For the first time in history, the World Junior Championship relegation round came down to a single game, with Germany defeating Norway 5-4 in overtime to send Norway back down to Division IA in 2025, after just one year in the Top Division.
Continue reading
Category Archives: IHLC News
IHLC 2023 In Review – Junior
The story of the world junior calendar year of 2023 came down really to two countries, with Canada dominating the top of the calendar, while it was American dominance nearly a full calendar year later setting the stage for a thrilling finish to the 2024 World Junior Championship.
Continue reading
IHLC 2023 In Review – Men’s
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.
Continue reading
IHLC 2023 In Review – Women’s
The 2023 calendar year saw another fourteen heavyweight matchups between the United States and Canada on the international hockey stage, with both nations fighting for Gold medals, world supremacy, and the International Hockey Lineal Championship.
Continue reading
IHLC Preview – 2024 World Junior Championship
With the season upon us, this means the inevitable return of the IIHF World Junior Championship, which will return to Europe for the first time since January 2020, with Gothenburg, Sweden hosting the world’s top under-20 teams starting on 26 December.
Continue reading
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan Promoted To World Junior Top Division In 2025
For the first time since 2020, Kazakhstan will be returning to the World Junior Championship Top Division, by virtue of France’s defeat of Austria, meaning that the 4-0 Kazakhs locked up their spot at the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa, Canada two days before the Division IA tournament in Budapest, Hungary ends.
Continue reading
An IHLC Lineage Correction – 1992 Olympics
As part of our continuous improvement to always refine the International Hockey Lineal Championship, we came across an improper lineage in the 1992 season that has now been corrected, impacting in particular lineage during the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France.
Continue reading
🇫🇮 Sanni Hakala Forced Into Retirement At 26 After On-Ice Paralysis
Finnish winger Sanni Hakala, who suffered a horrific injury in a Swedish League matchup less than a week ago which stunned the hockey world, today announced the end of her playing career at age 29, with the injury leaving her paralyzed from the chest down, with limited mobility in her arms and legs.
Continue reading
🇸🇪 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inducts Class Of 2023
The Hockey Hall Of Fame tonight inducted their 2023 Class, inducting five legendary players to their ranks with a number of tremendous international achievements.
Continue reading
🇨🇿 Roman Čechmánek: 1971-2023
Roman Čechmánek, the Olympic and three-time World Champion Czech goaltender who was part of the golden era of post-communist Czech hockey, was announced to have died at the age of 52 today in Czechia.
Continue reading
🇺🇸 2024 Women’s World Championship Schedule Released
The schedule for the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship has been released, being hosted in Utica, New York, United States, with the hosts looking to repeat as champions for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue reading
🇺🇸 Paul Stastny Confirms Retirement From Hockey At 37
American centre Paul Stastny, the son of hockey royalty who carved out his own illustrious career that spanned nearly two decades, today confirmed his retirement from hockey, having last played for the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2022-23 NHL season.
Continue reading
🇨🇦 Meaghan Mikkelson Retires From Hockey, Pivots To Broadcasting
Canadian defender Meaghan Mikkelson, a mainstay of Team Canada’s blueline for almost fifteen years and almost as many Olympic, World Championship and club titles, confirmed her retirement from the sport, taking on a broadcasting role with the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
Continue reading
🇨🇦 Joe Thornton Makes Retirement Official At Age 44
Canadian power forward Joe Thornton, the last remaining player in the NHL to have played in the 1990’s, officially confirmed his retirement after an illustrious 24-season NHL career, retiring at age 44 with an NHL MVP and scoring title, Swiss championship, Olympic Gold Medal, World Junior Gold Medal and two World Cup titles for Team Canada.
Continue reading
🇨🇿 Tomáš Plekanec Announces Retirement Just Short Of 41st Birthday
Czech centre Tomáš Plekanec, one of the top two-way forwards of his era, and a mainstay on both the Montréal Canadiens, HC Kladno and the Czech national team over the past two decades, today formally announced his retirement from Kladno just three days short of his 41st birthday.
Continue reading
🇨🇦 Geneviève Lacasse Joins PWHL Staff, Retires From Hockey
Canadian goaltender Geneviève Lacasse, whose absence from the inaugural PWHL Draft spurred speculation about her coming retirement, confirmed today she is joining the PWHL’s Ottawa front office, confirming her retirement from the game at age 34, recapping a Triple Gold-winning career with Olympic, World Championship and CWHL titles to her name. Continue reading
🇨🇦 Jake Muzzin Formally Retires As Player, Moves Into Scouting
Canadian defender Jake Muzzin, plagued by spinal injuries and concussions throughout his career, today was announced as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs, effectively ending his playing career at the age of 34, spanning a Stanley Cup, IIHF World Championship and World Cup victory.
Continue reading
🇺🇸 Derek Stepan Announces Retirement From Hockey At 33
American centre Derek Stepan, a seasoned NHL veteran with a recurring presence on Team USA, today announced his retirement from hockey due to recurring injuries at age 33.
Continue reading
🇨🇦 Jennifer Wakefield Retires As Player, Pivots To Coaching
Canadian centre Jennifer Wakefield, a mainstay of the Canadian national team throughout the 2010’s, and a two-time Gold winner at the Olympics and World Championship, today announced her full-time transition to coaching, leaving the game as a player at the age of 34.
Continue reading
🇨🇳 🇩🇰 China, Denmark Promoted To 2024 Women’s World Championship
At the conclusion of the delayed Women’s World Championship Division IA tournament in Shenzhen, China today, it was hosts China and Denmark that finally scooped up the last promotion spots to the Top Division in 2024, solidifying for good the 2023-24 international hockey calendar.
Continue reading
International Hockey Lineal Championship 