By Jack Klinck
With the NHL announcing the World Cup of Hockey in 2028, it seems like we’ll finally be getting best-on-best hockey on a consistent basis. While the NHL season can bring some incredible rivalries, it doesn’t get much bigger than Team USA facing off against Canada or a classic showdown between Finland and Sweden.
With those top countries, along with Czechia, sure to be included, who will fill out the rest of the World Cup? The NHL said the tournament will feature at least eight teams. Considering their NHL star power, it’s probably safe to say Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland will be there, too. While the NHL has not made a decision on Russia’s participation in the tournament, the Russians along with countries such as Latvia and Denmark could make for an even bigger tournament.
Since this is not an IIHF-sanctioned tournament, there is no clear process on how the countries will be chosen. They could choose to loosely base participation on the IIHF’s world rankings at the time or choose to handpick the countries with biggest NHL stars. While that would probably produce the best on-ice product, it doesn’t really put the “world” in World Cup of Hockey.
So how about something completely different? The World Cup of Hockey should invite a team from Asia. Yes, you read that right, Asia. While not the best hockey countries in the world, Kazakhstan (15th), Korea (22nd) and Japan (24th) are all in the top 25 ranked IIHF men’s hockey countries in the world. While North American and European teams dominate the sport, the IIHF includes countries from across Asia, Africa and Oceana.
To be sure, not all of these countries have the talent or resources to play at the top stage. Teams like 55th-ranked Malaysia have only 121 registered players, but Japan has over 13,000 players. That’s more than Slovakia’s 11,728 players. While each country’s population is drastically different, there are still more people who play hockey in Japan there are in Slovakia, Latvia and Denmark. So why not give them a chance?
The Hockey News - Thoughts after Day 3 of the Division 1 Group A in Bolzano
I am currently in Bolzano, Italy <a href="https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2024/wmia/news">covering the World Championship Division I Group A for IIHF.com</a>. I’m a little late on this, but here are my thoughts on what happened on the third day of action. If you missed them, click the links for my thoughts on <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/thoughts-after-day-1-of-the-division-i-group-a-in-bolzano">Day 1</a> and <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/thoughts-after-day-2-of-the-division-1-group-a-in-bolzano">Day 2</a>.
“But won’t these teams get blown out every game?" Maybe. Realistically, whatever Asian team participates probably won’t win any games against the best hockey-playing countries in the world. But what if they play a close game? What if they score a goal? What if a goalie has an incredible performance against a top team? These are moments that would live in a country’s hockey history forever. While the entertainment value of certain games may take a hit, the NHL has the opportunity to cement meaningful hockey memories into a country’s sports legacy.
If the NHL wants to have best-on-best hockey every two years with their World Cup of Hockey and Olympic participation, exposing top talent across the globe should be a top priority. Igniting a passion and love for the game in 2028 means that, just maybe, in 2036, instead of asking, “Won’t they get blown out?” We could be asking, “What if an Asian team wins a game?” And even further down the line, “What if they make it to the knockout stage?”
Only recently has international hockey reached a point where it’s not crazy to say that Germany or Switzerland could be able to keep a game against Canada close. With NHL superstars coming from around the world, it’s only now that picking just eight teams in a tournament can become a challenge. It is in the NHL’s best interest for this worldwide growth of hockey to continue.
The Hockey News - Kazakhstan Brings One Draftee, Several Returnees To World Juniors
Let’s take a look at a World Cup counterpart. In 2022, soccer’s FIFA World Cup included 32 teams. Four teams from North and Central America qualified while only 13 European countries could qualify. This meant that reigning European champions, Italy, did not qualify for the tournament while 41st-ranked Canada got in. While they didn’t win any games, and Italy could have been more entertaining, Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal from Alphonso Davies is a moment the country will never forget. It’s moments like these that the NHL should look to foster with a World Cup of its own.
So, what Asian country should get the nod? While Japan and Korea are both solid internationally, Kazakhstan would be the best bet to come out of Asia. Coming off a win against Japan on Feb. 14 to capture gold in the 2025 Asian Winter Games, the Kazakhs are currently the only team playing in the IIHF’s top division. With wins against Slovakia, Slovenia and Norway in the 2023 World Championship, the Kazakhs would bring the best level of compete for a team out of Asia.
While Asian participation is unlikely in 2028, only time will tell if the NHL will opt for pure entertainment value or if they’ll choose to expand hockey’s best players to new horizons.