The 2024 IIHF World Championship, Group A in Prague features some of the most intriguing matchups.

The 18 May confrontation between Canada and Finland should be a hot ticket, for instance. The defending champion Canada have won two of the last four Worlds (2021, 2023), as have the Finns (2019, 2022). But of course, most fans on hand will be dreaming of a Czech return to golden glory for the first time since 2010 in Cologne, Germany.



Let’s take a look on what each Group A team has to offer.

Austria

Austria’s goal is, as always, to survive. Traditionally an “elevator team” that alternates between the top division and Division I, the Austrians raised the bar by finishing 11th in 2022 and 14th in 2023. They haven’t appeared in the elite 16 nations for three consecutive years since 1998-2004. Staying up won’t be easy this year.

Marco Rossi, coming off a strong NHL rookie season with the Minnesota Wild (21+19=40), must be an offensive catalyst for this group. Expect Austria to be outshot and outchanced in most games. Head coach Roger Bader will hope to garner points versus Denmark (11 May), plus the last two group games against Norway (19 May) and Great Britain (21 May).

Canada

In 2007, now-GM Rick Nash headlined a youth-heavy roster that won gold in 2007 with him as MVP. And if Chicago’s Connor Bedard – the likely Calder Trophy winner –  racks up the goals, Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens maintains his usual point-per-game-plus pace in IIHF play, and Calgary’s Andrew Mangiapane revives his 2021 MVP form, this team could be dangerous.

Adding two veteran Tampa Bay forwards in Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel – both of whom are coming off career seasons – is a nice upgrade, even if the youngsters whose spots they’re taking (projected 2024 #1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini and 2023 #3 overall pick Adam Fantilli) become superior players long-term.

With towers of power like (ahem) Buffalo’s Owen Power and St. Louis’s Colton Parayko on defence, the defending champs should be tough to score on too. As long as the goaltending holds up, a return trip to the final is a realistic target.

Czechia

Home ice hasn’t been super-kind to the Czechs in the 21st century. They came fifth in 2004 after a 3-2 quarter-final shootout loss to the U.S. and fell 3-0 in the 2015 bronze medal game, again to the Americans. Can they change the storyline in 2024?

Coach Radim Rulik hopes that a squad laden with Czech Extraliga talent will rise to the occasion. But realistically, it’ll be hard without big-name NHLers. The physicality of Anaheim blueliner Radko Gudas and the savvy of two-time Stanley Cup winner Ondrej Palat (New Jersey) should come in handy.  It’ll be intriguing to see which of the three NHL goalies – Lukas Dostal (Anaheim), Petr Mrazek (Chicago), or Karel Vejmelka (Arizona) – nails down the top job, as all are capable. Anything better than a quarter-final exit constitutes a success here.

Denmark

The Danes deserve credit for staying in the top division since 2003. However, their lack of depth means that a quarter-final berth (2010, 2016) is just a wonderful bonus, while finishing anywhere from 14th (2015) to ninth (2022) is quite acceptable.

Without key NHLers like forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand or goalie Frederik Andersen in the fold, there’s unlikely to be a fairy tale ending worthy of Hans Christian Andersen this year. Heavy on Swedish- and Metal Ligaen-based talent, Denmark will have its work cut out for it under new head coach Mikael Gath.
 

Great Britain

When Great Britain opens its tournament on 11 May, it will have participated in three out of the last four top-level Worlds. That’s a stunning success in itself, considering that the British previously toiled in lower divisions for 25 years (1994-2019). They’re unlikely, however, to upset that Day One opponent, Canada, whom they infamously edged 2-1 to win the 1936 Olympic gold medal.

In 2024, Great Britain’s most realistic hope – especially with a defence corps awash in late-30-somethings – is simply to stay up again. That’ll hinge on a game-saving performance or two by netminders Ben Bowns and Jackson Whistle against Norway or Austria. To have 2021 tournament all-star forward Liam Kirk reprise his Riga heroics (seven goals) would help the cause. The 24-year-old just led the Czech Extraliga playoffs with nine goals in 13 games for HC Litvinov.

Finland

Is Finland poised to bounce back after underachieving in 2023 with a seventh-place finish on home ice? Returning to the medals would be a nice swan song for coach Jukka Jalonen, even if his legendary legacy is already secure with an Olympic gold medal (2022) and three world titles (2011, 2019, 2022).

None of those triumphs relied heavily on NHL talent, and Jalonen is sticking with the Europe-first approach that has served him well before. Mikael Granlund (San Jose), who scored twice in the gold medal game versus Canada in 2022, is a notable exception. It will also be interesting to track how Jesse Puljujarvi (Pittsburgh Penguins) progresses on his redemption tour, having struggled since his World Junior MVP glory days of 2016.

Overall, it’s familiar faces galore, from 2022 Olympic starting goalie Harri Sateri (EHC Biel) to perennial power-play quarterback Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC Lions) to Beijing winning goal-scorer Hannes Bjorninen. Monitoring what 17-year-old phenom Konsta Helenius (Jukurit) can do here after already playing at the World Juniors and U18 Worlds this year will be fascinating. It’s a workmanlike group in most ways, but with the traditional Finnish cohesion, a top-four finish is still in reach.

Norway

After finishing 13th at the last three Worlds, the Norwegians could potentially rise or fall this year. They’re processing the sad news of the untimely death of former teammate Alexander Reichenberg, a 2018 Olympian, at age 31.

On a brighter note, adding veteran NHL star Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota) after a 63-point season for his first Worlds since 2016 is a big get. And power forward Patrick Thoresen (Storhamar) will be eager to show he’s still got it as he returns at age 40. Meanwhile, forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (Mora) and defender Stian Solberg (Valerenga), both 2024 draft-eligible, are among this Nordic underdog’s brightest prospects in years.

Survival remains Norway’s prime target, but this team could trip up opponents that underestimate it, too.

Switzerland

For the Swiss, it’s all about peaking at the right time. In 2022 and 2023, they topped their preliminary-round groups with near-perfect records – and then flamed out in the quarter-finals.

Head coach Patrick Fischer hopes to go deeper this year with a team ffeaturing returning veteran NHL forwards Nico Hischier (New Jersey) and Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg). The tireless 40-year-old Andres Ambuhl (Davos) will augment his all-time Worlds games-played record (131).

This lineup looked slightly less glamorous than its two predecessors prior to the late addition of 2024 Norris Trophy nominee Roman Josi, which of course evokes memories of his MVP performance in the 2013 Worlds silver-medal run. If Switzerland takes a page out of Finland’s book with a total commitment to two-way play, perhaps it’ll pay medal-round dividends. Otherwise, another quarter-final downfall remains likely.