Denmark men's national ice hockey team

Denmark
Nickname(s)Danish Lions
AssociationDanmarks Ishockey Union
General managerMorten Green
Head coachMikael Gath
AssistantsAndreas Lilja
Morten Madsen
CaptainJesper Jensen Aabo
Most gamesMorten Green (316)
Most pointsJens Nielsen (241)
Team colors   
IIHF codeDEN
Ranking
Current IIHF8 2 (26 May 2025)[1]
Highest IIHF9 (2025)
Lowest IIHF15 (2006, 2014–15)
First international
Canada  47–0  
(Stockholm, Sweden; 12 February 1949)
Biggest win
  27–4  Belgium
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 18 March 1977)
Biggest defeat
Canada  47–0  
(Stockholm, Sweden; 12 February 1949)
Olympics
Appearances1 (first in 2022)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances57 (first in 1949)
Best result4th (2025)
International record (W–L–T)
383–500–58[2]

The Danish national men's ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team for Denmark. The team is controlled by Danmarks Ishockey Union. It was founded in 1949, and as of 2022, the Danish team was ranked 10th in the IIHF World Rankings. Denmark currently has 4,255 players (0.07% of its population). Their coach is Swedish Mikael Gath. Denmark once held the record for the largest loss when they were defeated by Canada in 1949, 47–0, only being surpassed by New Zealand who were defeated by Australia 58–0 in 1987.

History

The team played its first world championship in 1949, led by player-coach and captain Jørgen Hviid.[3][4] Denmark lost its first game played, by a 47–0 score to the Canada men's national team.[5]

Denmark subsequently played 53 years in lower divisions. At the 2002 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, the team finished first in Division I-B to earn promotion to the top level for the 2003 IIHF World Championship, and has remained in the top pool since, due to developed higher calibre players. The 2002 and 2003 versions of the Denmark men's national teams were recognized with the IIHF Milestone Award in 2025, for earning promotion to and remaining at the top tier of the World Championships.[5][6]

Denmark finished the 2003 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships in 11th place, defeating the United States men's national team 5–2, and tying Canada 2–2.[7] At the 2010 World Championships Denmark finished 8th place, their best placing at the time. The feat was repeated in 2016. At the 2022 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships Denmark finished in ninth place, and earned their first victory versus Canada, in 73 years of competition, by a 3–2 score.[8]

At the 2025 IIHF World Championship, co-hosts Denmark reached its first semifinals, after defeating Canada in the quarterfinals, in what was widely considered one of the biggest upsets in the IIHF World Championship history.[a] Denmark were thus guaranteed to play in their first ever medal game and guaranteed to finish in the top four for the first time. After losing against Switzerland and against Sweden in the bronze medal game, they finished fourth.

Tournament record

Olympic Games

Year Finish Rank
2022 Beijing Quarterfinals 7th
2026 Milan and Cortina Qualified

World Championship

Year Finish Rank
1949 Stockholm Consolation round 10th
1962 Colorado Springs/Denver 6th in the Group B 14th
1963 Stockholm 3rd in the Pool C 18th
1966 Jesenice 2nd in the Pool C 18th
1967 Vienna 2nd in the Pool C 18th
1969 Skopje 6th in the Pool C 20th
1970 Galaţi 5th in the Pool C 19th
1971 7th in the Pool C 21st
1972 Miercurea-Ciuc 6th in the Pool C 19th
1973 7th in the Pool C 21st
1975 Sofia 6th in the Pool C 20th
1976 Gdańsk 3rd in the Pool C 19th
1977 Copenhagen/Hørsholm 2nd in the Pool C 19th
1978 Canary Islands (Las Palmas) 3rd in the Pool C 19th
1979 Galati Relegation in the Pool B 16th
1981 Beijing 4th in the Pool C 20th
1982 Jaca 3rd in the Pool C 19th
1983 Budapest 4th in the Pool C 20th
1985 Megève/Chamonix/Saint-Gervais 5th in the Pool C 21st
1986 Puigcerda Consolation round in the Pool C 21st
1987 Copenhagen/Herlev/Hørsholm 2nd in the Pool C 18th
1989 Oslo/Lillehammer 8th in the Pool B 16th
1990 Budapest 2nd in the Pool C 18th
1991 Brøndby 1st in the Pool C 17th
1992 Klagenfurt 4th in the Pool B 16th
1993 Eindhoven 4th in the Pool B 16th
1994 Copenhagen/Aalborg 5th in the Pool B 17th
1995 Bratislava 5th in the Pool B 17th
1996 Eindhoven 6th in the Pool B 18th
1997 Katowice (Spodek)/Sosnowiec 8th in the Pool B 20th
1998 Ljubljana/Jesenice 4th in the Pool B 20th
1999 Odense/Rodovre 1st in the Pool B 17th
2000 Katowice/Krakow 5th in the Pool B 21st
2001 Grenoble 3rd in Division I, Group A 21st
2002 Eindhoven 1st in Division I, Group B 18th
2003 Helsinki/Tampere/Turku Second round 11th
2004 Prague/Ostrava Qualifying round 12th
2005 Vienna/Innsbruck Relegation round 14th
2006 Riga Relegation round 13th
2007 Moscow Qualifying round 10th
2008 Halifax/Quebec Qualifying round 12th
2009 Bern/Kloten Relegation round 13th
2010 Cologne/Mannheim/Gelsenkirchen Playoff round 8th
2011 Bratislava/Košice Qualifying round 11th
/ 2012 Helsinki/Stockholm Preliminary round 13th
/ 2013 Stockholm/Helsinki Preliminary round 12th
2014 Minsk Preliminary round 13th
2015 Prague/Ostrava Preliminary round 14th
2016 Moscow/Saint Petersburg Playoff round 8th
/ 2017 Cologne/Paris Preliminary round 12th
2018 Copenhagen/Herning Preliminary round 10th
2019 Bratislava/Košice Preliminary round 11th
2020 Zürich/Lausanne Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic[16] –
2021 Riga Preliminary round 12th
2022 Helsinki/Tampere Preliminary round 9th
/ 2023 Tampere/Riga Preliminary round 10th
2024 Prague/Ostrava Preliminary round 13th
/ 2025 Stockholm/Herning Bronze medal game 4th
2026 Zurich/Fribourg Qualified

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.[17][18]

Head coach: Mikael Gath

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
11 F Alexander True 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 91 kg (201 lb) (1997-07-17) 17 July 1997 MoDo Hockey
12 F Oskar Fisker Mølgaard 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 76 kg (168 lb) (2005-02-18) 18 February 2005 HV71
15 D Matias Lassen 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1996-03-15) 15 March 1996 Malmö Redhawks
17 F Nicklas Jensen 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 98 kg (216 lb) (1993-03-06) 6 March 1993 SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
22 D Markus Lauridsen 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (1991-02-28) 28 February 1991 Löwen Frankfurt
24 F Nikolaj Ehlers 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 Winnipeg Jets
25 D Oliver Lauridsen – A 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 93 kg (205 lb) (1989-03-24) 24 March 1989 HC TPS
29 F Mikkel Aagaard 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 81 kg (179 lb) (1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 MoDo Hockey
32 G Sebastian Dahm 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1987-02-28) 28 February 1987 EC KAC
38 F Morten Poulsen 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 95 kg (209 lb) (1988-09-09) 9 September 1988 Herning Blue Fox
40 D Anders Koch 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 83 kg (183 lb) (1997-10-02) 2 October 1997 Kiekko-Espoo
41 D Jesper Jensen Aabo – C 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 93 kg (205 lb) (1991-07-30) 30 July 1991 EC KAC
42 D Phillip Bruggisser 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1991-08-07) 7 August 1991 Fischtown Pinguins
43 G Mathias Seldrup 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1996-10-21) 21 October 1996 Herning Blue Fox
80 G Frederik Dichow 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 87 kg (192 lb) (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 HV71
46 F Jonas Røndbjerg 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1999-03-31) 31 March 1999 Vegas Golden Knights
48 D Nicholas B. Jensen 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 102 kg (225 lb) (1989-04-08) 8 April 1989 Fischtown Pinguins
50 F Mathias Bau Hansen 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 108 kg (238 lb) (1993-07-03) 3 July 1993 Herning Blue Fox
54 F Felix Scheel 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 89 kg (196 lb) (1992-09-01) 1 September 1992 Fischtown Pinguins
63 F Patrick Russell – A 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 92 kg (203 lb) (1993-01-04) 4 January 1993 Linköping HC
65 F Christian Wejse 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 88 kg (194 lb) (1998-12-04) 4 December 1998 Fischtown Pinguins
72 F Nicolai Meyer 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1993-07-21) 21 July 1993 Södertälje SK
77 F Mathias From 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 85 kg (187 lb) (1997-12-16) 16 December 1997 EC KAC
86 F Joachim Blichfeld 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1998-07-17) 17 July 1998 Rögle BK
95 F Nick Olesen 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb) (1995-11-14) 14 November 1995 Motor České Budějovice

Former and current players in NHL

Year Name Position Team
1965–1966
1967–1968
1968–1970
1970–1972
1979–1980		 Poul Popiel[b] Defenseman Boston Bruins
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
2006–2016
2016–2021		 Frans Nielsen Center New York Islanders
Detroit Red Wings
2007–2017
2017–2018		 Jannik Hansen Right winger Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
2009–2013
2013–2014
2014		 Peter Regin Center Ottawa Senators
New York Islanders
Chicago Blackhawks
2008–2016
2016
2016–2018
2018–2020		 Mikkel Bødker Left winger Arizona Coyotes
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Ottawa Senators
2009–2010
2010–2016
2016–2023
2023–2024
2024–2025
2025-		 Lars Eller Center St. Louis Blues
Montreal Canadiens
Washington CapitalsPittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Ottawa Senators
2010–2013
2013–2014
2016–2017		 Philip Larsen Defenseman Dallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
2013–2014
2016		 Nicklas Jensen Left winger Vancouver Canucks
New York Rangers
2013 Oliver Lauridsen Defenseman Philadelphia Flyers
2013–2016
2016–2021
2021–		 Frederik Andersen Goaltender Anaheim Ducks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Carolina Hurricanes
2015–2025
2025-		 Nikolaj Ehlers Left winger Winnipeg Jets
Carolina Hurricanes
2016–2022
2022–2025
2025–		 Oliver Bjorkstrand Right winger Columbus Blue Jackets
Seattle Kraken
Tampa Bay Lightning
2018–2021 Patrick Russell Right winger Edmonton Oilers
2019–2021 Joachim Blichfeld Right winger San Jose Sharks
2020–2021
2021–2022		 Alexander True Center San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
2021– Jonas Røndbjerg Forward Vegas Golden Knights
2022– Mads Søgaard Goaltender Ottawa Senators

All-time record

Updated as of the match versus Canada on 22 May 2025.[19]

Team GP W T L GF GA
 Australia 2 1 0 1 10 7
 Austria 44 13 1 30 95 175
 Belarus 29 13 2 14 72 90
 Belgium 13 12 0 1 177 31
 Bulgaria 32 19 2 11 137 88
 Canada 11 2 1 8 15 85
 China 16 8 2 6 86 52
 Croatia 3 3 0 0 24 4
 Czech Republic 13 3 0 10 18 47
 East Germany 12 0 0 12 25 84
 Estonia 7 4 2 1 26 16
 Finland 28 4 0 24 31 111
 France 85 37 5 43 242 291
 Germany 30 11 0 19 67 90
 Great Britain 30 17 4 9 139 93
 Hungary 66 28 4 34 223 285
 Italy 30 14 3 13 96 118
 Japan 34 14 1 19 112 147
 Kazakhstan 10 6 0 4 38 25
 Latvia 38 14 0 24 93 131
 Lithuania 1 1 0 0 8 1
 Netherlands 55 31 7 17 242 185
 North Korea 7 7 0 0 52 12
 Norway 103 44 9 50 261 327
 Poland 32 11 3 18 102 134
 Romania 20 9 1 10 75 80
 Russia 15 1 0 14 17 68
 Slovakia 24 7 0 17 50 93
 Slovenia 30 16 3 11 97 78
 South Africa 2 2 0 0 15 2
 South Korea 10 9 0 1 86 16
 Spain 6 6 0 0 42 8
 Sweden 28 2 0 26 44 132
  Switzerland 33 3 1 29 51 147
 Ukraine 11 3 3 5 29 30
 United States 12 2 0 10 16 46
 Yugoslavia 20 8 4 8 73 78
Totals: 943 385 58 499 2 989 3 407

Uniform evolution

  • National team jerseys
  • 2013–2017 IIHF jerseys
  • 2018–2021 IIHF jerseys
  • 2022 Olympic jerseys
  • 2022– IIHF jerseys

Notes

  1. ^ Attributed to multiple sources:[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
  2. ^ Poul Popiel is Danish-American. He was born in Denmark and his family moved to Canada when he was a child. He subsequently moved to the United States, and he acquired American citizenship before making his NHL debut.

References

  1. ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Denmark". National Teams of Ice Hockey. National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 24 May 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Fredberg, Peter (15 August 2014). "Tre ishockeylegender blev optaget i Hall of Fame". BT Ishockey (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Hall of Fame: Jørgen Hviid – dansk ishockeys fader". Danmarks Ishockey Union (in Danish). 8 March 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (1 January 2025). "IIHF Contributors' Class 2025". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  6. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (25 May 2025). "IIHF honours its Contributors". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  7. ^ IIHF Article
  8. ^ "IIHF - After 73 years, Denmark beats Canada!". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  9. ^ "IIHF - Denmark stuns Canada". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  10. ^ Kingerski, Dan (22 May 2025). "What?! Canada, Crosby Suffer Huge Upset Loss at Worlds". Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Denmark's Dazzling Victory: A Historic Upset in Ice Hockey | Technology". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  12. ^ "How did Denmark beat Canada? Frederik Dichow's 39 saves tell the story". The Economic Times. 23 May 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  13. ^ "2025 IIHF Worlds Quarterfinals: Denmark Stuns Canada, Sweden Defeats Czechia". Yardbarker. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Denmark's 'Miracle Of Midtjylland' sends Canada crashing out". Reuters. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Drama in Denmark shakes up Worlds | Montréal Canadiens". www.nhl.com. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  16. ^ Steiss, Adam. "2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship cancelled". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  17. ^ "ISHOCKEYLANDSHOLDET KLAR TIL VM-PREMIERE". ishockey.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Team roster: Denmark" (PDF). iihf.com. 9 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Denmark - National Teams of Ice Hockey". nationalteamsoficehockey.com. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
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