Shannon Coulter
It’s a rematch of the 2025 quarterfinals as Canada’s National Men’s Team faces Denmark in the third of seven preliminary-round games at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.
Last Game
Canada earned its second win in as many days with a 6-0 win over of Italy on Saturday. Captain Macklin Celebrini led with two goals and an assist, Dylan Holloway and Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and an assist each, and Cam Talbot made 19 saves to record his fifth shutout in nine Men’s Worlds appearances.
Denmark was last on the ice yesterday, falling 6-2 to Sweden for its second loss of the tournament. Both Danish goals were scored on the power play: Joachim Blichfeld got one in the middle frame and Mikkel Aagaard recorded his power-play marker midway through the third period.
Last Meeting
It was a quarterfinal meeting many Canadians would like to forget. Canada faced Denmark a year ago in Herning, falling 2-1 to the co-hosts to end its quest for a 29th gold medal. After two scoreless periods, Travis Sanheim scored 5:17 into the third to give the Canadians the lead. Nikolaj Ehlers tied the game with 2:17 left and an extra attacker on before Nick Olesen scored the game-winning goal with 49 seconds remaining.
What to Watch
Macklin Celebrini’s offensive prowess was on full display against the Italians, scoring twice and adding an assist, and he is a plus-three over two games. Celebrini is no stranger to scoring on the international stage—he has recorded 19 goals and 41 points over 30 games wearing the Maple Leaf. At the other end of the ice, the Canadians have a tremendous one-two punch between the pipes, with Cam Talbot and Jet Greaves each having a game under their belts in Fribourg. Talbot won gold at the 2016 Men’s Worlds, registering a 1.25 goals-against average and recording four shutouts over eight games. Meanwhile, this is Greaves’ first international appearance—he made 22 saves against Sweden in Canada’s opening game.
The Danes have 14 players back from the team that played for bronze a year ago, and 13 who were Olympians in Milan, where Denmark finished ninth. Olesen—who scored the game-winner against Canada last year—is back, making his sixth Men’s Worlds appearance. He notched four goals and five points over four games at the Olympics. Dichow, who made 39 saves in the 2025 quarterfinal, is back in the crease. And talk about experience on the blue line: Jesper Jensen Aabo is playing in his 15th world championship; he made his debut as the youngest member of the Danish team back in 2011 at 19 years old.
A Look Back
This is the 11th meeting between Canada and Denmark, with the Canadians winning seven of the first 10.
Canada’s highest single-game offensive output came at the expense of the Danes—the Sudbury Wolves beat Denmark 47-0 en route to a silver medal in 1949. Canada’s last win against against the Danes was a 5-1 preliminary-round victory in 2024—Connor Bedard led the way with two goals and an assist in that one.
All-time record: Canada leads 7-2-1 Canada goals: 83 Denmark goals: 14