After a two-year stint in Division IA, Norway will be returning to the World Junior Championship Top Division, thanks to a late Kazakh comeback victory over Austria, locking up their spot in the Top Division even before their final match against hosts Slovenia at the Division IA tournament in Bled.

Entering the final day of competition with eleven points to Austria’s nine, Austria needed a regulation win over Kazakhstan, and a Slovenian regulation win over Norway, to be the only possibility of the Isbjørnene advancing. Austria jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, and entered the third period with a 4-2 advantage, but an epic collapse by Die Adler, conceding early power play goals to Semyon Cherkassov and Mstislav Shipilin, and an empty netter to Korney Korneyev, led to the 5-4 loss, locking both Kazakhstan and Austria in at nine points. Norway’s only blemish on their record was a 3-2 overtime win over Ukraine, but regardless of their final match with Slovenia to close out the tournament, Norway has secured first place, and their promotion for 2027.

Norway will return to the Top Division for the first time since 2024, and for the sixth time in team history, looking to stay for consecutive years for the first time since 1989-90. They will not know who they are replacing until early January, with the relegation round at this year’s World Junior Championship in Minnesota scheduled for 02 January. The relegated team will join Division IA in 2026 alongside Austria, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Ukraine and a to-be promoted team from Division IB (who will replace the relegated France), while Norway will be headed to Alberta, Canada!

Photo Credit: Nitten.no – IIHF – HHOF – IOC