The Division IA World Championship tournament in Sosnowiec, Poland saw the top two spots for promotion to the 2027 World Championship in Germany settled in a thrilling tournament, with Kazakhstan clinching the first spot, while Ukraine snagged the final spot on the last day of competition, clinching their returns to the Top Division for the first time since 2025 and 2007, respectively.
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Category Archives: IHLC News
🇸🇮 Anže Kopitar Retires Following Kings Playoff Elimination
Slovenian forward Anže Kopitar, both the most decorated Slovene and Los Angeles King in hockey history, played his final game after confirming that this season would be his last, retiring at age 38 with two Stanley Cups, and an assortment of individual trophies, including a Messier, three Lady Byng and two Selke awards.
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🇨🇿 Jakub Klepiš Retires At 41 After Playoff Elimination
Czech journeyman forward Jakub Klepiš, a veteran of nearly a quarter century across multiple clubs in Czechia, Russia, Sweden and the United States, confirmed his retirement from hockey at the age of 41, following Sparta Prague’s elimination from the 2026 Czech Extraliga playoffs.
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🇫🇷 France Promoted To 2027 Women’s World Championship
After three years stuck in Division IA, and just three months removed from a disappointing last place finish at the Milan Olympics, France clinched their spot at the 2027 Women’s World Championship in Québec, Canada, after a 3-1 defeat of Slovakia locked them into promotion at the Division IA Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
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🇸🇪 Linus Omark Confirms Retirement Following Luleå Elimination
Swedish winger Linus Omark, a mainstay on the Swedish national team for over a decade with a World Championship Gold, Swedish and Swiss League title to his name, confirmed his retirement from the game at the age of 39, following his club, Luleå, being eliminated in the semifinals of the Swedish Hockey League playoffs.
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🇺🇸 Jonathan Quick Retires At 40 Following Final Game
Jonathan Quick, the winningest American goalie in NHL history, confirmed that his start for the New York Rangers against Florida yesterday evening would be his last, capping a 19-season pro career that saw Quick capture three Stanley Cups and an Olympic Silver medal.
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🇨🇦 🇨🇿 Edmonton, Calgary & Prague Named As 2028 World Cup Hosts
Making its return for the first time in twelve years, the NHL today announced the host cities for the World Cup of Hockey, with group play to be split between Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Prague, Czechia, with the semifinal and final to be hosted in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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🇺🇸 Heise, Curl & Zumwinkle Join Triple Gold Club
By virtue of the United States‘ thrilling overtime victory over Canada to capture Olympic Gold in Milan, three forwards on Team USA have now joined the Triple Gold Club, as Taylor Heise, Britta Curl and Grace Zumwinkle all added Olympic Gold to their existing World Championship Gold and Walter Cup titles.
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🇮🇹 Italy Becomes First New Women’s IHLC Contender Since 2022
On the biggest stage in international hockey, the host nation that nobody expected to make a splash has done just that, with Italy officially locking up their spot in the Quarterfinals, and becoming the first nation since Hungary and Czechia, both in 2022, to contend for the International Hockey Lineal Championship.
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IHLC Preview – 2026 Winter Olympics (Men’s)
For the first time since Sochi 2014, NHL professionals will return to the Olympic Games, marking the first true “best on best” tournament in over a decade (and for only the sixth time ever), with the world’s top players across twelve national teams converging on Milan, Italy.
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IHLC Preview – 2026 Winter Olympics (Women’s)
The eighth quadrennial women’s Olympic tournament is set to kick off this Thursday, with an anticipated showdown once again between Canada and the United States likely to highlight the Gold Medal Match once again – but like the previous tournament hosted in Italy, the potential for an upset is more likely now than perhaps ever before.
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🇷🇺 🇧🇾 IIHF Continues Russia, Belarus Ban Into 2026-27 Season
Following an IIHF Council meeting, the International Ice Hockey Federation today confirmed that their ban on Russian and Belarusian teams, dating back to their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, was extended through the 2026-27 hockey season.
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Full 2026 Men’s Olympic Rosters Released
Starting with France being the first to release their roster on 23 December, and capped by the host Italians releasing their final roster today (20 January), the final roster selections for all twelve Olympic men’s hockey teams are now complete.
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Full 2026 Women’s Olympic Rosters Released
Starting with France being the first to release their roster on 23 December, and to be capped by the host Italians releasing their final roster today (20 January), the final roster selections for all ten Olympic women’s hockey teams are now complete.
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Triple Gold Club: Who Can Join In Milan?
With the calendar finally turning over to 2026, and final rosters for the 2026 Milan Olympics being released daily, there has emerged a select field of fourteen men and three women from five countries who, if successful in winning Gold at next month’s Games, will gain the unique distinction of joining the Triple Gold Club.
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🇷🇺 Sergei Andronov Retires From Hockey At 36
Russian forward Sergei Andronov, a KHL veteran with two Gagarin Cups and an Olympic title under his belt, today confirmed his retirement from hockey at the age of 36 after his release from Salavat Yulaev Ufa this past August, following a fifteen-year pro career.
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🇩🇰 Denmark Relegated From World Junior Championship
For the third straight year, Germany once again avoided relegation at the World Junior Championship, this time eliminating Denmark in an 8-4 victory to send the Lions back down to Division IA in 2027 in their relegation match-up in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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IHLC 2025 In Review – Junior
The 2025 international junior calendar saw the United States capture their first back-to-back world title in 2025, followed by the emergence of Sweden dominating across three tournaments, capping the calendar year off with a commanding performance at the 2026 World Junior Championship.
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IHLC 2025 In Review – Men’s
The 2025 international hockey men’s calendar saw the title competed over in six different countries over two continents in five tournaments, with seven different countries capturing the International Hockey Lineal Championship in only a three month-span of competition.
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IHLC 2025 In Review – Women’s
2025 saw a continuation of closer parity in international women’s hockey, with the juggernauts of the United States and Canada continuing to set the tone in the lead-up to the 2026 Milan Olympics, competing for World Championship, Rivalry Series and International Hockey Lineal Championship glory.
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International Hockey Lineal Championship 