IIHF Hockey World Championship 2025 Betting Preview: Odds, Favorites, Predictions

IIHF 2025 Group A Preview and Predictions

• • Austria
  • Canada
  • Finland
  • France
  • Latvia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Sweden

Group A is stacked with the top three favorites all in this group. Sweden, Canada, and Finland headline the “group of death” side of the tournament. In short, the likely winner of the IIHF World Championship will come from Group A.

Note that the top four nations from each group advance to the quarterfinals. So, we’ll likely see all three powerhouses making it out of the round-robin.

That leaves the fourth spot wide open in Group A. According to the 2025 IIHF World Championship odds, that is most likely to be claimed by Slovakia. I can’t argue against that, as the Slovakians’ hockey program is well ahead of Latvia, Slovenia, France, and Austria.

In review, expect Sweden, Canada, Finland, and Slovakia to emerge from Group A and head to the quarterfinal stage.

IIHF 2025 Group B Preview and Predictions

• • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Kazakhstan
  • Norway
  • Switzerland
  • USA

Group B is shaping up to be a cakewalk for the United States and Czechia at the IIHF World Championship. As the only teams I have down with a chance to win the gold medal, a trip to the quarterfinals appears assured for the US and Czechia.

The Czechs are looking to defend their gold after upsetting the field last year on home ice. The gold medal match was a shocking final, as Czechia and Switzerland reached the championship. Look for Switzerland to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals as well.

That leaves one more spot to advance out of the round-robin stage. Although Germany won’t have Leon Draisaitl, they should be the final team to get out of Group B.

So, expect to see the USA, Czechia, Switzerland, and Germany proceeding from Group B in 2025.

Sweden (+280)

The Swedes are expected to bring a talented group with them to the IIHF World Championship in 2025. They won back-to-back gold medals in 2017 and 2018 but have been denied since then.

In total, Sweden has won 11 gold medals since the inaugural tournament in 1920. Although several Swedish stars will be participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they should have access to a number of reliable players.

Projected Star Players

Let’s start with who should be there based on NHL teams not going to the playoffs. The Nashville Predators are out of the playoff picture, so star playmaker Filip Forsberg will be eligible to participate.

Filip Forsberg absolutely RIPPED that puck 😳 pic.twitter.com/z8UjuTGFu2

— NHL (@NHL) March 12, 2025

Forsberg leads the Predators by 20 points! As of April 10, he has 30 goals and 42 assists in Nashville. Additionally, the Rangers’ playoff chances are effectively done, so Team Sweden should have access to veteran Mika Zibanejad. The Canucks’ playoff dreams are on life support, too, so Elias Pettersson could play if he’s healthy enough.

Bolstering the forward lines are likely to be Red Wings’ right winger Lucas Raymond and Flames’ center Mikael Backlund. The blue line should be in good shape with William Karlsson and Rasmus Dahlin leading the defense for Team Sweden.

Strengths & Weaknesses

As a result of key Swedish players missing out on the playoffs, they should be well-prepared to put a balanced roster on the ice. Historically known for their defense, Sweden won’t have any shortage of talent in the offensive zone, either.

Forsberg has the potential to be the most dynamic player in the IIHF World Championship this year. Along with Forsberg and Zibanejad, the Swedish side has two proven forwards who can make NHL defensemen frustrated.

With this in mind, Sweden shouldn’t have any problems offensively. Also, with the Red Wings unlikely to go to the playoffs, Raymond’s presence would provide the offense with a significant boost.

In the defensive zone, Sweden should be in good hands with Dahlin on the blue line. The three-time All-Star will shine on a functional roster away from the Sabres organization. Karlsson adds veteran leadership and savviness on the ice, so the defense should be a strength, too!

The only concern for Sweden is that starting goaltenders Linus Ullmark, Jacob Markstrom, and Filip Gustavsson are expected to be in the playoffs. Nevertheless, Sweden is a dangerous squad that will be tough to beat.

Canada (+300)

The Canadians are known as the powerhouses of ice hockey. They lead the IIHF World Championship with 28 gold medals and nine Olympic golds.

Team Canada has captured four titles since the 2015 season — most recently in 2023 over Germany. Canada’s chances often hinge on who is available during the tournament.

The majority of their stars are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and this year is no exception. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart, Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, and Brad Marchand are all on playoff teams.

Do you want me to keep going? Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Mark Scheifele, Nick Suzuki, Zach Hyman, John Tavares, and Dougie Hamilton won’t be available, either.

Projected Star Players

The absence of several stars opens up the door for other Canadians to fill the void. If Sidney Crosby decides to play, he’ll be the star attraction for Team Canada.

However, he opted out of the IIHF World Championship last year, and at 37 years old and likely seeking rest after another NHL season, Crosby’s status is iffy. Team Canada had Tavares, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Brandon Hagel on their team last year, but they’re on playoff teams as well.

So, where does this leave Team Canada? With the Flames struggling to clinch a playoff seed, Nazem Kadri should suit up for the Canadians. The Blue Jackets’ forward Sean Monahan is another solid option, though he opted out of last year’s tournament.

NAZEM KADRI WINS IT AGAIN!! 🔥

His second straight @Energizer overtime winner sends the @NHLFlames home with two big points! pic.twitter.com/sIuzVLcrUN

— NHL (@NHL) March 26, 2025

Michael Bunting and Connor Bedard are likely to be back for Canada in the IIHF World Championship. Additionally, Utah’s Dylan Guenther has a chance to emerge as a major contributor. Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann is likely to be on the roster as well.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Regardless of their rosters, Team Canada is always defensively sound on the blue line. They are well-coached and aren’t shy of getting physical and forcing turnovers. In other words, I don’t have issues with their defensive prowess in this tournament, but goaltending may be a problem without Jordan Binnington.

The offense lacks a lot of the firepower that they had in the 4 Nations Face-Off. It’s important to note that this isn’t the same team that we saw in that tournament, so temper your expectations.

Consistent goal scoring should be problematic for Team Canada. Bedard has had a down season, and if Kadri isn’t interested in playing, Canada will need somebody like Guenther to elevate his game.

In any event, Canadian hockey is so deep that they are going to put a competitive team on the ice. They have a chance to win, but I want a larger price than +300 for my IIHF World Championship picks!

Finland (+450)

The Finns are back at the IIHF World Championship gunning for their third gold medal since 2019. Finland’s latest title came on home soil against Team Canada in 2022.

They fell short of reaching the 4 Nations Face-Off title game after dropping a 5-3 defeat to Canada. Similar to the Canadians, Team Finland could be dealing with a talent drain at the IIHF World Championship due to their stars heading to the playoffs.

To name a handful of star Finnish hockey players, Miro Heiskanen, Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz, and Patrik Laine are not expected to be present. Laine’s presence is dependent on the Montreal Canadiens’ playoff bid, which appears to be getting close to reality.

Projected Stars Players

When Finland is at full strength and has all their weapons on the ice, they are an impressive squad with ample talent to compete. However, several of their top playmakers aren’t going to be flying to Sweden and Denmark.

Kraken right winger Kaapo Kakko has an opportunity to come out of this tournament as the star for Finland. He and Blackhawks’ left winger Teuvo Teravainen will be asked to do a lot for the Finns this year.

KEVIN LANKINEN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7Zus1zSdwp

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 19, 2025

Perhaps the best assets for Finland are going to be their goaltending. Finland should have Juuse Saros, Joonas Korpisalo, and Kevin Lankinen at their disposal, so they’ll have options between the pipes. If Finland wins the gold, it’s likely going to be because of their superior goaltending.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Finland is going to have to lean on their bevy of goaltenders in the IIHF World Championship. Lankinen has a chance to be the star of the tournament. If he can do that, then the Finnish squad is in business.

Stealing a tournament with hot goaltending during a short format is often enough to deliver the gold medal. And, considering other nations aren’t going to have the best of goaltending, Finland has a significant edge in the crease.

The goaltending will be elite, but I don’t know where Finland is going to find strong scoring from. They’re severely handicapped by their top forwards heading to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, so I’m concerned with how the Finns are going to fill the net consistently.

If the goaltending plays out of their minds, it may not matter in the end, though.