All eyes were on Georgia, the tournament favorite, and they lived up to expectations, securing promotion with a perfect record. Iceland grabbed silver, New Zealand settled for bronze, and Thailand was relegated.
| 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2B, Dunedin | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | TEAM | RESULTS | G | P |
| 1 | 🥇Georgia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35:9 | 14 |
| 2 | 🥈Iceland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:13 | 12 |
| 3 | 🥉New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:14 | 9 |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 23:26 | 6 |
| 5 | Chinese Taipei | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14:16 | 4 |
| 6 | Thailand | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11:40 | 0 |
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division 2B: Georgia Lives Up to the Hype
Georgia came into the tournament with the highest expectations. The nation has risen rapidly through the IIHF ranks in recent years, largely thanks to naturalized players born in Russia. Between 2014 and 2018, Georgia competed in Division 3 before earning promotion to Division 2B in 2018. They even reached Division 2A in 2023 and finished in a stunning second place, only to be disqualified due to eligibility issues and sent back down.
This year, Georgia wasted no time proving their dominance. They blanked Iceland 4–0 and crushed host New Zealand 5–0 in their first two games. Bulgaria pushed them hardest, but Georgia still came out on top with an 8–7 overtime win. Mission accomplished: promotion secured.
| Team Georgia at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | GP | G | A | P |
| Makar Nikishanin | 5 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Timur Besharov | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Danil Davydov | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Nikita Bukiya | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Konstantin Gavrilenko | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| Daniil Metlyuk | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Ivan Karelin “C” | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Artyom Kozyulin | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Artyom Kurbatov | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Boris Kochkin | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Andrei Romanov | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Alexander Kireyev | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dmitri Yermoshenko | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Oliver Obolgogiani “A” | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ivan Shvetsov | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Semyon Kharizov | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sandro Mumladze | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mikheil Davitashvili | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vitali Dumbadze “A” | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nikoloz Ketchekmadze | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goaltenders | ||||
| NAME | GP | GAA | SVS | WIN |
| Ivan Starostin | 5 | 1,36 | 93,9 | 5 |
| Mikhail Fofanov | 2 | 4,50 | 76,9 | 0 |
Iceland Fall Just Short
Iceland has a long IIHF history, dating back to their debut at the 1999 World Championship in Pool D. Since then, they’ve regularly featured in Division 2, oscillating between groups A and B.
Alongside Georgia, they were seen as co-favorites. A 0–4 loss to the red-hot Georgians in the opening game was a wake-up call, but Iceland rebounded to win the rest and clinch silver — a solid outcome and a good motivator for future campaigns.
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New Zealand Stuck in Familiar Pattern
Surprisingly to some, New Zealand’s IIHF history goes back even further — their debut came in 1987 in Pool D. Despite their long-standing presence, the Ice Blacks have never quite cracked promotion from Division 2B. Once again, they hoped 2025 would be the year, and once again, it wasn’t.
They entered the Worlds after tuning up in the Trans-Tasman Ice Hockey Challenge against Australia, a de facto Oceania championship. While they put up a fight, they were swept 0–3.
At home in Dunedin, their passionate fans cheered them to a respectable third-place finish, though they struggled more than expected against the lower-ranked teams.
Bulgaria Hold the Line
Bulgaria has a strong hockey pedigree, having competed in the old B Pool (second-highest tier) in the early 1990s. After a drop to Division 3, they’ve reestablished themselves in Division 2B. With a third fourth-place finish in four years, Bulgaria has maintained a stable presence in Division 2B.
| 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2B – Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Result |
| 27 April 2025 | Thailand vs Bulgaria | 3:5 |
| 27 April 2025 | Georgia vs Iceland | 4:0 |
| 27 April 2025 | New Zealand vs Chinese Taipei | 3:1 |
| 28 April 2025 | Iceland vs Bulgaria | 8:4 |
| 28 April 2025 | Chinese Taipei vs Thailand | 7:3 |
| 28 April 2025 | New Zealand vs Georgia | 0:5 |
| 30 April 2025 | Iceland vs Chinese Taipei | 2:1 |
| 30 April 2025 | Georgia vs Bulgaria | 8:7 OT |
| 30 April 2025 | New Zealand vs Thailand | 7:1 |
| 2 May 2025 | Chinese Taipei vs Georgia | 1:3 |
| 2 May 2025 | Thailand vs Iceland | 3:6 |
| 2 May 2025 | Bulgaria vs New Zealand | 2:3 |
| 3 May 2025 | Georgia vs Thailand | 15:1 |
| 3 May 2025 | Bulgaria vs Chinese Taipei | 5:4 OT |
| 3 May 2025 | Iceland vs New Zealand | 5:1 |
Chinese Taipei Continue to Impress
While results may not fully reflect it yet, Chinese Taipei are emerging as the dark horse of Division 2B. Since their modest IIHF beginnings in 2017, they’ve taken significant strides. In their 2024 2B debut, they upset Bulgaria and gave Georgia a real test.
They carried that momentum into 2025, showing resilience at the Asian Winter Games, where they twice held their own against regional powerhouse China.
With the second youngest roster at the 2025 Division 2B tournament (average age: 22,82), Chinese Taipei easily avoided any relegation threat and once again made life difficult for the favorites. Against Bulgaria, they were seconds away from finishing fourth — a sign of progress and a promising future.
| Team Chinese Taipei at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | GP | G | A | P |
| Yi-Kuan Lin | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Yo-Chen Lin | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Mo Peng “A” | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Yen-Lin Shen “A” | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Pei-An Wen | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Yi-Hong Wu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Po-Hsiang Wang | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Zheng-Wei Li | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Chang-Hsing Yang | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ching Lin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jui-Yu Lin | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Yi-Cheng Pan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kai-Yuan Chi | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kuan-Che Wang | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yi-An Wang | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hung-Ju Lin “C” | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chiung-Yuan Chen | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yung-Hsuan Wang | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Han-Yuan Chang | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yohann Alzon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goaltenders | ||||
| NAME | GP | GAA | SVS | WIN |
| Brody Hsiao | 4 | 2,51 | 93,5 | 1 |
| Yi-Cheng Lee | 1 | 4,93 | 80,8 | 0 |
Thailand Pay the Price of Inexperience
Thailand joined the IIHF program more recently, debuting in 2019. Their first major breakthrough came last year in Bishkek, where they stunned host Kyrgyzstan and secured a dominant promotion.
But their Division 2B debut in 2025 proved tough. Despite spirited performances, they finished last and were relegated. The team showed flashes of promise but struggled with depth — coaches leaned heavily on their top two lines.
Outside of a blowout loss to Georgia, they kept most games close for at least two periods. The crucial battle came against Chinese Taipei, who again came out on top, just as they had at the Asian Winter Games.
| Team Thailand at the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division 2B | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | GP | G | A | P |
| Ken Kindborn “C” | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Jan Isaksson | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Nick Lampson “A” | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Patrick Forstner “A” | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Natchayatorn Yannakornthanapunt | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tanat Limpanyakul | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Chanokchon Limpinphet | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phanuruj Suwachirat | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phumrapee Prasertthanma | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teepanatad Pataramasakul | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lanjakron Watthanaphaya | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thanachai Sakchaicharoenkul | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suwichak Suttigarn | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Smitt Saithong | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thananutch Kulthanthorn | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Natapat Patong | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goaltenders | ||||
| NAME | GP | GAA | SVS | WIN |
| Ben Kleineschay | 4 | 6,01 | 87,6 | 0 |
| Pattarapol Ungkulpattanasuk | 2 | 13,66 | 79,2 | 0 |
Division 2B Reloaded: Who’s In, Who’s Out
Next year’s Division 2B lineup will include Iceland, New Zealand, Bulgaria, and Chinese Taipei, joined by Israel (relegated from Division 2A) and Kyrgyzstan (promoted from Division 3A). As the competition tightens, every point will matter — and Asia’s rising programs are hungry to make their mark.
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