Canada is the favorite on paper in Group B of the men's World Championship. But Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia and the rest are ready to prove people wrong.

Canada is almost always a favorite in international competition, and that won’t change at the 2023 men’s World Championship. They’re bringing the heaviest NHL roster that has a blend of young skilled players and older veterans to add grit in those close games.

Here are the competitors in Group B, including the teams who made momentum in the past year on the global hockey stage and are aiming to beat the Canadians.

In case you missed it, the Group A preview breaks down the players to watch on each of those teams, including the USA, Sweden, Finland, Germany and more.

Team Canada

Canada brings more NHL punch than any nation, but they’re still a relatively young roster. 

Two names people will undoubtedly be watching are NHL draft prospect Adam Fantilli, who is the likely No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, and Buffalo Sabres netminder Devon Levi, who made an impressive NHL debut to close out the 2022-23 season after turning pro out of the NCAA. 

Every player on the roster aside from Fantilli spent time in the NHL this season paced by veterans Tyler Toffoli, MacKenzie Weegar, Lawson Crouse, Tyler Myers and Scott Laughton. It’s Canada’s youth, however, who will inevitably decide the fate of this team with players like Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs and Justin Barron. It’s a very deep group that, when they find their chemistry, should cruise through Group B with ease. But are they better than the USA?

Team Switzerland

Nino Niederreiter is bringing a big-name presence to Switzerland, a notoriously difficult nation to play against. He’ll receive support up front from Denis Malgin, who saw a resurgence in his game following a move to the Colorado Avalanche, as well as a strong group playing in the Swiss National League. That group includes former Minnesota Wild forward Christoph Bertschy and former Edmonton Oilers center Gaetan Haas. 

Switzerland’s blueline will be anchored by NHLers Janis Moser and Tim Berni, NHL veteran Dean Kukan and former Washington Capitals pick Tobias Geisser. The blueline looks to be a strong puck-moving group that will match up well against other top nations. 

Leonardo Genoni, 35, has been Switzerland’s go-to netminder in international competition for years, but the clock is ticking on his career.

Team Slovakia

Slovakia made two intriguing roster decisions for the World Championship. 

First, no full-time NHL players were named to the roster. Only three players on Slovakia’s roster appeared in the NHL this season - Milos Kelemen, Pavol Regenda and Samuel Knazko - and they totalled only four points combined across 30 games. 

Second, the nation did not bring any of their elite young talents. Instead, they selected players from across Europe. Veterans Marek Hrivik and Peter Cehlarik will be counted on to lead this team, while Los Angeles Kings prospect Martin Chromiak, who had a good rookie season in the AHL, will be a player to watch. In recent years, Slovakia has turned heads as a contender at this tournament…don’t expect the same success this year.

Team Czechia

After a season of desolate hockey, Arizona Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka will get a chance to play meaningful games for Czechia, and the 6-foot-4 backstop will be counted upon heavily for his nation. 

Czechia brings a solid mix of forwards including New York Ranger Filip Chytil and Detroit Red Wings winger Dominik Kubalik who were both 20-goal scorers in the NHL this season. They’ll be surrounded by a deep core of experienced veterans with NHL and international experience. 

If Czechia has a glaring weakness, however, it’s their blueline. Michal Kempny, a former Washington Capitals defender, and Boston Bruins depth D-man Jakub Zboril are the top names at the position, and that doesn’t bode well for fending off top teams.

Team Norway

The strength of this Norwegian squad, at least on paper, is in net. Henrik Haukeland and Jonas Arntzen are both capable goalies who, although they’re unlikely to steal games, can keep Norway competitive. 

The other aspect of Norway’s roster that should provide hope for this season and beyond is their youth. On the blueline, Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg are both NHL-drafted blueliners in their early 20s. Young forwards Philip Granath and NHL draft-eligible players Petter Vesterheim and Noah Steen will all be looking to keep Norway competitive now and moving forward.

Team Latvia

The co-hosts of this year's World Championship aim to make a strong impression in Group B, captained by former Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins forward Kaspars Daugavins. 

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Rudolfs Balcers and Vancouver Canucks goaltender Artus Silovs are the only two members of the team to have played in NHL action this season, with 17 games for the former and five for the latter. They both spend most of the season in the AHL. Forwards Dans Locmelis and Martins Dzierkals have unsigned NHL rights, while defender Uvis Balinskis signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Florida Panthers last month. 

Goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis also deserves a shoutout for nearly backstopping Latvia to a shocking quarterfinal upset win over the Canadians in the 2014 Winter Olympics. 

Team Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's main goal will be to avoid relegation. 

A storyline to watch with Kazakhstan is that they are one of the only nations in the world allowing players from Russia’s KHL to compete. Twenty members of Kazakhstan’s roster played in either the KHL, VHL or MHL this season, albeit most for Barys Astana, a team based in Kazakhstan. 

Nikita Mikhailis is the nation’s top player up front, while Valeri Orekhov will anchor the blueline. It could be a long tournament for Kazakhstan.

Team Slovenia

Alternating between promotion from Div. I-A and relegation from the top tier of the World Championship for more than a decade, Slovenia will be a leading candidate for relegation this year again. 

Their roster screams of a lack of elite talent to challenge even the bottom group of teams at this tournament. Netminder Gasper Kroselj, who plays in Czechia, will need to be nearly perfect for Slovenia this time around, while their offense will rest with a pair of aging veterans, Ziga Jeglic and Jan Urbas, who both play in the DEL with the Fischtown Pinguins.