The One and Only

Well, with 16 teams and 22 skaters a team, there are more than 350 players at the WM this year (not counting goalies). And of all that number only one, Germany’s Leonhard Pfoderl, has scored a point in every one of his team’s seven preliminary-round games. Switzerland’s Roman Josi earned a point in his team’s first six but was held without a point last night against Finland. Pfoderl's streak looks like this: 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1. What's even more impressive is that Germany was held to one goal in a game twice, but that didn't stop him. It wasn't until the third period in his seventh game that he extended his singular streak. 

When Canada's Dylan Cozens scored the overtime winner short-handed to defeat Czechia, 4-3, on Tuesday, he did something that hasn't been done in 28 years and has been done only twice now. The only other shorty in OT in WM history was scored by USA's Brian Rolson on May 4, 1996, giving the Americans the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over Russia.

First and Goal

If you want to win, you better score first. Although there have been a few memorable comebacks and late-game thrills this year, the first goal still can’t be beat…very often. Through the 56 games of the preliminary round, the team that popped in the first goal won 43 games, which works out to a success rate of almost 77 per cent.

‘Tender Americans

The United States might well be the first team in the long and storied history of the Men’s Worlds to use four goalies in one tournament. They didn’t plan on it. In their second game, a 6-1 win over Germany, Alex Lyon started but had to leave the game early in the second with an injury. Teenager Trey Augustine came in and finished the game while third goalie Alex Nedeljkovic hurriedly dressed as backup. Augustine and Nedeljkovic then split the next four games, but the team then brought Charlie Lindgren on board after it became clear Lyon wasn’t going to recover in time to play again. Lindgren then played the finale against Latvia. Seven games, four goalies.

The Crowds Go Crazy

Don’t look now but Prague/Ostrava 2024 is going to blow the WM attendance records to bits, both for overall attendance and per-game average. The current record, established by these cities in 2015, is 741,690 overall and averaging 11,589. Through 56 games this year, we’re already at 688,851 overall and an average of 12,301. With six games left in Prague (approx. 15,000 per game) and two in Ostrava (about 9,000), we will add another 100k or more in the final weekend, pushing the total towards an incredible 800,000. Unbelievable.

Relegation Explanation

There were rumblings early in the tournament about Denmark possibly facing demotion. That wasn’t going to happen. As one of the co-hosts for next year’s WM, they had protected status. So, if they had finished 8th in Group A, the other demoted team (along with 8th in Group B) would be the 14th-ranked team. That means EITHER the 7th-place team in A or B would have gone down, whichever had the poorer record. The last time this was an issue was in 2009, when Germany finished 15th and should have been relegated. But because they hosted in 2010, it was the 14th team, Austria, that went down that year. And wouldn't you know it, France, 7th in B, finished behind Denmark, 7th in A this year.

Teen Talent

There are 14 teenagers playing at this year’s WM. Well, 13 as of today. Krzysztof Macias was 19 when he played his first game, but on 14 May he turned 20. Norway and the United States lead the way with four teens each. Noah Steen and Petter Vesterheim are 19 while Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Sian Solberg are 18. Solberg, born 29 December 2005, is the youngest player in the tournament. For the U.S., Trey Augustine, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gavin Brindley are all 19. Austria’s Vinzenz Rohrer is 19, as is Dane Oscar Molgaard. Canada’s Connor Bedard is still 18 while Konsta Helenius of Finland turned 19 on 11 May, a day after Suomi’s opening game. Sweden’s contributions to the teen set is 18-year-old Felix Unger Sorum.

Bedard Watch

Speaking of Bedard, his ice time has gone down steadily in the last five games. He played 15:32 in the team’s opener against Great Britain, when he scored twice, and 14:54 against Denmark when he scored two more. He hit a tournament best 16:00 against Austria (one goal) and since then he hasn’t had a point. Game four against Norway was 14:30, then 13:19 for Finland, 10:14 for Switzerland, and only 8:08 against Czechia, when he played a mere 1:36 in the final period. Strangely, he was in on six of Canada’s first 14 goals of the tournament but hasn’t had a hand in any of the last 18 Canadian goals. But Bedard, the 2023 IIHF Male Player of the Year, is still only 18 and every shift is both a learning experience and, hopefully, a chance to contribute. Five goals in about 90 minutes of ice time is pretty impressive, though.

Player of the Year 2024

As soon as the Men’s Worlds are over, the IIHF will begin the process for voting on the 2024 IIHF Male Player of the Year. There are plenty of worthy candidates playing in Czechia now, as well as a few from the World Juniors and even the Men’s U18 Worlds. The winner will be announced in mid-June.