<p>There wasn’t a ton of tight hockey at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark, but the lead-up to the playoffs got all the more entertaining.</p>



<p>The afternoon started with a pair of 5-2 games, with Germany getting a nice boost from Tim Stutzle’s arrival to beat Norway. Latvia, meanwhile, made sure to avoid a collapse against Slovenia, winning the game to improve to 2-1 and move into third place in Group A.</p>



<p>The top spot, for now, will belong to Canada, who beat France 5-0. It was Canada’s second shutout of the tournament, and a good tournament debut for Jordan Binnington, who became Canada’s third goaltender to play through three games.</p>



<p>The Hungary vs. Kazakhstan match was the most important of the day. Had Hungary lost, they’d be in a tough spot to avoid relegation. Instead, they beat Kazakhstan 4-2 to move into fifth place in Group B, passing Kazakhstan and clogging up Group B even further.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="160"></div>



<p>Here’s a look at who stood out on Day 5 of the World Championship:</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Germany 5, Norway 2</h2>



<p><strong>#18 Tim Stutzle, C (Ottawa Senators):</strong> Stutzle joined the lineup for his first game and immediately impacted the second line. He did the dirty work to lead to the 1-0 goal and then pushed hard defensively to help start the play that made it 2-0. He brought his speed and hockey IQ to every shift and proved to be a nightmare matchup for the Norwegians. </p>



<p><strong>#42 Yasin Ehliz, LW</strong>: Ehliz was in the right spot at the right time for the 1-0 goal and then had the primary assist on the shorthanded 2-0 goal. That was the best we’ve seen him play in this tournament, showing some new life with Stutzle. Ehliz can do a bit of everything, and I love him as a penalty killer. He might not be too skilled but he knows how to win battles.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="154"></div>



<p><strong>#65 Marc Michaelis, RW:</strong> Rounding out the top line, Michaelis had a goal and an assist today. He’s a bit more skilled than Ehliz, and he beats guys with skill. But those two together complement each other so well and make for a dynamic duo beside Stutzle.</p>



<p><strong>#44 Josh Samanski, C (Edmonton Oilers):</strong> The more I watch Samanski, the more I like him. The big center battles like he’s got something personal against everyone, and he uses that to his advantage in front of the opposition’s net. He had a goal today on a great effort, and I love his shot.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Norway</h2>



<p><strong>#72 Stian Solberg, D (Anaheim Ducks):</strong> Solberg has been Norway’s best player by a mile at this tournament, getting himself involved most physically and offensively. He didn’t register an assist, but he had two good shots in the second and played a ton of minutes in all situations. He might be young, but the 2024 first-round pick looks so calm and poised while also showing a willingness to shove players through the glass.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="174"></div>



<p><strong>#28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, C (Detroit Red Wings): </strong>MBN had an assist for Norway, and he was also Norway’s best two-way player. I felt like he was just fine in the past few games, but today he Germany fits in their own zone. He also landed some hits and blocked a few shots for a good all-around effort.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Latvia 5, Slovenia 2</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Latvia</strong></h3>



<p><strong>#34 Eduards Tralmaks, RW (Detroit Red Wings): </strong>Tralmaks had a monster game, scoring two goals and adding and an assist. On his second goal, he rushed in from his own zone, won a puck battle and scored a beautiful goal. His work ethic is second to none on this team, and I love the way he uses his speed to create chances.</p>



<p><strong>#11 Dans Locmelis, C (Boston Bruins):</strong> Locmelis was great again, earning top player honors after scoring a goal and registering four assists. He’s come a long way from being a depth forward with this group in previous years. Now, the former college hockey star has developed into a smart, skilled playmaker who can also beat goalies with his shot. He led all Latvian players with 20:16 in ice time today.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="189"></div>



<p><strong>#94 Kristians Rubins, D:</strong> The 6-foot-5 defenseman showed some good puck-moving chops today. He had four shots, and, more importantly, a goal and an assist. He’s known more for his physical play and his shutdown tendencies, but the former NHL prospect was a lot more involved in getting the puck into scoring spots today.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Slovenia</strong></h3>



<p><strong>#46 Matic Torok, C: </strong>Torok was named Slovenia’s player of the game, largely due to his speed and the way he helped out on defense. He’s not a particularly skilled player, but both his shots on net nearly resulted in goals. I also thought he did a decent job of retrieving pucks and keeping the disk in the O-zone.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Canada 5, France 0</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Canada</strong></h3>



<p><strong>#87 Sidney Crosby, C (Pittsburgh Penguins):</strong> Crosby had been Canada’s best set-up guy in this tournament and he finally got a goal of his own. It was a nice shot, walking in on the power play before roofing it over goaltender Julian Junca. Crosby is so smart and calculated in his puck work – almost like he’s one of the greatest players of his generation.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="178"></div>



<p><strong>#71 Tyson Foerster, RW (Philadelphia Flyers):</strong> Foerster continues to be a high-end player away from the puck. But he also made an excellent play along the boards to beat a French defender before getting the puck into scoring position for Bo Horvat in the first. Foerster rarely lost anywhere on the ice and made it so much easier for his linemates to make things happen. I’d argue Foerster has been Canada’s best forward in this tournament.</p>



<p><strong>#17 Will Cuylle, LW (New York Rangers):</strong> Cuylle was a machine out there. Between his 2-0 goal and his countless big hits, France couldn’t contain him. He didn’t play much as the 13th forward, averaging under two minutes per period. But it felt like he made sure to keep himself engaged and involved in any play he could possibly join in on. That’s the type of performance you like to see from a role guy.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="151"></div>



<p><strong>#14 Bo Horvat, LW (New York Islanders):</strong> Smart goal-scorers consistently put themselves into scoring positions. That’s what Horvat did today, scoring twice for the second time in the tournament. Horvat is having himself quite the tournament, acting as the trigger man for Nathan MacKinnon’s passes on Canada’s top line. Don’t be surprised if Horvat ends up winning the goal-scoring race.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>France</strong></h3>



<p><strong>#33 Julian Junca, G:</strong> Junca didn’t have an easy night but he kept it as close as he could. There wasn’t much he could have done on the first two goals and then he got beaten by a shot that probably only Crosby could have scored in that situation. Junca was busy from the onset of puck drop and did as well as you could have expected in a one-sided game like this.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="6" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="133"></div>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hungary 4, Kazakhstan 2</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hungary</h3>



<p><strong>#16 Janos Hari, C:</strong> Hari had a goal and two assists in the best game any Hungarian player has had so far. The top-line center had never scored in this top-level tournament before, but has always been productive in Division IA. He’s been great at this tournament already with four points on a low-scoring Hungarian team.</p>



<p><strong>#34 Istvan Terbocs, RW:</strong> Terbocs scored one of Hungary’s first-period goals and had a couple of other good looks. He beat guys by pushing past in front of the net and he also had a willingness to challenge odd-man situations. I liked his energy and the way he handled dealing with pressure with the puck.</p>



<p><strong>#1 Bence Balizs, G</strong>: Balizs wasn’t overly tested but goaltending was going to be a difference-maker in this game and Balizs delivered. Balizs has never been a starter at the top World Championship, but he was outstanding a year ago when they won Division IA. This was his best top division game so far.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="7" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="165"></div>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Kazakhstan</h3>



<p><strong>#10 Nikita Mikhalis, RW:</strong> Mikhalis had the lone Kazakh goal today, scoring on a nice wrist shot on the power play. The veteran forward often is the one creating offense on the man advantage for Kazakhstan because the most purely skilled forward on the team. It wasn’t enough to spark a comeback, but at least he had some good looks all game.</p>



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