Norway – Kazakhstan 10-05-2025

Then it's ready for Norway's first game in this year's Ice Hockey World Championship, and for a game we get out of the starting blocks. This game could actually help decide Norway's hockey fate for many years to come. But we'll talk about that a little later in this analysis. The team they face in the opening game is Kazakhstan.

A team Norway has normally had a bad run at. But things happen in Kazakhstan's hockey these days. We will also come back to that. But a hockey World Cup held in Sweden and Denmark will probably lead to good support in the stands for the Norwegian team. Pool B, which these teams play in, is played in Denmark.

I think that is an advantage for Norway. The pool has 8 teams, and 4 teams advance to the playoffs, while the remaining teams must try to avoid last place in the pool. That would mean relegation from the A-pool in hockey. A level that the Norwegian team has actually clung to since 2006. Let's hope there can be a 20th anniversary next year.

Norway – A team without stars.

It will be exciting to see where this team ends up in this year's World Cup. Because on paper this is probably the weakest team we have fielded in many years. Or let's put it in a nicer way. The most untested team at this level. Because here there is a lack of established star players. Thoresen and Zuccarello are not in. Maybe it's time some think. We have some experienced players like Andreas Marthinsen and Eirik Saltsten. But otherwise there is a lot of young, and otherwise inexperienced crew with regard to national team games.

Fortunately, we get a player like Lilleberg who has had a full season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Great to establish himself in such a team at such a young age. There is also hope that we get Brandsegg-Nygård, who is still busy with the AHL playoffs. His team is down 2-0 in games now, and the next game is on the opening day of the World Cup, so he will not be in that game anyway. But if they pull out, national team manager Tobias Johansson hopes that he will be ready the next day for the rest of the playoffs.

But back to this match. There Norway has had to make some choices on the goalkeeper front. Supposed first goalkeeper Henrik Haukeland had to throw in the towel just before the World Cup with appendicitis so he is confirmed out. The keepers will therefore be the following three, Jonas Arntzen (Örebro), Mathias Schjerpen Arnkværn (Vålerenga) and Tobias Normann (Frölunda). It is uncertain whether any of these will be able to pick up the glove after Haukeland who has been Norway's first goalkeeper since 2018. We believe that there should be enough quality.

Otherwise, there are question marks about when Johannes Johannesen will be part of the squad. The Finland professional is going to be a father, but will report as soon as the birth on home soil is over. The defender is an important piece beyond the championship. What we still find exciting is that it is mostly Sweden and Finland professionals, as well as five players from Storhamar who will represent this team, so we believe the quality is there. It is just a matter of someone daring to take their place in the absence of our regular star. For example, we think it is exciting that Sweden professional Thomas Berg-Paulsen (25) will be the captain, after Thoresen (41) has given up.

We need a generational change in Norwegian hockey. It was exciting and surprising that Sparta player Jonas Myhre gets the chance. He is making his debut here in the World Cup. Otherwise, we think that coach Haukeland is doing the right thing by using so many players from Storhamar, who have had a great season at home, and may be able to bring some of the teamwork they have from this year into this team. We think this could quickly be crucial for the team to function.

Kazakhstan – Goalkeeper trouble.

Let's get it straight. This is one of the teams Norway will be fighting against to avoid relegation. It is therefore an incredibly important match for both teams. A team that Norway has struggled against at times, but there have not been many matches between them in recent years.

A lot has happened with this team over the past few years. They have decided not to use these players who have so-called dual citizenship, which many believe they have received surprisingly quickly, as soon as they were interested in playing for this team. Players like Canadian Nigel Dawes and Swedish Viktor Svedberg, are now out of the team.

It has created some challenges with the depth of the team. This team will probably have bigger problems than they have had in previous years. If you take into account that both of their two best goalkeepers were injured just before the World Cup, it does not help the quality. Sergei Kudryavtsev now looks like the best option, after both Nikita Boyarkin and Andrey Shutov are confirmed out of it.

The team's strength, however, is that their efforts often lead to them keeping the games even. Then we know that anything can happen. The offensive line really only consists of Roman Starchenko, 38, and Nikita Mikhailis, 29, and we think that may be too thin, especially in this match.

Conclusion – International players decide.

Even though Norway is not filled with stars from the NHL, we have players with good experience from the top level in Europe. While Kazakhstan is mostly homegrown players. There should be a difference in level, and we have faith that Norway will take this important opening game, on what will be experienced as a home field.

As I said, this match could mean everything for survival, and we expect Norway to put all their eggs in one basket right from the start. This match just has to be won, and we believe it will happen. That's another reason why we have clung to this level since 2006. We are therefore playing the following.

Hockey at 12:20: Norway – Kazakhstan: Norway wins (2.05)