Italy failed to qualify for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in 2018. Now, however, the Italians have made it for the second consecutive year in 2021. There was no tournament in 2020, but in 2019 Italy had a rough return to the event. Defensively, they gave up more goals than anyone else on their way to being outscored 48-5. Not only was the 48 goals allowed a tournament-high, but the five offensive was the lowest of the 16 teams. Still, it was an overtime shootout victory over Austria in their final game that kept them out of last place.
Seven players return for Italy at the 2021 IIHF World Championship from the 2019 team. Notably, only one defenseman from that squad is with the team in Latvia, and there’s been a complete change at goalkeeper. These personnel decisions shouldn’t come as a surprise, and maybe the roster changes can have a positive impact on Italy’s record.
Tournament Details
| Dates | Friday, May 21 - Sunday, June 6, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Riga, Latvia |
| Venue | Olympic Sports Centre and Arena Riga |
| Channel | NHL Network (USA), TSN (Canada) |
| Live Stream | PremiumTV (Worldwide) |
Preview
Italy is struggling mightily at the World Championship, and in each of their games was a full two steps or more behind their opponent. They lost to Germany in the first game 9-4, then put up just one point to lose to Norway 4-1. Group B’s struggles to separate from each other in the standings so far leaves a bit of hope for the Italians. That, however, would be surprising because they just don’t look good.
Team Roster
| Number | Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Stefano Giliati | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 13 | Peter Hochkofler | Forward | EC Salzburg |
| 14 | Thomas Galimberti | Forward | HC Eppan |
| 17 | Lorenzo Casetti | Defenseman | Asiago Hockey |
| 19 | Raphael Andergassen | Forward | HC Pustertal |
| 21 | Daniel Glira | Defenseman | HC Pustertal |
| 22 | Simon Pitschieler | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 23 | Stefano Marchetti | Defenseman | Asiago Hockey |
| 24 | Peter Spornberger | Defenseman | EHC Freiburg |
| 26 | Angelo Miceli | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 29 | Davide Fadani | Goalkeeper | HC Lugano |
| 31 | Damian Clara | Goalkeeper | Red Bull Hockey Academy |
| 32 | Justin Fazio | Goalkeeper | HC Bolzano |
| 37 | Phil Pietroniro | Defenseman | SG Cortina |
| 44 | Gregorio Gios | Defenseman | SHC Fassa |
| 46 | Ivan Deluca | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 68 | Sebastiano Soracreppa | Defenseman | HC Thurgau |
| 81 | Anthony Bardaro | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 91 | Marco Rosa | Forward | Asiago Hockey |
| 92 | Alex Petan | Forward | Fehervar AV 19 |
| 93 | Luca Frigo | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 94 | Daniel Frank | Forward | HC Bolzano |
| 95 | Marco Magnabosco | Forward | Asiago Hockey |
Prelims Schedule
Italy is competing in Group B and will play each other team in the group in the preliminary round. All Group B games are played at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia.
| Date | Time | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 21, 2021 | 9:15am EST | Germany |
| Sunday, May 23, 2021 | 5:15am EST | Norway |
| Monday, May 24, 2021 | 9:15am EST | Latvia |
| Thursday, May 27, 2021 | 1:15pm EST | Finland |
| Saturday, May 29, 2021 | 5:15am EST | Kazakhstan |
| Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 9:15am EST | Canada |
| Tuesday, June 1, 2021 | 9:15am EST | United States |
How to watch IIHF 2021 Italy Men’s game live stream from anywhere?
In Italy, DAZN has got all the rights to live broadcast and stream online. If you are an expedite and want to watch all Italy’s games online from outside Italy, You may need to find an alternative channel or streaming provider in your current region/location, because DAZN live stream can only be viewed from Italy. We recommend PremiumTV, as they promised to cover all IIHF games live stream online from anywhere. Their service comes with a one-time payment of $19.99 or even fans can get a free 3 day trial on a monthly plan.
