The 2023 international men’s hockey calendar was one full of surprises, with the emergence of competing Cinderella stories at the 2023 World Championship that captivating the hockey world, before a familiar face emerged as world champions once again.

By virtue of winning the Swiss Ice Hockey Games to close out the 2022 calendar year, Sweden brought the title to friendly ice in Malmö, losing but then retaining the title at the Beijer Hockey Games, ensuring they would bring the title to the Nordic section of the Euro Hockey Challenge. Tre Kronor swept both Denmark and Norway, bringing the title to the Czech Hockey Games in Brno, defeating Switzerland before losing to Czechia, who in turn would drop the title to the Swiss on the final day of competition, ensuring the Eisgenossen would start the 2023 World Championships with the IHLC.

Switzerland carried the spirit of their 2013 and 2018 squads in Rīga, dispatching the likes of Canada and Czechia en route to winning six straight, but with their top group spot already sealed, and resting some key starters in advance of the medal rounds, their final group game saw them lose to hosts Latvia, who eked out the final spot in the Quarterfinals with Rūdolfs Balcers’ overtime tally, marking not only their first medal round game since 2018, but their first IHLC title since 2003. Latvia then stunned the hockey world, and the hockey-mad crowd in Rīga, with a 3-1 upset over Sweden in the quarterfinals, punching their ticket to Tampere to take on Canada in the semifinal, moving them out of a four-way tie with Hungary, Japan and Italy at the bottom of the all-time IHLC Rankings table with just one win each.

While Adam Fantilli’s late third period goal ended Latvia’s magical run, but still clinched them a spot in the Bronze medal game, Canada would then take the title to the Gold Medal Game against another unlikely foe, Germany, seeking their first World title in nearly 100 years of competition. The Träger der Adler put up a spirited fight as well against Canada, twice holding the lead through the first forty minutes, but third period strikes from Sammy Blais and Tyler Toffoli sealed Canada’s record 28th Gold Medal in Tampere, while Germany won their first tournament Silver medal since 1953.

The following games were contested over the men’s IHLC in 2023 (click for game recaps and boxscores):
1785. 🇨🇿 CZE 2-1 SWE 🇸🇪 (OT) – 09 Feb 2023 – BHG – Malmö 🇸🇪
1786. 🇫🇮 FIN 6-1 CZE 🇨🇿 – 11 Feb 2023 – BHG – Malmö 🇸🇪
1787. 🇸🇪 SWE 3-1 FIN 🇫🇮 – 12 Feb 2023 – BHG – Malmö 🇸🇪
1788. 🇸🇪 SWE 4-2 DEN 🇩🇰 – 12 Apr 2023 – EHC – Vojens 🇩🇰
1789. 🇸🇪 SWE 3-0 DEN 🇩🇰 – 13 Apr 2023 – EHC – Esbjerg 🇩🇰
1790. 🇸🇪 SWE 4-3 NOR 🇳🇴 (OT) – 19 Apr 2023 – EHC – Östersund 🇸🇪
1791. 🇸🇪 SWE 5-0 NOR 🇳🇴 – 20 Apr 2023 – EHC – Östersund 🇸🇪
1792. 🇫🇮 FIN 2-1 SWE 🇸🇪 – 27 Apr 2023 – EHC – Umeå 🇸🇪
1793. 🇸🇪 SWE 6-2 FIN 🇫🇮 – 29 Apr 2023 – EHC – Umeå 🇸🇪
1794. 🇸🇪 SWE 3-0 SUI 🇨🇭 – 04 May 2023 – CHG – Gothenburg 🇸🇪
1795. 🇨🇿 CZE 4-3 SWE 🇸🇪 – 06 May 2023 – CHG – Brno 🇨🇿
1796. 🇨🇭 SUI 3-2 CZE 🇨🇿 – 07 May 2023 – CHG – Brno 🇨🇿
1797. 🇨🇭 SUI 7-0 SLO 🇸🇮 – 13 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1798. 🇨🇭 SUI 3-0 NOR 🇳🇴 – 14 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1799. 🇨🇭 SUI 5-0 KAZ 🇰🇿 – 16 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1800. 🇨🇭 SUI 4-2 SVK 🇸🇰 – 18 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1801. 🇨🇭 SUI 3-2 CAN 🇨🇦 – 20 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1802. 🇨🇭 SUI 4-2 CZE 🇨🇿 – 21 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1803. 🇱🇻 LAT 4-3 SUI 🇨🇭 (OT) – 23 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1804. 🇱🇻 LAT 3-1 SWE 🇸🇪 – 25 May 2023 – WC – Rīga 🇱🇻
1805. 🇨🇦 CAN 4-2 LAT 🇱🇻 – 27 May 2023 – WC – Tampere 🇫🇮
1806. 🇨🇦 CAN 5-2 GER 🇩🇪 – 28 May 2023 – WC – Tampere 🇫🇮 🏅

The IHLC Rankings for 2023 were as follows (total all-time wins and rankings in parentheses):
T1. 🇸🇪 SWEDEN – 7 wins (217, 3rd)
T1. 🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND – 7 wins (73, 6th)
T3. 🇨🇦 CANADA – 2 wins (323, 2nd)
T3. 🇨🇿 CZECHIA – 2 wins (212, 4th)
T3. 🇫🇮 FINLAND – 2 wins (143, 5th)
T3. 🇱🇻 LATVIA – 2 wins (3, 17th)

By virtue of Canada holding the IHLC, and this being a non-Olympic season, Canada will not participate in any exhibition games before the spring of 2024 (as of this writing), meaning that Canada in all likelihood be champions to start the tournament in Prague, or at the very least bring the championship to Central Europe before the tournament begins.

Photo Credit: IIHF Worlds 2023 – IIHF – HHOF – IOC