The 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship got off to a spectacular start yesterday with numerous Champions Hockey League players pulling on their national team jerseys to represent their countries with pride.
Here’s a quick summary of which familiar faces to expect on the ice in Finland:
First off, eagle-eyed viewers of the CHL have without doubt noticed that one of the two venues selected for this worldwide celebration of hockey is one familiar to them – Tappara Tampere’s and Ilves Tampere’s 13,455-seater Nokia Arena.
The venue made its CHL hockey debut in the Quarter-Finals last season, as Tappara hosted the Rouen Dragons of France. Since both local teams are qualified for the upcoming CHL season, the modern arena will be both Tappara and Ilves for CHL games.
16 teams are in Finland as we speak, here’s a list of CHLers to look out for!
Austria
Team Austria have relied heavily on their domestic league, the ICE Hockey League, with over 16 players being nominated. Seven-time CHL qualifiers Red Bull Salzburg have seven players on the list, whilst KAC Klagenfurt, who topped Group G and made the CHL Playoffs for the very first time last season, have three.
Star of the show is a name that has been making the rounds all year long – Marco Kasper. The Rögle Ängelholm youngster only turned 18 in April but is already a CHL Champion and a top prospect for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Keep an eye on him!
Czech Republic
Team Czech Republic has filled its roster with players from across the globe. You’ll find players from the KHL, NHL, Liiga, NL, SHL and of course the Czech Extraliga.
Team captain Roman Červenka will return to the CHL with Rapperswil-Jona Lakers later this year, Michael Špaček, who will enter his second season with four-time CHL Champions Frölunda Gothenburg next season, will get his second taste of pan-European ice hockey in the CHL next season and goaltender Marek Langhamer will bring debuting club Ilves Tampere into the competition in the 2022/23 season.
Denmark
Team Denmark, similarly to Czechia, also boast a line-up of players from overseas, but there is a core of players who compete for the European Trophy here in the CHL.
Among them is KAC Klagenfurt’s goaltender Sebastian Dahm. The Dane was instrumental in Klagenfurt’s Playoffs qualification, playing in seven games and ending the 2022/23 season with a 92.93% Save Percentage.
Finland
Team Finland boasts a duo of players who both play in Finland’s domestic league, Liiga, but for rival clubs Ilves and Tappara.
Ilves’ Marko Antilla is a strong forward, an Olympic gold medallist who also won the World Championship with Finland back in 2019. The 203cm tall, 104kg giant will grace the CHL with Ilves later this year.
Tappara’s offering, Mikael Seppälä, came close to lifting the European Trophy last season, but fell just shy of the trophy, losing the Final 1-2.
France
Four players from CHL returnees Grenoble are on the French national team roster for the tournament – Damien Fleury, Pierre Crinon, Sacha Treille and Dylan Fabre.
Florian Chakiachvili helped Rouen make the CHL Quarter-Finals last season, playing in eight games, whilst Tappara’s Bertrand Charles, also on Team France’s roster, was on the team that ultimately eliminated them.
Germany
Red Bull Munich’s Maximilian Kastner and Yasin Ehliz are on Team Germany’s roster for the tournament, as is Leonhard Pföderl of Eisbären Berlin, who ended the 2021/22 season of the CHL with three goals and four assists in six games.
Teammate Marcel Noebels, a veteran of four CHL seasons, is also in the line-up.
Great Britain
The Belfast Giants, who return to the CHL for 2022/23 after missing last season, have four players on Team Great Britain’s line-up – Ben Lake, Lewis Hook, Scott Conway and Jackson Whistle.
Italy
Alex Petan, who plays for ICE side Fehérvár AV19, is the sole player in Team Italy’s line-up who will feature in the upcoming 2022/23 season of the CHL.
The 30-year-old winger already has one season of CHL hockey under his belt and will guide his club during their debut on Europe's biggest stage later this year.
Norway
The Stavanger Oilers qualified for the upcoming CHL season as Norwegian champions, so it comes as no surprise that four of their players have made the Team Norway roster.
Munich’s goaltender Henrik Haukeland is also on the list, but star of the team is Frölunda’s Mats Rosseli Olsen, who is a four-time CHL Champion and a two-time SHL champion.
Slovakia
Team Slovakia boasts two Slovak Extraliga champions – Samuel Takáč and Daniel Gachulinec and a Czech Extraliga champion in the form of 22-year-old talent Miloš Roman, who won the league title with Oceláři Třinec this season.
Sweden
Team Sweden features CHL Champion Anton Bengtsson, who scored 4G and 3A in 11 games last season.
Also on the roster are Mathias Brome, who will return to the CHL with HC Davos later this year, as will EV Zug’s Carl Klingberg and Frölunda’s Max Friberg.
Switzerland
Team Switzerland has combined experienced NHL players with the best European leagues, and the CHL, has to offer.
HC Davos have four players on the roster, Zug have three – star goaltender Leonardo Genoni and forwards Dario Simion and Fabrice Herzog.
Fribourg-Gottéron’s goaltender Reto Berra, who played four games for the Swiss side in the CHL last season, is also on the list.
USA
Team USA have a roster of players comprised solely of players from the New World, but Skellefteå AIK’s goaltender Strauss Mann has made the cut as the only non-American-league player.
Mann featured in three CHL games for Skellefteå last season.