2026 IIHF World Championship: Scheifele, Hischier highlight top standouts from Day 7
What a day.
Day 7 of the IIHF Men’s World Championship in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland is in the books, with Canada, Finland, Slovakia and Switzerland all coming home with wins.
Canada, though, needed overtime to beat Norway, who managed to snag a point to keep things interesting in Group B. The other three games were notably one-sided, with Latvia, Denmark and Great Britain all heading to their hotels a bit disappointed.
Here’s a look at the top standouts from Thursday:
Canada 5, Norway 4 (OT)
Canada lost 3-2 to Norway in 2023 en route to gold – and they almost fell to them again on Thursday. But a big effort from Mark Scheifele helped Canada secure a 5-4 overtime victory and snag their fourth of the tournament.
Scheifele scored three goals and added an assist in the biggest individual performance by a Canadian player in Switzerland this month. Gabe Vilardi scored a goal and had two assists himself, while Dylan Cozens scored a shorthanded goal and Ryan O’Reilly tipped in Macklin Celebrini’s shot that forced the game into extra time.
But Canada had to work extra hard thanks to Norway’s determined attack. Eskild Bakke Olsen scored at 5:18 and then Johannes Johannesen doubled the advantage at 11:37. Noah Steen would later score on the man advantage at 23:34 to make it a 3-2 game in the third. Steen scored a second goal at 48:09 and Tinus Luc Koblar would add one at 49:57 to finish off Norway’s scoring effort. Unfortunately for Norway, Scheifele’s overtime goal proved to be the winner, resulting in Canada taking the 6-5 victory.
Canada
#29 Parker Wotherspoon, D (Pittsburgh Penguins): This was a solid showing for Wotherspoon, who had an assist on the 2-2 goal. Compared to Evan Bouchard’s high-flying nature, Wotherspoon is more of a reliable presence on the back end. He makes very few mistakes with the puck, and he’s more than capable at getting the puck out of the zone and to someone on the rush. He won’t get a lot of love for his puck play, but I think he has looked good at this tournament.
#13 Gabriel Vilardi, RW (Winnipeg Jets): Vilardi had a goal and two assists in today, showing obvious chemistry with Scheifele. Nobody battled harder in front of the net than Vilardi, who won multiple high-intensity battles against Norway’s stronger defenders. The Kingston, Ontario native had a point in each of Canada’s first three games but today was the one that really showed how good he can be when he’s on the top of his game.
#55 Mark Scheifele, LW (Winnipeg Jets): Scheifele started the tournament on Canada’s top line but it just didn’t seem to work. He had a quiet three games before today, but came alive with Canada’s first two goals. He scored a beautiful goal from his knees to make it 2-1 and then blasted a shot to make it 2-2 a few minutes later. Scheifele then continued the hot night by getting the primary assist on Winnipeg’s… I mean Canada’s third goal. Scheifele was easily Canada’s best player the rest of the night, which was nice to see after an otherwise quiet few days for him.
#90 Ryan O’Reilly, RW (Nashville Predators): ROR was everywhere around the net today, but nothing seemed to work – until the final two minutes of regulation. He tipped in Celebrini’s shot to give Canada some life, sending the game to overtime. He has found ways to break through traffic all tournament long and nobody has figured out how to outmuscle him yet.
Norway
#4 Johannes Johannesen, D: Johannesen has never been a big point producer – he entered today with four goals and 13 points in 55 games over nine years. But he had a goal and an assist in the first period to put the pressure on the Canadians. He doesn’t have a totally accurate shot, but he creates opportunities for everyone around him. JJ then spent the rest of the game going against Canada’s top forwards and he didn’t look out of place.
#44 Tinus Luc Koblar, C (Toronto Maple Leafs): TLK took over top-line duties for Norway and had a goal and an assist. The goal was a bit of an accidental one as he got more in the way of the shot than anything, but it shows you that he does a good job of driving to the net and taking up space. Koblar is a big-bodied, two-way forward who moves well for his size, and he has a decent shot, too
#71 Eskild Bakke Olsen, C: Having watched Bakke Olsen the past few days, it’s safe to say he’s intriguing. He scored again today off a solid shot in the slot. He had a strong first year in the SHL, and was productive in Allsvenskan. I like his two-way game and he plays with a lot of muscle, too. I could see an NHL team taking a chance on him as a depth guy in a few years, especially as he continues to get faster (I’m told he has made good progress in that regard).
Finland 7, Latvia 1
Latvia may have scored the opening goal just 10 seconds in, but Finland ultimately dominated the rest of the night to win the game 7-1.
Finland has moved into a tie for first place with Switzerland in Group A, with the pair set to meet on Tuesday, May 26, in the game that will likely decide the top spot. Latvia, meanwhile, will remain in sixth in Group A, but still with a shot at the playoffs.
Rudolfs Balcers scored on Latvia’s first shot of the game, giving the team a surprise lead. But goals from Hannes Björninen, Henri Jokiharju, and Saku Mäenalanen put the Latvians on the back burner early, and it proved to be far too much for them to overcome. Waltteri Merelea scored the lone goal of the second period, while Anton Lundell, Patrik Puistola and Aatu Raty tallied one each to make it a 7-1 game.
Finland
#10 Henri Jokiharju, D (Boston Bruins): This was probably Jokiharju’s best senior national team game to date. He had a goal and an assist in the first period to give the Finns the lead and never look back. The 26-year-old mobile blueliner is proficient with the puck, but really hasn’t made it work in the NHL in any noteworthy way. But at this level, where he’s more of a leader, it feels like Jokiharju is playing within his comfort zone again.
#19 Waltteri Merelä, RW: Merelä tends to be in the right spot at the right time quite a bit. He’s a fourth liner on this team, just like he was with Tampa Bay two seasons ago. But Merelä is full of energy and always looking to make some noise around the net, which helped him score a goal and record an assist today. His past two games, in particular, have been quite impressive.
#24 Hannes Björninen, C: Björninen has built a reputation as a reliable facilitator at this level, but he’s a good shooter, too. The 2022 Olympic champion rarely makes a bad pass, and has quick feet to work with, too. I like how he powers through the middle of the ice, and he’s reliable on the penalty kill, as well.
#80 Saku Mäenalanen, LW: Mäenalanen is having a solid tournament. He had a breakaway goal and the primary assist on the fourth goal as he seemed to fly out there today. He’s up to four points in four games, which ties his best career output set back at the 2021 World Championship. I like Mäenalanen’s big frame and his relentless drive to win every battle.
Latvia
#21 Rudolfs Balcers, RW: At some point, someone else will have to score. But the former NHLer leads all players with five goals, including one just 10 seconds into this. He was everywhere the rest of the game as Latvia tried to get back into the game, but it wasn’t enough. Still, I love his positioning and he’s playing with sky-high confidence right now.
Denmark 1, Slovakia 5
Slovakia has moved into a tie with Canada for first in Group B following a convincing 5-1 victory over Denmark.
Martin Chromiak, Adam Liska, Oliver Okuliar, Martin Pospisil and Sebastian Cederle each scored for the Slovaks, while Denmark’s lone goal came from Mikkel Aagaard came in the third period.
The biggest story, though, came in the Danish crease. Mads Søgaard looked strong in net for the Danes, but was pulled after the first period and never returned for an undisclosed reason. Nikolaj Henriksen was forced to take over, and while he allowed four goals, he did as good of a job as he could have been asked to do in a game that Denmark never really seemed totally involved in.
Denmark
#30 Mads Søgaard, G (Ottawa Senators): Søgaard was outstanding in the first period, stopping 14 of 15 shots sent his way, including a handful of high-quality saves. But then, that was it – Søgaard didn’t return for the second period and never joined the Danes on the bench. He had been the team’s top player early on, diving all over the crease to do whatever it took to keep the Danes in the game. Hopefully, any injury is short-term.
#1 Nikolaj Henriksen, G: Wait – two goalies from one team? Henriksen allowed a goal on his first shot against and then another shortly after, but otherwise did everything possible to keep the Danes in this one. It’s not easy to step into a game midway through, especially when you’re essentially the third goalie when everyone else is healthy. But he did a solid job against a stronger Slovak team, and gave as good of an effort as you’d expect.
Slovakia
#8 Oliver Okuliar, RW (Florida Panthers): Okuliar scored a goal and had two assists in his best showing at the tournament. The unsigned Panthers forward scored earlier in the tournament, but has typically served as more of a support player internationally. Today, it felt lie he was playing with the most confidence that we’ve seen out of him, and it paid off.
#23 Adam Liska, LW: Liska had two points against Slovenia to help lead the team to victory. He had another two points today in what felt like an even better effort. He has been good across the board for the Slovaks, playing some excellent hockey in his first World Championship effort since 2022. I like his energy and penchant for getting into scoring lanes.
#76 Martin Pospisil, C (Calgary Flames): Pospisil was buzzing all night, showing some obvious chemistry with his brother, Kristian. Pospisil had three solid chances in the opening 40 minutes and eventually scored in the third period to put the game out of reach. His assist on the fifth Slovak goal was nice, too.
#88 Martin Chromiak, RW (Los Angeles Kings): Chromiak scored the opening goal on the power play after a busy effort around the Danish net. He then made a nice pass in the slot to Cederle on the fifth goal to give Slovakia some more breathing room. Chromiak has been on Slovakia’s third line the whole tournament, but he has been one of the Slovaks players this month.
Great Britain 1, Switzerland 4
Switzerland has become the first team to win five games at the World Championship after beating the winless-Great Britain squad 4-1 on Thursday.
Nino Neiderreiter scored his first two goals of the tournament to lead the way for the Swiss. Nico Hischier and Simon Knak had the other goals for the Swiss, while Josh Waller snapped Reto Berra’s shutout effort in the second period.
Switzerland stands alone at the top of Group A with 15 points, while Great Britain is the only team without a point.
Great Britain
#20 Mat Robson, G: Goaltending let GB down against Hungary a few nights ago. Robson didn’t win the game today, but he kept GB in it, especially early, as the Swiss clearly outplayed them. The former Minnesota Wild prospect had struggled in his two previous games but seemed much more dialed in and in control of his crease today. I thought he did especially well at giving the Swiss little to shoot at up high.
#14 Liam Kirk, C: Once again, Kirk was the only British player who seemed capable of generating quality chances. He had the primary assist on the lone British goal after rushing up the ice with speed. There’s no question Kirk is GB’s top forward and capable of heavy play-driving, as he has done all tournament long. The problem? Every other team knows that too and gives him so little room to work with.
Switzerland
#90 Roman Josi, D (Nashville Predators): After making a good defensive play, Josi helped get the puck to Neiderreiter for the opening goal of the game. He then shut the Brits down the rest of the night, showcasing some quality skating and defensive reads. This was far from the toughest competition Josi has had to deal with, but he looked comfortable, relaxed and made smart plays all night long.
#13 Nico Hischier, C (New Jersey Devils): Hischier scored the second goal and then had an assist on the fourth goal. He was good at both ends of the ice and had a strong night in the dot, too. Hischier rarely lost a 1-on-1 battle on the ice and he looked very comfortable making stretch passes, even through traffic.
#22 Nino Neiderreiter, LW (Winnipeg Jets): Neiderreiter had a pair of goals today, including the ice-breaker at 5:05. He’s good around the net and does a good job of picking up rebounds and finishing plays. El Niño has been on all four silver-medal-winning teams dating back to 2013 – is this finally the year he gets the top prize?
#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Meier yet again was Switzerland’s top shot generator, and nearly scored late in the game after having his hands all over the Swiss attack tonight. He has the ability to dominate at this level because he plays with more skill and hockey sense than most. His chemistry with Hischier is clear, with Meier creating space for his good buddy in the slot on the 2-0 goal. Meier has been one of the best wingers at this tournament, no question about it.
#94 Attilio Biasca, RW: Biasca is a physical beast. He’s a strong winger who battles everyone to the death around the boards, and it often pays off. I like how he works hard to ensure his linemates, Meier and Hischier, have clear space to create chances. Biasca isn’t flashy or overly skilled, but he makes up for it by working so much harder than just about anyone.