The Division IA World Championship tournament in Nottingham, England saw the top two spots for promotion to the 2024 World Championship in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia locked up on the final day of competition, with hosts Great Britain and Poland both clinching their returns to the Top Division.

Poland marks a speedy rise back to the Top Division, returning for the first time since 2002 after just being promoted to Division IA last year. Needing a win of any kind against Romania, fighting to stay in Division IA this season, the Eagles cruised to a 6-2 victory to open the final day of competition, with goals from six different strikers in the final 40 minutes. Despite an injury to starting goaltender John Murray, backup Maciej Miarka turned away 13 of 15 shots to punch Poland’s ticket to Czechia next May.

The final matchup, between Britain and Italy, was a winner-take-all scenario, with the victorious squad gaining the final spot. In a back-and-forth tilt between the two teams relegated at last year’s World Championship, it was a pair of goals from Brett Perlini and Cade Neilson that helped the Lions pull away midway through the third period, taking a 5-3 victory over the Azzurri and marking their return to the Top Division after one year in Division IA, winning the group outright with a 4-0-1 record.

Italy, Romania and Korea will both remain in Division IA in 2023, while Lithuania is relegated to Division IB; they will join the two bottom teams from this year’s World Championships, set to begin in Tampere, Finland and Rīga, Latvia next week, as well as Japan, who gained promotion in this year’s Division IB tournament, looking for their first Top Division play since 2004.

Our congratulations to both the Lions and the Eagles for their triumphant return to the Top Division in 2024!

Photo Credit: WMIA 2023  – IIHF – HHOF – IOC