2018 IIHF World Championship
2018 edition of the IIHF World Championship
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The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4 to 20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus.[1][2] South Korea made its debut at the World Championship, having played in the lower divisions previously.[3]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | |
| Venues | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Dates | 4–20 May |
| Opened by | Margrethe II |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 384 (6 per game) |
| Attendance | 520,481 (8,133 per game) |
| Scoring leader | |
| Awards | |
| MVP | |
Sweden went undefeated at the tournament to win their second consecutive and eleventh overall title after defeating Switzerland in the final.[4] The United States won the bronze medal game, defeating Canada 4–1.
The official mascot of the tournament was a swan,[5] inspired by the Danish writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale about The Ugly Duckling.[6]
Bids
There were two bids to host this championship.[7]
- Denmark is the only top-ranked IIHF country that has never hosted the tournament. The proposed arenas were the Royal Arena in Copenhagen and the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.[2] Both arenas have a capacity of around 12,000 for hockey games.[8]
- Latvia hosted the IIHF World Championship in 2006. The proposed arenas were Arena Riga, and a secondary venue to be built.[2]
The decision was announced on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. The final tally was 95-12 in favor of Denmark.[1][2]
Venues
| Royal Arena | Jyske Bank Boxen | |
| Capacity: 12,500 | Capacity: 12,000 | |
Qualified teams

- Qualified as host
- Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2017 IIHF World Championship
- Qualified through winning a promotion at the 2017 IIHF World Championship Division I
Seeding
The seeding in the preliminary round was based on the 2017 IIHF World Ranking, which ended at the conclusion of the 2017 IIHF World Championship.[9]
Denmark and Sweden played in separate groups, Denmark at the Jyske Bank Boxen while Sweden at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.[10]
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|
- 1 Denmark and France swapped sides so Denmark would not be in the same group as Sweden.
Rosters
Each team's roster consisted of at least 15 skaters (forwards, and defencemen) and 2 goaltenders, and at most 22 skaters and 3 goaltenders. All 16 participating nations, through the confirmation of their respective national associations, had to submit a "Long List" no later than two weeks before the tournament, and a final roster by the Passport Control meeting prior to the start of tournament.
Officials
16 referees and linesman were announced on 21 March 2018.[11][12]
| Referees | Linesmen |
|---|---|
|
Preliminary round
The schedule was released on 8 August 2017.[13]
Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | +22 | 20 | Quarterfinals | |
| 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 16 | ||
| 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 15 | +12 | 15 | ||
| 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 12 | ||
| 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 11 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 4 | ||
| 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 36 | −28 | 0 | Relegation to 2019 Division I A[a] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(R) Relegated
Notes:
| 4 May 2018 | |||||
| Russia | 7–0 | ||||
| Sweden | 5–0 | ||||
| 5 May 2018 | |||||
| Switzerland | 3–2 (OT) | ||||
| France | 6–2 | ||||
| Czech Republic | 3–2 (OT) | ||||
| 6 May 2018 | |||||
| Austria | 0–7 | ||||
| Sweden | 3–2 | ||||
| Slovakia | 0–2 | ||||
| 7 May 2018 | |||||
| Belarus | 0–6 | ||||
| Sweden | 4–0 | ||||
| 8 May 2018 | |||||
| Austria | 2–4 | ||||
| Czech Republic | 5–4 (GWS) | ||||
| 9 May 2018 | |||||
| Switzerland | 5–2 | ||||
| Sweden | 7–0 | ||||
| 10 May 2018 | |||||
| Slovakia | 3–1 | ||||
| Czech Republic | 4–3 (OT) | ||||
| 11 May 2018 | |||||
| France | 5–2 | ||||
| Belarus | 0–3 | ||||
| 12 May 2018 | |||||
| Slovakia | 3–4 (OT) | ||||
| Austria | 4–0 | ||||
| Russia | 4–3 | ||||
| 13 May 2018 | |||||
| France | 0–6 | ||||
| Switzerland | 3–5 | ||||
| 14 May 2018 | |||||
| Russia | 4–0 | ||||
| Czech Republic | 4–3 | ||||
| 15 May 2018 | |||||
| Switzerland | 5–1 | ||||
| Belarus | 4–7 | ||||
| Russia | 1–3 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 11 | +27 | 16[a] | Quarterfinals | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 16 | +23 | 16[a] | ||
| 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 12 | +20 | 15 | ||
| 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 11 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 7 | ||
| 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 48 | −44 | 0 | Relegation to 2019 Division I A |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) result against closest best-ranked team outside tied teams; 6) result against second-best ranked team outside tied teams; 7) seeding before tournament.
(H) Host; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Finland 6–2 United States
| 4 May 2018 | |||||
| United States | 5–4 (GWS) | ||||
| Germany | 2–3 (GWS) | ||||
| 5 May 2018 | |||||
| Norway | 2–3 (OT) | ||||
| Finland | 8–1 | ||||
| Denmark | 0–4 | ||||
| 6 May 2018 | |||||
| South Korea | 0–10 | ||||
| Germany | 4–5 (GWS) | ||||
| Latvia | 1–8 | ||||
| 7 May 2018 | |||||
| United States | 3–0 | ||||
| Canada | 7–1 | ||||
| 8 May 2018 | |||||
| South Korea | 0–5 | ||||
| Finland | 7–0 | ||||
| 9 May 2018 | |||||
| Germany | 6–1 | ||||
| Finland | 2–3 | ||||
| 10 May 2018 | |||||
| United States | 3–2 (OT) | ||||
| Norway | 0–5 | ||||
| 11 May 2018 | |||||
| Denmark | 3–0 | ||||
| United States | 13–1 | ||||
| 12 May 2018 | |||||
| Latvia | 3–1 | ||||
| Denmark | 3–1 | ||||
| Canada | 1–5 | ||||
| 13 May 2018 | |||||
| Norway | 3–9 | ||||
| Germany | 3–2 (OT) | ||||
| 14 May 2018 | |||||
| South Korea | 0–3 | ||||
| Canada | 2–1 (OT) | ||||
| 15 May 2018 | |||||
| Finland | 6–2 | ||||
| Canada | 3–0 | ||||
| Latvia | 1–0 |
Playoff round
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 17 May | ||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||
| 19 May | ||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||||
| 17 May | ||||||||||
| 0 | ||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||
| 20 May | ||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||
| 17 May | ||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||
| 19 May | ||||||||||
| 5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 17 May | ||||||||||
| 3 | Third place | |||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||||
| 20 May | ||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||
| 1 | ||||||||||
Quarterfinals
| 17 May 2018 16:15 | Russia | 4–5 OT (0–1, 2–1, 2–2) (OT: 0–1) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 9,017 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Igor Shestyorkin | Goalies | Darcy Kuemper | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 min | Penalties | 2 min | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 | Shots | 41 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 May 2018 16:15 | United States | 3–2 (2–0, 0–2, 1–0) | Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning Attendance: 4,846 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Kinkaid | Goalies | Pavel Francouz | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 10 min | Penalties | 2 min | |||||||||||||||
| 31 | Shots | 26 | |||||||||||||||
| 17 May 2018 20:15 | Sweden | 3–2 (0–0, 1–1, 2–1) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 12,490 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Nilsson | Goalies | Elvis Merzļikins | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 10 min | Penalties | 2 min | |||||||||||||||
| 34 | Shots | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| 17 May 2018 20:15 | Finland | 2–3 (1–0, 0–3, 1–0) | Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning Attendance: 5,634 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harri Säteri | Goalies | Leonardo Genoni | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 0 min | Penalties | 8 min | |||||||||||||||
| 34 | Shots | 27 | |||||||||||||||
Semifinals
| 19 May 2018 15:15 | Sweden | 6–0 (1–0, 3–0, 2–0) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 12,490 |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Nilsson | Goalies | Keith Kinkaid | Referees: Linesmen: | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 min | Penalties | 6 min | ||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Shots | 41 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 19 May 2018 19:15 | Canada | 2–3 (0–1, 1–1, 1–1) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 12,166 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darcy Kuemper | Goalies | Leonardo Genoni | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 6 min | Penalties | 2 min | |||||||||||||||
| 45 | Shots | 17 | |||||||||||||||
Bronze medal game
| 20 May 2018 15:45 | United States | 4–1 (0–0, 1–1, 3–0) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 12,111 |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Kinkaid | Goalies | Curtis McElhinney | Referees: Linesmen: | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 4 min | Penalties | 14 min | |||||||||||||||
| 37 | Shots | 25 | |||||||||||||||
Gold medal game
| 20 May 2018 20:15 (UTC+2) | Sweden | 3–2 GWS (1–1, 1–1, 0–0) (OT: 0–0) (SO: 1–0) | Royal Arena, Copenhagen Attendance: 12,490 |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Nilsson | Goalies | Leonardo Genoni | Referees: Linesmen: | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Zibanejad Rakell Ekman-Larsson Forsberg | Shootout | |||||||||||||
| 4 min | Penalties | 10 min | ||||||||||||
| 38 | Shots | 27 | ||||||||||||
Final ranking and statistics
Final ranking
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 13 | +30 | 28 | Champions | |
| 2 | A | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 19 | Runners-up | |
| 3 | B | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 25 | +21 | 22 | Third place | |
| 4 | B | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 23 | +17 | 17 | Fourth place | |
| 5 | B | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 14 | +26 | 16 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals | |
| 6 | A | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 15 | +21 | 17 | ||
| 7 | A | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 15 | ||
| 8 | B | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 13 | ||
| 9 | A | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 11 | Eliminated in Group stage | |
| 10 | B | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 11 | ||
| 11 | B | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 7 | ||
| 12 | A | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 6 | ||
| 13 | B | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 6 | ||
| 14 | A | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 4 | ||
| 15 | A | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 36 | −28 | 0 | 2019 IIHF World Championship Division I | |
| 16 | B | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 48 | −44 | 0 |
Scoring leaders
List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 8 | 12 | 20 | −2 | 0 | F | |
| 8 | 9 | 9 | 18 | +15 | 2 | F | |
| 10 | 5 | 12 | 17 | +6 | 10 | F | |
| 10 | 6 | 8 | 14 | +7 | 6 | F | |
| 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 | +14 | 8 | F | |
| 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | −3 | 2 | F | |
| 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 | +10 | 0 | F | |
| 8 | 5 | 6 | 11 | +1 | 6 | F | |
| 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +8 | 8 | F | |
| 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +7 | 2 | F |
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes; POS = Position
Source: IIHF.com
Goaltending leaders
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, are included in this list.
| Player | TOI | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 440:00 | 8 | 1.09 | 174 | 95.40 | 3 | |
| 362:56 | 10 | 1.65 | 178 | 94.38 | 1 | |
| 204:57 | 5 | 1.46 | 86 | 94.19 | 2 | |
| 360:35 | 9 | 1.50 | 151 | 94.04 | 2 | |
| 298:31 | 7 | 1.41 | 114 | 93.86 | 1 |
TOI = Time on Ice (minutes:seconds); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; Sv% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts
Source: IIHF.com
Awards
- Best players selected by the directorate:
- Best Goaltender:
Frederik Andersen - Best Defenceman:
John Klingberg - Best Forward:
Sebastian Aho
- Best Goaltender:
Source: IIHF.com
- Media All-Stars:
- MVP:
Patrick Kane - Goaltender:
Anders Nilsson - Defencemen:
Adam Larsson /
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Forwards:
Rickard Rakell /
Patrick Kane /
Sebastian Aho
- MVP:
Source: IIHF.com
IIHF honors and awards
The 2018 IIHF Hall of Fame inductees and award recipients were honored during the World Championship medal ceremonies in Copenhagen.[17]
IIHF Hall of Fame inductees
- Daniel Alfredsson, Sweden[18]
- Rob Blake, Canada[19]
- Chris Chelios, United States[20]
- Philippe Lacarrière, France[21]
- Jere Lehtinen, Finland[22]
- Bob Nadin, Canada[19]
Award recipients
- Kirovs Lipmans of Latvia received the Paul Loicq Award for outstanding contributions to international ice hockey.[23]
- Jesper Damgaard of Denmark received the Torriani Award for a player with an outstanding career from non-top hockey nation.[24]