# 2023 IIHF World Championship

The 2023 IIHF World Championship was co-hosted by Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia. The tournament was held from 12 to 28 May 2023, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Canada won its record-breaking 28th title by beating Germany 5–2 in the final. The silver was Germany's first medal since 1953. Latvia claimed its first IIHF medal after defeating the USA 4–3 in overtime and finishing third.
As in the 2022 edition, the tournament saw several upsets: Kazakhstan's win over Norway, Hungary's win over France, Latvia's first victory over Czechia, Norway’s second win over Canada, as well as Kazakhstan's first victory over Slovakia. The playoffs also saw major upsets, as Latvia reached the semi-finals for the first time after defeating favourite Sweden 3–1 in the quarter-finals, Germany upset Switzerland 3–1 and the reigning Olympic and World Champion Finland lost to Canada 4–1. Czechia finished in 8th place after losing to the United States (USA) 3–0 in the quarter-finals, which is that nation's worst placement to date in the history of the World Championship. Germany reached the final for the first time since 1930 after upsetting the fourth-seeded USA 4–3 in overtime.

## Host nation bid

The event was originally planned to be held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, but, in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called for Russia and Belarus to be stripped of hosting rights to all international sporting events due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 26 April 2022, Russia lost their rights to host the World Championship.
After being promoted to the top division, Slovenia and Hungary bid to co-host the event in Ljubljana and Budapest. The bid was withdrawn due to Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation informing the IIHF that it did not receive the governmental guarantees to host. Finland and Latvia submitted a joint bid, with Nokia Arena in Tampere and Arena Riga in Riga as potential host venues. On 27 May 2022, the IIHF confirmed that Finland and Latvia would host the tournament, with Finland having also hosted the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Tampere (Nokia Arena) and Helsinki (Helsinki Ice Hall).

## Venues

| Finland | TampereRiga | Latvia |
| Tampere | TampereRiga | Riga |
| Nokia Arena Capacity: 13,455 | TampereRiga | Arena Riga Capacity: 10,300 |

## Participants
### Qualified as hosts

* Finland
* Latvia

### Automatic qualifier after a top 14 placement at the 2022 IIHF World Championship

* Austria
* Canada
* Czechia
* Denmark
* FranceSpiky 2.0, the official mascot of the championship in Riga
* Germany
* Kazakhstan
* Norway
* Slovakia
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United States

### Qualified through winning promotion at the 2022 IIHF World Championship Division I

* Hungary
* Slovenia

## Seeding

The seedings in the preliminary round are based on the 2022 IIHF World Ranking, as of the end of the 2022 IIHF World Championship, using the serpentine system while allowing the organizer, "to allocate a maximum of two teams to separate groups."

## Rosters

Each team's roster consists 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, have 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 the tournament.

## Match officials

16 referees and linesmen were announced on 6 April 2023.
| Referees | Linesmen |
| Adam Bloski Mike Langin Jan Hribik Mads Frandsen Lassi Heikkinen Mikko Kaukokari Liam Sewell Sirko Hunnius André Schrader Andris Ansons Tobias Björk Christoffer Holm Stefan Hürlimann Miroslav Štolc Sean Fernandez Sean MacFarlane | David Nothegger Brett Mackey Tarrington Wyonzek Daniel Hynek Jiří Ondráček Andreas Krøyer Onni Hautamäki Tommi Niittylä Nicolas Constantineau Andreas Hofer Dāvis Zunde Šimon Synek Emil Yletyinen Eric Cattaneo Nick Briganti Jake Davis |

## Preliminary round

The groups were announced on 29 May 2022, with the schedule being revealed on 8 September 2022.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | United States | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | +26 | 20 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Sweden | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 18 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Finland (H) | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 16 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Germany | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 12 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Denmark | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 26 | −7 | 8 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 6 | France | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 31 | −21 | 4 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 7 | Austria | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 3 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 8 | Hungary | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 37 | −25 | 3 | Relegation to 2024 Division I A |
* 1 2 Austria 4–3 Hungary
| 12 May 2023 |
| Finland | 1–4 | United States |
| Sweden | 1–0 | Germany |
| 13 May 2023 |
| France | 2–1 (OT) | Austria |
| Hungary | 1–3 | Denmark |
| Germany | 3–4 | Finland |
| 14 May 2023 |
| United States | 7–1 | Hungary |
| France | 3–4 (OT) | Denmark |
| Sweden | 5–0 | Austria |
| 15 May 2023 |
| Germany | 2–3 | United States |
| Finland | 1–2 (GWS) | Sweden |
| 16 May 2023 |
| Denmark | 6–2 | Austria |
| France | 2–3 (OT) | Hungary |
| 17 May 2023 |
| United States | 4–1 | Austria |
| Finland | 5–3 | France |
| 18 May 2023 |
| Hungary | 1–7 | Sweden |
| Denmark | 4–6 | Germany |
| 19 May 2023 |
| Hungary | 1–7 | Finland |
| Austria | 2–4 | Germany |
| 20 May 2023 |
| United States | 3–0 | Denmark |
| Austria | 1–3 | Finland |
| Sweden | 4–0 | France |
| 21 May 2023 |
| Germany | 7–2 | Hungary |
| United States | 9–0 | France |
| 22 May 2023 |
| Denmark | 1–4 | Sweden |
| Austria | 4–3 (GWS) | Hungary |
| 23 May 2023 |
| Germany | 5–0 | France |
| Sweden | 3–4 (OT) | United States |
| Finland | 7–1 | Denmark |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Switzerland | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 19 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Canada | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 15 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Latvia (H) | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 13 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Czechia | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 16 | +6 | 13 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 11 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 31 | −17 | 7 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 7 | Norway | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 6 | Qualification for 2024 IIHF World Championship |
| 8 | Slovenia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 27 | −18 | 0 | Relegation to 2024 Division I A |
* 1 2 Czechia 3–4 (OT) Latvia
| 12 May 2023 |
| Slovakia | 2–3 | Czechia |
| Latvia | 0–6 | Canada |
| 13 May 2023 |
| Switzerland | 7–0 | Slovenia |
| Norway | 3–4 (GWS) | Kazakhstan |
| Slovakia | 2–1 | Latvia |
| 14 May 2023 |
| Slovenia | 2–5 | Canada |
| Norway | 0–3 | Switzerland |
| Czechia | 5–1 | Kazakhstan |
| 15 May 2023 |
| Slovakia | 1–2 (GWS) | Canada |
| Czechia | 3–4 (OT) | Latvia |
| 16 May 2023 |
| Slovenia | 0–1 | Norway |
| Switzerland | 5–0 | Kazakhstan |
| 17 May 2023 |
| Latvia | 2–1 | Norway |
| Canada | 5–1 | Kazakhstan |
| 18 May 2023 |
| Czechia | 6–2 | Slovenia |
| Switzerland | 4–2 | Slovakia |
| 19 May 2023 |
| Latvia | 3–2 | Slovenia |
| Kazakhstan | 4–3 (GWS) | Slovakia |
| 20 May 2023 |
| Norway | 0–2 | Czechia |
| Canada | 2–3 | Switzerland |
| Kazakhstan | 0–7 | Latvia |
| 21 May 2023 |
| Slovenia | 0–1 | Slovakia |
| Czechia | 2–4 | Switzerland |
| 22 May 2023 |
| Canada | 2–3 (GWS) | Norway |
| Kazakhstan | 4–3 | Slovenia |
| 23 May 2023 |
| Slovakia | 4–1 | Norway |
| Canada | 3–1 | Czechia |
| Switzerland | 3–4 (OT) | Latvia |

## Playoff round

There was a re-seeding after the quarter-finals. If Finland and Latvia were to play in the quarter-finals, there would have been no cross-over for the quarter-finals.
| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 25 May | 25 May | | | |
| 1A United States | 3 | | | |
| 1A United States | 3 | 27 May | 27 May | | |
| 4B Czechia | 0 | 27 May | 27 May | |
| 4B Czechia | 0 | 1 United States | 3 | |
| 25 May | 25 May | | 1 United States | 3 | |
| 25 May | 25 May | 8 Germany (OT) | 4 | |
| 1B Switzerland | 1 | 8 Germany (OT) | 4 | |
| 1B Switzerland | 1 | | | | 28 May | 28 May |
| 4A Germany | 3 | | | | 28 May | 28 May |
| 4A Germany | 3 | | | | 8 Germany | 2 |
| 25 May | 25 May | | | | | 8 Germany | 2 |
| 25 May | 25 May | | | | 4 Canada | 5 |
| 2A Sweden | 1 | | | | 4 Canada | 5 |
| 2A Sweden | 1 | 27 May | 27 May | | | |
| 3B Latvia | 3 | 27 May | 27 May | | | |
| 3B Latvia | 3 | 4 Canada | 4 | | | |
| 25 May | 25 May | | 4 Canada | 4 | | | |
| 25 May | 25 May | 6 Latvia | 2 | | Third place | Third place |
| 2B Canada | 4 | 6 Latvia | 2 | | Third place | Third place |
| 2B Canada | 4 | | | | 28 May | 28 May |
| 3A Finland | 1 | | | | 28 May | 28 May |
| 3A Finland | 1 | | | | 1 United States | 3 |
| | | | | | 6 Latvia (OT) | 4 |

## Final standings

Teams finishing fifth in the preliminary round were ranked ninth and tenth, teams finishing sixth are ranked 11th and 12th, and so on.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
| 1 | B | Canada | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 16 | +22 | 24 | Champions |
| 2 | A | Germany | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 17 | Runners-up |
| 3 | B | Latvia (H) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 18 | Third place |
| 4 | A | United States | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 16 | +27 | 25 | Fourth place |
| 5 | B | Switzerland | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 13 | +17 | 19 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 6 | A | Sweden | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 10 | +17 | 18 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 7 | A | Finland (H) | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 19 | +10 | 16 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 8 | B | Czechia | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 19 | +3 | 13 | Eliminated in Quarter-finals |
| 9 | B | Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 11 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 10 | A | Denmark | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 26 | −7 | 8 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 11 | B | Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 31 | −17 | 7 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 12 | A | France | 7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 31 | −21 | 4 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 13 | B | Norway | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 6 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 14 | A | Austria | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 3 | Eliminated in Group stage |
| 15 | A | Hungary | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 37 | −25 | 3 | Relegated to 2024 IIHF World Championship Division I |
| 16 | B | Slovenia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 27 | −18 | 0 | Relegated to 2024 IIHF World Championship Division I |

## Statistics
### Scoring leaders

List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | POS |
| Rocco Grimaldi | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | +8 | 6 | F |
| Dominik Kubalík | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | +3 | 0 | F |
| JJ Peterka | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +8 | 0 | F |
| Rihards Bukarts | 10 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +3 | 8 | F |
| MacKenzie Weegar | 10 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +10 | 6 | D |
| T. J. Tynan | 10 | 1 | 10 | 11 | +10 | 0 | F |
| Henrik Tömmernes | 8 | 0 | 10 | 10 | +5 | 2 | D |
| Cutter Gauthier | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | +9 | 2 | F |
| Lawson Crouse | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | +9 | 4 | F |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | −3 | 0 | 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 |
| Stanislav Škorvánek | 238:39 | 5 | 1.26 | 108 | 95.37 | 1 |
| Karel Vejmelka | 236:26 | 7 | 1.78 | 124 | 94.35 | 1 |
| Sam Montembeault | 423:07 | 10 | 1.42 | 163 | 93.87 | 1 |
| Lars Johansson | 303:42 | 8 | 1.58 | 120 | 93.33 | 2 |
| Samuel Hlavaj | 189:05 | 7 | 2.22 | 103 | 93.20 | 0 |
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

The awards were announced on 28 May 2023.

### Individual awards

| Position | Player |
| Goaltender | Artūrs Šilovs |
| Defenceman | MacKenzie Weegar |
| Forward | JJ Peterka |

### Media All Stars

| Position | Player |
| Goaltender | Artūrs Šilovs |
| Defenceman | MacKenzie Weegar |
| Defenceman | Moritz Seider |
| Forward | JJ Peterka |
| Forward | Rocco Grimaldi |
| Forward | Dominik Kubalík |
| MVP | Artūrs Šilovs |

## Broadcasting rights

These are the broadcasters for the tournament.
| Country | Broadcaster |
| Austria | ORF |
| Canada | TSN |
| Canada | RDS |
| Czech Republic | Czech Television |
| Denmark | TV 2 Sport |
| Estonia | ERR |
| Finland | MTV |
| France | Fanseat |
| Germany | Sport1 |
| Germany | Magenta Sport |
| Hungary | Sport 1 |
| Kazakhstan | Qazsport |
| Latvia | LTV |
| Latvia | Tet |
| Lithuania | LRT |
| Norway | Viaplay |
| Poland | TVP |
| Russia | Match TV |
| Slovakia | RTVS |
| Slovenia | RTV |
| Slovenia | Šport TV |
| Sweden | SVT |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR |
| Ukraine | XSPORT |
| United Kingdom | Viaplay Sports |
| United States | NHL Network |
| United States | ESPN+ |