The IIHF hosted the inaugural Asian Championships for both men and women, during the most recent international break. China, Japan, Kazakhstan, and South Korea all played in round robin tournaments to determine the champions.
This is the beginning of a cycle of competition that will be played until 2028. The goal is to allow the top Asian nations to play competitive matches during the season without having to travel across the world, like their European counterparts.
These events were also used as an exhibition for the upcoming 2025 Asian Winter Games, which will be played in Harbin, China, in February. It is projected that the top groups will be played amongst the same top four ranked nations in each category.
Men’s Tournament
Kazakhstan came away victorious on home ice in Almaty, however it did not come easily. The Kazakhs, the top seeded team, were upset by South Korea in their opening match, 4-1. Despite the slow start, Kazakhstan rebounded to defeat China (6-1) and runners-up Japan (5-1).
Evgeny Rymarev, the top forward, and Evgeny Korolinsky were tied for the lead in points for Kazakhstan with 5 (2+3) in 3 games. Only Japan’s Taiga Irikura was ahead, with 4 goals and 1 assist. Japan also had the top defender in Riku Ishida, who is having a strong first season with HC Merano in the AlpsHL, while the top goaltender was 19-year-old Stephen Chen on China.
Defender Dmitry Breus on Kazakhstan was a standout, as he was was awarded honours as tournament MVP for the home team. The 20-year-old plays for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL and has been climbing the ranks of the national team. During the win against China, Breus scored his first hat-trick in senior competition, ultimately finishing as the defensive points leader.
Despite finishing in last place, China managed to pull off a significant upset against South Korea. It came in their final game, as the Chinese side won 2-1 in overtime, thanks to a goal by Zesen Zhang and 37 saves from the aforementioned Stephen Chen. This was the first win for China against South Korea in men’s action since the 2006 World Championship, however it was not enough to take over third place in the final standings.
Final Standings: 1. Kazakhstan, 2. Japan, 3. South Korea, 4. China
Women’s Tournament
The women’s tournament was dominated by Japan. A Top Division mainstay since 2019, Japan won all three games with a combined goal differential of 25-0. Easy wins against against South Korea (12-0) and Kazakhstan (8-0) set-up a final bout against host China. While it was by far their toughest challenge, Japan would win 5-0 and be crowned the inaugural Asian champions.
Despite none of their European league talent being available, the Japanese were still a step ahead of the competition. This was evident as the top eight scorers were all on Japan, highlighted by top forward Rui Ukita with 8 (4+4) points. Sitting in third with 7 (1+6) points was 18-year-old defender Kohane Sato, who had a massive breakout event and will likely be a key player in 2026 Olympic Qualification. The Japanese goaltenders were far from busy, as Riko Kawaguchi and Miyuu Masuhara faced a combined 19 shots over three matches.
There was strong fan support at the Shougang Ice Rink in Beijing. Games where host China was playing had crowds of 1,330 on average, with the final game bringing an attendance of 1,956.
Final Standings: 1. Japan, 2. China, 3. Kazakhstan, 4. South Korea
Future Developments
With the creation of this Asian Championship, fans can now imagine the possibility of the IIHF adding regional tournaments across other continents.
IIHF President Luc Tardif actually hinted towards that idea of the Women’s Asia Championship. “We’re taking the first steps here and using this platform to evaluate the impact in multiple areas. We may potentially organize more regional competitions and championships in the future. I thank the national federations and their Presidents for their commitment to working with us in this manner,” said Tardif.
It sounds like hockey fans and players should be excited about the future landscape of the international game.