Calgary 2024: Get to Know Italy

The 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will take place from 4-12 May at WinSport Arenas in Calgary, Canada. The event will feature the top eight teams in the world: USA, Canada, Czechia, China, South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Slovakia. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format with the teams split into two groups, followed by the playoff round, culminating with the gold-medal game on 12 May.

Background

The host of the next Paralympic Winter Games in 2026 has never finished higher than fifth or lower than seventh at the World Championships. The team was fifth at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and then sixth at last year’s World Championships. Led by veteran stars Gianluigi Rosa, Nils Larch and Andrea Macri, Italy is now in search of its first semifinals appearance at a World Championships A-Pool.

World Championships History

2023: 6th place (B-Pool)
2021: 7th place (A-Pool)
2019: 6th place (A-Pool)
2017: 5th place (A-Pool)
2015: 5th place (A-Pool)
2013: 5th place (A-Pool)
2012: 6th place (A-Pool)
2009: 6th place (A-Pool)
2008: 6th place (A-Pool)

Athlete to Watch

Andrea Macri has been the heart and soul of this team over the last decade, most recently leading Italy with 14 shots on goal as a defender at the last edition of the A-Pool event. The former wheelchair fencer has done so much to grow Para ice hockey on and off the ice, and is hoping to qualify for his fourth consecutive Paralympics in the sport. 

Matchup to Watch: Czechia vs. Italy on 4 May

This contest pits Europe’s top two teams against each other and could ultimately be the decider of which team makes it to the tournament semifinals. The last time they faced each other on the global stage, Czechia shut out Italy, 4-0, at last year’s World Championships A-Pool.