Calgary 2024: Get to Know Japan

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

Japan is back in the A-Pool for the first time in five years after winning a gold-medal at last year’s World Championships B-Pool. Japan went undefeated at that event, outscoring its opponents 31-2, with 11 goals and six assists from Masaharu Kumagai and six goals and three assists from Itsuki Ito. The programme is aiming to get back to the Paralympic stage after missing out on the Beijing 2022 Games.

World Championships History

2023: Gold (B-Pool)
2021: 4th place (B-Pool)
2019: 8th place (A-Pool)
2016: Silver (B-Pool) 
2015: 8th place (A-Pool)  
2013: Silver (B-Pool)
2012: 7th place (A-Pool) 
2009: 4th place (A-Pool) 
2008: 4th place (A-Pool)
2004: 6th place (A-Pool)
2000: 4th place (A-Pool)
1996: 6th place (A-Pool)

Athlete to Watch

Waturu Horie is returning as Japan’s top goaltender after winning the Best Goaltender award at the World Championships B-Pool last year, at which he recorded 0.45 goals against average and 92.86 save percentage across five games. Horie, who had his left leg amputated after a motorbike accident in 2000, previously played a key role in helping Japan qualify for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics and hopes to do so again with Milano-Cortina 2026.

Matchup to Watch: Japan vs. Canada on 4 May

The highlight game of the first day of action will pit the host nation against the defending B-Pool champions in what will be a true test of how much Japan has been able to rebuild its programme.