The 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship Division II, Group A concluded on April 18 in Bled, Slovenia. Poland dominated the tournament to secure the gold medal and earn promotion to Division I, Group B for 2027.

Champions in Bled: Pure joy on the ice as Poland secures gold.

Final Standings

RankTeamRecord (W-OTW-OTL-L)PointsStatus
1Poland4-0-0-012Promoted
2Slovenia2-0-0-26Stay
3Chinese Taipei0-2-0-24Stay
4Australia1-0-1-24Stay
5Iceland1-0-1-24Relegated

Tournament Highlights

  • Poland’s Perfection: Poland finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record, outscoring their opponents 23–2. Their victory was capped off by a 2–0 win over the host nation, Slovenia, in the final game.

  • The Battle for Bronze: In a dramatic final-day matchup, Chinese Taipei defeated Iceland 4–3 in a shootout to secure the bronze medal. This result triggered a three-way tie at 4 points between Chinese Taipei, Australia, and Iceland, with Iceland ultimately finishing last due to head-to-head tiebreakers.

  • Slovenia’s Host Performance: Despite the loss to Poland, the Slovenians secured silver on home ice, highlighted by a high-scoring 6–3 victory over Chinese Taipei and a gritty 5–3 win against Australia.

Directorate Awards

  • Best Goalkeeper: Hsu Tzu-Ting (Chinese Taipei) – Posted a 95.74% save percentage and was instrumental in two shootout victories.

  • Best Defender: Lea Buljeta (Slovenia) – Recognized for her defensive leadership and contribution to the host team’s silver medal run.

  • Best Forward: Karolina Późniewska (Poland) – The tournament’s offensive engine, leading all players with 13 points (8 goals, 5 assists) in just 4 games.

Statistical Leaders

  • Top Scorer: Karolina Późniewska (Poland) – 13 points

  • Top Goal Scorer: Karolina Późniewska (Poland) – 8 goals

  • Top Assist Leader: Dominika Korkuz (Poland) – 8 assists

  • Best GAA: Nadia Ratajczyk (Poland) – 0.38 goals-against average with a 97.96% save percentage.