Canada’s National Men’s Team looks to keep the momentum going as it takes on Switzerland in a showdown for first place in Group A on Sunday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Last Game

Canada shook off a very slow start against Finland on Saturday to earn a 5-3 victory. Dylan Cozens, Brandon Tanev, Owen Power, Brandon Hagel and Dawson Mercer supplied the offence for the Canadians, who trailed 2-0 and were outshot 12-0 in the first eight minutes before mounting their comeback and improving their record to 5-0.

The Swiss also made it five wins from as many games Saturday, getting three points apiece from Kevin Fiala (2-1—3) and Nico Hischier (1-2—3) in an 8-0 win over Denmark. Leonardo Genoni made 17 saves to earn the second-straight shutout for Switzerland, which is unbeaten through five games for the third year in a row.

Last Meeting

The teams met a year ago in the prelims in Riga. Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring midway through the second period and Michael Carcone finished it in the dying minutes, but the Canadians were left on the wrong end of a 3-2 result, the 14th of what would end up being 15 consecutive preliminary-round wins for the Swiss across three tournaments.

What to Watch

Known primarily for his defensive prowess, Power chipped in on offence against the Finns with a goal and two assists – his first National Men’s Team goal after going without at the 2021 Men’s Worlds and 2022 Olympics. The Mississauga native burst onto the international scene at that 2021 tournament in Riga (just a few weeks before he was the No. 1 pick by Buffalo in the NHL Draft ), becoming the youngest player to wear the Maple Leaf and playing an increasingly large role as Canada won an unlikely world title. His only Team Canada goals before Saturday? He became the first Canadian defenceman to score a hat trick at the World Juniors when he got three against Czechia on Boxing Day 2021.

Roman Josi has been an absolute beast on the blue-line for Switzerland, posting a tournament-leading 10 points (3-7—10) in five games. The Swiss captain was at his best in the 6-5 thriller against Austria last Sunday, scoring twice and adding two assists, including the primary helper on Hischier’s game-winner in the final minute. Josi’s performance in Prague is simply an extension of the terrific season he put together for the Nashville Predators – he is a Norris Trophy finalist after putting up 85 points (23-62—85) while playing all 82 games and leading the Predators to a playoff spot. Josi is no stranger to Men’s Worlds; this is his seventh appearance, owning a pair of silver medals from 2013 and 2018.

A Look Back

It’s meeting No. 35 between the Canadians and Swiss, with Canada laying claim to 26 wins from the first 34 (with two ties).

The most recent Canadian victory came in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament in Kosice, Slovakia. With an early exit less than a second away, Damon Severson tied the game with four-tenths remaining before Mark Stone gave Canada a dramatic 3-2 overtime win.

All-time record: Canada leads 26-6-2 (4-2 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 169
Switzerland goals: 54

Canada’s National Men’s Team gets into the meat of its preliminary-round schedule Saturday, taking on Finland as it begins a three-games-in-four-days stretch against the three teams chasing the Canadians in Group A.

Last Game

Canada made it four wins from as many games Thursday, holding Norway to just six shots on goal – zero in the first two periods – in a 4-1 victory. Brandon Tanev, Andrew Mangiapane, Dylan Cozens and Jared McCann scored the goals, while Nico Daws needed to make just five saves in his first start of the tournament.

The Finns suffered a historic 3-2 loss to Austria in their last time out Thursday, allowing the game-winning goal to Benjamin Baumgartner with just 0.2 seconds remaining. Saku Mäenalainen and Oliver Kapanen scored first-period goals for Finland, which lost to the Austrians for the first time in 11 all-time meetings at Men’s Words.

Last Meeting

The Canadians clashed with the host Finns in the quarterfinals a year ago. In front of a pro-Finland crowd of more than 11,000 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Canada got goals from Jack Quinn, Sammy Blais and Michael Carcone to grab a 3-0 lead by the early minutes of the third period, and an empty-netter from captain Tyler Toffoli capped a 4-1 victory and sent the Canadians on their way to gold.

What to Watch

He may only be 20 years old with just 26 games of NHL experience, but Olen Zellweger hasn’t looked out of place in Prague. The defenceman has the best points-per-60-minutes average in the entire tournament – he has recorded four assists while playing just over 30 minutes in total across four games (averaging 7:36 of ice time per game). The Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native, who didn’t make his NHL debut with Anaheim until Jan. 23, is no stranger to putting up numbers – in his final two WHL seasons with Everett and Kamloops, he totalled 158 points (46-112—158) in 110 games and won the Bill Hunter Trophy as WHL defenceman of the year in both seasons.

Kapanen has been the offensive star for the Finns through their first four games, scoring a tournament-leading six goals (one more than Connor Bedard). He had a hat trick in a win over Great Britain, and added two against Norway before striking against Austria. Kapanen, the 20-year-old nephew of former NHLer Sami Kapanen and cousin of St. Louis Blues forward Kaspei Kapanen, is almost halfway to his total from the regular season – he scored 14 times in 51 games with KalPa Kuopio, although he did net seven in just 13 postseason games as KalPa reached the Liiga semifinals.

A Look Back

To say the Canadians and Finns are familiar foes at Men’s Worlds would be a bit of an understatement. Only Sweden (68 GP) has been a more frequent opponent for Canada than Finland, with the teams set to meet for a 55th time in Prague.

The Canadians own victories in 38 of the first 54, including gold medal game matchups in 1994 (4-3 Canada in a shootout), 2007 (4-2 Canada), 2016 (2-0 Canada), 2019 (3-1 Finland), 2021 (3-2 Canada in overtime) and 2022 (4-3 Finland in overtime).

All-time record: Canada leads 38-14-2 (3-3 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 280
Finland goals: 122

Canada’s National Men’s Team gets into the back half of the preliminary round Thursday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, taking on Norway as it looks to remain unbeaten in Group A.

Last Game

Canada survived a scare against Austria on Tuesday; after taking a 6-1 lead into the third period, the Canadians allowed five goals in less than 16 minutes before John Tavares rescued a 7-6 overtime win. Tavares, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kaiden Guhle paced the offence with a goal and an assist each.

The Norwegians found the win column Tuesday after three-straight losses to open the tournament, getting goals from Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Eirik Salsten, and 24 saves from Henrik Haukeland in a 2-0 win over Denmark that kept their quarterfinal hopes alive.

Last Meeting

Canada made the wrong kind of history last year in Riga, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision for just its second loss in 25 all-time meetings with the Norwegians. Milan Lucic and Lawson Crouse provided the goals as Canada erased a 2-0 deficit to force extra time.

What to Watch

Guhle came into his own as a full-time NHLer this season, appearing in 70 games with the Montreal Canadiens, and has carried that play into the first three games in Prague. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native co-leads Canadian blue-liners (alongside another Edmonton-area product, Olen Zellweger) with four points, and was in on the first two goals against the Austrians. The 22-year-old last wore the Maple Leaf at the cancelled 2022 World Juniors in Edmonton (where he was captain), a year after earning silver in the bubble in the Alberta capital.

The Norwegian roster is spread across Europe and North America, with representation from 17 club teams in seven leagues in six countries. But only one of the 25 players calls the National Hockey League home; Mats Zuccarello is a veteran of 835 NHL games with the New York Rangers, Dallas and Minnesota, posting 63 points (12-51—63) in 69 games with the Wild this season, his 14th. He’s also a national team veteran, representing his country at the Olympics (2010, 2014), Men’s Worlds (2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2024), World Juniors (2006, 2007) and U18 Men’s Worlds (2004, 2005), as well as with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Norwegians have been frequent foes in the 2000s, clashing 15 times since the turn of the millennium after meeting just 10 times in the 50 years before that.

Canada’s biggest win came in 1962 when the Galt Terriers handed Norway a 14-1 defeat. More recently, Tavares had a hat trick and Jordan Eberle added a goal and three assists as Canada eased to a 12-1 victory in Mannheim, Germany.

All-time record: Canada leads 23-2-0
Canada goals: 157
Norway goals: 29

The preliminary round rolls on for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which is back on the ice Tuesday at O2 Arena to take on Austria, looking to remain perfect in Group A at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Last Game

Canada finished off a perfect opening weekend Sunday, getting two goals and an assist from Connor Bedard in a 5-1 win over Denmark. Jordan Binnington made 19 saves and 12 different skaters recorded points as the Canadians pulled away with three goals (and a 26-5 advantage in shots) in the third period.

The Austrians dropped a nail-biter to Switzerland on Sunday, holding 2-0 and 3-1 leads before giving up the game-winner on the power play with just 51 seconds left in a 6-5 loss. Lukas Haudum scored twice and Clemens Unterweger had a goal and two assists as Austria fell to 0-2.

Last Meeting

The teams met May 5 in Vienna in the pre-tournament opener for the Canadians. Ridly Greig provided a goal and an assist, Michael Bunting chipped in with two helpers and Canada earned a 5-1 win in front of a packed house at Stiffl Arena.

What to Watch

While a quick look at the scoresheet shows a four-goal win for Canada over Denmark and just 19 saves for Binnington, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Richmond Hill, Ontario, product was terrific in the second period, making 11 stops in the middle frame as the Danes pushed hard to tie the game. Binnington – who put up a 2.84 goals-against average and .913 save percentage with St. Louis this season – had a limited Team Canada résumé coming into Men’s Worlds, playing only 35 minutes across two medal-round games at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The entirety of the Austrian roster plies its trade in Europe – most in the ICE Hockey League – with the exception of Marco Rossi. The ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rossi just completed his first full NHL season with Minnesota, playing all 82 games for the Wild, scoring 21 goals and finishing seventh in team scoring with 40 points. The 22-year-old has been a fixture on the international stage since 2017, playing in a pair of IIHF U18 World Championships, two IIHF World Junior Championships (including wearing the ‘C’ at the 2021 World Juniors in the Edmonton bubble), an Olympic qualifying tournament and two IIHF World Championships.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history dates back to the 1931 IIHF World Champioinship, with Canada earning 10 wins and a tie from 11 all-time meetings.

The teams most recently clashed at Men’s Worlds in the prelim finale in 2015 in Prague, a 10-1 Canadian win. Matt Duchene and Jason Spezza paced the offence in that one with two goals and two assists apiece, while Nathan MacKinnon and Jordan Eberle added a goal and a helper each.

All-time record: Canada leads 10-0-1
Canada goals: 68
Austria goals: 7

It’s right back to work for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which looks for a second win in as many days at the 2024 IIHF World Championship when it takes on Denmark on Sunday.

Last Game

Canada opened with a win Saturday, getting two goals from Connor Bedard as part of a three-goal second period in a 4-2 win over Great Britain. Michael Bunting had a goal and an assist and Olen Zellweger added a pair of helpers for the Canadians, who outshot the Brits 34-15.

The Danes made their debut a successful one as well, downing Austria 5-1 on Saturday. Joachim Blichfeld scored twice and added an assist, Patrick Russell had two helpers and Denmark opened up with a victory for the sixth-consecutive tournament, dating back to 2018.

Last Meeting

The teams last clashed in prelim play at the 2022 tournament in Helsinki, Finland; Maxime Comtois and Ryan Graves provided offence for Canada, but Mathias Bau scored on a power play with just under eight minutes to go and the Danes earned their first-ever win over Canada, 3-2.

What to Watch

There’s a good chance his name could appear here more than once, but let’s just start with the obvious – Connor Bedard. The presumptive Calder Trophy winner was terrific once again with the Maple Leaf on his chest, scoring the game-winning and insurance goals in the win over the Brits. Bedard’s numbers across two appearances at the IIHF U18 World Championship and three at the IIHF World Junior Championship (including two games at the cancelled 2022 World Juniors) are like something out of a video game – 28 games played, 32 goals, 27 assists, 59 points. Wow.

Alexander True is the most recognizable name to North American fans among the Danes; he played three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Seattle Thunderbirds, winning a WHL championship in 2017, and captained the Danes at the 2017 World Juniors in Toronto and Montreal. Undrafted, he played 27 NHL games across three seasons (2019-22) with San Jose and Seattle and has spent the last two seasons exclusively in the American Hockey League, with Coachella Valley (Seattle) and Charlotte (Florida). He is set to return to Europe next season, having already inked a deal for the 2024-25 season with MODO Hockey in Sweden.

A Look Back

This will be the ninth time the Canadians and Danes have faced off at Men’s Worlds, with the last seven coming since 2003. That includes a Cody Hodgson hat trick in a 6-1 win in 2014, and three assists for Connor McDavid in a 7-1 victory in 2018.

The only meeting before the 21st century? Canada scored a 47-0 win at the 1949 tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, which still stands as the most goals in a game in Men’s Worlds history (and I think we can all agree that one is untouchable). Jim Russell led the way with eight goals for the Canadians, who led 13-0 after one period and 29-0 after two.

All-time record: Canada leads 6-1-1
Canada goals: 77
Denmark goals: 11

PRAGUE, Czechia – Hockey Canada has announced that John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL) will wear the ‘C’ for Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Andrew Mangiapane (Bolton, ON/Calgary, NHL), Colton Parayko (St. Albert, AB/St. Louis, NHL) and Damon Severson (Melville, SK/Columbus, NHL) will serve alongside Tavares as alternate captains.

“It is a true honour to be named captain of Team Canada for the world championship on a team with so many great leaders, and I am excited to help this team defend its gold medal in Czechia,” Tavares said. “Andrew, Colton and Damon are great players that are deserving of this honour, and I look forward to serving on the leadership group with them and wearing the Maple Leaf with pride.”

Canada will open the tournament against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 64 and 23 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

PRAGUE, Czechia – Hockey Canada has announced the addition of John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL) to Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Tavares has represented Canada on numerous occasions, winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 IIHF World Junior Championships, and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He also won the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has suited up at the IIHF World Championship three times (2010, 2011, 2012).

“John is a world-class player and a great leader, and being able to have him join our roster for the world championship allows us to add a highly-skilled player with a veteran presence,” said general manager Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL). “His experience in previous international competition and his success on the international stage will be an important factor in our team’s success, and we know he will greatly benefit our group as we look to defend gold.” 

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain recently completed his 15th NHL season, and has amassed 1,040 career points (456 goals, 584 assists) in 1,109 games with the New York Islanders (2009-18) and Maple Leafs (2018-24).

Canada will open the 2024 IIHF World Championship against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 64 and 23 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hockey Canada has announced the addition of three players to Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC/Los Angeles, NHL), Brandon Hagel (Morinville, AB/Tampa Bay, NHL) and Nick Paul (Mississauga, ON/Tampa Bay, NHL) have been added to the roster for the tournament and will join the team in Budapest.

“We are excited to add Pierre-Luc, Brandon and Nick to our roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, as they will be valuable pieces of our team and provide leadership to our strong roster,” said general manager Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL). “All three bring previous world championship experience and over 700 games played in the NHL, and we look forward to them joining our team and helping us defend our gold medal.”

Hagel and Paul won a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, with Paul netting the overtime winner in the gold medal game to secure Canada’s 27th gold medal. Dubois won silver at the 2022 IIHF World Championship and was named to the media all-star team.

In addition, Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, BC/Boston University, HE) and Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, ON/Columbus, NHL) will not participate in the 2024 IIHF World Championship. Celebrini will return to North America to attend the NHL Draft Lottery and prepare for the NHL Combine, while Fantilli, who recently returned from injury, will also return home to focus on preparing for the 2024-25 season.

Canada will open the 2024 IIHF World Championship against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play a pre-tournament game against Hungary at the MVM Dome in Budapest on May 7 at 7 p.m. local time. 

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the first 22 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, and Czechia.

The initial roster, which includes three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 12 forwards, was selected by general manager Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL), associate general manager Kyle Dubas (Sault Ste. Marie, ON/Pittsburgh, NHL) and assistant general manager Scott Salmond (Creston, BC). A selection committee of three NHL executives – Jim McKenzie (Gull Lake, SK/Vegas, NHL), Jamie Pushor (Lethbridge, AB/Tampa Bay, NHL) and Tim Taylor (Stratford, ON/St. Louis, NHL) – and the coaching staff also assisted with player selections.

Among the 22 players are 11 who have previously suited up for Canada at the IIHF World Championship (Bunting, Cozens, Fantilli, Hofer, Mangiapane, McBain, McCann, Mercer, Parayko, Power, Severson) and 14 who have IIHF World Junior Championship experience (Bedard, Binnington, Byram, Celebrini, Cozens, Daws, Fantilli, Greig, Guenther, Guhle, Hofer, Mercer, Oleksiak, Zellweger).

“We are excited to unveil the first 22 players who will wear the Maple Leaf at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. This is a group that includes several players who have been successful on the international stage, and we know fans will be thrilled to watch us compete against the top hockey nations,” Nash said. “We know our players will represent Canada with pride in Prague and Ostrava, and we are confident this group will give us a great chance to defend our gold medal this month.”

Roster additions will be announced in the coming weeks.

Canada will open the tournament against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play pre-tournament games against Austria at Steffl Arena in Vienna on May 5 and Hungary at the MVM Dome in Budapest on May 7, with both games starting at 7 p.m. local time. 

Kevin Clark (Winnipeg, MB/Düsseldorfer EG, DEL), who has helped Canada win the Spengler Cup twice (2015, 2019), will join Canada’s National Men’s Team for its pre-tournament camp in Vienna and Budapest.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 64 and 23 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

Since 1931, Canada has collected 28 gold medals at the world championship, to go along with 16 silver and seven bronze.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.