As the number of teams in contention for the Stanley Cup narrows, competition is heating up in Sweden and Denmark for the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men's World Championship. If you missed last week's action, you can check out our recap here.
With eight out of sixteen teams moving on to compete for a medal, it's time to check in on the five Red Wings spread across the rosters of Austria, Germany, and Sweden.
Austria: Marco Kasper
If Red Wings fans take anything away from this tournament, it should be that Marco Kasper is a gem.
In Austria's final game of the preliminary round, Kasper padded his stats from last week with two nifty assists. In addition to raising his point total to seven (4G/3A), Kasper's handiwork helped lead the team to a 6-1 victory over Latvia.
By edging Latvia out of Group A's top four, Austria secured a spot in the IIHF quarterfinals for the first time in over three decades. It's fitting that the ones ushering in a new era of accomplishment for Austria are their young stars; it was Kasper and 20-year-old Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer who tallied four goals each to lead the team.
Kasper's stellar performance is garnering attention in hockey circles around the world and giving fans a positive indication of what to expect in the future. After his exciting rookie season and the skill he continues to demonstrate in this tournament, he's proven that his ceiling in Detroit is higher than we thought.
Austria (2-2-0-3) will face Switzerland (6-0-1-0) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22 at 10:20 AM ET.
Germany: Moritz Seider
Moritz Seider's tenure as captain for Germany's team came to an end in yesterday's shootout loss against Denmark. Unable to move past fifth place in Group B, Germany narrowly missed their chance at a playoff spot.
Thanks to his time in Detroit, Seider is undoubtedly familiar with a disappointing fate, but that doesn't make it any less of a dismay. He will be the only Red Wing in the tournament who does not move on to the quarterfinal round.
Averaging 24 minutes per game, Seider ranked fifth overall in total ice time across all rostered skaters. Additionally, his defensive efforts earned him the Player of the Game award in his last matchup and gave him the opportunity to introduce a few other countries to some signature German steel during the last two weeks.
Seider totaled one point (0G/1A) and ended the tournament with a neutral 0 +/- rating.
After four straight losses, Germany finished the preliminary round with a record of 3-0-1-3, placing ninth overall in the final standings.
Sweden: Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson, & Erik Gustafsson
With three points over Sweden's last two games, Lucas Raymond's continued consistency has paid off. Sweden's near-perfect record, tarnished only by yesterday's loss against Canada, gave them an easy playoff entry through Group A's second place slot.
Raymond will head into the quarterfinals with eight points (2G/6A) and an admirable +7 rating. His two multi-point games, including Saturday's shutout victory over France, put him at a pace of over a point per game.
Raymond and fellow Red Wing Erik Gustafsson are on top of Sweden's assist department with a combined 12. Gustafsson, who leads the Swedish defensemen in assists, picked up his sixth in Saturday's win against France to match Raymond's total.
Simon Edvinsson's assist last week remains his sole point of the tournament, but his +3 rating is evidence of his steady, positive impact on the ice. In an interview with TV4 Nyheterna, he provided some insight on advice he received from a former Red Wings star that may explain for his inconspicuous presence over the last two weeks.
"Niklas Kronwall told me that the best defenders are the anonymous defenders," Edvinsson said. "You don't need to be seen and heard a lot. If you're not seen and heard, you've done something good. That's what I'm trying to achieve."
While that doesn't sound like it was a guiding principle of Kronwall's playing career, it's certainly food for thought.
Sweden (6-0-0-1) will face Czechia (5-1-0-1) in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22 at 2:20 PM ET.
Games can be streamed on ESPN+ or NHL Network in the US, TSN in Canada, or outside North America on IIHF.tv.