# 2018 IIHF World Championship

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. South Korea made its debut at the World Championship, having played in the lower divisions previously.
Sweden went undefeated at the tournament to win their second consecutive and eleventh overall title after defeating Switzerland in the final. The United States won the bronze medal game, defeating Canada 4–1.
The official mascot of the tournament was a swan, inspired by the Danish writer and poet Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale about The Ugly Duckling.

## Bids

There were two bids to host this championship.
* Denmark
** Copenhagen/Herning
       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. Both arenas have a capacity of around 12,000 for hockey games.
* Latvia
** Riga
       Latvia hosted the IIHF World Championship in 2006. The proposed arenas were Arena Riga, and a secondary venue to be built.
The decision was announced on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. The final tally was 95-12 in favor of Denmark.

## Venues

| Copenhagen | CopenhagenHerning | Herning |
| Royal Arena | CopenhagenHerning | Jyske Bank Boxen |
| Capacity: 12,500 | CopenhagenHerning | Capacity: 12,000 |

## Qualified teams
### Qualified as host

* Denmark

### Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2017 IIHF World Championship

* Belarus
* Canada
* Czech Republic
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Latvia
* Norway
* Russia
* Slovakia
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United States

### Qualified through winning a promotion at the 2017 IIHF World Championship Division I

* Austria
* South Korea

## 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.
Denmark and Sweden played in separate groups, Denmark at the Jyske Bank Boxen while Sweden at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.
    $^1$ 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.
| Referees | Linesmen |
| Mark Lemelin Oliver Gouin Brett Iverson Jan Hribik Antonín Jeřábek Mikko Kaukokari Aleksi Rantala Gordon Schukies Roman Gofman Konstantin Olenin Tobias Wehrli Jozef Kubuš Linus Öhlund Mikael Sjöqvist Timothy Mayer Stephen Reneau | Dmitri Golyak Dustin McCrank Nathan Vanoosten Miroslav Lhotský Rene Jensen Hannu Sormunen Sakari Suominen Lukas Kohlmüller Jon Kilian Alexander Otmakhov Gleb Lazarev Nicolas Fluri Peter Šefčík Andreas Malmqvist Jake Davis Brian Oliver |

## Preliminary round

The schedule was released on 8 August 2017.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Sweden | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 9 | +22 | 20 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Russia | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 16 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 15 | +12 | 15 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Switzerland | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 12 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 11 | |
| 6 | France | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 6 | |
| 7 | Austria | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 4 | |
| 8 | Belarus (R) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 36 | −28 | 0 | Relegation to 2019 Division I A |
* ↑ The rules state that "the bottom ranked two teams will be relegated" and the 2019 hosts (Slovakia) cannot be relegated by rule.
| 4 May 2018 |
| Russia | 7–0 | France |
| Sweden | 5–0 | Belarus |
| 5 May 2018 |
| Switzerland | 3–2 (OT) | Austria |
| France | 6–2 | Belarus |
| Czech Republic | 3–2 (OT) | Slovakia |
| 6 May 2018 |
| Austria | 0–7 | Russia |
| Sweden | 3–2 | Czech Republic |
| Slovakia | 0–2 | Switzerland |
| 7 May 2018 |
| Belarus | 0–6 | Russia |
| Sweden | 4–0 | France |
| 8 May 2018 |
| Austria | 2–4 | Slovakia |
| Czech Republic | 5–4 (GWS) | Switzerland |
| 9 May 2018 |
| Switzerland | 5–2 | Belarus |
| Sweden | 7–0 | Austria |
| 10 May 2018 |
| Slovakia | 3–1 | France |
| Czech Republic | 4–3 (OT) | Russia |
| 11 May 2018 |
| France | 5–2 | Austria |
| Belarus | 0–3 | Czech Republic |
| 12 May 2018 |
| Slovakia | 3–4 (OT) | Sweden |
| Austria | 4–0 | Belarus |
| Russia | 4–3 | Switzerland |
| 13 May 2018 |
| France | 0–6 | Czech Republic |
| Switzerland | 3–5 | Sweden |
| 14 May 2018 |
| Russia | 4–0 | Slovakia |
| Czech Republic | 4–3 | Austria |
| 15 May 2018 |
| Switzerland | 5–1 | France |
| Belarus | 4–7 | Slovakia |
| Russia | 1–3 | Sweden |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Finland | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 11 | +27 | 16 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | United States | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 16 | +23 | 16 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Canada | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 12 | +20 | 15 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Latvia | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 13 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Denmark (H) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 11 | |
| 6 | Germany | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 7 | |
| 7 | Norway | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 6 | |
| 8 | South Korea (R) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 48 | −44 | 0 | Relegation to 2019 Division I A |
* 1 2 Finland 6–2 United States
| 4 May 2018 |
| United States | 5–4 (GWS) | Canada |
| Germany | 2–3 (GWS) | Denmark |
| 5 May 2018 |
| Norway | 2–3 (OT) | Latvia |
| Finland | 8–1 | South Korea |
| Denmark | 0–4 | United States |
| 6 May 2018 |
| South Korea | 0–10 | Canada |
| Germany | 4–5 (GWS) | Norway |
| Latvia | 1–8 | Finland |
| 7 May 2018 |
| United States | 3–0 | Germany |
| Canada | 7–1 | Denmark |
| 8 May 2018 |
| South Korea | 0–5 | Latvia |
| Finland | 7–0 | Norway |
| 9 May 2018 |
| Germany | 6–1 | South Korea |
| Finland | 2–3 | Denmark |
| 10 May 2018 |
| United States | 3–2 (OT) | Latvia |
| Norway | 0–5 | Canada |
| 11 May 2018 |
| Denmark | 3–0 | Norway |
| United States | 13–1 | South Korea |
| 12 May 2018 |
| Latvia | 3–1 | Germany |
| Denmark | 3–1 | South Korea |
| Canada | 1–5 | Finland |
| 13 May 2018 |
| Norway | 3–9 | United States |
| Germany | 3–2 (OT) | Finland |
| 14 May 2018 |
| South Korea | 0–3 | Norway |
| Canada | 2–1 (OT) | Latvia |
| 15 May 2018 |
| Finland | 6–2 | United States |
| Canada | 3–0 | Germany |
| Latvia | 1–0 | Denmark |

## Playoff round

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Final | Final |
| 17 May | 17 May | | | |
| Sweden | 3 | | | |
| Sweden | 3 | 19 May | 19 May | | |
| Latvia | 2 | 19 May | 19 May | |
| Latvia | 2 | Sweden | 6 | |
| 17 May | 17 May | | Sweden | 6 | |
| 17 May | 17 May | United States | 0 | |
| United States | 3 | United States | 0 | |
| United States | 3 | | | | 20 May | 20 May |
| Czech Republic | 2 | | | | 20 May | 20 May |
| Czech Republic | 2 | | | | Sweden (GWS) | 3 |
| 17 May | 17 May | | | | | Sweden (GWS) | 3 |
| 17 May | 17 May | | | | Switzerland | 2 |
| Russia | 4 | | | | Switzerland | 2 |
| Russia | 4 | 19 May | 19 May | | | |
| Canada (OT) | 5 | 19 May | 19 May | | | |
| Canada (OT) | 5 | Canada | 2 | | | |
| 17 May | 17 May | | Canada | 2 | | | |
| 17 May | 17 May | Switzerland | 3 | | Third place | Third place |
| Finland | 2 | Switzerland | 3 | | Third place | Third place |
| Finland | 2 | | | | 20 May | 20 May |
| Switzerland | 3 | | | | 20 May | 20 May |
| Switzerland | 3 | | | | United States | 4 |
| | | | | | Canada | 1 |

### Gold medal game
## Final ranking and statistics
### Final ranking

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | A | Sweden | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 13 | +30 | 28 | Champions |
| 2 | A | Switzerland | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 26 | +7 | 19 | Runners-up |
| 3 | B | United States | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 25 | +21 | 22 | Third place |
| 4 | B | Canada | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 23 | +17 | 17 | Fourth place |
| 5 | B | Finland | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 14 | +26 | 16 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 6 | A | Russia | 8 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 15 | +21 | 17 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 7 | A | Czech Republic | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 15 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 8 | B | Latvia | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 13 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 9 | A | Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 20 | −1 | 11 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 10 | B | Denmark (H) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 11 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 11 | B | Germany | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 7 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 12 | A | France | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 29 | −16 | 6 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 13 | B | Norway | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 6 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 14 | A | Austria | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 4 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 15 | A | Belarus | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 36 | −28 | 0 | 2019 IIHF World Championship Division I |
| 16 | B | South Korea | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 48 | −44 | 0 | 2019 IIHF World Championship Division I |

### Scoring leaders

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | POS |
| Patrick Kane | 10 | 8 | 12 | 20 | −2 | 0 | F |
| Sebastian Aho | 8 | 9 | 9 | 18 | +15 | 2 | F |
| Connor McDavid | 10 | 5 | 12 | 17 | +6 | 10 | F |
| Rickard Rakell | 10 | 6 | 8 | 14 | +7 | 6 | F |
| Teuvo Teräväinen | 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 | +14 | 8 | F |
| Cam Atkinson | 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | −3 | 2 | F |
| Mika Zibanejad | 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 | +10 | 0 | F |
| Mikko Rantanen | 8 | 5 | 6 | 11 | +1 | 6 | F |
| Mattias Janmark | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +8 | 8 | F |
| Chris Kreider | 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 |
| Anders Nilsson | 440:00 | 8 | 1.09 | 174 | 95.40 | 3 |
| Frederik Andersen | 362:56 | 10 | 1.65 | 178 | 94.38 | 1 |
| Igor Shestyorkin | 204:57 | 5 | 1.46 | 86 | 94.19 | 2 |
| Elvis Merzļikins | 360:35 | 9 | 1.50 | 151 | 94.04 | 2 |
| Harri Säteri | 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
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
Source: IIHF.com