ASIAN ICE HOCKEY

The IIHF launched the tournament to give Asia’s leading hockey nations – China, Japan, South Korea, and Kazakhstan – increased opportunities on the international stage. Kazakhstan, considered the top contender, lived up to expectations with a win over Japan in the decisive game. Meanwhile, both China and South Korea showed solid form and respectable performances.

Significance of the Newly Established Continental Championship

The main goal of the event is to provide Asia’s top teams with an opportunity for high-quality international competition, as well as a chance to promote ice hockey in these countries. Leading Asian national teams have long struggled with the fact that, for various reasons – primarily geographic – they have been unable to regularly, or at all, utilize international breaks for matches the way European teams do.

IIHF President Luc Tardif confirmed this vision:

IIHF Asia Championship 2025 – Venue and Match Format

The IIHF selected Almaty, Kazakhstan, as the host city for this historic event, with matches held at Halyk Arena, a smaller venue with a capacity of just over 3,000 spectators.

The choice of Almaty was deliberate for several reasons:

• Almaty has a significant Korean minority, ensuring interest in the South Korean team.
• The city is relatively close to the Chinese border.
• Halyk Arena previously hosted a successful Winter Universiade.

The tournament adopted a classic round-robin format, with each team playing against one another once. Kazakhstan, despite lacking its KHL stars due to ongoing league matches, was the front-runner. Japan and South Korea were expected to battle for second place.

Kazakhstan Poised for Dominant Win Despite Missing KHL Stars

Kazakhstan’s new head coach, Oleg Bolyakin, brought a largely second-tier squad to Almaty. The core of his team was made up of players from Kazakhstan’s domestic top league, supplemented by a few individuals from the VHL. From the roster that competed at the most recent World Championship in the Czech Republic, only Yevgeni Rymarev and Dmitri Breus remained.

On the other hand, the team still featured 11 players with KHL experience, so a victory for the home side was widely expected.

Japan Introduces Youthful Roster

The fact that Kazakhstan fielded their second-tier players may have contributed to the greater competitiveness of the tournament. However, the other three teams also did not send their best rosters for various reasons. Japan, for example, could not count on their biggest stars like Yushiroh Hirano (ICEHL, formerly AHL) or Yu Sato (VHL, formerly KHL).

Another reason was that Japan’s head coach, Jarrod Skalde, significantly rejuvenated his team compared to their previous World Championship Division 1A appearance. He retained only eight players from the previous squad, lowering the average age by more than four years to 24.35. Nevertheless, this did not diminish their ambitions – the Japanese still hoped to challenge the hosts for the gold medal.

Korea’s Young Squad Led by an Olympic Veteran From 2018

As for the other two teams, the situation was essentially the same: both South Korea and China recently embarked on a radical team rebuild to give opportunities to the emerging generation of hockey players.

South Korean coach Woo Jae Kim has been working with a rejuvenated team practically since the end of the pandemic. The roster has seen the departure of the last of the naturalized North Americans, and the coach is relying less and less on veterans from the 2018 Winter Olympics. In the current lineup, only the last “survivor,” Sang Wook Kim, remained, while another veteran, Sang Hoon Shin, could not attend due to his commitments in the ECHL.

Thirteen players from this team also appeared at the recent World Championship Division 1A, with the average age dropping by more than 2.5 years to 24.68.

China Once Again Relied on Homegrown Talent

In the Chinese roster, led by experienced Canadian coach Perry Pearn, an even more dramatic rebuild took place. After the 2023 World Championship Division 1B, the leadership of Chinese hockey made a radical decision to stop inviting naturalized players, such as Brandon Yip, who represented China at the 2022 home Olympics in Beijing.

For the Asia Championship, only six Olympic veterans from Beijing were included in the team: Zimeng Chen, Ruinan Yan, Zesen Zhang, Xudong Xiang, Pengfei Zhang, and Jianing Guo.

It was the Chinese who brought the youngest team to Almaty, with an average age of just 24.09 years. However, this roster has been together for the second consecutive year – compared to the World Championship Division 1B, only minimal changes were made, allowing the Chinese to rely on greater team cohesion.

Japan vs China 4:1

The opening match of the IIHF Asia Championship took place in a quiet atmosphere with only 293 paying spectators. At first glance, there was little indication that this was the first game of a historic tournament – but beginnings are often difficult. The Japanese left nothing to chance, and although China surprisingly took the lead, the favorites ultimately secured a comfortable victory.

Kazakhstan vs South Korea 1:4

The evening match of the first day featured a significantly better atmosphere – a nearly full arena witnessed a clash between the home team Kazakhstan and South Korea. The game was surprisingly balanced, and South Korea made it clear that they would not go down easily.

In the middle period, South Korea took the lead twice, and when Kazakhstan unsuccessfully pushed for an equalizer at the very end, they conceded two more goals into an empty net. The result was perhaps too harsh for the home team, but South Korea deserved the victory for their tactically disciplined performance.

Japan vs South Korea 5:2

After a rest day, another doubleheader followed. South Korea, boosted by their surprising victory over the hosts, hoped to overcome the Japanese challenge, but it proved to be too great. The opponents, who know each other well from the Asia League Ice Hockey, had few surprises up their sleeves, and the game itself was fairly even. However, most of the goals ended up in the Korean net, largely due to Japan’s lethal power plays.

Japanese forward Taiga Irikura delivered a fantastic performance. The 28-year-old native of Tomakomai, who has never been considered a top sniper in the Asia League Ice Hockey, buried South Korea’s chances with a hat-trick that sealed the outcome.

Kazakhstan vs China 6:1

The next evening game, featuring the home team Kazakhstan, saw a well-filled Halyk Arena once again. The favorite for the match was clear. However, China delivered a highly organized and determined performance, significantly challenging Kazakhstan, particularly in the first two periods.

The teams entered the final period with a surprising score of 2:1. Nevertheless, the hardworking Chinese began to tire, and the experienced Kazakhs punished them with four goals. The star of the night was 20-year-old defenseman Dmitri Breus, showcasing his KHL experience with a masterful hat-trick performance.

China vs South Korea 2:1 OT

The final day of play drew the most interest from local hockey fans. Even the matchup between China and South Korea saw a solid turnout at Halyk Arena, with 1,408 spectators in attendance.

South Korea entered the game with hopes of winning gold, although they also had to rely on a favorable result in the evening match. The Chinese, on the other hand, knew that even a bronze medal was far out of reach – they would have to defeat South Korea in regulation time, and even then, their chances would remain uncertain.

The first period, however, defied all expectations. China quickly took the lead, and although the Koreans responded shortly after, their opponents outshot them 10–8. In the following two periods, the favored South Koreans stepped up their intensity, but China defended cleverly and remained dangerous on the attack.

The game eventually went into overtime, which had two key outcomes: South Korea lost their chance for gold, and China was officially locked into 4th place. Yet, pride was still on the line – and it was the Chinese who showed greater determination to win. They were not only eager to confirm their upward trajectory of recent years but also to end an 18-year losing streak against South Korea.

In a surprising twist, China succeeded during a power play, thanks to the teamwork of the Zhang trio. Jiaqi Zhang’s shot was redirected into the net by the tireless Beijing Olympic participant Zesen Zhang, with Pengfei Zhang, the mastermind of Chinese power plays, recording the assist.

Pure euphoria erupted on the ice as the Chinese players celebrated their hard-fought victory, while the disappointed faces of the South Koreans reflected the unexpected outcome.

Kazakhstan vs Japan 5:1

The stakes were clear heading into the final match – if hosts Kazakhstan wanted to confirm their status as tournament favorites, they had to defeat Japan in regulation time. The game was played in front of a sold-out crowd in a fantastic atmosphere, helped by the favorable flow of the tournament – last game fo the tournament effectively served as an unofficial final match.

Kazakhstan took some time to find their rhythm, managing only six shots on goal in the first period. However, what mattered most was that one of those shots found the net. It was the team’s biggest star, Yevgeni Rymarev – a veteran of 11 World Championships and 237 KHL games – who set the tone. When the 36-year-old forward added a second goal in the second period, the balance tipped even further in favor of the home team.

Although Japan managed to add a touch of drama to the game, Kazakhstan calmly steered the match to a decisive victory. At the final whistle, the Kazakh celebrations erupted on the ice.

The somber expressions on Japanese players’ faces suggested that the team from the Land of the Rising Sun had higher ambitions. The South Koreans, who took to the ice to collect their bronze medals, also looked less than thrilled – their early tournament success had perhaps set their expectations higher.

The Kazakhs, on the other hand, savored every moment with the brand-new trophy for the best team in Asia. For many of Kazakhstan’s players, who are not regular fixtures at the World Championships, this continental triumph was all the more special.

Evaluation of the First IIHF Asia Championship in Ice Hockey

The inaugural edition of the Asia Championship in ice hockey certainly did not disappoint. Despite the fact that the teams essentially fielded U25 squads (with Kazakhstan slightly “skewing” the stats with an average age of 26.55), the tournament showcased quality and determined hockey from all participants.

Each team displayed both bright and weaker moments, which only highlighted the balance of the competition – an undeniably positive sign, considering that not so long ago, matchups between these same opponents often resulted in double-digit scorelines.

Young Guns Show Their Potential

The presence of rejuvenated lineups at the event can be viewed as a positive development. Countries like Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea, and China demonstrated that they also possess roster depth and that a new generation of capable players is gradually emerging.

China sent the youngest team to the tournament, which makes their performance even more encouraging – despite ultimately finishing in last place. The average ages of the participating teams are compared in the table below:

Negatives and Weaknesses of the Championship

Of course, the tournament was not without its flaws – after all, every beginning tends to be challenging. A major downside was the inadequate media coverage provided by the IIHF.

Their website has been dull for some time, but given that continental championships like the Asia Championship carry a certain level of prestige, one would expect the IIHF to put more effort into promoting the event. However, their efforts amounted to poor-quality streams with frequent disruptions and just two articles. Coverage on social media from the federation was also far from ideal.

Another disappointment was the attendance at certain games. Again, if we aim to build a strong brand and add an element of prestige, we cannot allow only a few hundred spectators to show up for some matches. Here, part of the blame likely falls on the organizers themselves – there is always more that can be done to make the event more appealing and attract greater public interest.

To be fair, attendance gradually improved over the course of the tournament, with the average eventually reaching a respectable 1,786 paying spectators.

Attendance at the 2025 Asia Championship

Below is the attendance for each match. It is worth noting that Halyk Arena had a capacity of 3,095 spectators during the tournament.

Pros and Cons of the Inaugural Asia Championship

Overall, it can be said that the positives outweighed the negatives, and the championship demonstrated its potential for the future. However, both the IIHF and the participating federations face the challenge of gradually improving the level of the tournament.

The Historical Context Behind the Creation of the IIHF Asia Championship

The IIHF Asia Championship can be seen as a new incarnation of the IIHF Asian Cup, which took place in 1992, 1993, and 1995. In the first two editions, Japan, China, and South Korea were joined by North Korea, which was replaced by Kazakhstan in 1995. Japan dominated the first two tournaments, but in 1995, Kazakhstan dethroned them.

Ice hockey has also been a regular part of the Asian Winter Games, which, after the discontinuation of the Asian Cup, served for a long time as the only opportunity for competition at the pan-Asian level. The Games have been held at irregular intervals since 1986. Kazakhstan has won gold the most frequently – five times – followed by Japan and China, with two titles each.

In addition to these tournaments, the Challenge Cup was held in the recent past, providing international competition for teams from the lower ranks of Asian hockey. Meanwhile, in the U20 and U18 categories, the Asian and Oceania Championships take place, although these tournaments, at a certain point, also ceased to include the top-tier teams.

However, until now, the senior Asia championship featuring the best teams had been missing from the IIHF’s international calendar.

What Will the Creation of the Asian Continental Championship Bring?

As mentioned earlier, the IIHF Asia Championship is initially intended to serve as a platform for preparation leading up to the annual highlight of the season – the World Championships. However, the event undoubtedly has the potential to grow in popularity and eventually gain genuine international recognition.

Teams Faced Off Again at the Asian Winter Games

The IIHF Asia Championship had not been the final Asian confrontation of the season. In February 2025, the Asian Winter Games, a highly popular event on the continent, took place in Harbin, China. A total of 14 teams competed in the men’s hockey tournament, including the four Asia Championship contenders. The final standings mirrored those of the Asia Championship, with Kazakhstan claiming gold, Japan taking silver, and South Korea securing bronze.

See You Next Year in China!

The next edition of the IIHF Asia Championship will also take place in China. The Chinese national team is looking to revive the glory days of Chinese hockey, with next year’s tournament offering a great opportunity to build on the solid showing at the inaugural championship.

The hosts for the following two editions (2027 and 2028) have yet to be determined.

Sources, Quotes and Notes:

• iihf.com/en/events/2025/aom
• iihf.com/en/news/62864/2024_iihf_asia_championship_series_approaches