Astana ready for five days of B-Pool action

The World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool will begin on Friday (6 October) in Astana, Kazakhstan, with six teams competing for two spots to advance to the 2024 A-Pool Worlds. 

The event, hosted by the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Kazakhstan at Terlan Arena, will feature national teams from Slovakia, Sweden, Japan, Finland, Great Britain and Kazakhstan. 

This will be the ninth edition of the B-Pool event and the third time it is being hosted in Asia. All six teams will be skating for their first B-Pool title, with Kazakhstan taking part in the event for the first time after only starting its programme five years ago. The tournament will be round-robin format with the last placed team relegated to the 2024 C-Pool.

“Fans of Para Ice Hockey are in for a treat over the next week, with high-stakes matchups between six nations that have been improving their programmes exponentially over the last few years,” said World Para Ice Hockey Manager Michelle Laflamme. “The growth of our sport will be on full display, as emerging athletes turn into star skaters and the teams gain a following for the sport in their respective countries.”

Here is a closer look at the teams competing in Astana over the next week.

Slovakia 

Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed 13 years after starting a programme, Slovakia is coming into the event with top-tier experience, having played at the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and the last World Championships A-Pool. The team is led by star scorer Martin Joppa and stalwart goaltender Eduard Lepacek.

Forwards: David Korman, Robert Turic, Marian Ligda, Miroslav Stasak, Milos Vecerek, Martin Joppa, Richard Varga.

Defenders: Slavomir Ferencik, Michal Hlinka, Peter Kascak.

Goaltenders: Miroslav Pastucha, Eduard Lepacek.

Sweden

Sweden was a mainstay in the A-Pool until a few years back and will look to regain its place there with veteran players Peter Ojala and Robin Meng leading the charge. Joining the Swedish squad for the first time will be Caroline Persson, who played on Team World at the Women’s World Challenge in August. 

Forwards: Emil Sedell, Caroline Persson, Peter Ojala, Robin Meng, Christer Moberg.

Defenders: Magnus Eklund, Johan Strandmark, Peter Nilsson, Hugo Liljebaek. 

Goaltenders: Dennis Jansson, Ulf Nilsson.

Japan

The Japanese team will have a mix of veterans and newcomers. Satoru Sudo, Daisuke Uehara, and Wataru Horie have been with the programme for more than a decade, while 17-year-old Shosei Ukai and 18-year-old Ito Itsuki will look to bring a blend of youth to the group. Japan just missed out on a medal last time around, taking fourth place. 

Forwards: Yoshihiro Shioya, Shunsuke Nakamura, Masahiro Matsushita, Yudai Ishikawa, Niets Kazuyoshi, Ito Itsuki.

Defenders: Satoru Sudo, Norihiko Nasu, Shosei Ukai, Daisuke Uehara , Amu Orisaki, Masaharu Kumagai, Eiji Misawa.

Goaltenders: Wataru Horie, Manabu Okabe.

Finland

Finland will look to better its fifth-place performance from its B-Pool debut in 2021, which marked its debut at the event. It was Eemi Rovio scored Finland's first goal in the B-Pool Worlds against Germany, while Markku Vesikansa and captain Harri Kangastie delivered in the last round against Poland. The majority of the Finnish squad – nine players to be exact – play for the same local club, Kiekko-Nikkarit. 

Forwards: Makrus Lehto, Harri Kangastie, Markku Hirvela, Markku Vesikansa, Juhamatti Himanen, Aki Alestalo, Tumomo Niskanen.

Defenders: Eemi Rovio, Jani Roponen, Lasse Pakarinen.

Goaltenders: Timo Karko, Pasi Heikkila.

Great Britain 

Nathan Stephens, a member of Great Britain’s squad at the Torino 2006 Games and a two-time Paralympian in javelin, will anchor a team looking to make some noise after winning the C-Pool tournament. Gary Farmer, the leading scorer at the C-Pool tournament, also returns. Five players from the Women’s World Challenge will be part of the team, while 20-year-old Ben O’Brien will be the youngest member of the squad. 

Forwards: Ben O’Brien, Stacey Quirk, Emily Louise McLean, Felicity Elizabeth Gregory, Gary Farmer, Dani Czernuszka-Watts, Tyler Christopher. 

Defenders: Nathan Stephens, Jonathon Le Galloudec, Leanne Emmerson, Mark Colquitt, Paul Andrew Brown.

Goaltenders: Susi Rogers-Hartley, Bryan Hackworth.

Kazakhstan

It will mark the first time Kazakhstan competes in the event after finishing second at the World Championships C-Pool last season. Zhanibektarkhan Bexultan was the top defender at the C-Pool tournament with 11 points. Kazakstan outscored its opponents 26-8 at that event, and will now hope home ice advantage plays to its favor as it prepares to face the stiffest competition in the programme’s history at the B-Pool level.

Forwards: Alexandr Paskhalidi, Maksat Miyanov, Aidos Toktarbayev, Kuat Karipbayev, Kairat Sabirov.

Defenders: Yerlik Bokanov, Dmitriy Bondarenko, Sundet Shormanov, Zhanibektarkhan Bexultan, Korgan Konkulov, Almas Akhmetov, Daulet Zhanseitov, Yerbolat Abdyigalimov.

Goaltenders: Oleg Basmanov, Beimbet Mukatov.

The Astana 2023 B-Pool Worlds will be streamed live on the World Para Ice Hockey website and Facebook channel. Complete schedule and results will be available here.