Your guide to the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship

Friday, May 12, is the drop-off for the 2023 edition of the World Ice Hockey Championship. Last year, it was Finland that was crowned world champion after defeating Canada in the final, where Sakari Manninen became the hero of the match with the decisive goal just over six minutes into extra time. Finland is once again one of the candidates to take home the gold, can they defend the gold or will another nation stand as world champion on May 28th?

The big question ahead of the World Championship

As always before an upcoming World Championship, there is a big focus on how many players from the NHL will be there to represent their respective national teams. The biggest star who has so far announced his participation in this year's tournament is the Colorado Avalanche's Finnish forward star Mikko Rantanen, who will try to help his Finland defend the World Championship gold from last year. During the course of the tournament, there may also be quite a few players added, depending on which teams and players are eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs and made available for World Cup play.

Group A

Group A in the 2023 tournament contain Finland, Sweden, USA, Germany, Denmark, France, Austria and Hungary.

Finland

The reigning world champions, and the home team, are favorites to win this year's tournament. The Finnish lions also have a strong team with the above mentioned Mikko Rantanen as the sharpest card and with NHL players such as Kasperi Kapanen, Olli Määttä and Joel Armia in the team. In addition, Finland have players who have delivered at the European top class this year or in previous years, such as Sakari Manninen, Juho Lammikko, Markus Granlund and Antti Suomela. Jukka Jalonen has, as usual, a strong crew to lean back on and with the home crowd behind them, it's no wonder that it is Finland that is the favorite to be world champions at the end of the month.

Sweden

Sweden's tournament last year can probably still be classified as a failure, as they went out in the quarter-finals after a loss against Canada in a match where they lost a 3-0 lead to be defeated 4-3. Johan Garpenlöv is no longer in charge of the Swedish national team, as the former and successful Växjö coach Sam Hallam is in charge of the Swedish national team. Sweden have during the season went strong in the Euro Hockey Tour with victories in the Karjala Cup, Swiss Hockey Games and Beijer Hockey Games. Just like Finland, Sweden have received a bunch of additions from the NHL, where Rasmus Sandin and Lucas Raymond are the main names and in addition Fabian Zetterlund, Alexander Nylander and Jonatan Berggren is available. In addition to the players from the NHL, there are several European top-class players who will have to pull a heavy load in search of the medals, and here it is mainly names like Lukas Bengtsson, Pär Lindholm and Oscar Lindberg that stand out. With the squad that Sweden have at its disposal at the moment, they can very well be in the fight for the medals, but the question is about if they can manage to go all the way?

USA

Last year, the USA lost the bronze medal match against the Czech Republic 8-4, and this year they are not expected to win a medal either, as they last did in 2021 when they took the bronze behind Canada and Finland, who won gold and silver, respectively. A big part in the rescue of the bronze medal that year was the forward Conor Garland and the goalkeeper Cal Petersen, both of whom are back in the national team after being absent last year. As it looks on paper and at the moment, it looks like it will be Conor Garland who will have to pull a heavy load in the offense, together with Alex Tuch who has had a strong season with the Buffalo Sabers and together with the prominent AHL point scorers T. J. Tynan and Rocco Grimaldi. Who will guard the posts is still a live question, as Cal Petersen was successful with the national team two years ago but with the Pittsburgh goaltender Casey DeSmith being more prominent in the NHL during the year and also has a bigger amount of appearances in NHL this season.

Germany

The German team did a great group stage in last year's World Championship as they finished second behind Switzerland and ahead of Canada. However, there was an early elimination in the playoffs, when a star-studded Czech Republic won 4-1. The fourth place from 2021 is the best position for Germany since 2010, and neither this year they look able to fight for the medals. If we look at what the team puts on the ice, it is largely players from the domestic DEL, which is certainly a top league in Europe, but is it enough to be able to join and fight far into a playoff? From the German top league, it is Munich's Yazin Ehliz and Berlin's Marcel Noebels who are expected to pull a big load and Dominik Kahun, who plays in Swiss Bern, is also available. From the NHL, there are only two additions so far in the form of Buffalo's John Jason Peterka and San Jose's Nico Sturm. Presumably, the German population is working in an early exit for the Edmonton Oilers and that the forward star Leon Draisatl can strengthen the German team.

Denmark

Last year, the Danish team finished fifth in the group stage, narrowly missing out on the play-offs as they finished level on points with Slovakia, who advanced thanks to victory in the head-to-head match. Denmark is once again chasing a playoff spot, which was last saved in 2016, and the team's biggest star in this year's tournament is undoubtedly Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who was a part of the team last year and who was a part of the team when the team last managed to advance from the group stage. It is mainly in the offensive that the strongest cards can be found. In addition to the strong scoring forward Nikolaj Ehlers, the Danes have players like Mikkel Aagaard, Mathias Asperup, Frederik Storm and Mathias Bau Hansen to rely on. Can the Danish team progress from the group stage this year? It is a relatively tough group, but advancement is far from impossible for the Danes.

France

The French side are in the top division for the second straight season after returning to the top flight last year after being relegated in 2019. As usual, there are a large number of players from the domestic Ligue Magnus who are representing the French team during the World Championships, but just like last year, they are reinforced by Alexandre Texier who previously has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets but who this year has played for the Zurich Lions in the Swiss league and was noted for 35 points in 46 games. France will most likely find it tough to advance to the play-offs, and the main focus will be to keep at least one team behind them and thus avoid relegation.

Austria

Austria finished last year's World Cup tournament in sixth place in the group stage, with a good margin down to Great Britain, who were relegated, and a good margin up to the play-off spots. According to the bookmakers, Austria will once find it difficult to advance to the playoffs, but the team is also not among the favorites to be relegated to the second division. In the team, a large majority of players are from the Central European ICE Hockey League and in particular from the champions Salzburg, which has ten players in this national team squad. The biggest star, however, is Marco Rossi, who during the season made nineteen appearances for the Minnesota Wild in the NHL and who in the AHL scored 51 points in 53 games. Together with Oliver Achermann, from the Swiss second division, and Peter Schneider, from Salzburg, Rossi will be the Austrians' big star during the tournament.

Hungary

Hungary is one of the biggest favorites when it comes to relegation to the second division, and the team from Central Europe are up against tough teams and do not have a very strong squad to exhibit. The majority of the Hungarian players can be found in the domestic Erste Liga, and the team's two biggest stars are Janos Hari and Vilmos Gallo, who plays in Fehérvár in the ICE Hockey League and Linköping in SHL, respectively. During the calendar year, Hungary has also lost eleven of the thirteen friendlies played; against teams such as Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and Ukraine - teams that are not qualified for this year's World Cup. There will most likely be seven tough matches for Hungary in the group stage and an relegation from the first division is far from unlikely.

Group B

Group B in the 2023 tournament contain Canada, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway, Latvia and Kazakhstan.

Canada

Canada took silver last year and became champions two years ago, and the team is of course aspiring for the medals again this year. In six of the last seven World Championships, the team has won at least bronze, can they do it again? The Canadian team comes to Europe with a team where the majority of NHL-players and the biggest names of these are the Calgary duo Tyler Toffoli and MacKenzie Weegar and Arizona's Lawson Crouse. In addition to the NHL players, they also have the AHL's top point scorer Michael Carcone and the great talent Adam Fantilli, who is expected to go early in this summer's draft. In my opinion, the team's strongest part is the defense, where in addition to the above-mentioned Mackenzie Weegar, they have Tyler Myers, Ethan Bear, Jacob Middleton, Pierre-Oliver Jospeh, Brad Hunt and Justin Barron. Good enough to shut down the other nations and take a medal again?

Czech Republic

The Czech team took bronze last year after winning the bronze medal match against the USA with 8-4. Ahead of this year's world championships, they are once again one of the major medal candidates and have a strong team at their disposal with the points league winner from last year's championship, Roman Cervenka, in the team and the foward is accompanied by strong names such as New York Rangers' Filip Chytil, Detroit Red Wings' Dominik Kubalik and the eminent point scorer Michael Spacek, who plays in Swiss Ambri-Piotta. In addition, they have a defense with several names of European top class and they also have three strong goalkeeper options in Karel Vejmelka, Marek Langhamer and Simon Hrubec.

Switzerland

During last year's championship, Switzerland won their group ahead of Germany, Canada and Slovakia, but there was still an early exit from the playoffs as the USA was the stronger team and won 3-0 when they met in the quarter-finals. The two silver medals from 2013 and 2018 are the nation's biggest successes so far in the context of World Championship and they are chasing their first gold medal. Is this the year it will happen? Not much speaks for that at the moment, as several of the best Swiss players are still involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite that, they put a relatively strong team on the ice, where Nino Niederreiter and Janis Moser are the two NHL players who have joined and alongside them, there are players from the domestic National League who possess high European class. Here I'm talking about high-scoring players like Tyler Moy and Enzo Corvi, but players like Gaëtan Haas and Dean Kukan have plenty of NHL experience.

Slovakia

Slovakia is chasing their first medal since the silver in 2012. Last year they managed to advance to the playoffs, but was eliminated by Finland, who won the quarterfinal 4-2. Slovakia comes this year with, in my opinion, a weaker roster compared to what they had last year when Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec and Tomas Tatar were some of the main names. This year it is not as strong, and the question is whether this Slovakian team can repeat the success from last year and make it to the playoffs. They have an experienced Richard Pánik in the team and, of course, the great talent Samuel Knazko will be interesting to follow in the tournament, but looking at the whole, I think that the Slovakian team is too weak to be successful in this year’s Championship.

Slovenia

Slovenia are favorites to finish last in Group B and therefore be relegated to the second division. The nation has not been part of the main championship since 2017 when they were relegated after picking up only one point from seven group stage matches. The absence of the nation's big star Anze Kopitar is of course great and when the powerful center is not available it is players from the European leagues who are allowed to come forward. The Slovenians will rely heavily on the high-scoring forward Robert Sabolic and the Bremerhaven trio of Ziga Jeglic, Jan Urbas and Miha Verlic. A majority of the team's players are found in minor European leagues, and according to the odds market, I think Slovenia will have a tough group stage and are in danger of relegation.

Norway

The last time Norway managed to advance from the group stage to the playoffs was in 2012, when they were eliminated in the quarterfinal by Russia. Since then, there have been nine consecutive World Championships without advancement from the group stage – can they make it this year? Norway relies on players such as Michael Haga, Ken Andre Olimb and Mathias Trettenes, who play on the continent and are doing well, but also players from the domestic Fjordkraft-Ligaen such as Eirik Salsten, Ludvig Hoff and Thomas Berg-Paulsen who are expected to contribute offensively. Just like the forward side, the defense is interesting, where Ole Einar Engeland Andersen is an interesting name to say the least as during the season he accounted for 50 points in 45 games for his Stjernen. In addition to the high-scoring Engeland Andersen, they have Johannes Johannesen and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, who both did great seasons in Mora and Oskarshamn, respectively, and were rewarded with contracts with the top clubs Rögle and Växjö in the SHL. The bookmakers think that Norway's chances of advancement are small, and I think they are somewhat underestimated and have better opportunities for advancement than the odds suggest.

Latvia

During last year's world championship, Latvia finished in fifth place in Group B behind Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and the USA, and by a good margin down to Great Britain, which finished last in the group and therefore was relegated. The Latvian team is chasing a place in the playoffs this year, which they last managed to do in the 2018 championship when they made it to the quarterfinals, but were eliminated by Sweden. Latvia has this year a team where Tampa Bay's Rudolfs Balcers of course is the biggest star, but where Kaspars Daugavins, Roberts Bukarts and Rodrigo Abols are players expected to contribute offensively. A majority of the team's defense players can be found in in the Czech top league, where the defensively oriented Karlis Cukuste won gold with his Trinec. Do Harijs Vitolins and his team have enough deep and quality to be able to manage an advancement?

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is making their third consecutive World Cup in the top division, but in the two previous championships they have failed to progress to the playoffs. The chances of that are small even this year if we look at how the bookmakers values the Kazakh team, and if we look at the roster, I am prepared to agree with this valuation. In my opinion, Kazakhstan comes to this tournament with a weak team, where there are certainly a bunch of players from the KHL - which, however, is clearly weakened compared to before and where the rest is found from the domestic league or lower ranked leagues in Russia. One player who will most likely be forced to carry a heavy load in the offensive is Nikita Mikhailis, who during the season was noted for 41 points in 58 games for Barys Astana in the KHL, but is the 27-year-old's skills enough to be able to take Kazakhstan to a playoff?

Betting tips

Before the tournament starts on Friday, I have found some betting tips that I think are worth placing a few pennies on and which will be worked in during the course of the tournament.

Betting tip 1: Hungary to be relegated @ -167

Group A in the 2023 tournament contain Finland, Sweden, USA, Germany, Denmark, France, Austria and Hungary, and I think that Hungary is by far the weakest team of these eight and is at great risk of being placed as last in the group and thereby relegated from the top division. Compared to the other teams in the group, I don't think there is enough depth or quality for Hungary to lean back on, and I find it hard to see the team picking up a lot of points here. During the calendar year, Hungary has also lost eleven of the fourteen friendlies played; against teams such as Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and Ukraine - teams that are not qualified for this year's World Cup. There will most likely be seven tough matches for Hungary in the group stage and an relegation from the first division is far from unlikely.

Hungary to be relegated @ -167 at Unibet

Betting tip 2: Canada fewest goals conceded in the group stage @ +245

As mentioned earlier, I think Canada has their strengths defensively, with the top defenseman Mackenzie Weegar leading the way but with NHL regulars in Tyler Myers, Ethan Bear, Jacob Middleton, Pierre-Oliver Jospeh, Brad Hunt and Justin Barron available. In addition, I think that Group B is generally weaker than Group A, since it is only the Czech Republic and Switzerland that should be able to meet Canada reasonably well, but where the Swiss team has not yet brought in the nation's top NHL player. That Canada, with this defensive, will be able to concede a few number of goals against the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Norway and Kazakhstan and become the team that concedes the least number of goals in the group stage of all sixteen nations, I think is likely.

Canada fewest goals conceded in the group stage @ +235 at Unibet