Slovak ice-hockey players arriving at the Bratislava airport to fly to Sweden. From left: Matúš Sukeľ, Dávid Mudrák and Andrej Golian. (source: TASR)
This Friday, 9 May, marks the start of this year's Ice Hockey World Championship, with Slovakia facing host nation Sweden in the evening. The tournament is being co-hosted by Sweden and Denmark.
Slovakia will compete in Group A, with all matches played in Stockholm. In addition to Sweden, they will face Canada, Finland, Latvia, Austria, France and Slovenia.
According to the IIHF rankings, Sweden are the clear favourites for Friday's match. The Swedes claimed the bronze medal last year and defeated Slovakia 6–1 in their group-stage meeting. This year, Sweden will be fielding 19 NHL players, compared to just two on the Slovak roster.
Several other national teams will also be bolstered by NHL talent, including Canada, which will feature Sidney Crosby and Marc-André Fleury.
As in 2024, fans in Slovakia will be able to watch all matches on the private TV JOJ (Slovak games), JOJ Šport (Group A and B matches), and JOJ Plus (Group B). Games will also be streamed free of charge here.
Vladimír Országh will make his debut as head coach, stepping in for Craig Ramsay, who is sidelined due to health issues. Országh previously served as assistant coach in three World Championships.
Slovakia's main objective is to reach the quarter-finals. They succeeded in doing so last year but were eliminated by Canada, finishing seventh overall.
Upcoming games (local time)
Friday, May 9: Sweden - Slovakia / 20:20
Sunday, May 11: Slovakia - Slovenia / 12:20
Monday, May 12: Austria - Slovakia / 16:20
Wednesday, May 14: Slovakia - France / 16:20
Saturday, May 17: Canada - Slovakia / 20:20
Sunday, May 18: Slovakia - Latvia / 20:20
Tuesday, May 20: Slovakia - Finland / 16:20
