Whether it's balanced pools, or a single smaller grouping, the IIHF needs to find more competition for teams through re-alignment writes Ian Kennedy.
Whether it's balanced pools, or a single smaller grouping, the IIHF needs to find more competition for teams through re-alignment writes Ian Kennedy.
The IIHF World Championships are here. We can expect at some point in the tournament, we'll hear about future paths for the women's tournaments, which at some point will follow the U-18 tournament this season that got rid of tiered groups, and instead created two balanced pools.
It's the model the top division of the IIHF's women's World Championships will likely follow, but is it best for the development of the game?
Currently, the men's World Championship is a 16 team tournament with two equal groups of eight teams. The women's tournament is two tiered groups of five teams in the top division, and a single pool of six teams in Division 1A.
With the goal of increasing opportunities for teams 6-8 in the World to face teams 1-5, an eight team top division, and an eight team Division 1A tournament might actually make more sense.
Currently, this would make the top division to include USA, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, and Germany. In this format, allowing every team to play each other once in the round robin would expand competition, and inevitably provide a much more accurate world ranking. Right now, a nation like Switzerland, who is ranked 3rd in the world, has only remained there due to the inequitable grouping system, giving them favorable quarterfinal and placement game match ups.
This system would also improve the competition in Division 1A, bringing China and Denmark back to compete with Hungary, France, Norway, Italy, Korea and Austria. By expanding the schedule in Division 1A, it would also allow for a more accurate year over year ranking for promotion and relegation.
A caveat to this system working, would be restricting relegation and promotion to a single team. Currently, it's the two promoted teams that get relegated each and every year. There is no opportunity for them to stay.
In an eight and eight model, it would likely mean Germany and Hungary are battling for a spot, and it would create an even strong on-ice competition if Russia ever returns to international play.
While teams in the top division would shrink, it would actually provide more competition for the teams, and a straight forward quarterfinal system that would feature accurate placements. Last year, the third and fourth best teams in the tournament, Finland and Czechia, faced off in a quarterfinal which meant a team that did not belong in the semi-finals, Switzerland, was able to advance and play for a medal. A one through eight quarterfinal would avoid that situation.
Before criticizing the increased number of games played (seven in round robin), it's important to remember this is the exact number played in the men's, 16-team, World Championship.
Similarly, and perhaps more importantly, there would be an increase the competition level for not only the top division, but also the Division 1A tournament, where the most important global growth and development of women's hockey is occurring. The increased depth, and more games for these nations in the Division 1A tournament would be invaluable in development.
With the PWHL in the picture, allowing the best eight nations to go head-to-head, will also give teams in the new professional league an opportunity to better evaluate players head-to-head, which will ensure the best on the planet are being offered an opportunity to advance, which will again further the development of the global game.
It might not be the right solution, but it's an option. Whether the IIHF goes to balanced five team pools, or a single eight team tournament, it's time the international governing body finds a way to increase the level of competition for all teams at not only the top tournament, but the Division 1A group as well.