The preliminary round rolls on for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which is back on the ice Tuesday at O2 Arena to take on Austria, looking to remain perfect in Group A at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Last Game

Canada finished off a perfect opening weekend Sunday, getting two goals and an assist from Connor Bedard in a 5-1 win over Denmark. Jordan Binnington made 19 saves and 12 different skaters recorded points as the Canadians pulled away with three goals (and a 26-5 advantage in shots) in the third period.

The Austrians dropped a nail-biter to Switzerland on Sunday, holding 2-0 and 3-1 leads before giving up the game-winner on the power play with just 51 seconds left in a 6-5 loss. Lukas Haudum scored twice and Clemens Unterweger had a goal and two assists as Austria fell to 0-2.

Last Meeting

The teams met May 5 in Vienna in the pre-tournament opener for the Canadians. Ridly Greig provided a goal and an assist, Michael Bunting chipped in with two helpers and Canada earned a 5-1 win in front of a packed house at Stiffl Arena.

What to Watch

While a quick look at the scoresheet shows a four-goal win for Canada over Denmark and just 19 saves for Binnington, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The Richmond Hill, Ontario, product was terrific in the second period, making 11 stops in the middle frame as the Danes pushed hard to tie the game. Binnington – who put up a 2.84 goals-against average and .913 save percentage with St. Louis this season – had a limited Team Canada résumé coming into Men’s Worlds, playing only 35 minutes across two medal-round games at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The entirety of the Austrian roster plies its trade in Europe – most in the ICE Hockey League – with the exception of Marco Rossi. The ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rossi just completed his first full NHL season with Minnesota, playing all 82 games for the Wild, scoring 21 goals and finishing seventh in team scoring with 40 points. The 22-year-old has been a fixture on the international stage since 2017, playing in a pair of IIHF U18 World Championships, two IIHF World Junior Championships (including wearing the ‘C’ at the 2021 World Juniors in the Edmonton bubble), an Olympic qualifying tournament and two IIHF World Championships.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history dates back to the 1931 IIHF World Champioinship, with Canada earning 10 wins and a tie from 11 all-time meetings.

The teams most recently clashed at Men’s Worlds in the prelim finale in 2015 in Prague, a 10-1 Canadian win. Matt Duchene and Jason Spezza paced the offence in that one with two goals and two assists apiece, while Nathan MacKinnon and Jordan Eberle added a goal and a helper each.

All-time record: Canada leads 10-0-1
Canada goals: 68
Austria goals: 7

This one’s for all the marbles. The 2024 World Para Hockey Championship comes to a close Sunday at WinSport Arena with an all-North American matchup for gold as Canada’s National Para Hockey Team takes on the United States.

Last Game

Canada survived a semifinal thriller, getting goals 84 seconds apart from Micah Kovacevich and Dominic Cozzolino early in the third period to earn a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over China on Friday night. Tyler McGregor added two assists for the Canadians.

The Americans had a nail-biter of their own in Friday’s first semifinal, getting the go-ahead goal from Malik Jones with 7:01 remaining to earn a 3-1 win over Czechia and a chance to defend their world title. Chris Douglas scored the other two goals for the U.S.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Americans have met 10 times this season, most recently in the finale of a brief two-game series in Calgary in early April. Liam Hickey scored for Canada, but the Americans got a goal and an assist from Josh Misiewicz and the game-winner from Declan Farmer to leave the Canadians with a 4-1 defeat.

What to Watch

Adam Kingsmill continues to be an absolute workhorse for the Canadians this season; the Smithers, B.C., product has appeared in 17 of the 20 games played by Canada’s National Para Hockey Team this season and was terrific in the semifinals. After having faced just 11 shots across his first two starts, Kingsmill turned away 14 of 15 on Friday night, keeping the Canadians in the game as they looked to break through the Chinese defence and erase an early deficit. Not bad for a netminder who wasn’t part of the Canadian roster a year ago at Para Worlds and had just 10 international appearances on his résumé entering this season.

The American offence starts and ends with Farmer. The 26-year-old is once again at the top of the tournament scoring chart, posting 19 points (10-9—19) in four games, including a four-goal game in the Day 1 win over Slovakia and an eight-point effort in a win over China in the prelim finale. But the most important play the Tampa native has made all tournament long might not have come with the puck on his stick; with the U.S. clinging to a one-goal lead late in its semifinal with the Czechs, Farmer sprawled across the goal line to deny Czech captain Radek Zelinka and ensure he would have a shot at a fifth world championship.

A Look Back

The head-to-head history between the Canadians and Americans is very close, with the U.S. holding a narrow 66-59-1 advantage.

The Americans have had the upper hand as of late; the last win for Canada came back on Oct. 29, 2021, when Anton Jacobs-Webb scored the winner 13 seconds into the third period, helping the Canadians earn a 4-2 victory in the opener of a two-game series in the St. Louis suburbs.

It’s the seventh time the rivals will meet for Para Worlds gold, and the seventh in a row. Canada has won two of those finals, claiming a pair of world titles on Korean ice – 2013 in Goyang and 2017 in Gangneung.

All-time record: United States leads 66-59-1 (13-8 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 243
United States goals: 278

It’s right back to work for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which looks for a second win in as many days at the 2024 IIHF World Championship when it takes on Denmark on Sunday.

Last Game

Canada opened with a win Saturday, getting two goals from Connor Bedard as part of a three-goal second period in a 4-2 win over Great Britain. Michael Bunting had a goal and an assist and Olen Zellweger added a pair of helpers for the Canadians, who outshot the Brits 34-15.

The Danes made their debut a successful one as well, downing Austria 5-1 on Saturday. Joachim Blichfeld scored twice and added an assist, Patrick Russell had two helpers and Denmark opened up with a victory for the sixth-consecutive tournament, dating back to 2018.

Last Meeting

The teams last clashed in prelim play at the 2022 tournament in Helsinki, Finland; Maxime Comtois and Ryan Graves provided offence for Canada, but Mathias Bau scored on a power play with just under eight minutes to go and the Danes earned their first-ever win over Canada, 3-2.

What to Watch

There’s a good chance his name could appear here more than once, but let’s just start with the obvious – Connor Bedard. The presumptive Calder Trophy winner was terrific once again with the Maple Leaf on his chest, scoring the game-winning and insurance goals in the win over the Brits. Bedard’s numbers across two appearances at the IIHF U18 World Championship and three at the IIHF World Junior Championship (including two games at the cancelled 2022 World Juniors) are like something out of a video game – 28 games played, 32 goals, 27 assists, 59 points. Wow.

Alexander True is the most recognizable name to North American fans among the Danes; he played three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Seattle Thunderbirds, winning a WHL championship in 2017, and captained the Danes at the 2017 World Juniors in Toronto and Montreal. Undrafted, he played 27 NHL games across three seasons (2019-22) with San Jose and Seattle and has spent the last two seasons exclusively in the American Hockey League, with Coachella Valley (Seattle) and Charlotte (Florida). He is set to return to Europe next season, having already inked a deal for the 2024-25 season with MODO Hockey in Sweden.

A Look Back

This will be the ninth time the Canadians and Danes have faced off at Men’s Worlds, with the last seven coming since 2003. That includes a Cody Hodgson hat trick in a 6-1 win in 2014, and three assists for Connor McDavid in a 7-1 victory in 2018.

The only meeting before the 21st century? Canada scored a 47-0 win at the 1949 tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, which still stands as the most goals in a game in Men’s Worlds history (and I think we can all agree that one is untouchable). Jim Russell led the way with eight goals for the Canadians, who led 13-0 after one period and 29-0 after two.

All-time record: Canada leads 6-1-1
Canada goals: 77
Denmark goals: 11

CALGARY, Alberta – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team has won gold at the World Para Hockey Championship for the first time since 2017, defeating the United States 2-1 in Sunday’s gold medal game at WinSport Arena.

Adam Kingsmill (Smithers, BC) turned in a sensational performance in the Canadian goal, making 24 saves and earning Player of the Game honours.

The Canadians wasted no time in opening the scoring; Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, ON) tucked in his seventh goal of the tournament off a rebound from a Rob Armstrong (Erin, ON) shot just 35 seconds into the game, the lone goal of the first period.

“Scoring that early felt amazing. It was our plan to come out and get an early start, but it could have been any one of the guys in our locker room that scored, I was just in the right place at the right time,” Cozzolino said. “We put a lot of pride in selling out to play good defence, and that win is a testament to every guy in on our team. This is an amazing feeling; it is what you dream of as a kid. This feels so good right now.”

Anton Jacobs-Webb (Gatineau, QC) doubled the Canadian lead off a behind-the-net feed from captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, ON) with 5:54 remaining in the second period for the eventual game-winning goal.

“I had the same mindset for every game. Our head coach Russ Herrington has brought us through with a strong mindset, so I think everyone on our team was able to play freely today,” Kingsmill said. “I did not see the puck very often because my teammates kept blocking shots. They made the game easy for me. I feel great, my whole family is here. I cannot help but smile. I do not have words to sum it all up right now, I think it will take a little while before I can do that.”

For a full game summary and recap, please visit HockeyCanada.ca.

“We needed to be ready for the day that things aligned for us – that is our responsibility. I have to credit our guys for showing patience and allowing the weight of the game to not become an impact on their performance,” said head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON). “Props to the Calgary community for coming out tonight and spending Mother’s Day evening here cheering on Team Canada. I really felt like that energy helped us for sure, and you could certainly feel the pride from the crowd oozing into our bench and carried on the ice.”

Following the game, Cozzolino was named the Top Forward of the tournament.

Canada finished first in Group B with a perfect 3-0 record in the preliminary round with wins over Japan (19-0), Italy (10-0) and Czechia (5-1). Canada then booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 2-1 semifinal victory over China.

In 13 appearances, Canada has captured five gold medals at the World Para Hockey Championship (2000, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2024), in addition to four silver (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) and three bronze (1996, 2009, 2012).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

PRAGUE, Czechia – Hockey Canada has announced that John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL) will wear the ‘C’ for Canada’s National Men’s Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Andrew Mangiapane (Bolton, ON/Calgary, NHL), Colton Parayko (St. Albert, AB/St. Louis, NHL) and Damon Severson (Melville, SK/Columbus, NHL) will serve alongside Tavares as alternate captains.

“It is a true honour to be named captain of Team Canada for the world championship on a team with so many great leaders, and I am excited to help this team defend its gold medal in Czechia,” Tavares said. “Andrew, Colton and Damon are great players that are deserving of this honour, and I look forward to serving on the leadership group with them and wearing the Maple Leaf with pride.”

Canada will open the tournament against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 64 and 23 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

The puck drops Saturday at the 2024 IIHF World Championship for Canada’s National Men’s Team, which opens up preliminary-round play in Group A against Great Britain.

Last Game

Canada finished its two-game pre-tournament schedule with a 4-0 win over Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday. Colton Parayko, Bowen Byram, Owen Power and Dylan Guenther provided the offence for the Canadians, who peppered the Hungarian goal with 66 shots. Jordan Binnington was perfect in the Canadian crease, making 21 saves.

The Brits played their lone exhibition game Tuesday, dropping a 5-2 decision to Kazakhstan in Slany, Czechia. Liam Kirk and Sam Ruopp scored the goals, with Kirk in on both.

Last Meeting

It’s been five years since the teams last faced off at Men’s Worlds. In their prelim matchup in 2019, Anthony Mantha scored two goals and set up three others, Kyle Turris added a pair of goals of his own and Canada outshot the Brits 56-12 in an 8-0 win.

What to Watch

The Canadian roster includes plenty of recent international success. Joel Hofer and Jack McBain are back from the team that won gold a year ago in Finland, Michael Bunting, Brandon Hagel, Andrew Mangiapane, Nick Paul and Owen Power were all part of the Canadian contingent that captured a memorable world title in Latvia in 2021, and Hofer, Connor Bedard, Bowen Byram, Dylan Cozens, Nico Daws, Dylan Guenther, Dawson Mercer and Olen Zellweger are all recent IIHF World Junior Championship gold medallists.

Kirk is the notable name on the British roster, at least to most North American fans. The 24-year-old crossed the Atlantic to play two seasons with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League from 2018-20, and was a seventh-round selection (189th overall) of the Arizona Coyotes in 2018. He played parts of two seasons in the AHL and ECHL before returning to Europe, spending this season with HC Litvinov in the Czech Extraliga (19-11—30 in 52 GP). This will be his fifth Men’s Worlds for Great Britain, posting 19 points in 23 games across his first four appearances in the Top Division (2019, 2021) and Division 1A (2018, 2023).

A Look Back

The head-to-head history goes all the way back to 1935, but this will be only the 11th meeting across those 89 years, with Canada having won all 10 of the previous matchups.

The teams shared the podium at the 1935 Men’s Worlds, with Canada winning gold and Great Britain taking bronze, did it again in 1937 (Canada, gold; Great Britain, silver) and clashed in the gold medal game in 1938, with Canada earning a 3-1 victory in Prague.

All-time record: Canada leads 10-0-0
Canada goals: 77
Great Britain goals: 8

PRAGUE, Czechia – Hockey Canada has announced the addition of John Tavares (Oakville, ON/Toronto, NHL) to Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Tavares has represented Canada on numerous occasions, winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 IIHF World Junior Championships, and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He also won the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has suited up at the IIHF World Championship three times (2010, 2011, 2012).

“John is a world-class player and a great leader, and being able to have him join our roster for the world championship allows us to add a highly-skilled player with a veteran presence,” said general manager Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL). “His experience in previous international competition and his success on the international stage will be an important factor in our team’s success, and we know he will greatly benefit our group as we look to defend gold.” 

The Toronto Maple Leafs captain recently completed his 15th NHL season, and has amassed 1,040 career points (456 goals, 584 assists) in 1,109 games with the New York Islanders (2009-18) and Maple Leafs (2018-24).

Canada will open the 2024 IIHF World Championship against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26.

TSN and RDS, Hockey Canada’s official broadcast partners, will broadcast 64 and 23 games, respectively; please check local listings for details.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

It’s on to the playoffs for Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, which takes on China in the second semifinal Friday at the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship.

Last Game

Canada closed out a perfect preliminary round with a 5-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday night. Tyler McGregor finished with a pair of goals – including the game-winner just 11 seconds into the second period – as did James Dunn. Liam Hickey added a goal and two assists, while Dominic Cozzolino had three helpers.

The Chinese finished out their prelim schedule with a 10-0 loss to the United States on Tuesday afternoon. After scoring 10 goals in each of their first two games to earn a semifinal spot, China managed just three shots against the Americans. Wei Wang finished with 20 saves in the Chinese goal.

Last Meeting

The Canadians and Chinese met for the first time ever at the 2023 Para Hockey Cup in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, last December. After scoring a 4-1 win in the tournament opener, Canada earned a 6-0 semifinal victory on the back of a McGregor hat trick and four assists from Cozzolino.

What to Watch

Auren Halbert has been terrific in front of the hometown fans in Calgary, contributing a goal and three assists in three prelim games. The 21-year-old also shares the team lead (alongside McGregor and Hickey) with a +15 mark. And while the Cozzolino-Hickey-McGregor triumvirate has posted a ridiculous 45 points (20-25—45) between them, the Canadians are getting contributions from up and down the lineup – eight of the nine forwards and all four defencemen averaged at least a point per game in the preliminary round.

While the offence dried up against the Americans, China was all over the scoresheet in shutout wins over Korea and Slovakia. And it was offence by committee – five players (Shen Yi Feng, Zhang Zheng, Zhu Zhan Fu, Tian Jin Tao, Li Hong Guan) posted at least five points in the two wins, while Song Xiao Dong scored a team-high five goals. In goal, Ji Yan Zhao was perfect between the pipes, turning aside all 13 shots he faced in the two wins.

A Look Back

Nothing to look back at that hasn’t already been mentioned above. Two games in Quispamsis, two wins for Canada.

All-time record: Canada leads 2-0
Canada goals: 10
China goals: 1

Smiles, laughter and pure joy. The first time getting on the ice for anyone who loves the game quickly becomes a core memory. But for Auren Halbert, it was so much more.

“It was the first time I'd ever had a competitive outlet, and to be among other people with similar disabilities, it was just incredible,” says the 22-year-old, who was born without a femur in his left leg.

Playing at the 2024 World Para Hockey Championship on home ice in Calgary is special for Auren. He played the preliminary round in front a sizeable contingent of family and friends, most with a direct connection to the Calgary Sledge Hockey Association (CSHA), the launching point of his career.

“We've had a great run of Team Canada men’s players that have come through our organization: Cody Dolan, Zach Lavin, Auren and Adam Kingsmill,” says Alan Halbert, president of the CSHA and proud dad to Auren. “But we're not here to build everybody into Team Canada players, we’re here to build people into the best versions of themselves.

“We just want to go out and have fun.”

The CSHA has had a presence in the Stampede City since the 1980s, but has grown from about 20 players to more than 80 since officially incorporating in 2011, with more than 20 coaches and volunteers giving support. There are programs for players of any age, skill and ability level.

Teams are divided by age and skill level, with players under 18 years old making up the junior team (Venom) before graduating to the intermediate team (Stingers), though high-performance athletes may transition through the levels more quickly. The senior team (Scorpions) is the highest level available and competes provincially or even nationally.

The senior team wasn’t always the powerhouse it has developed into, and a decade ago Alan had to learn the sport himself to help with the roster.

“At that time, I was naïve. I was like ‘Can I play? It’s kind of a disability sport.’ But now everybody is in there, it’s so inclusive,” he explains, adding that he has seen teams built as able-bodied friends and family support a loved-one with a disability.

“He started a couple years after I did and at first he was definitely a better player than I was,” Auren says of his dad with a laugh. “That definitely helped with my competitiveness; I just had to prove to my dad that I was a better player than he was.”

While there is no question the younger Halbert has become the stronger of the two, it is the dedication of Alan and his wife, Ashley, to the CSHA that has had a major impact on his own commitment to the game.

“It’s honestly unbelievable the amount of effort [my parents] have put into the organization,” Auren says. “It’s just super awesome to be able to have such good support in the city.

“It’s pretty inspiring to see how passionate [my parents] are about this.”

Alan has held just about every role within the association: athlete, coach, board member and treasurer. He took on the presidency in 2017 but shortly after was relocated to Pittsburgh for work. With no one else interested in the position, he remained at the helm, working remotely long before that was the norm. Seven years later, Alan is still president and continues to look for ways to grow the CSHA.

“We are kind of on the forefront of always trying to expand the sport, not only within Calgary, but we help a lot of the surrounding areas and provinces as well,” Alan explains. “We have a really great rapport with a lot of teams that we were playing as Auren was growing up, and they were just creating their programs… so they wanted to do something and we're there to help them or just to play.”

Auren also remains active with the CSHA, practicing and sometimes playing with the senior team. He also hopes to help with a summer camp this year “just to get out and teach people what I know.”

But first, the young defenceman has to close out his fifth season with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team with his fourth Para Worlds, in the same rink where he saw Team Canada play for the first time 13 years ago.

“In Auren’s first season, we kind of got going, hit the ground running and within a couple of months the World Sledge Hockey Challenge was [in Calgary],” Alan remembers. “I think he ended up on the ice as a flag-bearer, so got really exposed and that fueled his fire from a young age.

“It’s kind of come full circle.”

Auren knows this Para Worlds is his opportunity to create that same drive in a young athlete and bring new fans to the game. And while that motivates his play, he is eager to put on a show for the people who have supported him from the beginning.

“I think it'll be the first time a lot of my family have seen me play at this level, so it’s going to be pretty meaningful to be able to show them all I can do,” Auren says. “To have people I know in the stands and to know that they're all cheering for me and maybe hear a couple chants from them in the crowd… this will definitely be one of the greatest moments of all time for me.”

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hockey Canada has announced the addition of three players to Canada’s National Men’s Team for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia.

Forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC/Los Angeles, NHL), Brandon Hagel (Morinville, AB/Tampa Bay, NHL) and Nick Paul (Mississauga, ON/Tampa Bay, NHL) have been added to the roster for the tournament and will join the team in Budapest.

“We are excited to add Pierre-Luc, Brandon and Nick to our roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship, as they will be valuable pieces of our team and provide leadership to our strong roster,” said general manager Rick Nash (Brampton, ON/Columbus, NHL). “All three bring previous world championship experience and over 700 games played in the NHL, and we look forward to them joining our team and helping us defend our gold medal.”

Hagel and Paul won a gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, with Paul netting the overtime winner in the gold medal game to secure Canada’s 27th gold medal. Dubois won silver at the 2022 IIHF World Championship and was named to the media all-star team.

In addition, Macklin Celebrini (Vancouver, BC/Boston University, HE) and Adam Fantilli (Nobleton, ON/Columbus, NHL) will not participate in the 2024 IIHF World Championship. Celebrini will return to North America to attend the NHL Draft Lottery and prepare for the NHL Combine, while Fantilli, who recently returned from injury, will also return home to focus on preparing for the 2024-25 season.

Canada will open the 2024 IIHF World Championship against Great Britain on May 11 at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. PT. It will also take on Denmark, Austria, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Czechia in the preliminary round before the tournament concludes with the medal games on May 26. Prior to the start of the tournament, Canada’s National Men’s Team will play a pre-tournament game against Hungary at the MVM Dome in Budapest on May 7 at 7 p.m. local time. 

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Men’s Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.