Calgary 2024: Get to Know USA

The 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will take place from 4-12 May at WinSport Arenas in Calgary, Canada. The event will feature the top eight teams in the world: USA, Canada, Czechia, China, South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Slovakia. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format with the teams split into two groups, followed by the playoff round, culminating with the gold-medal game on 12 May.

Background

Ranked No. 1 in the world for most of the last decade, the USA owns a record of six world titles and five Paralympic titles and has not missed a World Championships podium in 24 years. There is arguably no more dominant programme in Paralympic team sports right now, and the Americans will look to continue their success on their arch-rivals’ ice. Anything less than gold will be a disappointment for the team that went undefeated at both the last World Championships and Paralympics.

World Championships History

2023: Gold (A-Pool)
2021: Gold (A-Pool)
2019: Gold (A-Pool)
2017: Silver (A-Pool)
2015: Gold (A-Pool)
2013: Silver (A-Pool)
2012: Gold (A-Pool)
2009: Gold (A-Pool)
2008: Bronze (A-Pool)
2004: Silver (A-Pool)
2000: 6th place (A-Pool)
1996: 5th place (A-Pool)

Athlete to Watch

Declan Farmer, now in his 13th season on the national team, has been the squad’s staple the last half of a decade, leading the Beijing 2022 Paralympics with 18 points and following that up with a team-high 12 points en route to gold at last year’s World Championships. Earlier this month, he became the first US player to rack up 300 points in his career.

Matchup to Watch: China vs. USA on 7 May

The last day of preliminary play will feature a rematch of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic semifinal, putting the fastest rising team in the sport against the most dominant and winning team. Expect a high-stakes aggressive matchup that will determine playoff seeding.