Denmark men's national ice hockey team

The Danish national men's ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team for Denmark. The team is controlled by Danmarks Ishockey Union. It was founded in 1949, and as of 2022, the Danish team was ranked 10th in the IIHF World Rankings. Denmark currently has 4,255 players (0.07% of its population). Their coach is Swedish Mikael Gath. Denmark once held the record for the largest loss when they were defeated by Canada in 1949, 47–0, only being surpassed by New Zealand who were defeated by Australia 58–0 in 1987.

Denmark
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameDanish Lions
AssociationDanmarks Ishockey Union
General managerMorten Green
Head coachMikael Gath
Assistants
CaptainJesper Jensen Aabo
Most gamesMorten Green (316)
Most pointsJens Nielsen (241)
Team colors   
IIHF codeDEN
Ranking
Current IIHF10 (Decrease 1) (3 June 2026)[1]
Highest IIHF8 (2025)
Lowest IIHF15 (2006, 2014–15)
First international
Canada  47–0  Denmark
(Stockholm, Sweden; 12 February 1949)
Biggest win
Denmark  27–4  Belgium
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 18 March 1977)
Biggest defeat
Canada  47–0  Denmark
(Stockholm, Sweden; 12 February 1949)
Olympics
Appearances2 (first in 2022)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances58 (first in 1949)
Best result4th (2025)
International record (W–L–T)
386–501–58

History

edit

The team played its first world championship in 1949, led by player-coach and captain Jørgen Hviid.[2][3] Denmark lost its first game played, by a 47–0 score to the Canada men's national team.[4]

Denmark subsequently played 53 years in lower divisions. At the 2002 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, the team finished first in Division I-B to earn promotion to the top level for the 2003 IIHF World Championship, and has remained in the top pool since, due to developed higher calibre players. The 2002 and 2003 versions of the Denmark men's national teams were recognized with the IIHF Milestone Award in 2025, for earning promotion to and remaining at the top tier of the World Championships.[4][5]

Denmark finished the 2003 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships in 11th place, defeating the United States men's national team 5–2, and tying Canada 2–2.[6] At the 2010 World Championships, Denmark finished 8th place, their best placing at the time. The feat was repeated in 2016. At the 2022 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships Denmark finished in ninth place, and earned their first victory versus Canada, in 73 years of competition, by a 3–2 score.[7]

At the 2025 IIHF World Championship, co-hosts Denmark reached its first semifinals, after defeating Canada in the quarterfinals, in what was widely considered one of the biggest upsets in the IIHF World Championship history.[a] Denmark were thus guaranteed to play in their first ever medal game and guaranteed to finish in the top four for the first time. After losing against Switzerland and against Sweden in the bronze medal game, they finished fourth.

Tournament record

edit

Olympic Games

edit
Year Finish Rank
China 2022 Beijing Quarterfinals 7th
Italy 2026 Milan / Cortina d'Ampezzo Qualification playoffs 9th

World Championship

edit
The Danish team in 1970
Kim Lykkeskov and Alexander Sundberg
Year Finish Rank
Sweden 1949 Stockholm Consolation round 10th
United States 1962 Colorado Springs/Denver 6th in the Group B 14th
Sweden 1963 Stockholm 3rd in the Pool C 18th
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1966 Jesenice 2nd in the Pool C 18th
Austria 1967 Vienna 2nd in the Pool C 18th
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1969 Skopje 6th in the Pool C 20th
Romania 1970 Galaţi 5th in the Pool C 19th
Netherlands 1971 7th in the Pool C 21st
Romania 1972 Miercurea-Ciuc 6th in the Pool C 19th
Netherlands 1973 7th in the Pool C 21st
Bulgaria 1975 Sofia 6th in the Pool C 20th
Poland 1976 Gdańsk 3rd in the Pool C 19th
Denmark 1977 Copenhagen/Hørsholm 2nd in the Pool C 19th
Spain 1978 Canary Islands (Las Palmas) 3rd in the Pool C 19th
Romania 1979 Galati Relegation in the Pool B 16th
China 1981 Beijing 4th in the Pool C 20th
Spain 1982 Jaca 3rd in the Pool C 19th
Hungary 1983 Budapest 4th in the Pool C 20th
France 1985 Megève/Chamonix/Saint-Gervais 5th in the Pool C 21st
Spain 1986 Puigcerda Consolation round in the Pool C 21st
Denmark 1987 Copenhagen/Herlev/Hørsholm 2nd in the Pool C 18th
Norway 1989 Oslo/Lillehammer 8th in the Pool B 16th
Hungary 1990 Budapest 2nd in the Pool C 18th
Denmark 1991 Brøndby 1st in the Pool C 17th
Austria 1992 Klagenfurt 4th in the Pool B 16th
Netherlands 1993 Eindhoven 4th in the Pool B 16th
Denmark 1994 Copenhagen/Aalborg 5th in the Pool B 17th
Slovakia 1995 Bratislava 5th in the Pool B 17th
Netherlands 1996 Eindhoven 6th in the Pool B 18th
Poland 1997 Katowice (Spodek)/Sosnowiec 8th in the Pool B 20th
Slovenia 1998 Ljubljana/Jesenice 4th in the Pool B 20th
Denmark 1999 Odense/Rodovre 1st in the Pool B 17th
Poland 2000 Katowice/Krakow 5th in the Pool B 21st
France 2001 Grenoble 3rd in Division I, Group A 21st
Netherlands 2002 Eindhoven 1st in Division I, Group B 18th
Finland 2003 Helsinki/Tampere/Turku Second round 11th
Czech Republic 2004 Prague/Ostrava Qualifying round 12th
Austria 2005 Vienna/Innsbruck Relegation round 14th
Latvia 2006 Riga Relegation round 13th
Russia 2007 Moscow Qualifying round 10th
Canada 2008 Halifax/Quebec Qualifying round 12th
Switzerland 2009 Bern/Kloten Relegation round 13th
Germany 2010 Cologne/Mannheim/Gelsenkirchen Playoff round 8th
Slovakia 2011 Bratislava/Košice Qualifying round 11th
Finland/Sweden 2012 Helsinki/Stockholm Preliminary round 13th
Sweden/Finland 2013 Stockholm/Helsinki Preliminary round 12th
Belarus 2014 Minsk Preliminary round 13th
Czech Republic 2015 Prague/Ostrava Preliminary round 14th
Russia 2016 Moscow/Saint Petersburg Playoff round 8th
Germany/France 2017 Cologne/Paris Preliminary round 12th
Denmark 2018 Copenhagen/Herning Preliminary round 10th
Slovakia 2019 Bratislava/Košice Preliminary round 11th
Switzerland 2020 Zurich/Lausanne Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic[15]
Latvia 2021 Riga Preliminary round 12th
Finland 2022 Helsinki/Tampere Preliminary round 9th
Finland/Latvia 2023 Tampere/Riga Preliminary round 10th
Czech Republic 2024 Prague/Ostrava Preliminary round 13th
Sweden/Denmark 2025 Stockholm/Herning Bronze medal game 4th
Switzerland 2026 Zurich/Fribourg Preliminary round 12th
Germany 2027 Düsseldorf/Mannheim

Team

edit

Current roster

edit

Roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship.[16][17]

Head coach: Mikael Gath

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
1GNicolaj Henriksen1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)92 kg (203 lb)25 September 1995 (age 30)Denmark Esbjerg Energy
3DMalte Setkov2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)93 kg (205 lb)14 January 1999 (age 27)Denmark Rødovre Mighty Bulls
6FOliver Kjær1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)84 kg (185 lb)10 July 2000 (age 25)Denmark Esbjerg Energy
9FFrederik Storm1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)86 kg (190 lb)20 February 1989 (age 37)Germany Kölner Haie
11FAlexander True1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)91 kg (201 lb)17 July 1997 (age 28)Finland JYP Jyväskylä
21DKasper Larsen1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)105 kg (231 lb)23 September 2002 (age 23)Denmark Herning Blue Fox
22DMarkus Lauridsen1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)87 kg (192 lb)28 February 1991 (age 35)Italy HC Pustertal Wölfe
29FMikkel AagaardA1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)81 kg (179 lb)18 October 1995 (age 30)Sweden Skellefteå AIK
30GMads Søgaard2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)91 kg (201 lb)13 December 2000 (age 25)Canada Ottawa Senators
33DMorten Jensen1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)82 kg (181 lb)1 March 1997 (age 29)Denmark Rungsted Ishockey Klub
35GKristers Steinbergs1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)90 kg (200 lb)23 March 2005 (age 21)Sweden Hudiksvalls HC
36DDaniel Baastrup1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)84 kg (185 lb)23 July 1999 (age 26)Denmark Odense Bulldogs
38FMorten Poulsen1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)95 kg (209 lb)9 September 1988 (age 37)Denmark Herning Blue Fox
39FJacob Schmidt-Svejstrup1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)91 kg (201 lb)14 January 1998 (age 28)Denmark SønderjyskE Ishockey
40DAnders Koch1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)83 kg (183 lb)2 October 1997 (age 28)Austria Graz 99ers
41DJesper Jensen AaboC1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)93 kg (205 lb)30 July 1991 (age 34)Austria EC KAC
42DPhillip Bruggisser1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)85 kg (187 lb)7 August 1991 (age 34)Germany Fischtown Pinguins
54FFelix Scheel1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)89 kg (196 lb)1 September 1992 (age 33)Germany Schwenninger Wild Wings
63FPatrick RussellA1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)92 kg (203 lb)4 January 1993 (age 33)Germany Kölner Haie
65FChristian Wejse1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)88 kg (194 lb)4 December 1998 (age 27)Germany Fischtown Pinguins
72FPhillip Schultz1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)91 kg (201 lb)24 July 2000 (age 25)Denmark Esbjerg Energy
77FMathias From1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)85 kg (187 lb)16 December 1997 (age 28)Austria EC KAC
80GFrederik Dichow1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)87 kg (192 lb)1 March 2001 (age 25)Sweden HV71
82FDavid Madsen1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)90 kg (200 lb)25 January 1999 (age 27)Sweden Västerås IK
86FJoachim Blichfeld1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)82 kg (181 lb)17 July 1998 (age 27)Finland Tappara
95FNick Olesen1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)84 kg (185 lb)14 November 1995 (age 30)Czech Republic Motor České Budějovice

2026 Olympics roster

edit

The first six players of Denmark's roster were announced on 16 June 2025.[18] The remaining roster was named on 7 January 2026.[19] On 8 February, Jonas Røndbjerg was ruled out due to injury, and replaced by Malte Setkov.[20] Jesper Jensen Aabo served as Denmark's captain, with Oliver Lauridsen and Patrick Russell as alternate captains.[21]

Head coach: Sweden Mikael Gath[22]

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
3DMalte Setkov2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)101 kg (223 lb) (1999-01-14)14 January 1999 (aged 27)Denmark Rødovre Mighty Bulls
9FFrederik Storm1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)86 kg (190 lb) (1989-02-20)20 February 1989 (aged 36)Germany Kölner Haie
11FAlexander True1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)91 kg (201 lb) (1997-07-17)17 July 1997 (aged 28)Finland JYP
12FOscar Mølgaard1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)80 kg (176 lb) (2005-02-18)18 February 2005 (aged 20)United States Coachella Valley Firebirds
15DMatias Lassen1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)88 kg (194 lb) (1996-03-15)15 March 1996 (aged 29)Germany Iserlohn Roosters
17FNicklas Jensen1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)98 kg (216 lb) (1993-03-06)6 March 1993 (aged 32)Switzerland SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers
20FLars Eller1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (198 lb) (1989-05-08)8 May 1989 (aged 36)Canada Ottawa Senators
22DMarkus Lauridsen1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)90 kg (198 lb) (1991-02-28)28 February 1991 (aged 34)Italy HC Pustertal Wölfe
24FNikolaj Ehlers1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)82 kg (181 lb) (1996-02-14)14 February 1996 (aged 29)United States Carolina Hurricanes
25DOliver LauridsenA1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)105 kg (231 lb) (1989-03-24)24 March 1989 (aged 36)Finland TPS
27FOliver Bjorkstrand1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)79 kg (174 lb) (1995-04-10)10 April 1995 (aged 30)United States Tampa Bay Lightning
29FMikkel Aagaard1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)86 kg (190 lb) (1995-10-18)18 October 1995 (aged 30)Sweden Skellefteå AIK
30GMads Søgaard2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)91 kg (201 lb) (2000-12-13)13 December 2000 (aged 25)Canada Belleville Senators
31GFrederik Andersen1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)100 kg (220 lb) (1989-10-02)2 October 1989 (aged 36)United States Carolina Hurricanes
38FMorten Poulsen1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)101 kg (223 lb) (1988-09-09)9 September 1988 (aged 37)Denmark Herning Blue Fox
40DAnders Koch1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)86 kg (190 lb) (1997-10-02)2 October 1997 (aged 28)Austria Graz99ers
41DJesper Jensen AaboC1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)87 kg (192 lb) (1991-07-30)30 July 1991 (aged 34)Austria EC KAC
42DPhillip Bruggisser1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)91 kg (201 lb) (1991-08-07)7 August 1991 (aged 34)Germany Fischtown Pinguins
48DNicholas B. Jensen1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)102 kg (225 lb) (1989-04-08)8 April 1989 (aged 36)Germany Fischtown Pinguins
50FMathias Bau2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)108 kg (238 lb) (1993-07-03)3 July 1993 (aged 32)Denmark Herning Blue Fox
63FPatrick RussellA1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)92 kg (203 lb) (1993-01-04)4 January 1993 (aged 33)Germany Kölner Haie
65FChristian Wejse1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)88 kg (194 lb) (1998-12-04)4 December 1998 (aged 27)Germany Fischtown Pinguins
80GFrederik Dichow1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)94 kg (207 lb) (2001-03-01)1 March 2001 (aged 24)Sweden HV71
86FJoachim Blichfeld1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)92 kg (203 lb) (1998-07-17)17 July 1998 (aged 27)Finland Tappara
95FNick Olesen1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)84 kg (185 lb) (1995-11-14)14 November 1995 (aged 30)Czech Republic Motor České Budějovice

Former and current players in NHL

edit
YearNamePositionTeam
1965–1966
1967–1968
1968–1970
1970–1972
1979–1980
Poul Popiel[b]DefensemanBoston Bruins
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
2006–2016
2016–2021
Frans NielsenCenterNew York Islanders
Detroit Red Wings
2007–2017
2017–2018
Jannik HansenRight wingerVancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
2009–2013
2013–2014
2014
Peter ReginCenterOttawa Senators
New York Islanders
Chicago Blackhawks
2008–2016
2016
2016–2018
2018–2020
Mikkel BødkerLeft wingerArizona Coyotes
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Ottawa Senators
2009–2010
2010–2016
2016–2023
2023–2024
2024–2025
2025-2026
2026-
Lars EllerCenterSt. Louis Blues
Montreal Canadiens
Washington Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Ottawa Senators
Florida Panthers
2010–2013
2013–2014
2016–2017
Philip LarsenDefensemanDallas Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
2013–2014
2016
Nicklas JensenLeft wingerVancouver Canucks
New York Rangers
2013Oliver LauridsenDefensemanPhiladelphia Flyers
2013–2016
2016–2021
2021–2026
2026-
Frederik AndersenGoaltenderAnaheim Ducks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Carolina Hurricanes
Edmonton Oilers
2015–2025
2025-
Nikolaj EhlersLeft wingerWinnipeg Jets
Carolina Hurricanes
2016–2022
2022–2025
2025–2026
2026-
Oliver BjorkstrandRight wingerColumbus Blue Jackets
Seattle Kraken
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers
2018–2021Patrick RussellRight wingerEdmonton Oilers
2019–2021Joachim BlichfeldRight wingerSan Jose Sharks
2020–2021
2021–2022
Alexander TrueCenterSan Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
2021–Jonas RøndbjergForwardVegas Golden Knights
2022–2026
2026-
Mads SøgaardGoaltenderOttawa Senators
Tampa Bay Lightning
2025–Oscar Fisker MølgaardForwardSeattle Kraken

All-time record

edit

Updated as of the match versus Norway on 8 November 2025.[23]

TeamGPWTLGFGA
 Australia2101107
 Austria441313095175
 Belarus29132147290
 Belgium13120117731
 Bulgaria321921113788
 Canada112181585
 China168268652
 Croatia3300244
 Czech Republic1330101847
 East Germany1200122584
 Estonia74212616
 Finland28402431111
 France8637544243294
 Germany30110196790
 Great Britain30174913993
 Hungary6729434228286
 Italy301431396118
 Japan3414119112147
 Kazakhstan106043825
 Latvia381402493131
 Lithuania110081
 Netherlands5531717242185
 North Korea77005212
 Norway10444951263330
 Poland3211318102134
 Romania2091107580
 Russia1510141768
 Slovakia2470175093
 Slovenia30163119778
 South Africa2200152
 South Korea109018616
 Spain6600428
 Sweden28202644132
  Switzerland33312951147
 Ukraine113352930
 United States1220101646
 Yugoslavia208487378
Totals:946386585012 9973 414

Uniform evolution

edit

Notes

edit
  1. Attributed to multiple sources:[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
  2. Poul Popiel is Danish-American. He was born in Denmark and his family moved to Canada when he was a child. He subsequently moved to the United States, and he acquired American citizenship before making his NHL debut.

References

edit
  1. "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  2. Fredberg, Peter (15 August 2014). "Tre ishockeylegender blev optaget i Hall of Fame". BT Ishockey (in Danish). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  3. "Hall of Fame: Jørgen Hviid – dansk ishockeys fader". Danmarks Ishockey Union (in Danish). 8 March 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 Podnieks, Andrew (1 January 2025). "IIHF Contributors' Class 2025". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  5. Podnieks, Andrew (25 May 2025). "IIHF honours its Contributors". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  6. IIHF Article
  7. "IIHF - After 73 years, Denmark beats Canada!". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  8. "IIHF - Denmark stuns Canada". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  9. Kingerski, Dan (22 May 2025). "What?! Canada, Crosby Suffer Huge Upset Loss at Worlds". Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  10. "Denmark's Dazzling Victory: A Historic Upset in Ice Hockey". Devdiscourse. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  11. "How did Denmark beat Canada? Frederik Dichow's 39 saves tell the story". The Economic Times. 23 May 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  12. "2025 IIHF Worlds Quarterfinals: Denmark Stuns Canada, Sweden Defeats Czechia". Yardbarker. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  13. "Denmark's 'Miracle Of Midtjylland' sends Canada crashing out". Reuters. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  14. "Drama in Denmark shakes up Worlds". www.nhl.com. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  15. Steiss, Adam. "2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship cancelled". iihf.com. IIHF. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  16. "Ishockeylandsholdets VM-trup er klar". ishockey.dk (in Danish). 13 May 2026.
  17. "Team roster: Denmark" (PDF). iihf.com. 14 May 2026.
  18. "Denmark names 1st 6 players to preliminary Olympics roster". National Hockey League. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  19. "OL-truppen er på plads: Dansk ishockey klar til Milano". ishockey.dk. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  20. Ellis, Steven (8 February 2026). "Golden Knights' Jonas Røndbjerg replaced by Malte Setkov on Danish men's Olympic roster". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  21. "Germany vs Denmark – 12 February 2026 – Line-ups". iihf.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. 12 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  22. "Team roster: Denmark". iihf.com. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  23. "Denmark - National Teams of Ice Hockey". nationalteamsoficehockey.com. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
edit