2025 IIHF World Championship:, MacKinnon, Teravainen highlight top standouts from Day 7
Thursday saw some of the best performances we have seen at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.
It all started with Finland vs. Slovenia earlier in the day. It was a completely one-sided game, but Teuvo Teravainen had six points and Eeli Tolvanen had four goals to win the game 9-1. Switzerland, meanwhile, shut out the previously undefeated German squad, with former NHL forward Sven Andrighetto scoring four times, and Denis Malgin registering four assists to win the game 5-1.
Austria surprised everyone with an early 1-0 lead over Canada. The Canadians outshot Austria 23-4 in the first period, but Montreal Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer scored the lone goal in the opening frame to take the advantage. Canada would eventually come back, though, with Nathan MacKinnon leading the way with three points to win the game 5-1.
Czechia and Hungary remained close for about half the game, but the Czechs were definitely a better team. A two-goal game from David Pastrnak eventually made it a one-sided affair, with the defending champs pulling out to a 5-1 victory.
Here’s a look at the top players from Thursday’s game action:
Finland 9, Slovenia 1
Finland
#4 Mikko Lehtonen, D: Lehtonen is one of the best offensive defensemen in this tournament, and that’s why Toronto and Columbus took chances on him in 2021. He hadn’t scored before today, but he did have four assists in his first three games. So it was good to see him score twice to put things out of reach early, with the Finns showing some serious muscle on the blueline. Lehtonen seemed extra confident and looked to exploit space the rest of the game while also being physical, too.
#15 Lenni Hameenaho, RW (New Jersey Devils): The Devils prospect assisted on the 3-0 goal and then scored on a chance all alone to make it 5-1. The skilled forward has quickly outgrown the poor skating concerns from his draft year, and while it’s still not perfect, it hasn’t been an issue at this tourney. He’s always finding high-quality areas to shoot from and was rewarded today.
#20 Eeli Tolvanen, LW (Seattle Kraken): Tolvanen made waves for scoring twice and adding an assist in the game against France. Today was even better, though, scoring four goals in a game where he truly looked unstoppable. His work alongside Teuvo Teravainen was top-notch – they just kept finding each other on the rush. The Finns lacked a true game-changing forward on this team, but Tolvanen is making a case to make the Olympic team with how dominant he’s playing.
#86 Teuvo Teravainen, RW (Chicago Blackhawks): A six-assist night? Heck yeah, he did, tying a record for most helpers in a single World Championship game. Teravainen was easily Finland’s best player, finding scoring lanes all over the ice. He often kept things simple, but his ability to outthink the Slovenian defense made him lethal today. What a showing from the former World Junior star – this was the most productive game of anyone at this tournament this year.
Slovenia
#21 Jan Drozg, LW: The former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect made the only really notable play of the game for the Slovenians. He danced around three Finnish players before getting the puck in front of the net, with Bine Masic eventually finishing it off. Beyond that, I liked a few of his plays but it wasn’t enough to get back on the scoresheet.
Germany 1, Switzerland 5
Germany
#35 Mathias Niederberger, G: Niederberger was excellent in this one, highlighted by his 14 saves in the opening period. The Swiss were dangerous on the attack but the German keeper moved so well and kept things scoreless. Everything fell apart in the second period but there was little Niederberger could have done at that point – Switzerland simply outworked Germany.
Switzerland
#85 Sven Andrighetto, LW: Andrighetto had a natural hat-trick for Switzerland, and scored a fourth goal just to make it even more impressive. The third goal was a true back-breaker, and that’s what Switzerland needed out of a forward who had to basically re-learn how to shoot after a wrist injury a few years back. The former NHLer is skilled and loves to take over offensively and today was as good as it gets.
#62 Denis Malgin, C: Malgin was Switzerland’s top setup man, registering four assists. The skilled center is a smart forward who struggled to produce in the NHL, but seems to play better with the bigger ice. Malgin is a tough player to read in 1-on-1 situations because he’ll make a quick play you’re not expecting – Germany realized that today.
#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Meier didn’t register a point despite all the work his linemates were doing. But whether it be 5-on-5 or on the man advantage, he was always in front of the net and taking space away from goaltender Mathias Niederberger. Even though he might be the best of the three on that Swiss line, he was the one serving in a support role today – and he was great.
Austria 1, Canada 5
Austria
#19 Vinzenz Rohrer, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Rohrer’s speed was on full display today and it resulted in the 1-0 goal. Just seconds after his team won a faceoff, Rohrer poked the puck out of the zone and created a rebound, beating Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 1-0. I’ve liked his tournament – even though he hasn’t been very productive, I like how hard he works.
#33 Florian Vorauer, G: Talk about a debut. Vorauer had never played a World Championship game before, but he saved a tournament-high 23 shots in the first period alone. There weren’t a ton of massive saves, but he was in the perfect position throughout the period to give Canada fits. The Canadians eventually figured it out after wearing Vorauer out, but the 25-year-old was given the toughest opponent of his career and played incredibly.
Canada
#9 Nathan MacKinnon, C (Colorado Avalanche): Canada needed some life in the second period and MacKinnon delivered. He scored the first goal on the power play and then added another on essentially a man advantage – a two-minute delayed penalty play. Whenever Canada has needed a boost, the reigning NHL MVP has come up clutch, and his shot proved to be too dangerous for Vorauer.
#62 Brandon Montour, D (Seattle Kraken): Montour assisted both of MacKinnon’s goals, making smart, calculated passes. He was Canada’s best defender today, and one of the best all tournament long, given how well he has seen the ice. Montour is a quick, competitive skater and he has done such a great job at generating quality chances.
#19 Adam Fantilli, C (Columbus Blue Jackets): Fantilli had his best game of the tournament, serving as the playdriver on the third line. He used his strength to physically beat Austrian defenders, and was one of the team’s top 5-on-5 shooters with four shots in the first two periods alone. I liked how much more involved he was in the offensive zone after a quiet start to the tournament.
#17 Will Cuylle, LW (New York Rangers): Cuylle was forced higher up in the lineup with Tyson Foerster out and the Ranger delivered. His chemistry with Travis Konecny was on full display in the third, with the pair each registering a goal and an assist. Cuylle was also a big threat physically, and he was hard to contain around the Austrian crease.
Czechia 5, Hungary 1
Czechia
#88 David Pastrnak, RW (Boston Bruins): Pasta is one of the best players in the tournament – shocking, I know. Very few match his ability to drive the net and test goalies. He scored the opening goal today and then kept the Hungarian defenders busy, largely due to his chemistry with his long-time friend Roman Cervenka. He had a breakaway in the second that didn’t pan out, but he scored in the third to make it 4-1 before assisting on the 6-1 goal. Pastrnak is having himself a great tournament and is a big reason why the Czechs are so feared right now.
#10 Roman Cervenka, C: And so is Cervenka, one of the best players in tournament history. He made a great pass to Pastrnak on the goal and then was one of Czechia’s best forecheckers. He then snagged another assist to make it 6-1. Even at 39, he still moves well, hits hard and battles for every puck he gets. That’s the type of leader you want, even if you’re playing perceived lesser competition.
#17 Filip Hronek, D (Vancouver Canucks): Hronek was Czechia’s top passer from the point, and he snagged an assist on a goal halfway through the game. Hronek has quietly been one of Czechia’s better players. He also did a good job of shutting the Hungarian attack down – Hungary wasn’t quick, but they were aggressive and forced the Czech defenders to keep them to the outside.
Hungary
#30 Adam Vay, G: It felt like most of the chances against Vay tonight were through traffic. The 1-0 goal was a great passing play from the Czechs, while the second came after a load of chaos at the Hungarian blueline. Beyond that, Vay handled the onslaught of Czech shots and speed with a calm demeanour and kept the team involved in the game.
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