If Canada fails to finish in the top three at the 2025 World Championships, the Russian national team could be at the top of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rankings.
Russian hockey players have not competed in the world championships since 2022, but the national team rose from third place to second place thanks to the preserved rating.
In the updated ranking, Russians have 4065 points. Canada is in the first place (4100) and Finland is in the top three (3955).
In the final match of the 2024 World Cup, the Czech team was stronger than Switzerland. The match, played at the O2 Arena stadium in Prague with the participation of 17,413 spectators, ended with a minimum victory of 2:0 for the home team. In the 50th minute of the match, Boston Bruins’ 28-year-old forward David Pastrnak scored the goal, and his assists were made by Tomas Kundratek and Libor Hajek. In the last minute of the match, Toronto forward David Kempf sent the puck into the empty net.
The next World Cup will be held in Sweden and Denmark in 2025.
In February 2024, the International Ice Hockey Federation extended the suspension of the Russian and Belarus national teams, causing the teams to miss the Czech World Championship. The organization stated that the IIHF Council will continue to monitor the situation and in May 2025 will consider the reintegration of the Russian and Belarusian national teams for the 2025/26 season.
Previously in Finland spoke The fact that the Russian team is in second place in the IIHF rankings is considered nonsense.