The 2026 IIHF World Championship has started, with Canucks players participating. Aatu RĂ€ty scored his first career World Championship goal in Finland's 3-1 victory over Germany.
Key points
2026 IIHF World Championship has begun
Finland defeated Germany 3-1
Aatu RĂ€ty scored his first World Championship goal
Three of four Canucks players won their matches
RĂ€ty played 14:07 minutes with two shots on goal
Vancouver Canucks2026 IIHF World ChampionshipAatu RÀtyJesse PuljujÀrvi
Video Player Cover
The 2026 IIHF World Championship has officially begun, with all four participating members of the Vancouver Canucks taking part in the action on opening day. Three of the four Canucks who played today walked away with wins, while one surprising team lost their match. Here is a recap of the Canucksâ performances at the 2026 IIHF World Championship on May 15.
Finland 3, Germany 1
Finland kicked off their tournament with a 3â1 win against Germany, with Canucks forward Aatu RĂ€ty scoring his first-career World Championship goal. In todayâs effort, Finland also received goals from PuljujĂ€rvi and Anton Lundell, while Stefan Loibil found the scoresheet for Germany.
After some changes to his teamâs lineup, RĂ€ty started todayâs game centering Finlandâs third-line alongside Janne Kuokkanen and Jesse PuljujĂ€rvi. He finished the game with 14:07 minutes played and two shots on goal. Receiving a slick back-hand pass from Saku MĂ€enalanen, RĂ€ty also fired the puck past German goaltender Philipp Grubauer to increase his teamâs lead to three.
Canada 5, Sweden 3
While Sweden kept things pretty close, even managing to close the gap on a 2â0 lead, it was Canada who skated away with the 5â3 win in todayâs matchup. Jacob Larsson and Lucas Raymond evened up the game for Sweden during the second period, while Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm tied things up at three goals apiece at the 35-minute mark.
Q&A
Who scored their first career points at the 2026 World Championship?
Aatu RĂ€ty scored his first career World Championship goal during Finland's match against Germany.
What was the final score of the Finland vs Germany game in the 2026 World Championship?
Finland won the game against Germany with a final score of 3-1.
Which Vancouver Canucks players participated in the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
All four participating members of the Vancouver Canucks took part in the opening day of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
How did Aatu RĂ€ty perform in the game against Germany?
Aatu RĂ€ty played 14:07 minutes, had two shots on goal, and scored one goal in Finland's victory over Germany.
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Despite spending the bulk of Swedenâs training camp alongside top prospects Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck, Canucks forward Linus Karlsson ended up on a line with New York Islanders forward Simon Holström and forward Jacob de la Rose today against Canada. He tallied his first World Championship assist by hanging onto the puck against pressure from Zach Whitecloud of Canada and sliding the puck over to Ekholm.
Switzerland 3, USA 1
In a surprising twist, Switzerland took the win against Team USA today, beating Max Sasson and his team by a score of 3â1. Switzerland got off to a surprising 2â0 lead during the first period, with former Canucks centre Pius Suter scoring the game-opening goal and assisting on the second. Alex Steeves scored the lone goal for the U.S.
In todayâs game, Sasson started as his teamâs third-line centre, playing between Steeves and USA assistant captain Mathieu Olivier. While he didnât end up on the scoresheet, Sasson was a big factor in his linemateâs goal, with the Canucks forward being the player to bring the puck into the zone and prevent Switzerland from regaining possession. He finished todayâs game with 13:03 minutes played.
Czechia 4, Denmark 1
Czechia kicked off their 2026 IIHF World Championship with a solid win, taking down Denmark by a score of 4â1. With goals from Dominik Kubalik, Daniel VoĆŸenĂlek, and Roman Äervenka, Czechia managed to take a 3â0 lead before Denmark scored their first goal, courtesy of Mikkel Aagaard. MatÄj BlĂŒmel added a fourth goal for Czechia on an empty net.
Regarldess of the injury he sustained during the Fortuna Hockey Games, it appears Canucksâ Filip Hronek is continuing to reprise his role as a top-pairing defenceman. He skated on Czechiaâs top-pairing with Michal KempnĂœ in his first game of the tournament and led his team in ice time with 21:47 minutes played.
Photo Credit: @Canucks - X
Photo Credit: @Canucks - X
May 15 Standings:
Group A:
Switzerland: 1â0â0â0
Finland: 1â0â0â0
USA: 0â0â0â1
Germany: 0â0â0â1
Latvia: 0â0â0â0
Austria: 0â0â0â0
Hungary: 0â0â0â0
Great Britain: 0â0â0â0
Group B:
Czechia: 1â0â0â0
Canada: 1â0â0â0
Sweden: 0â0â0â1
Denmark: 0â0â0â1
Slovakia: 0â0â0â0
Norway: 0â0â0â0
Slovenia: 0â0â0â0
Italy: 0â0â0â0
May 16 Schedule:
Hungary vs. Finland - 7:20 am PT
Slovenia vs. Czechia - 11:20 am PT
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