“Good News for the Devils” Promotion For Two

The Top Division, also known as the Elite Division, will be the main 2024 IIHF World Championships and will take place in Czechia on May 10, 2024. AHL players, NHL players, and other professionals will be represented in that tournament by six members of the New Jersey Devils. We will know the two teams that will take the place of the bottom teams in 2024 by the time the main tournament between the 16 countries starts. Division I Group A is scheduled to occur between April 28 and May 4. Watching to see who replaces them will be the group winners and runners-up. as well as, depending on who wins, any prospective Olympic qualifying matches for 2026.

The top six countries outside of the top rung on the IIHF World Championship ladder will be based in Bolzano, Italy. Given that Italy has already secured a spot at the 2026 Olympics, they will undoubtedly want to perform well. Japan wants to advance and at the very least teach South Korea a few things. The Romanians will attempt to fade into the background as Hungary and Slovenia battle it out to return to the World Championships. As they started their play today, let’s find out more about this group.

The Competition

The place: Bolzano, Italy’s Sparkasse Arena

April 28, April 30, May 1, May 3, and May 4 are the game days. Yes, there will be a back-to-back set to end this group.

The game times are 6:30 AM ET, 10:00 AM ET, and 1:30 PM ET. Get up to watch more hockey.

The format is as follows: Each of the six teams will play each other once.The top two teams will advance to the top division of the 2025 IIHF World Championship. That tournament is being co-hosted by Denmark and Sweden. A bronze medal is awarded to third place, and nothing more. The only position that will be moved to Division I Group B for 2025 is sixth place in the group.

The format of the standings is 3-2-1-0. Wins that occur after regulations are worth two points, losses that occur after regulations are worth one point, and losses that occur during regulations are worth nothing. Head-to-head goals scored, head-to-head goal difference, and head-to-head points are used to break any tie in points. Put another way: If you can, win big and win in regulation.

The schedule for the IIHF Tournament is available here, with times adjusted for your local time zone on a daily basis.

Online Broadcast: The Division I games will be aired live on the IIHF’s YouTube channel.Please click the bell, subscribe, etc., etc.

What transpired the previous year in Nottingham was a collection of the wealthy and the poor. The Hawks have won at least three games and scored more than 20 goals in total. As a team, the underprivileged failed to score even ten goals. Great Britain, Poland, and Italy were the three haves in the previous year’s group. After defeating Poland in extra time and winning four games in regulation, the British won the group. With four wins in regulation and a loss in extra time to Team GB, Poland finished in second place. Their 4-2 victory over Italy effectively guaranteed the Italians, the third “have,” a spot in the group for another year. It’s true that Italy’s lone other defeat was a 5-3 setback to Great Britain, which ensured the home country won the division.

Lithuania, Romania, and South Korea were the “have-nots.” The “haves” were beating them because none of them was taking any stands against them. Romania was defeated by Lithuania. Only Romania defeated Lithuania. With a winless run, Lithuania was demoted to Division I Group B for 2024, causing depressing sounds. Japan replaces the Lithuanians, having won all of Division I-B in 2023.

The Top Division, or the real World Championships, had an impact because this is the second rung on the IIHF World Championship ladder. Having placed first and second in 2022, Hungary and Slovenia advanced to 2023. Slovenia participated in Gropu B and was defeated by all teams. I refer to all of them. You have been demoted after seven games and seven losses. Thank you for participating. Hungary fared considerably better. They won a game by defeating France in overtime. On the last day of their group match against Austria, they were in a position to actually stay up. Sadly, they were defeated 4-3 in a shootout by Austria. Because of this, the Austrians were able to defeat the Hungarians in a head-to-head tiebreaker, sending them down. That paints the picture of the group for this year. Now that the group has started performing this morning, let’s find out more about them. (Note: Sorry for any roster changes or other inaccuracies; as with all of these previews, they were written prior to the games starting.)

Hungary

The Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation is the national team website; as far as I can tell, it is not updated with anything other than scores.

The national team just played two games more than a week ago, so based on that roster, I believe that may be it for this group. The roster is N/A at Elite Prospects. It will soon be visible to you.

The Magyars is the nickname according to Wikipedia.which, according to the men’s national team page, means Hungarians. dull

Last year: For the third time since 2000, Hungary competed in the IIHF World Championships’ Top Division. In overtime, they triumphed over France. With the exception of Austria, they lost to all the others in regulation. They lost 4-3 in a shootout to Austria with their lives on the line. The Hungarians were demoted despite having a two-point tie in the head-to-head match.

A Growing Power in the Middle East?The Hungarian national team played exhibition matches against Poland and Norway prior to this year’s tournament. The latter was used to commemorate the opening of Szekesfehervar’s brand-new arena, Alba Arena. an arena that could house IIHF competitions in the future and be used by the national team.The Hungarian national team defeated Norway in two games, according to Hungary Today.Considering that Norway is a level above them and has occasionally produced NHL prospects, that is pretty good. The drawback is that it appeared like they lost defenseman Roland Kiss, 25, to an injury in the opening contest. I’m not sure if he’ll travel to Bolzano with the rest of the team.

Although EP did not have a roster available on their page as of this writing, the games against Norway show the roster from their 3-2 victory over Norway on April 20th (which is surprising considering the Hungarians’ 37-18 shooting disadvantage). With the possible exception of Kiss (whose injury is unknown), I wouldn’t be shocked if the majority, if not all, of these players are still with the team today:

Goalies: Dominik Csaba Horvath and Benezen Balizs

Men on defence: Milan Horvath, Tamas Oretenszky, Bene Szabo, Adam Falus, Bene Stipsicz, Zeteny Tibor Hadobas, and Zsombor Peter Garat.

The forwards are: Janos Hari, Gergo Ambrus, Tamas-Robert Sarpatki, Balasz Varga, Istvan Sofron, Kristopher Papp, Vilmos Gallo, Kristopher Nemeth, Istvan Terbocs, Nemes Bendefus Marton, and Akos Mihaly.

The attack should be spearheaded by Hari, Terboc, Gallo, Papp, Mihaly, and Sofron, with Stipsicz providing points from the blueline, according to their performance on the international stage thus far. Gallo, Papp, and Mihaly each have four goals, and all of those players have at least six points. Despite their lack of points, I believe they will be a regular defensive team based on Adam Falus’s 10 games and Milan Horvath’s 11 games. The fact that Horvath and Balizs have both recorded save percentages of at least 90% in international play thus far is also a significant plus. At this level, a goalie who can stop more than 90% of the shots is still very valuable. if not necessary to succeed.

Many of the players on this roster have their roots in the Bundesliga, so it’s also a strong squad at home. This is a major Hungarian league that consists of three teams in Romania, a neighbour, and five teams in Hungary. Notably, CSM Corona Brasov emerged victorious over the highly proficient Ferencvarosi TC. Players from those Romanian-based teams are part of the national team, so it’s not like the federation favours local players. There is also Fehervar AV19, a team from Hungary that competes in the Austrian ICE Hockey League, a multinational league that also has teams from Slovenia and Italy. The Erste Liga is home to their academy. AV19 in Austria was made up of players like Hari, Mihaly, Terbocs, Stipsicz, Nemeth, Nilsson, Vokla, Kiss, and goalie Horvath. Many players have worked as professionals somewhere else. Balazs Varga was a member of the JYP U-20 team and made 17 appearances in the Liiga this past season with the senior squad. Goalie Bence Balizs was a regular starter for the Norwegian team Sparta Sarpsborg. Gallo participated in 51 SHL games for Linkoping. Papp played USHL hockey for two years before joining North Michigan University in the NCAA. There aren’t many lower division teams to choose from. At this level, the Hungarian roster boasts a wealth of talent that is confident in the present while keeping an eye on the future.

The Hungarians are also very ambitious. When they announced the new arena, they made reference to the Heroes of Sapporo, the Hungarian team’s 2008 victory in Division I Group B, which was the same as Group A rather than a step down from it like it is now. They qualified for their first-ever trip to the World Championships by winning all five of their games. 16 years later, that was a significant event that is still highly remembered. They resurfaced in 2016 and 2023 after that. In my opinion, Hungary is a hockey-loving country on the rise because of the construction of arenas, the development of Hungarian players both domestically and overseas, and their victories over rival national teams. Their objective in this tournament is probably to return to the Top Division by 2025. I believe they can succeed.

Then everything will revolve around getting ready for Kazakhstan, Austria, and Slovakia. From August 29 to September 1, they will play the Hungarians in a group for the men’s ice hockey qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Olympic champion will represent that group. Without a doubt, the Hungarians will give it their best. Despite their possible desire to be in one of the other two groups.

Slovenia

The Slovenian Ice Hockey Federation is the national team website.which is rather excellent. The colour scheme complementing the fantastic national team logo is appealing to me.

The Roster: This is the roster according to Elite Prospects. They’re bringing seventeen skaters and three goalies.

Wikipedia’s Risi nickname, also known as The Lynx, comes from the page for the men’s national team. What a fantastic nickname! Also, the logo is appropriate! Forward, Lynx!

Last Year: In 2023, Slovenia entered the Top Division alongside Hungary. Slovenia was open to all, in contrast to Hungary. They immediately dropped back to Division I Group A after dropping all seven of their games in Group B.

Beyond Kopitar: Most people are aware that Slovenia is the birthplace of legendary Los Angeles King centre Anze Kopitar, a future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The country hasn’t relied on producing one of this generation’s finest centres of excellence. No. Growing has been the Lynx. With Division I victories or promotion spots earned in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2022, they have risen and fallen out of the Top Division. Relegation came soon after, but the fact that they are still doing it indicates that they are not going to go down anytime soon. That speaks highly of the players that the country produced.

Many of the players on this roster were part of the previous season’s squads for HDD Jesenice or HK Olimpija Ljubljana. Olimpija’s primary league in Central Europe is the multi-national ICE Hockey League, which is based in Austria. In contrast to Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, Slovenia’s roster has benefited from this calibre of play. Without making it too difficult, they are taking on opponents who are either slightly above or at their level on the global scene. Players from other nations are also entering the league, so they too must fight for playing time. Even though they probably wouldn’t make the club team, the Slovenes on the national team have the experience to help them compete at this level. which has been evident since the Lynx’s 3-1 exhibition victory over France, a team in the Top Division, to prepare for this tournament.

But the group of guys from Olimpija Ljubljana is not the only thing that makes up the team. The players that played for HDD Jesenice of the Alps Hockey League, another multi-national league in central Europe, were goaltender Zan Us, skater Rozle Bohinc, and forward Zan Jezovsek, who scored a lot for the club this season with 38 goals overall. Defenseman Matic Podlipnik divided his time between the ICEHL Pioneers Vorarlberg and the AlpsHL Pioneers Kitzbuheler EC. Defrenseman Kristjan Cepon had the opportunity to play hockey for both Vasterviks IK and Ljubljana in the Allsvenskan, the second division in Sweden. In addition to Olimpija, defenseman Bine Masic played for Sport in the Liiga and TUTO Hockey in the Mestis. The remaining goalies on the team were also absent.In the top league in France, Ligue Magnus, Matija Pintaric started for Rouen and was a good one, with a 92.9% save percentage in 40 games.With a 92% save percentage in 27 games for HC Banska Bystrica in Slovakia, Gasper Kroselj performed admirably there. The talent in Slovenia has been recognised by other European leagues, who have acquired them suitably.

There is a decent mix of veteran and younger players on the Lynx roster to provide support. The older players are goalie Kroselj, goalie Pintaric, defenseman Alexander Magovac, defenseman Podlipnik, and forwards Robert Sabolic and Anze Kuralt. Skater Bohinc, defensemen Jan Cosic and Masic, forward Mihai Bericic, forward Marcel Mahkovec, and forward Ziga Mehle are all on the U-23 team. Outside of the crease, neither direction is particularly important to the team. Again, that is not a problem considering how well Kroselj and Pintaric performed in Slovakia and France this season.

Slovenia’s approach to this tournament is probably going to be similar to Hungary’s. They possess the qualities to compete for promotion at this level, and they are accustomed to doing so. They recently defeated a more accomplished team, which gives them confidence. They were also in the Top Division the previous year. They also need to compete for a spot in the 2026 Winter Olympics Qualifying group. They will play in France, Ukraine, and Latvia in late August when they travel to Riga, Latvia. The Winter Olympics will host the winner. Like the Magyars, the Lynx will strive for that as soon as they attempt to take care of business. However, both should be a little worried about the hosts.

Italy

The Federazione Italia Sport del Ghiaccio, or FISG, is the website of the national team.The Italian Ice Sports Federation is how it is translated.

The Roster: This is the roster according to Elite Prospects. They are bringing twenty skaters and three goalies. Will there be any late cuts made for today, I wonder?

Wikipedia’s Nickname for the men’s national team is “The Blues,” or “Gli Azzurri.” It is not only color-based, but it is also mainly connected to the football team that is far more well-known. Not even the Blues on Ice? or Blues Hockey? Come on.

Italy finished Division I Group A last year with a 3-0-0-2 record. As mentioned in the group section, they were a “have” because they outscored their opponents 23-16 overall. They defeated Lithuania, Romania, and South Korea. Unfortunately, they lost to Great Britain 5-3 and Poland 4-2. The teams they defeated advanced, so they had to make do with third place.

The Hosts, Also Having a History in the Top Division and an NHL Prospect: Italy shares a commonality with Slovenia and Hungary in that they have previously advanced to the Top Division. They may have achieved a little more success in 2007 when they unexpectedly made it through the first group stage.They quickly fell out in what was then a qualifying group, but in the last 20 years, those other countries haven’t been able to claim a 12th place finish. Hungary has experienced growth, while Italy’s destiny is akin to Slovenia’s, fluctuating between Top Division appearances. They were in it for three years in a row, 2019, 2021, and 2022, not too long ago. Even so, 2021’s relegation was ineffective. However, because of the outcomes from the previous year, the Italians split up in 2022 and are still here.

Iron Mike was fired approximately a month ago, and Mike Keenan was supposed to be Italy’s head coach. Mike Pelino, an accomplished assistant coach with extensive experience in both the NHL and KHL, has assumed the role of assistant coach. What’s more intriguing is that Perry Pearn is now an assistant on the bench. He will undoubtedly motivate Italy to defeat Japan on April 30. I go into more detail in the section on Japan. It is not encouraging that the Italians have a new head coach right away, but at least they know who Pelino is because he was with Italy last season.

In order to add some new energy and diversity, the roster includes a mix of experienced players. The most well-known figure in the NHL is goalie Damian Clara, a 19-year-old.Last year, Clara was selected by Anaheim in the second round, with the 60th overall pick. With Brynas IF in the Allsvenskan, the enormous goalie had an excellent season, recording a 91.3% save percentage during regular season play and a 93.1% save percentage during qualification games. Next season, he’ll play in the SHL with Farjestad BK. Maybe there’s a goalie for Ducks fans to keep an eye on. He participated in two senior-level games last year. If he can get more minutes than either 33-year-old Andreas Bernard, who was a starter but not as good with HC Pustertal, or 30-year-old Gianluca Vallini, who had a very good season as HC Bolzano’s #2 goalie, that would be interesting to watch. In any case, Clara will play a role in Italy’s future. The other young players to watch out for are forwards Tommy Purdeller, 20, and Massimo De Luca, 19. After spending a season in the WHL with Spokane, De Luca played professionally for HC Ambri-Piotta in the National League of Switzerland. Purdeller was an overager with the Peterborough Petes in the OHL. That is a big jump, and he handled it well, on top of a very fine 10-point performance at the WJCs in Division I-B. He produced more than he did in the previous season, but it’s unclear where he will wind up. That concludes the U-21 roster, but things are beginning to look up in the future.

Luckily for the Italians, a large number of players from those Top Division competitions remain on the roster. The entire blueline, which includes many players who play for two countries, is between the ages of 25 and 33. There are many forwards between the ages of 26 and 35. With the exception of Purdeller, who plays in the OHL, all of these players are in their prime since they are on the older end of the age spectrum.

The majority of them participate in the ICE Hockey League, a multi-national league with several teams in northern Italy that is based in Austria. Notably, Vallini, Daniel Mantenuto, Dustin Gazley, Luca Frigo, Daniel Frank, and left winger Daniel Mantenuto were all players for the local club team, HC Bolzano. Those players will probably receive the same amount of support from the home crowd as the Azzurri. Other than the three young players I mentioned two paragraphs ago, there are several players on the roster who play in leagues other than that one. De Luca played with Diego Kostner, a forward for HC Ambri-Piotta. Thomas Larkin, Alex Trivellato, and Peter Spornberger, three of the team’s seven defensemen, were all players for Schwenninger Wild Wings in the German DEL the previous campaign. Paul Pietroniro was a defenseman for HK Dukla Trencin in Slovakia, where he scored an astounding 37 points in 48 games.Terrance Amorosa, Marco Insam, and Jason Seed were in the AlpsHL. Centre Anthony Salinitri divided his time between the Stavanger Oilers of Norway and the Graz 99ers of the ICEHL. The fact that players are getting playing time in other leagues, even elite leagues abroad, demonstrates the ability of Italian players to succeed abroad and is advantageous to the national team.

Expectations should be high considering that last year’s squad included defenseman Larkin, who surprised everyone by scoring five goals, in addition to Mantenuto and Frigo’s seven-point seasons. There has been some roster turnover since 2023; among others, Justin Fazio (who was Clara’s #1A last season) and Daniel Tedesco are not there. I wouldn’t worry too much, though. Vallini and Bernard performed admirably for their respective teams, ensuring that the 19-year-old goalie is not the team’s main source of success. Along with Larkin, Mantenuto, Frigo, and Marchetti are returning, and they have all performed well for the national team in other competitions in 2023–24.For the love of Perry Pearn, the team should be more than ready to show off in South Korea, Romania, and Japan. How they stack up against a roster that has been prepared for Slovenia and Hungary is the real question. Even though the home crowd supports the Azzurri, their results in their matches against Slovenia on May 1 and Hungary on May 3 could determine their fate. To get the promotion they want, they might have to defeat one of them. Something they may want to further attain experience in 2025 before they host the Winter Olympics in 2026.

South Korea

The National Team Website: The Korea Ice Hockey Association, which goes to a 403 Forbidden page when I try to load it. Maybe you will have better luck?

The Roster: This is the roster according to Elite Prospects. They may have cuts to make prior to the tournament starting since when I look at this on April 26, they have 9 defensemen and 14 forwards. That will not work.

The Nickname per Wikipedia: N/A, per their men’s national team page. Oh well. Even their logo is meh. Maybe they need a new image. A different brand. Something.

Last Year: South Korea went 2-0-0-3 last year to finish fourth in Division I-A. They were the best of the “have nots” as they were out-scored 8-20. Great Britain blanked them, Italy beat them down 6-1, and Poland kicked the extra point for the 7-0 defeat. South Korea stayed up by way of beating Romania 5-2 and Lithuania 2-1. Yes, just 2-1.

It Just Works: Steady is the word as South Korea was promoted to Division I Group A in 2015 and have not returned to Division I Group B ever since. They surprisingly won a promotion spot in 2017, which led to a Top Division appearance in 2018. They got creamed at the WCs that year but 16th remains the national team’s best finish in the IIHF World Championships. Since then they finished third, fourth, and fourth in Division I Group A in 2019, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

This is made all the more impressive when you check out their roster. Except for James Hong of the USHL’s Madison Capitols and Sangyeob Kim of the NAHL (St. Cloud and North Iowa), the team either plays in the Asia League or in Korea’s college system. The A-League is primarily based in Japan with only one team in South Korea, Halla Anyang. All of the players who played in the A-League in 2023-24 played for Halla Anyang. The six collegiate players either suited up for Yonsei University of Korea University. This is not a roster with a whole wealth of different experiences. Even the coaching staff is entirely domestic.

The thing is that it has worked for them. The 2023 team that finished fourth in this group was built entirely the same way. Except take out James Hong and Sangyeob Kim and replace him with Sang Hoon Shin, who did play 70 games for the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL in 2022-23. He also played 10 games for Anyang so even he counts towards the massive lean on Halla Anyang. As for the 2023-24 Halla Anyang squad, they finished first in the A-League and won their championship. Sang Wook Kim led the league in points with 48. Chongmin Lee put up 18 goals and 41 points in 29 games; Sang Hoon Shin was the team’s third leading scorer for the squad as well; and Jin Hui Ahn rounded out the Halla Anyang players who put up at least 10 goals last season. If you’re going to pick a domestic team for a national squad, then this is a good one as any to pick. I am curious to see how James Hong supplements this. While he was in a junior league, he did put up 53 points in 57 games along with 4 points in Olympic Qualifying games. Maybe he is one to watch for in the future. If only for not being in Korea’s college system or a member of Halla Anyang.

I do think there is a weakness on the roster: goaltending. Yeon Seung Lee played all of three games for Halla Anyang last season. He has played, by my count, seven games for the national team at this level ever. The other option is 23-year old collegiate Jung Ho Ha, who played just nine for Korea University in this past season and only twice ever for the national team. For this level of the World Championships, it is surprising to me that the South Korean decision makers did not go with someone who has been more experienced at this level. Or someone who played more than just a little bit for their club. They could do well but they could also get wrecked by most of the group. Given that this team scored 8 goals total last year, there will be plenty of pressure on the goalies to perform. I do not know if this will work out for them.

On paper, this kind of team would be a likely candidate for relegation. The A-League is not exactly a strong one. I am unsure about the quality of Korean collegiate hockey. It is not like a lot of South Korean players are showing up in other leagues and then coming back to bring what they learned or gained to the national team. They may still be likely candidates just because their goalies are question marks. In practice, I could have wrote about all that last year. They stayed up and finished ahead of two other relegation fighters. For all I know, this will happen again. As attributed to Bethesda’s Todd Howard: It just works.

Romania

The National Team Website: The Romanian Ice Hockey Federation It is not frequently updated, but it’s there. It’s something.

The Roster: Per Elite Prospects, here is the roster. They may have cuts to make prior to the tournament starting since when I look at this on April 26, they have 3 goalies, 9 defensemen and 14 forwards. That will not work either.

The Nickname per Wikipedia: Tricolori, or Three Colors per the men’s national team page. Boring but it is something. Looking at you, South Korea.

Last Year: Romania went 1-0-0-4 last year to finish fifth in Division I-A. They were out-scored 9-26 and their one win was against the relegated Lithuania, 3-2. Romania was otherwise beaten by everyone else.

All Domestic: The Erste Liga is largely based in Hungary but does have three teams in Romania: CSM Corona Brasov (finished second in 2023-24’s regular season; won the 2023-24 championship), SC Csikszereda (finished fifth in the regular season, lost in the semifinals of the playoffs), and Gyergyoi HK (finished third in the regular season, lost in the semifinals of the playoffs). Those three teams carry recent success and so the Romanian national team camp roster and ultimately their final roster will be built from those three teams. Even their head coach, Dave MacQueen, has been the boss behind Corona Brasov’s bench since February 2020 and this is his first time with the national team.

This is not exactly a new approach to Romania’s national team. They did this last season with the only player to have played outside of Romania being goaltender Zoltan Toke for four games with Melbourne of the Australian Ice Hockey League. That team survived for another year because Lithuania was worse. That certainly did not last as Toke remained with Brasov all season in 2023-24. Perhaps MacQueen taking over will help the team out? Perhaps they just need some better breaks?

At the very least, some of their players did have strong 2023-24 campaigns with their club teams. Winger Yevgeni Skachkov put up 71 points in all competitions with SC Csikzereda. Defenseman Matias Haaranen put up 43 points for Gyergyoi HK. Albert Zagidullin put up 45 points in all competitions with Corona Brasov. Whole not high in points, Balazs Gajdo did put up 20 goals, mostly in Romanian competition, for Corona Brasov. These would be players I would suggest looking out for on the Tricolori. The elder on the squad, Skachkov, has 3 goals and 4 points in 3 international games played per EP.

Others left something to be desired. Namely in the crease as Attilla Adorjan put up an 89.5% save percentage in Erste Liga play and David-Ors Mag was a backup for Gyergyoi and put up an 88.4% in Erste Liga play. Given how much the Romanians allowed last season, that Toke had the best save percentage as a depth goalie for his club does not inspire a lot of confidence. That the top scorer on the championship team, 35-year old Czech-Romanian Radim Valchar, was not selected (and usually is not) is a bit confusing to me for a team that should be looking for offense.

What makes this more confusing is that the roster is pretty much set a prime age. Outside of Skachkov and Zagidullin, everyone else is under the age of 32. No one really young is on the roster either with Vladslav Teamriuc being the player under the age of 23 going to Bolzano. He did have 18 points in 20 games with Dunarea Galati, so maybe he breaks out a bit. In the bigger picture, though, this roster seems set as-is. There is not much of a sign of a future with a lack of young blood on the roster (Teamriuc was on the 2023 team). While Skachkov and Zagidullin have been productive, they are not the sole drivers of the offense either. This team is what it is – and it may be set for trying to fight for survival another year. Their games against South Korea (May 3) and Japan (May 4) are huge ones.

At least the teams they are pulling from have done well in the Erste Liga and they should be very familiar with Hungary when they play each other on May 1. Not that I expect Romania to win, but they should know the opposition somewhat well.

Japan

The National Team Website: The Japan Ice Hockey Federation. They keep the site up to date. It is pretty slick.

The Roster: Per Elite Prospects, here is the roster. Again, when I looked at it, they have some cuts to make. Also, shoutout to bringing

The Nickname per Wikipedia: Tricolori, or Three Colors per the men’s national team page. Boring but it is something. Looking at you, South Korea.

Last Year: Japan swept Division I Group B by winning all five of their games. They out-scored their collective opposition, 29-10. Adirondack Thunder and occasional Utica Comet forward Yushiroh Hirano led the team in scoring with 7 goals and 10 points. Goaltender Yuta Narisawa was excellent with a 93.2% save percentage in four starts.

No Hirano and a Coaching Issue: I have some bad news, Japanese fans. Adirondack did make the playoffs. Therefore, the team’s leading scorer from last year’s squad that earned promotion is not available. It is a shame too as Hirano absolutely broke out with the Thunder. After a 14-point in 12 game campaign with Cincinatti in 2022-23, he put up 54 points in 59 games with the Thunder. But he’s playing with them so he is not on this year’s roster. That will hurt the offense given how much Hirano was a part of it.

I have some more bad news. Perry Pearn was the head coach that saw Japan earn promotion and have them still in the Winter Olympic playoff mix – something they can still qualify for 2026 if they win a group against Great Britain, Denmark, and Norway. However, the JIHF fired him. Pearn was not happy about it as per this Jim Matheson article in the Edmonton Journal back on March 4. It appears he got a raw deal. While I can understand a new leader wanting his own people in charge, Pearn was finding success with Japan’s national team. Why fire him? Now Pearn is an assistant on Italy’s bench. Italy plays Japan on May 1. Expect Italy to be fired up to send a message to Japan if Pearn has any influence. I know I would want to stick it to them if I was in his shoes, being fired after bringing the national team some actual success.

His replacement is former New Jersey Devil/Utica Devil center Jarrod Skalde. Skalde has experience being the head coach and director of hockey operations for various teams in the ECHL, AHL, and even Cardiff for a bit. He primarily is the head coach of Meran/Merano in the Alps Hockey League. This is his first time as a head coach of a national team. A team that just got promoted, does not have their top scorer and best forward from last year’s group, and could be riding a 37-year old and 41-year old goaltending tandem. Good luck, Skalde!

Let us begin with the goalies. Yuta Narisawa is the 37-year old, coming off a 92.1% save percentage season in 18 games with Red Eagles Hokkaido. The 41-year old is ex-NHL goalie Yutaka Fukufuji, who played in 27 games with the Nikko Ice Bucks and posted a 90.2% save percentage. Good for the club teams. I am unsure this may go well against younger and offensively talented squads like Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia.

On defense, it is not so old with the defensemen in camp ranging from age 21 to 30. It is not a great sign that four of them do not seem to have any club data at Elite Prospects. The ones that did were Hiroto Sato and Seiya Hayata of Nikko Ice Bucks (Sato was at least productive with 25 points in 32 games); Riku Ishida and Kazuki Lawlor of Tohoku Free Blades (who each put up over 20 points for the Free Blades); and Jiei Halliday and Kotaro Yamada of Red Eagles Hokkaido. Can they handle a potentially tougher and deeper offense from the likes of Hungary, Slovenia, or Italy? They will be tested.

At forward, Japan has two players who are not based in the A-League. That would be 19-year old Fuji Suzuki, who plays for the Utica Jr. Comets – a youth team in the National Collegiate Development Conference; and Chikara Hanzawa, who plays for Sacred Heart. Suzuki was at least productive for said youth team. Hanzawa had 2 goals in 28 games. I cannot imagine Japan will want to lean on either for offense. There were plenty of A-Leaguers who were productive in 2023-24. Shogo Nakajima put up 45 points in 32 games for Red Eagles Hokkaido. Makuru Furuhashi, Kento Suzuki, and Sota Isogai each put up 27 points for Nikko Ice Bucks. Yushi Nakayashiki put up 15 goals for Red Eagles too. That all said, and fine for their league, this is a team that really misses Hirano.

On paper, Japan could be in for a real tough time in Bolzano. While South Korea is also heavily based on A-Leaguers, they also scored fewer than 10 goals last year and survived only because they ended up being better than two other teams that struggled in the group. I am not sure it is going to be a good path for success even if they kept Pearn on as head coach. I know they still have a shot at the 2026 Olympics but if Japan is going to get rolled in this week in this group, I doubt they will upset Great Britain, Denmark, and Norway to do so (and even if they don’t get rolled, those three teams are Top Division teams). Japan-Romania on May 4 may end up deciding who goes down to Division I-B in 2025 unless Japan can provide some stunning upsets over Slovenia, Hungary, and Italy. Or prevail over South Korea on May 1. Again, good luck, Jarrod Skalde.

I am anticipating Division I Group A to be another have/have-not year. I do not get the sense South Korea or Romania is all that better than what they did last year. Japan is in a real tough spot made tougher with Hirano playing for the Thunder and a brand new head coach. Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy have the capability of performing at this level and were recently in the Top Division. They were bounced quickly from said division, but getting there means they were promoted out of this group to begin with.

With Italy hosting the whole tourney, a part of me would like to see them get one of the two promotion spots. Back in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy finished next to last in 11th place in men’s ice hockey. They tied twice (Switzerland, Germany), lost three games, and were outscored by 14. Latvia had one fewer tie which meant Italy avoided the very worst record in the event. For the 2026 Winter Olympics, their goal should be to finish at least a little better than the bottom two spots. By going to the 2025 World Championships in Sweden and Denmark, that can only help them as they will face many of the same teams they will in Milan-Cortina.

Of course, Hungary and Slovenia will have a lot to say about that aspiration. If nothing else, circle the Slovenia-Italy game on May 1 at 1:30 PM ET, Hungary-Italy game on May 3 at 1:30 PM ET, and Hungary-Slovenia on May 4 at 1:30 PM ET. Those three games could very well decide who gets the two spots. Presuming they do not get ensnared by the other teams in this group along the way.

The final set of previews for the 2024 IIHF World Championship will be made in early May. It depends because, well, this is a lot to put together as interesting as it all is. With 16 nations in the Top Division, I will have a separate preview for the Group A and Group B teams. This one will feature the nations that will have rosters largely filled with NHL players, including multiple New Jersey Devils players. It will also feature nations looking to claw and fight their way to stay in this Top Division as they attempt to grow their game bit-by-bit. From Canada and the United States to Poland and Great Britain, we shall all learn a lot more together.

Please leave your thoughts about Division I Group A games – which have already begun – and the national teams involved in the comments. Thank you for reading.

GET MORE NEWS HERE