2026 IIHF Ice Hockey Asia Championship took place from November 20 to November 23, 2025. It was the second edition of this annual event, created to provide high-level competition for Asia’s top ice hockey nations during the international break.
Tournament Overview
Champion: 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan (2nd consecutive title)
Runner-up: 🇰🇷 South Korea
Third Place: 🇯🇵 Japan
Host City: Beijing, China (Ice Sports Training Base)
Kazakhstan Wins 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey Asia Championship
Final Standings
Kazakhstan dominated the round-robin format, winning all three of their games in regulation time. South Korea secured the silver medal thanks to a crucial upset victory over Japan.
| Rank | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts |
| 🥇 | Kazakhstan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 9 |
| 🥈 | South Korea | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 🥉 | Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| 4 | China | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
Kazakhstan dominated the round-robin format, winning all three of their games in regulation time. South Korea secured the silver medal thanks to a crucial upset victory over Japan.
Key Storylines & Highlights
1. Kazakhstan Defends Title
Ranked 13th in the world, Kazakhstan entered as the clear favorite and delivered. Led by tournament scoring leader Maxim Musorov (7 points) and veteran captain Roman Starchenko, they swept the field.1 Their toughest test came in the final game against Japan, where they edged out a 4–3 victory to secure the gold.11
2. South Korea Upsets Japan
The decisive match for the silver medal occurred on Day 2. In a tight defensive battle, South Korea defeated Japan 1–0. Japan outshot Korea 38–32, but Korean goaltender Lee Yeon-Seung shut the door, allowing Korea to leapfrog Japan in the standings.
3. China’s Home Struggles
Despite playing on home ice in Beijing, Team China finished fourth without a win. They struggled to generate offense, managing only two goals across three games. Their closest contest was the opener against Japan, which remained competitive early on before Japan pulled away for a 4–1 win.
Key Players & Statistics
Tournament Awards (Directorate)
The following players were selected by the tournament directorate as the best in their respective positions:
🏆 Best Goalkeeper: 🇰🇿 Roman Kalmykov (Kazakhstan)
Key Stat: Anchored the gold medal team with 3 wins and a tournament-best save percentage.
🛡️ Best Defender: 🇰🇿 Ivan Stepanenko (Kazakhstan)
Key Stat: Scored a hat trick (3 goals) in the opening game against South Korea.
🏒 Best Forward: 🇯🇵 Teruto Nakajima (Japan)
Key Stat: Captained Japan and finished as the tournament’s 5th highest scorer (4 points).
