2026 IIHF World Championship: Top standouts from Day 5

None of the IIHF’s top powerhouses took part in Day 5 of the Men’s World Championship in Switzerland, but there was no shortage of action.

Norway and Hungary would register shutouts in key matchups on Tuesday, while Austria would improve to 3-0 with a great effort against the Latvians. Slovakia and Slovenia, meanwhile, would need a shootout, with Slovakia eventually winning to salvage their effort. Italy and Great Britain were both shutout in rough efforts for the two recently promoted squads.

Here’s a look at the top performers from Tuesday’s four-game slate in Zurich and Fribourg:

Italy 0, Norway 3

Norway has snagged its second win of the tournament to keep itself in a playoff spot after beating the 2026 Winter Olympic hosts, Italy, 3-0 on Tuesday.

Norway had previously beaten Slovenia 4-0 on Sunday and lost just 2-1 to Slovakia on Saturday, so it has been a solid tournament for the nation. Italy, meanwhile, has dropped all three games so far and are firmly in the relegation conversation at this point.

Eskild Bakke Olsen scored the lone goal of the opening frame, while Noah Steen would make it 2-0 at 31:40. Defensive defenseman Christian Kaasastul scored his first career goal after 35 games with the 3-0 goal, the one that proved to be the ultimate back-breaker for the Italians in the second period. Italian goaltender Davide Fadani played well after that, but it wasn’t enough to swing things in Italy’s direction.

Italy

#35 Davide Fadani, G: Fadani had to be spectacular in this one – he stopped 17 shots in the first period alone. The game started to fall apart in the third, but Fadani did everything in his power to keep it a tight affair. Fadani was solid at the Division IA tournament last year, helping the Italians earn promotion to this event. Fadani is small, but athletic, and he doesn’t miss many straight-on shots.

Norway

#40 Henrik Haukeland, G: Haukeland was perfect in this one, allowing few dangerous rebounds. He’s a calm goaltender who doesn’t seem to get fazed from consistent pressure, and he doesn’t wear down late in games. He was busy in the second half of this one but gave the Italians little room to work with.

#72 Stian Solberg, D (Anaheim Ducks): As expected, Solberg was involved in every physical bout all night long. He loves inserting himself wherever he can, and he rarely loses a shoving match. He has been just fine for the most part at this tournament, but it feels like his decision-making with the puck has taken big strides from a year ago. In a matchup like this, it felt like Solberg was on the top of his game.

#12 Noah Steen, C (Tampa Bay Lightning): Steen plays with a boatload of energy, and it resulted in the 2-0 breakaway goal. The 21-year-old loves to get in the way of pucks and isn’t afraid to battle hard along the boards. This marked his first goal of the tournament, but it was actually his two-way play that has earned him some love early on.

#71 Eskild Bakke Olsen, C: EBO was everywhere in this game, so it wasn’t surprising that he finally scored his first men’s national team goal since 2024. He used his big frame to power through opponents and create space for himself in front of the net. He’s not much of a point-producer, but he has looked good as Norway’s second-line center this year. Scouts are definitely keeping a close eye on him – he just had a solid first year in the SHL as a 24-year-old forward with two-way reliability. Don’t be surprised if an NHL team tries to snag him once his SHL deal ends in 2028.

Austria 3, Latvia 1

Austria has started the top division World Championship with a 3-0 record for the first time ever after beating Latvia 3-1 on Tuesday.

The win puts Austria in a three-way tie with Switzerland and Finland, who also have nine points apiece. Austria beat Great Britain on Saturday, then stopped Hungary on Sunday, with Latvia proving to be the team’s toughest competition to date.

Latvia outperformed Austria early in this one, but Austria struck first. Tim Harnisch scored the lone goal in the second, and it seemed to wake up his team. They weren’t able to capitalize, though, with Rudolfs Balcers scoring 25 seconds into the third period to tie it up. But a penalty to Oskars Batna proved to be costly, as Benjamin Nissner was able to score the game-winning goal on the power play to make it 2-1 for Austria. Latvia tried to push back, but Montreal Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer scored for Austria with two seconds left to finish the evening 3-1.

Austria

#35 Atte Tolvanen, G: Latvia kept the Austrians pinned in their zone throughout the early part of this game, but Tolvanen never broke. Tolvanen was solid against Hungary on Sunday but today was his best national team performance to date after showing poise and a high level of calmness in the crease. Tolvanen rarely gave the Latvians much to shoot at, but he did give his team the best chance possible of coming out on top.

#19 Vinzenz Rohrer, C (Montreal Canadiens): Rohrer had a breakthrough World Championship a year ago, and impressed in his limited AHL action earlier this year with the Laval Rocket. He’s not much of a point-producer, but he’s a hard-hitting, hard-working forward who plays with a ton of energy. He’s not big at 5-foot-10 and 161 pounds, but he proved today that he doesn’t shy away from physical confrontations. The empty-netter with two seconds left was icing on the cake.

Latvia

#23 Sandis Vilmanis, LW (Florida Panthers): Vilmanis was promoted to Latvia’s top line and gave the team a much-needed energy boost. I thought he was everywhere in this one, hitting opponents, creating screens, and making smart decisions with the puck. Vilmanis doesn’t play with much flash, but he’s smart and reliable at both ends of the ice.

#95 Oskars Batna, LW: Batna had five shots through two periods, so it was surprising he couldn’t figure out how to beat Tolvanen. He hits everyone in sight, but he also has a hard wrister that he consistently gets toward scoring situations. At 6-foot-5, it’s hard to miss Batna, and while he doesn’t have much in terms of raw skill, he makes up for it by being a total pain in the butt to contain.

Great Britain 0, Hungary 5

In a game that was crucial to avoid relegation, Hungary came out swinging and easily beat Great Britain 5-0 on Tuesday.

Both games had Monday off, so it was surprising to see GB struggle early in this one. Krisztian Nagy scored at 2:19 in his first shift of the game, while Doman Szongoth tallied his first career World Championship goal at 18:14. The Brits needed a big second period to get themselves in it, but a shorthanded goal from Istvan Terbocs just 2:31 into the middle stanza ultimately put the game out of reach.

Great Britain swapped goalies, replacing long-time starter Ben Bowns with former NHL prospect Mat Robson. It didn’t seem to change the team’s fortunes, though, as both Terbocs and Nagy scored again to make it a 5-0 game, stealing any potential comeback effort for the Brits.

The win was Hungary’s first win of the tournament, which means Great Britain will need at least four points to avoid getting relegated out of Group A. GB still has to play Switzerland, Finland, Latvia, and Germany, meaning the road to survival will be a difficult one.

Great Britain

#14 Liam Kirk, C: The giveaway that led to the third Hungarian goal was an ugly one. But beyond that, Kirk was the only GB forward who seemed capable of generating quality chances. His mix of speed and quick hands allow him to create quality chances, especially against a team like Hungary that doesn’t move overly quickly. The Brits have needed him to have mega games in the past to win, and that’s not likely going to change moving forward.

Hungary

#1 Bence Bálizs, G: Bálizs played one of his best World Championship games to date today. The long-time Hungarian national team goalie has played around 100 games in his nation’s colors, but few were as important in ensuring his team could avoid the relegation round as today. He was far busier in goal, stopping 24 shots through the first two periods alone, which seemed to deflate the British attack. The 35-year-old is quick, doesn’t overreact to many shots and tracks pucks well through screens.

#5 Doman Szongoth, C (2026 NHL Draft): Projected to go in the mid-rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft, Szongoth became just the second youngest Hungarian player to register a goal at this tournament. He did so after a solid move to get British goaltender Ben Bowns well out of position in the first period, sliding it in quite easily. Szongoth is a strong, skilled forward who has thrived at all levels with the Hungarian national team this year. He plays with speed and quite a bit of hockey sense, and it makes him very dangerous in tight spaces.

#13 Krisztian Nagy, C: Nagy was a late addition to this team and had never scored in a World Championship game at any level. In fact, he had just one goal in 45 ICEHL games and one goal in 13 international games heading into today. So to watch him score on the first shift of his first game, nearly add another on the next opportunity, and then score a second late in the night, had to feel incredible for his confidence. The 31-year-old is more of a grinder who will chase you all night. What a night for a player who is well respected in Hungary.

#34 Istvan Terbocs, RW: Terbocs was the hardest-working player out there today. He hit everyone in sight, and he also stole the puck off Kirk to make it 3-0 in the second. His second goal came off of a steal, too. Terbocs will never be known for his offense, but he’ll give you a full effort every shift and, sometimes, it pays off on the scoresheet. This has been one of his better seasons internationally overall, and today was his best game, period.

Slovakia 5, Slovenia 4 (SO)

Slovakia avoided a late-game Group B collapse after beating Slovenia 5-4 in the shootout.

The Slovaks now sit in second place with eight points, with Canada having the advantage in the group with nine. Slovenia will stay in sixth place, currently holding the advantage over the 0-3 squads from Denmark and Italy.

Adam Liska opened the scoring at 1:20, but it wouldn’t last. Ken Ograjensek would tie the game up thanks to a two-man advantage with under five minutes to go in the frame, giving them some hope. Slovakia would regain the lead at 18:35, with Martin Chromiak’s first of the tournament after helping force a turnover from Rok Ticar.

Ticar would get some revenge at 21:17, scoring one of his own to tie the game up again. Filip Mesar and Martin Fasko-Rudas would each tally goals for the Slovaks, giving them their first two-goal advantage of the game. Jan Drozg would score for Slovenia at 37:48 to try and bring his team back into it, and Ticar would an answer the bell with a last-minute goal to force overtime.

Slovenia was better in overtime, but neither team found the back of the net. The two squads traded goals in overtime, but it would be Martin Pospisil who’d score the game-winner in the skills competition to give Slovakia the victory.

Slovakia

#13 František Gajdoš, D: Gajdoš entered today’s game with just two career points in three World Championships, but he had a nice two-assist effort today. He’s more of a mobile, shutdown defender, but he showed some good heads-up plays today and outworked most of his opponents. I hadn’t noticed him much before today, but it was nice to see him have the game of his life.

#9 Filip Mešár, RW (Montreal Canadiens): Mešár scored the third Slovak goal in this game and then finished off the night by scoring the back-breaker in the shootout. The 22-year-old has had a few difficult seasons since going in the first round to Montreal in 2022, but he has played well overall in this tournament. Mešár looked confident all game long, so it was good to see him rewarded for it.

#88 Martin Chromiak, RW (Los Angeles Kings): Chromiak had a goal and a couple of other dangerous chances in his best game of the tournament. The LA Kings prospect is coming off a breakthrough season that saw him register 28 goals and 56 points in the AHL, so expectations were high heading to the Worlds. Chromiak has never been a big producer before with just three points in 14 games entering today, but this felt like an effort he can be proud of. Consistency the rest of the way will be critical, though.

#23 Adam Liska, LW: Liska played with a ton of energy in this one, which led to three quality chances in the opening period. He scored the opening goal, and was everywhere early on as the Slovaks looked to pull away. The 26-year-old winger feeds off more intense games, and he plays with a ton of speed. Liska missed the past few years of this event as Slovakia elected not to take KHLers, but he has been a solid addition in the top-six this year.

Slovenia

#21 Jan Drozg, RW: Drozg scored the third Slovenian goal and then nearly added another in overtime. He was the driving force behind so many of Slovenia’s chances in the latter stages of this game, especially as they dominated overtime. The former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect is a smart, calculated shooter, and this was a big day for him with the puck.

#24 Rok Ticar, C: Ticar will want the second Slovak goal back, but he still managed to score three goals (one in the shootout) and an assist today. He’s usually a reliable forward who plays a strong north-south game, and Slovenia relies on him in all situations. He’s a veteran of international play, having made his U-18 debut 20 years ago. These days, the 37-year-old is known more as a good support player, but he has been Slovenia’s best player throughout this tournament.

#46 Matic Török, C: Török is a speedy forward who primarily plays the wing, but has taken on top-line center duties for the Slovenians. He’s been good at this tournament, and was excellent at freeing up his linemates by being annoying near the slot. He drew two Slovakian defenders toward him on the 4-3 power-play goal, which proved critical in keeping Slovenia in this one. He’s a tough forward to push around despite being a bit smaller, and he loves his stick checks.