
28 May
 
3A
 Finland		1
 
1
 United States		3
 
 
6
 Latvia (OT)		4
 

Final standings

Teams finishing fifth in the preliminary round were ranked ninth and tenth, teams finishing sixth are ranked 11th and 12th, and so on.[18]

Pos Grp Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1 B  Canada 10 7 1 1 1 38 16 +22 24 Champions
2 A  Germany 10 5 1 0 4 36 25 +11 17 Runners-up
3 B  Latvia (H) 10 4 3 0 3 30 25 +5 18 Third place
4 A  United States 10 7 1 2 0 43 16 +27 25 Fourth place
5 B   Switzerland 8 6 0 1 1 30 13 +17 19 Eliminated in
Quarter-finals
6 A  Sweden 8 5 1 1 1 27 10 +17 18
7 A  Finland (H) 8 5 0 1 2 29 19 +10 16
8 B  Czechia 8 4 0 1 3 22 19 +3 13
9 B  Slovakia 7 3 0 2 2 15 15 0 11 Eliminated in
Group stage
10 A  Denmark 7 2 1 0 4 19 26 −7 8
11 B  Kazakhstan 7 1 2 0 4 14 31 −17 7
12 A  France 7 0 1 2 4 10 31 −21 4
13 B  Norway 7 1 1 1 4 9 17 −8 6
14 A  Austria 7 0 1 1 5 11 27 −16 3
15 A  Hungary 7 0 1 1 5 12 37 −25 3 Relegated to
2024 IIHF World Championship Division I
16 B  Slovenia 7 0 0 0 7 9 27 −18 0
Source: IIHF
Rules for classification: 1) position in the group; 2) number of points; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host

Statistics

Scoring leaders

Rocco Grimaldi of the United States led the tournament in scoring with 14 points

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.

Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM POS
United States Rocco Grimaldi 10 7 7 14 +8 6 F
Czech Republic Dominik Kubalík 8 8 4 12 +3 0 F
Germany JJ Peterka 10 6 6 12 +8 0 F
Latvia Rihards Bukarts 10 3 8 11 +3 8 F
Canada MacKenzie Weegar 10 3 8 11 +10 6 D
United States T. J. Tynan 10 1 10 11 +10 0 F
Sweden Henrik Tömmernes 8 0 10 10 +5 2 D
United States Cutter Gauthier 10 7 2 9 +9 2 F
Canada Lawson Crouse 10 6 3 9 +9 4 F
Denmark Nikolaj Ehlers 7 5 4 9 −3 0 F

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; POS = Position
Source: IIHF.com

Goaltending leaders

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.

Player TOI GA GAA SA Sv% SO
Slovakia Stanislav Škorvánek 238:39 5 1.26 108 95.37 1
Czech Republic Karel Vejmelka 236:26 7 1.78 124 94.35 1
Canada Sam Montembeault 423:07 10 1.42 163 93.87 1
Sweden Lars Johansson 303:42 8 1.58 120 93.33 2
Slovakia Samuel Hlavaj 189:05 7 2.22 103 93.20 0

TOI = time on ice (minutes:seconds); SA = shots against; GA = goals against; GAA = goals against average; Sv% = save percentage; SO = shutouts
Source: IIHF.com

Awards

Bronze medal celebration at the foot of the Freedom Monument in Riga
Artūrs Šilovs was named the tournament MVP, best goaltender, and was selected to the tournament all-star team

The awards were announced on 28 May 2023.[19]

Individual awards

Position Player
Goaltender Latvia Artūrs Šilovs
Defenceman Canada MacKenzie Weegar
Forward Germany JJ Peterka

Media All Stars

Position Player
Goaltender Latvia Artūrs Šilovs
Defenceman Canada MacKenzie Weegar
Defenceman Germany Moritz Seider
Forward Germany JJ Peterka
Forward United States Rocco Grimaldi
Forward Czech Republic Dominik Kubalík
MVP Latvia Artūrs Šilovs

Broadcasting rights

TV studios in Nokia Arena: the Finnish C More (left) and the Swedish SVT (right)
Broadcasting cameras and positions for the commentators in Nokia Arena, Tampere

These are the broadcasters for the tournament.[20]

Country Broadcaster
Austria ORF
Canada TSN
RDS
Czech Republic ČT
Denmark TV 2 Sport
Estonia ERR
Finland MTV
France Fanseat
Germany Sport1
Magenta Sport
Hungary Sport 1
Kazakhstan Qazsport
Latvia LTV
Tet
Lithuania LRT
Norway Viaplay
Poland TVP
Russia Match TV
Slovakia RTVS
Slovenia RTV
Šport TV
Sweden SVT
Switzerland SRG SSR
Ukraine XSPORT
United Kingdom Viaplay Sports
United States NHL Network
ESPN+

References

  1. ^ O'Brien, Derek (15 May 2023). "Latvia wins, Batna the OT hero". IIHF. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (19 May 2023). "Kazakhs top Slovakia in record shootout". IIHF. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  3. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (25 May 2023). "Brinums (Miracle) in Riga!". IIHF. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  4. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (28 May 2023). "Canada rallies to win gold". IIHF. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  5. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (28 May 2023). "Latvia wins historic bronze in OT". IIHF. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. ^ Iveson, Ali (25 February 2022). "Strip Russia and Belarus of events and do not display their flags, says IOC". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  7. ^ "IIHF to move 2023 World Championship". iihf.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Slovenia, Hungary mount joint bid to host Ice-Hockey Worlds in 2023". The Slovenia Times. Ljubljana, Slovenia. 9 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  9. ^ Merk, Martin. "Tampere/Riga candidate for 2023". IIHF. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  10. ^ Merk, Martin (27 May 2022). "To Tampere/Riga in '23, to Switzerland in '26". IIHF. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  11. ^ Merk, Martin. "Finland stays #1 in World Ranking". IIHF. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  12. ^ Merk, Martin. "World Championship Schedule Released". IIHF. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  13. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (6 April 2023). "2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Officials Chosen". IIHF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Competition officials" (PDF). iihf.com. 10 May 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ^ Merk, Martin (29 May 2022). "Finland stays #1 in World Ranking". IIHF. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. ^ Merk, Martin (8 September 2022). "World Championship schedule released". IIHF. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  17. ^ "IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2023: Preview, schedule, stars involved, how to watch live". olympics.com. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Tournament Format". iihf.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  19. ^ O'Brien, Derek (28 May 2023). "Silovs MVP, All-Stars named". IIHF. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Broadcast Partners List" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.

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