Author: IIHF Press Release

It’s the country’s longest unbroken spell at this level since before World War II and, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Brits have done it on merit. In 2019, they beat France in a relegation decider in Kosice to finish seventh in their group then, in 2021, victory over Belarus in Riga brought another seventh place.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has released the 2021 IIHF Men’s World Ranking and with this the groups for the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship have become known.

The groups for Tampere and Helsinki are based on the World Ranking taking into consideration organizational wishes by the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Organizing Committee.

The best two teams at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship are also the best two teams in the 2021 IIHF Men’s World Ranking. New world champion Canada defended first place while silver medallist Finland overtook Russia for second place. Great Britain moved up 3 places to #16.

Andrew Mangiapane was named as the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship MVP after his arrival sparked Canada’s golden run.

The other seven-goal forward in Latvia was Great Britain’s Liam Kirk. The 21-year-old, the first English born and developed player to be selected in an NHL draft, led the way for his country. His two goals against Belarus set up GB’s first regulation time victory at this level since 1962 and helped to earn him a place alongside Mangiapane in the media’s All-Star select. The third forward to make that team was Conor Garland, whose 13 (6+7) points for team USA placed him second in overall scoring and helped to secure a bronze for the Americans.

It’s been a difficult season for British hockey. While the country’s more prominent sports have been able to continue playing behind closed doors thanks to TV and sponsorship deals, the Elite League was unable to start. At lower levels, the enforced closure of indoor arenas for much of the past 12 months halted opportunities for individual on-ice practice. Several players sought opportunities in Europe, others were out of action until Britain’s domestic leagues were able to organise mini-tournaments funded by selling access to broadcast streams. These abbreviated competitions at least gave a chance for most players to get some game time in preparation for the trip to Latvia.

The IIHF Council has voted to confirm Riga, Latvia, as the sole host for the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, following the decision to withdraw the tournament from Minsk, Belarus.