Team Canada won their 27th IIHF World Championship Gold medal in the big final on Sunday after a 3-2 win over Finland, avenging a finals loss to the Finns two years prior and earning Canada their third gold in the last six years.
With the tournament now over, let’s take a look back at how some of our familiar Champions Hockey League players fared.
An unlikely hero for Slovakia, 25-year-old Peter Cehlárik was voted most productive forward of this year's Championship. The NHL-experienced forward scored five goals and six assists, ranking him fifth overall on the Championship’s combined scoring leaderboard, despite only featuring in eight games.
Cehlárik is no new name to CHL fans - the Slovak national lifted the European Trophy back in 2014/15 during his five-year spell with Luleå Hockey and even scored the equalizer in the Final.
The Växjö Lakers’ Jack Drury, who will get his first taste of CHL hockey later this year, and EV Zug’s Justin Abdelkader won Bronze with Team USA thanks to a dominant performance against Germany in the battle for third place.
As predicted, Sweden’s Nils Lundkvist put on a solid show at the World Championships. The youngster, who is a product of Luleå’s academy, scored five assists in only three games, ranking him fifth on the assists leaderboard.
Just a reminder – the 20-year-old defenceman scored 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in 12 games during his debut season in the CHL and was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 2018 Draft.
Team Finland made it all the way to the Final and despite having to settle for Silver, IFK Helsinki forward Anton Lundell can certainly be pleased with the outcome. The promising youngster's performances caught the eye of NHL side the Florida Panthers, who signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Finn.
Germany's 20-year-old defenceman Moritz Seider, who is currently on loan to SHL side Rögle Ängelholm, who will make their debut in the CHL later this year, took home the award for the tournament's best defenceman. The talented youngster was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2019.
Switzerland’s Gregory Hofmann also showcased what we have become used to seeing from him in the CHL – scoring six goals in eight games on the international stage. His prolific goal-scoring appetite landed him third place on the tournament’s goal-scoring leaderboard.
Here's one of his most famous CHL goals
Overall, a very productive two weeks of international hockey for our CHL stars – see you in a few months' time for the CHL Group Stage!