It was quarter-final day at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, with all four Vancouver Canucks representatives in action as they looked to punch their tickets to the semifinal round.

First up were Max Sasson and Team U.S. against Canada, followed by Aatu Räty and Finland taking on Filip Hronek and Czechia. To close out the day, Linus Karlsson and Sweden battled tournament powerhouse Switzerland.

Unfortunately for the Canucks contingent, only one player advanced to the semifinal round.

The game was much closer than the final score suggested, with Canada adding a pair of empty-net goals in the final minutes to secure a 4-0 victory. Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring late in the first period before NHL forward Dylan Holloway added some insurance midway through the second. Canada outshot the Americans 38-34 and will now face Finland in the semifinals.

Sasson recorded one shot, two penalty minutes, and a minus-1 rating in 14:22 of ice time. Now eliminated from the tournament, the Canucks forward finishes with one goal, one assist, four penalty minutes, 10 shots, and an even plus-minus rating while averaging 13:57 of ice time through eight games.

For Canucks fans, this was arguably the marquee matchup of the quarter-finals, as Räty squared off against Hronek.

Finland grabbed control early, building a 3-0 lead before Hronek finally got Czechia on the board with his first goal of the tournament. One of the team’s assistant captains and go-to defenceman blasted home a one-timer on a 5-on-3 power play to briefly give the Czechs life.

Unfortunately for Czechia, that was as close as it would get. Finland added another goal later in regulation to secure a convincing 4-1 victory and a semifinal berth against Canada.

Räty was held off the scoresheet for a second consecutive game after recording points in each of his first six tournament contests. He finished with one shot in 14:53 of ice time while centring Finland’s third line.

Hronek, meanwhile, finished with a goal, four shots, and a minus-1 rating in 23:03 of ice time.

The Czech blue liner wraps up the tournament with a strong overall showing, recording one goal, two assists, 19 shots, two penalty minutes, and a plus-3 rating while averaging just over 24 minutes per game. Hronek was also the only Czech skater to average more than 20 minutes of ice time during the tournament.

Switzerland entered the matchup as the only team to go undefeated in regulation during the preliminary round, giving Sweden a difficult task in the day’s final quarter-final.

Still, the Swedes got off to an ideal start. Karlsson opened the scoring early in the game after taking an Emil Heineman cross-ice feed off his skate before quickly firing the puck through the legs of the Swiss goaltender.

The lead did not last long, however, as Swiss captain Roman Josi found the equalizer midway through the opening period. Switzerland eventually took over in the second period with two more goals and held on for a 3-1 victory, advancing to the semifinals against Norway.

Karlsson made the most of his limited ice time, scoring a goal while adding two shots and a minus-1 rating in just 12:41. The Swedish winger finishes the tournament with five points (two goals, three assists), 13 shots, six penalty minutes, and a plus-2 rating while averaging 14:11 of ice time.

The tournament resumes Saturday, with Räty and Finland set to face Canada in the semifinal round at 11 a.m. PT.