2025 IIHF World Championship: Konecny, Nazar highlight standouts from final day of round robin
The 12-day round-robin portion of the 2025 World Championship is over, with Canada and Switzerland claiming the top spots in their respective groups.
Canada, Sweden, Finland and Austria are the four teams moving on from Group A, while Switzerland, USA, Czechia and Denmark will advance out of Group B.
The day was especially big for Austria, who advanced to the playoff round for the first time since 1994 – before most of the team was even born – after beating Latvia 6-1 to secure the final spot in the group.
In the other early afternoon game, Switzerland started off slow against Kazakhstan, trailing 1-0 early. But the Swiss eventually fought back hard to win the game 4-1, earning top spot in Group B and a date with Austria in the process.
USA and Czechia had a battle to see who’d land in second place in Group B, and it was a doozy. The Americans trailed 2-1 at one point, but a great second half effort gave the team a 5-2 victory and the tiebreaker for second in the group.
Finland’s game against Slovakia was a bit quieter, with Finland winning the game 2-1. They remained in third place in Group A, while Slovakia – who had already been eliminated from the playoffs – will focus on trying to improve their performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The evening games were a pair of exciting affairs. Canada and Sweden played one of the best games of the tournament, with Canada disappointing the Swedish crowd with a 5-3 win. Germany and Denmark, meanwhile, fought for the final spot in Group B, with Denmark celebrating in the end with a 2-1 shootout victory.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the final six-game slate of the tournament, with the playoffs set to begin on Thursday:
Austria 1, Latvia 6
Austria
#19 Vinzenz Rohrer, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Hopefully, the Canadiens have been watching Rohrer the past two weeks. Sure, it’s not a massive sample size, but he has been one of Austria’s better players all tournament long. His skating can burn, and his energy would be perfect in a future fourth-line role. Rohrer used that to his advantage to score the 2-0 goal today, a play that ultimately sunk Latvia in the end.
#96 Marco Kasper, C (Detroit Red Wings): Kasper was easily the smartest player today. Every move in the offensive zone seemed calculated. He’s got more skill than the average player in this matchup, allowing him to use a bit of patience to get the disk where he wants it. Austria had a great tournament, and Kasper has been their MVP, no doubt about it.
#30 David Kickert, G: It wouldn’t be a standout article without an appearance from Kickert. The team’s starting goalie had a wonderful tournament, giving Austria a chance to win just about every night. He made 19 saves over the first two periods in a game where Latvia had better chances, but it wasn’t enough.
#16 Dominic Zwerger, LW: Zwerger left the penalty box to make it 1-0 early and then scored the fifth goal to truly put things away. It didn’t matter who he was lined up with, he just found ways to exploit open space. His speed was on display, as was his nifty release.
Latvia
#34 Eduards Tralmaks, RW (Detroit Red Wings): Tralmaks scored the 3-1 goal, but he also kept peppering the Austrian defense with looks. He’s not the fastest but he has a great release and gets a ton of volume near the net. Detroit signed him a few weeks back and it’s already looking like a tremendous signing – he almost always was one of Latvia’s best players on a team that needed someone to generate opportunities.
Kazakhstan 1, Switzerland 4
Kazakhstan
#20 Maxim Pavlenko, G: After Kazakhstan scored the 1-0 goal, the pressure was on Pavlenko to keep things on the right track. Kazakhstan isn’t a particularly skilled team, so he had to do a lot of the heavy lifting to keep it a tight game. He made 15 saves in the second period alone as the Swiss started to show some life. There wasn’t anything he could have done on the 1-1 goal – that went off Kevin Fiala’s foot and in. Beyond that, Pavlenko had a fantastic tournament, but it wasn’t enough to keep this team in the top division.
Switzerland
#21 Kevin Fiala, LW (Los Angeles Kings): Fiala’s 1-0 goal wasn’t exactly a show of pure skill or anything, but it was well-deserved after the period he had. He had four shots in the second alone as he led the charge for Switzerland’s comeback effort. The team’s top line had a bit of a quiet start, but Fiala kept getting himself into scoring lanes and was rewarded with the team’s first goal.
#62 Denis Malgin, C: Malgin had a pair of assists, using his experience on the power play to cause damage. He’s been one of Switzerland’s best PP players this year, taking on more responsibility after Nico Hischier left with an injury. Malgin has great vision, makes smart decisions with the puck and has shown he can play with anyone by his side.
#22 Nino Niederreiter, RW (Winnipeg Jets): It’s never easy to join the team from overseas and get thrust into game action. But by all accounts, Niederreiter skated well and had some decent looks in the offensive zone. He’ll be important in the playoff round as Switzerland looks to get their scoring back on track, but El Nino didn’t look out of place in the top six today.
Czechia 2, USA 5
Czechia
#50 Karel Vejmelka, G (Utah Mammoth): Vejmelka had to make 37 saves over the first two periods alone. Absolute insanity. The Utah goaltender faced 23 shots in the first period alone, and didn’t have much he could have done on the Josh Doan goal. Vejmelka is one of the best goaltenders in this tournament and today’s performance was one of the most important as he kept Czechia in front.
#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): Pastrnak had a goal and an assist to help bring the Czechs in front. The Bruins’ star has, understandably, been one of the best players in this tournament from the get-go. He was Czechia’s top play-driver and his shot release gave his Boston teammate Jeremy Swayman some fits.
#98 Martin Necas, RW (Colorado Avalanche): Necas was buzzing and flying all over the ice today, and he had an assist and he scored on the power play to make it 2-1. Like I’ve said before, the heat is off Necas because Pastrnak has done so much, but that has allowed Necas to be so lethal, especially on the power play. I’d love to see what he could do with the Avalanche on an extended playoff run.
USA
#91 Frank Nazar, RW (Chicago Blackhawks): Nazar had two goals on the power play – one off his body and another off a shot. He loves to play in the open space, and while he might be small, he’s excellent at getting to the front of the net and pushing guys around. Nazar has been one of USA’s most productive players, and Blackhawks fans are hoping that play transfers over to the next level.
#76 Brady Skjei, D (Nashville Predators): Skjei doesn’t get a lot of love for his game because he’s better when he’s quiet. But today, he was outstanding in the D-zone, with his shot block on Pastrnak saving the game for the Americans. And it wasn’t his first – he did a great job of shutting the Czechs on the rush and taking their high-danger areas away. Czechia’s attack has done a great job all tournament of exploiting open lanes but Skjei was USA’s toughest player to deal with in that department.
Finland 2, Slovakia 1
Finland
#33 Emil Larmi, G: Given the quality of saves Larmi had to face at the end, the former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect stood the test. Finland was the better team overall but Larmi had to make some excellent saves in the third period to keep the win intact. It should be Juuse Saros’ crease the rest of the way but Larmi looked great on Tuesday.
#21 Patrik Puistola, RW: Puistola scored in his second straight game, and he also had four shots total. Puistola is a skilled puck mover who might not be overly deep as a player, but he can definitely shoot the puck. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect played over eight minutes in the second period but saw his ice time limited beyond that. Still, you noticed him when he had the puck in the O-zone.
Slovakia
#16 Robert Lantosi, RW: Lantosi had a goal taken away in the first period (debate the legitimacy between yourselves) but scored to make it 2-1 and nearly added another in the final two minutes. He was all over the ice for Slovakia in an effort to snag one more win, but it simply wasn’t enough. Lantosi played three good games to close out the tournament, but he’d rather play a few more games.
#64 Patrik Koch, D (Utah Mammoth): Koch doesn’t have a ton of offensive skill, but he’s defensively a beast. It’s been an up-and-down tournament for the 28-year-old, who blocked a ton of shots and hit everybody who came in his direction. Koch had some difficult matchups in the third period but he shut things down as best he could.
Canada 5, Sweden 3
Canada
#11 Travis Konecny, RW (Philadelphia Flyers): Konecny had a busy first period. He helped set up the 1-0 goal from Travis Sanheim, took a penalty and then had the primary assist on Ryan O’Reilly’s 3-1 goal. He capped it off with a beautiful pass from his knees to make it a 5-2 game. Even when he’s been a bit quieter, Konecny has never had a down game for Canada. He brings a good mix of feistiness and offensive awareness, and that’s why he’s been so effective.
#6 Travis Sanheim, D (Philadelphia Flyers): I liked that Sanheim rushed near the crease and scored the first goal just seconds into the contest. I also liked how defensively sound he was, too. Sanheim has been one of Canada’s better defenders over the past two weeks because he lets guys skate towards them and then takes space away. He also does a good job of moving the puck in the O-zone, too.
#87 Sidney Crosby, C (Philadelphia Flyers): Great passes? Yup. High-quality scoring chances? You bet. Physicality? Surprisingly, he was among the most aggressive for Canada. Crosby has had such a great tournament, and he loves to play a two-way game. His chemistry with Macklin Celebrini at this tournament has been top-notch, and I love how involved he is with every shoving match possible. Crosby isn’t treating this like a vacation – he wants to win.
#90 Ryan O’Reilly, LW (Nashville Predators): ROR was bumped up to the top line on Tuesday after Bo Horvat was forced to leave the tournament with an injury. He didn’t disappoint, scoring a goal and helping start the play that resulted in the 5-2 game. This felt like O’Reilly’s best game overall, with the veteran working hard to chase after pucks and make plays happen.
Sweden
#28 Elias Lindholm, C (Boston Bruins): If the Swedes win the tournament, Lindholm might just take the MVP trophy with him. He was excellent in this one, even if it wasn’t his most productive outing. He scored the first Swedish goal on a great penalty kill and then was Sweden’s most dangerous forward the rest of the way. He has a good mix of speed, defensive awareness and hockey IQ and it paid off with the goal today.4
#23 Lucas Raymond, RW (Detroit Red Wings): Raymond keeps putting points on the board. He had an assist on the 3-2 goal and had a few different looks himself in the first period. Raymond hasn’t had any explosive, big-money offensive nights but his consistency through and through has made him a shining star for the Swedes.
Denmark, 2 Germany 1 (OT)
Denmark
#80 Frederik Dichow, G: The Danes didn’t make it easy for Dichow, who had to deal with a lot of slot shots. The big goaltender has established himself as the best Danish goaltender outside of Frederik Andersen, signaling a changing of the guard after years of having Sebastian Dahm owning the crease.
#24 Nikolaj Ehlers, RW (Winnipeg Jets): Ehlers flew across the world knowing he was only guaranteed one game at most. But Ehlers scored the 1-1 goal to give Winnipeg life after a tough first half for the team. Ehlers is always a huge boost for the Jets anytime he can join them and he wasted no time converting on a pass from Oscar Fisker Molgaard at 50:00 to spice up the end of the game.
Germany
#53 Mortiz Seider, D (Detroit Red Wings): Seider was Germany’s top play-driver today, registering four shots in the first 40 to make sure Dichow was up to snuff. This might be Seider’s least dominant tournament, but he has evolved from the more physical-minded blueliner from early on to become more involved with the puck. Seider has had his gaffes, but this felt like a more complete effort.
#42 Yasin Ehliz, RW: Ehliz is a pest out there. He didn’t take the shot that led to the 1-0 goal, but he does a great job of getting in front of the net, taking defenders away from shooters and in front of their own goaltender. He’s not afraid of roughing guys up, too. His fearless nature resulted in the opening goal.
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