Worlds Check-In: Five Panthers advance to Quarterfinals

Now they’re playing for keeps. 

After a seven-game round robin, the number of teams competing for a chance at gold has been narrowed down from 16 to eight at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. 

In Group A, Switzerland finished in the top spot, followed by Finland, Latvia and the United States. 

Securing Group B, Canada owned the most points, with Norway, Czechia and Sweden following. 

On Thursday, the Quarterfinals will feature: Canada (1B) vs. United States (A4), Switzerland (1A) vs. Sweden (4B), Finland (2A) vs. Czechia (3B), and Norway (2B) vs. Latvia (3A). 

All five skaters from the Florida Panthers that entered the tournament remain in play.

For Czechia, Marek Alscher, a 2022 third-round pick who made his NHL debut with the Panthers this season, notched a goal and averaged 15:56 in seven games. 

A strong showing so far for Finland, captain Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell helped the Leijonat go an impressive 6-0-0-1 during the opening round robin. 

Returning from a nearly a year-long absence, Barkov has been doing Barkov things. 

Finding the back of the net twice against Switzerland in the second period in the 4-2 loss on Tuesday, the three-time Selke Trophy winner brought his tournament point total to eight (2G, 6A) in seven games. 

Also bringing it for Finland, Lundell has had his presence on the scoresheet. 

In seven games, the 24-year-old has tallied five points (3G, 2A) and a +2 plus/minus rating. 

Pushing the United States to a spot in the Quarterfinals with the 4-1 win over Austria, Matthew Tkachuk gave the Red, White and Blue some insurance with a goal in the second period. 

Lighting it up after missing the first three games of the tournament, No. 19 has racked up seven points (4G, 3A), 18 shots and is averaging 20:32 time on ice in four games. 

Despite his early absence, Tkachuk ranks second in points (Tommy Novak – 8P) and is averaging the second most minutes per game (Justin Faulk – 22:30). 

Another Panther coming up big for his country, Sandis Vilmanis has been on a tear.

In Latvia’s 8-1 win over Hungary on Tuesday, Vilmanis, a fifth-round pick in 2022 who also made his NHL debut with Florida this season, recorded three points (2G, 1A), five shots and 22:28 time on ice. 

Leading the way for Latvia, the 22-year-old forward has put up 11 points (4G, 7A) and a +7 plus/minus rating in seven games. 

Making history with more games left to play, his 11 points are tied for the most ever by a Latvian player at one IIHF World Championship (Rihards Bukarts in 2023) and ranks tied for second amongst all players in the tournament. 

For more information and a full schedule of the World Championship, click HERE.