2025 International Hockey Overview – Which Countries Are the Best at Ice Hockey?

It’s a safe assumption that places with cold winters filled with snow are usually the best bets for finding great hockey players. There are outliers to that statement, but for the most part, the best hockey players hail from countries that thrive when the winter months roll around.  

The international hockey stage is loaded with great players, but only a few countries reign  supreme year after year. The best countries in the world at ice hockey have consistently been Canada, the United States, and Russia. More recently though, Sweden and Finland have joined that conversation. These four countries (excluding Russia as they don’t always compete) have earned the most medals from the major international tournaments over the last ten years, and they have the most active players in the NHL with Canada leading the way. This is probably why the newest major international tournament, 4-Nations Face Off, starting February 12, 2025, only includes these four countries.

Although, there are certainly other nations on the rise in the international hockey scene, such as Czechia and Switzerland, as well as Latvia. All three of which taking home a medal in recent years. And let’s not forget about Russia, which has a long and successful hockey history and continues to produce amazing players. They very well could and should be in the new aforementioned tourney to properly represent the top teams by nation. Per the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Russia was ranked second overall in the world. However, they do not participate in the annual IIHF Men’s World Championship program. Hence the gap between first and third in the rankings below.

Above is a closer snapshot of the rankings per IIHF in 2024. A lot goes into ranking a country, so take these with a grain of salt as they don’t necessarily factor historical performance like how many medals a country has won. As mentioned, the U.S., Canada, Sweden, and Finland have consistently done the best in tourneys over the last decade. Even longer for U.S. and Canada, as well as Russia. But other nations are catching up.

Canada’s Continued Dominance

The Canadian Men’s national team have medaled in three of the last four Olympic games and has featured great players on their roster like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Carey Price, Martin Brodeur, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, and Jarome Iginla, all of whom are in, or headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame once their NHL career is done. And now have players like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar to lead the way.

Canada has been a staple of the international scene since hockey was practically invented and we are not talking strictly at the professional level. The Canadians boast a rather successful World Junior team that assembles every December to contest the IIHF World Junior Championships.

The Canadians have dominated that competition to the tune of 11 gold medals, including five straight from 2005-2009, out of 27 competitions. A 40 percent win rate is a serious achievement. They’ve also finished runner-up on eight occasions which means they’ve reached the finals in 66 percent of all tournaments. On the men’s stage, there is no equal. But the U.S. has been making a splash the last few years.

The United States Potential

For as dominant as the United States is at most sports, hockey is a sport where the potential remains untapped on an international level. Yes, they have the second most active NHL players (behind Canada) and have notable Hall of Famers like Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Brian Leetch, and Pat LaFontaine, but they have not turned their ability to produce elite talent into success on the international scene.

The United States men’s hockey team has medaled in just two of the last nine Olympic games which span back to 1984. Their last Oylmpic medal was silver in 2010 in Vancouver. They have just four bronze medals to show for their efforts at the IIHF World Championships dating back to 2013.

On the junior level, the States have been far better in terms of converting their chances as they’ve won four medals, including three gold, over the last five tournaments (as of 2025). Indicating the talent pool is on the rise for the U.S., which could be the boost they need for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Can the United States compete with Canada’s hockey dominance?

While winning championships and medals may be the ultimate comparison, Canada and the United States are on a level all by themselves. The United States can compete with Canadian dominance and it’s no more evident than in today’s NHL. Players like Connor Hellebuyck, Auston Matthews, Quinn Hughes, Patrick Kane, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Jason Robertson, and Trevor Zegras have made a name for themselves and continue to push boundaries and level the playing field with their Canadian foes.

Do Scandinavian countries have a strong tradition of ice hockey?

If we take the three countries most referred to as Scandinavian – Denmark, Norway, and Sweden – you would only find one true hockey power and that’s Sweden. Sweden has three Olympic medals over the last eight tournaments, but it’s the way they play the game that makes them incredibly fun to watch. Sweden has produced some incredible hockey players who have had tons of success in the NHL that ended in Hall of Fame careers such as Mats Sundin, Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson, Peter Forsberg, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and the late Borje Salming.

Norway and Denmark are still minnows when it comes to international hockey, but with everyday NHL players like Lars Eller, Frederik Andersen, and Nikolas Ehlers, Denmark isn’t the pushover it once was.

Finland, while not necessarily a traditional Scandinavian country, geographically speaking its a very close neighbor that has also been on the rise. They received gold in 2019 and 2022 of the IIHF World Championship and silver in 2021. Oh and they won gold in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. All of which is likely a big factor in them being selected for the first ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025.

What About Russia…how do they stack up?

When it comes to Russia and international hockey, count them out at your own peril. The Russians boast some of the most gifted players to lace up the skates both internationally and in the NHL. Guys like Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny, and Igor Larionov, are all well-known and well-respected players on and off the ice.

Ovechkin is currently chasing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history and has a very real shot of surpassing The Great One. Datsyuk, Malkin, and Fedorov have a combined eight Stanley Cups between them while Bure’s “Russian Rocket” nickname is well-deserved through their speed and goal-scoring ability.

As a team, the Russians or (ROC) have won gold and silver medals over the last two Olympics and are ranked second in the world by the IIHF, so it’s safe to say that when it comes to ice hockey, the Russians are capable of dominating.

Do smaller countries have a chance at success in ice hockey?

The level of interest over the years and even resources the smaller countries have pales in comparison to the likes of Canada, the US, or Russia. Smaller countries like Czechia, Germany, Slovakia, and Switzerland may sporadically produce one or two great hockey players from time to time (Jaromir Jagr, Marian Gaborik, Anze Kopitar), but historically speaking, the collective whole of these countries typically do not have the talent to keep up with the big fish.  

That said, neither the U.S., Canada, or Sweden medaled in the 2022 Olympics. Finland, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and Slovakia finished first, second, and third, respectively. The 2018 Olympics saw Russia, Germany, and Canada take first, second, and third, respectively.

Additionally, Czechia just won gold at the 2024 IIHF World Championship (last winning in 2010) with Switzerland and Sweden receiving silver and bronze, respectively. So clearly the battle for international championships is not as imbalanced as it once was despite some of these smaller countries not producing as many high caliber NHL players as seen from Canada and the U.S.

How does the level of play in European countries compare to North America?

There are several European leagues that are considered professional, but the KHL in Russia is the only league that gets the credit it deserves. In Europe, the ice rink is shorter in length, but much wider than ice rinks in North America which leads to two completely different styles of play.

Europeans with more room tend to hold on to the puck longer and try to make plays without the fear of turning it over or being hounded right away. In the NHL, the small rinks afford very little time and space to players, and as such, the game is played at a faster pace with more actionable events.

Nonetheless, the level of play in Europe is good enough for players in those regions to make a name for themselves and find their way to North America to compete in the NHL.  

Do certain regions within countries dominate their national ice hockey teams?

When forming an international ice hockey team, where you are from within your country does not matter to the people picking the team. There have been instances where one or two great players come from the same town (Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby are both from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) but ultimately, it’s very rare that a team will be made up of players from the same region.

What factors contribute to a country’s success in ice hockey?

If we look at this question from a tournament-specific point of view, a country’s success in ice hockey depends on whether they have enough players in the prime of their careers to dominate on the biggest stage. Countries like Canada, the United States, and Russia will have endless talent to choose from, but Sweden’s golden generation peaked when they won the gold medal at the 2006 Olympics.

If we look at the bigger picture, a country’s success in ice hockey is dictated by how much interest there is in ice hockey at the amateur level and how much resources and funding the organizations and governments are willing to put into the program and help it grow. Money and having the right leaders in place to build a winning hockey program are the most important first steps when it comes to turning a country like Finland, once an afterthought on the ice hockey scene, into a country that most teams would rather avoid playing when the big games come around.

How have the rankings of top ice hockey countries changed over time?

In the 1960s and 70’s the Russians – formerly known as the Soviet Union – dominated the international ice hockey scene. They won four straight gold medals from 1964 to 1976 and then two straight in 1984 and 1988. Since then, the rankings have shifted quite a bit. The Russians are now often considered the third or fourth-best team depending on the year, but ranked second in 2024 by IIHF, as previously mentioned.

Canada, who went 50 years between gold medals (1952-2002), has been the top-ranked team since then. The United States has often be in a firm second position with Sweden and Russia interchanging their rankings every other tournament, but as mentioned, the impact from some of the aforementioned smaller countries winning tournaments has caused a shake up in these rankings.   

So which country is the safest bet to continue its dominance on the ice hockey scene?

Past and current stature tell us that Canada and the United States are the two countries that will continue to dominate the ice hockey scene. They continue to produce world-class players that feature prominently on their NHL teams and with the interest and funds available, there is simply no stopping their hockey programs.

But that’s not to say they won’t be regularly challenged. The outcome of international tournaments over recent years indicate several other countries are more than up to the task in taking home the gold medal. This will only further increase the level of competition for all, which is great news for the quality and growth of the game at all levels.

And lets not forget about women’s hockey!

The Canadian women’s hockey team is also a step above the rest of the world. They’ve won five gold medals in just seven appearances at the Olympics. They’ve also added 12 gold medals in 21 appearances at the Women’s World Championships, including back-to-back wins in 2021, and 2022.  

It’s safe to say that when it comes to women’s ice hockey dominance, Canada is at the top of the list for good reason. Similar to men’s though, competition is continuing to increase at all levels for women. There is a lot of upside potential to be had by women players in all countries that support the sport.