Hockey fans are in for a treat, with the IIHF Women’s World Championship and the NHL playoffs starting soon. This should be a fun edition in Canada, as they’ve hosted the tournament eight times before, most recently in 2021. The Canadian and American teams are loaded with stars, and it will be a competitive event.
The event is held in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. It will be played over 11 days, starting on April 5. The Canadian team is the current champion and the winner of the last two editions. They are also the most successful country in this tournament with 12 titles, while the United States are still catching up with nine titles. This year’s edition consists of 10 teams, split into two groups with five teams each. All teams in Group A will qualify, along with the top three teams in Group B, for the quarterfinals.
| Tournament: | Ice Hockey 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship |
| Venue: | CAA Centre, Brampton, Canada |
| Dates: | 5 April – 16 April, 2023 |
Here’s a look at the odds of winning the IIHF Women’s World Championship from the best hockey betting sites:
As shown in the odds, the tournament is expected to be between Canada and the United States. The Canadian team will have the home field and historical advantage in this edition. The United States finished second in the last two years to none other than Canada, and they will be out for revenge.
Finland is improving, they are the 3rd-ranked country in the world, and they can cause trouble for the top two favorites. The Czech Republic had a surprising bronze medal in the last edition, and they will try to build on that. Sweden is expected to finish second in their group after the Czech Republic, but they will need more time to fight for the championship.
The first official women’s ice hockey championship was held in 1990 in Canada. The Canadian team dominated the first eight editions of the tournament, then the United States started growing and won their fair share after that. The American team was the only one to go to all 21 tournament finals.
This will be the 22nd edition of the IIHF Women’s World Championship. There have never been any winners outside of Canada and the United States in this tournament; Canada has 12 titles, which is the most, and the United States has nine titles. Recent years’ hosts are the reigning champion and the winner of the last two editions.
| Group A Participants | Group Stage Prediction |
|---|---|
| Canada* | 1st |
| United States* | 2nd |
| Czech Republic* | 3rd |
| Japan* | 4th |
| Switzerland* | 5th |
All five teams from this group will qualify for the quarterfinals, but the seeding is important. Canada and the United States are the standout favorites in this group. The bookies in the Czech Republic also expect a splash in punts on their side, which is a good team with Alena Mills as the captain and the historical top scorer, who led them to a bronze medal last year.
The Japanese team is yet to win a medal in the Women’s World Championship, but they are improving, and they finished fifth in 2022, which is their best achievement so far. Switzerland is ranked 4th in the IIHF rankings, but they are always underachieving in this tournament, as they got fourth in the last two editions.
| Group B Participants | Group Stage Prediction |
|---|---|
| Finland* | 1st |
| Sweden* | 2nd |
| Hungary* | 3rd |
| Germany | 4th |
| France | 5th |
The top three teams from this group will qualify for the quarterfinals, while the fourth and fifth teams play a game for the ninth spot. Finland is ranked 3rd in the IIHF Women’s World Rankings, and they are the standout favorites in this group. Sweden has been kind of disappointing in the last few editions, but they can compete for the top places in this group.
The Hungarian team is improving one tournament after another, but it will be hard for them to grab the first two places. France, who just got promoted in this year’s edition, and Germany are the favorites to take the last two places.
Canada is the most successful nation in women’s ice hockey, and they will have the home-field advantage this year. Canada had hosted this tournament eight times before and won the title in six of them. The legal bookies in Canada have the Canadiens as the favorites of this edition for a reason, but it will be close between them and the United States.
Team Canada is loaded with players who have Olympic experience. Marie-Philip Poulin will be Canada’s captain once again after a great performance in 2022. Marie won the gold medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship and the Olympics as the captain. Sarah Fillier is another great player for Canada, and she was the team’s top scorer in the tournament last year.
The United States is the second-most successful and consistent nation in women’s ice-hockey. They have been to the finals in every single edition, and they have an experienced roster.
The American team won the Olympics in 2018 and finished second in the last two editions of the IIHF Women’s World Championship. If anyone is going to beat Canada, it will be the United States. Kendall Coyne Schofield is the team’s captain, and she has been great when playing with the national team.
In this tournament, the Canadian team holds a big historical advantage over the Swiss nation. Canada has beaten Switzerland 12 times with no losses in their head-to-head record. In the last five games between them, Canada scored 38 goals while Switzerland scored only six, which is an average of 6.4 goal difference for the Canadian team. This is Canada’s first game in the title defense, and they will be motivated enough to deliver such a handicap.
This should be a fun and competitive edition in Canada, with plenty of interesting ice hockey predictions to be made. We are going with the champion and the home team, Canada, to achieve the triple-peat and take the gold medal. Make sure you use our 2023 IIHF Women’s World Championship predictions and bet them at the Canadian bookies to have more fun watching the game.
