The Austrian national team is all smiles after achieving its third straight win at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland.
photo: PHOTO: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
It’s not just what you do in hockey. It’s also when and how. At the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Austria is a prime example.
The Austrians have won their first three games at this tournament for the first time in history: 5-2 over Great Britain, 4-2 over Hungary, and 3-1 over Latvia. They have given themselves an excellent chance to not only avoid relegation but also contend for a playoff berth.
“It’s just great to see the work we put in pay off,” said forward Tim Harnisch, who opened the scoring with his first career Ice Hockey World Championship goal. “It’s very good for Austria. I think we all deserve it.”
And if you include 2025, when the team cracked the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994, coach Roger Bader’s troops have won six consecutive preliminary-round games. In Stockholm, they wrapped up Group A as follows: 5-2 over France, 3-2 over Slovenia in a shootout, and 6-1 over Latvia.
There’s more. 2026 is also the first time the Austrians have earned three regulation-time victories at an Ice Hockey World Championship in the 21st century. The last time was 1999, and it just wasn’t as meaningful: 4-2 over Japan (the then-designated Far East Qualifier) in the preliminary round, followed by relegation-round wins of 5-2 over Latvia and 3-0 over Norway.
The Austrians have won their first three games at this tournament for the first time in history: 5-2 over Great Britain, 4-2 over Hungary, and 3-1 over Latvia. They have given themselves an excellent chance to not only avoid relegation but also contend for a playoff berth.
“It’s just great to see the work we put in pay off,” said forward Tim Harnisch, who opened the scoring with his first career Ice Hockey World Championship goal. “It’s very good for Austria. I think we all deserve it.”
And if you include 2025, when the team cracked the quarter-finals for the first time since 1994, coach Roger Bader’s troops have won six consecutive preliminary-round games. In Stockholm, they wrapped up Group A as follows: 5-2 over France, 3-2 over Slovenia in a shootout, and 6-1 over Latvia.
There’s more. 2026 is also the first time the Austrians have earned three regulation-time victories at an Ice Hockey World Championship in the 21st century. The last time was 1999, and it just wasn’t as meaningful: 4-2 over Japan (the then-designated Far East Qualifier) in the preliminary round, followed by relegation-round wins of 5-2 over Latvia and 3-0 over Norway.
The schedule only gets tougher from here. Next up: a date with the undefeated host Swiss on Wednesday. It won’t just be a packed, partisan arena in Zurich. Austria is up against a host of NHL stars like Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier.
But these Austrians are finding ways to capitalize on the opportunities they get. So far, they have scored on 12 of the 69 shots they have taken for a tournament-leading shooting percentage of 17.39. Bader’s boys also have confidence on the power play, going 3-for-9, which includes Benjamin Nissner’s third-period winner against Latvia.
So while the odds are certainly against them, they plan to give Switzerland a fight.
Competing in his third consecutive Men’s Worlds, blueliner Paul Stapelfeldt said: “Our goal is to get a fourth win in this tournament, and we want to get it as soon as possible. We know tomorrow is a really tough opponent, maybe the favorite in our group. We’ve seen Switzerland playing really, really well. It’s a good team with a lot of great players, but we are confident that if we stay in our structure, if we follow our game plan, we have a chance in the game.”
Over the decades, Austrian hockey has endured some tough moments. In 2005, when Vienna and Innsbruck co-hosted the Worlds, the Austrians were outscored 29-10 and relegated on home ice with one tie and five losses. At the 2014 Olympics, they lost their qualification playoff game 4-0 to Slovenia, and the pre-game preparation of top players was called into question.
The future looks brighter now. Austria has, for instance, achieved this year’s success even without the assistance of its NHL regulars Marco Rossi (Vancouver) and Marco Kasper (Detroit). The 2026 roster has a respectable average age of 27. Continued investment in the national program, along with elite club-level facilities like the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy, should continue to grow the youth pipeline. And while Finnish-born starting goalie Atte Tolvanen has been a rock so far (1.50 GAA, 93.3 save percentage), he is an exception in that the rest of the roster is almost universally composed of homegrown Austrians.
Austria is also benefiting from stability in coaching. The Swiss-born Bader, 61, has served as the head coach of the national team since 2016-17. This is his seventh top-level Worlds. This spring, his contract was extended through 2028.
“Roger Bader has taken the national team to a new level with a great deal of passion and expertise,” said Klaus Hartmann, the President of the Austrian Ice Hockey Association.
After a great start, Austrian fans hope that passion and expertise is reflected in the remaining preliminary-round performance. Even if their team is unable to overcome Switzerland, they may have a good shot at toppling Germany on Saturday.
But these Austrians are finding ways to capitalize on the opportunities they get. So far, they have scored on 12 of the 69 shots they have taken for a tournament-leading shooting percentage of 17.39. Bader’s boys also have confidence on the power play, going 3-for-9, which includes Benjamin Nissner’s third-period winner against Latvia.
So while the odds are certainly against them, they plan to give Switzerland a fight.
Competing in his third consecutive Men’s Worlds, blueliner Paul Stapelfeldt said: “Our goal is to get a fourth win in this tournament, and we want to get it as soon as possible. We know tomorrow is a really tough opponent, maybe the favorite in our group. We’ve seen Switzerland playing really, really well. It’s a good team with a lot of great players, but we are confident that if we stay in our structure, if we follow our game plan, we have a chance in the game.”
Over the decades, Austrian hockey has endured some tough moments. In 2005, when Vienna and Innsbruck co-hosted the Worlds, the Austrians were outscored 29-10 and relegated on home ice with one tie and five losses. At the 2014 Olympics, they lost their qualification playoff game 4-0 to Slovenia, and the pre-game preparation of top players was called into question.
The future looks brighter now. Austria has, for instance, achieved this year’s success even without the assistance of its NHL regulars Marco Rossi (Vancouver) and Marco Kasper (Detroit). The 2026 roster has a respectable average age of 27. Continued investment in the national program, along with elite club-level facilities like the Red Bull Ice Hockey Academy, should continue to grow the youth pipeline. And while Finnish-born starting goalie Atte Tolvanen has been a rock so far (1.50 GAA, 93.3 save percentage), he is an exception in that the rest of the roster is almost universally composed of homegrown Austrians.
Austria is also benefiting from stability in coaching. The Swiss-born Bader, 61, has served as the head coach of the national team since 2016-17. This is his seventh top-level Worlds. This spring, his contract was extended through 2028.
“Roger Bader has taken the national team to a new level with a great deal of passion and expertise,” said Klaus Hartmann, the President of the Austrian Ice Hockey Association.
After a great start, Austrian fans hope that passion and expertise is reflected in the remaining preliminary-round performance. Even if their team is unable to overcome Switzerland, they may have a good shot at toppling Germany on Saturday.