Canucks Max Sasson (USA), Filip Hronek (Czechia), and Linus Karlsson (Sweden) have all been eliminated from medal contention at the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Aatu Räty is the lone member of the Vancouver Canucks advancing to the semi-finals of the 2026 IIHF World Championship. Max Sasson (USA), Filip Hronek (Czechia), and Linus Karlsson (Sweden) were all eliminated during the quarter-finals and will not be competing for a medal this year. Here is a recap of the Canucks’ performances at the 2026 IIHF World Championship on May 28.
Finland 4, Czechia 1
Finland collected their seventh win of the tournament on Thursday, winning 4–1 against Czechia to advance to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Championship. Sakari Manninen, Anton Lundell, and Konsta Helenius found the back of the net for Finland before Czechia scored their first goal thanks to Canucks defenceman Hronek. Lenni Hämeenaho added another goal onto Finland’s total during the third period to help his team sail to victory.
Today was only the second game of the tournament in which Canucks forward Räty was unable to register a point. His six-game point-streak ended on Tuesday in Finland’s 4–2 loss to Switzerland. In today’s effort, Räty registered one shot on goal in 14:53 minutes played alongside linemates Manninen and Jesse Puljujärvi.
Czechia’s loss today officially eliminated Hronek from semi-final contention. The defenceman fired home the lone goal for Czechia today, with this being his first tally of the tournament. Once again, he logged the most minutes played for his team today with a total of 23:03, also adding four shots on goal to his statline.
Canada 4, USA 0
In a highly-anticipated matchup between Canada and the U.S. today, it was Canada who collected the win with a 4–0 shutout for Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves. San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini continued his strong tournament by scoring the opening goal, with Dylan Holloway, Connor Brown, and Sidney Crosby all finding the back of the net after him.
Canada’s win today eliminates Canucks forward Sasson and Team USA from advancing to the semi-finals. This wraps up a particularly slow competition for the U.S., during which they put together a record of 3–1–0–3 to finish fourth in the preliminary round standings of Group A. In today’s effort, Sasson put up one shot on goal in 14:22 minutes played with his common linemate pairing throughout the tournament of Paul Cotter and Mathieu Olivier.
Switzerland 3, Sweden 1
A powerhouse throughout the entire competition, tournament host-team Switzerland extended their regulation winning streak through the quarter-finals today, taking down Sweden by a score of 3–1. While Canucks forward Karlsson opened the scoring in today’s game, Roman Josi, Denis Malgin, and Calvin Thürkauf beat Sweden goaltender Magnus Hellberg to secure the win. With the win, Switzerland will face Norway in the semi-finals on May 30 at 6:20 am PT.
As mentioned, Karlsson was the lone player to find the back of the net for Sweden, putting in the work to bring the puck in throughout his shift before tossing it between the legs of Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni. Former Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson potted his ninth point of the tournament on this play. Karlsson also had two shots on goal in 12:41 minutes played during today’s game.
Jan 31, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Aatu Raty (54) during a stop in play against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesMay 30 Schedule:
Canada vs. Finland - 11:00 am PT
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