After a day off for all four Vancouver Canucks representatives, three returned to action Wednesday at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland.

Filip Hronek suited up for Czechia, Linus Karlsson hit the ice with Sweden, and Max Sasson continued his tournament with Team USA.

Italy entered the matchup having scored just one goal through its first three tournament games and appeared poised for another difficult outing against Filip Hronek and Czechia.

Instead, they nearly delivered one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. Despite a scoreless opening period, the Italians broke through midway through the second frame to take a stunning 1-0 lead with just their second goal of the entire tournament.

That lead held through 40 minutes thanks largely to Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara, who was the undeniable man of the match by the final buzzer.

Eventually, the Czechs broke through. Hronek picked up a secondary assist on the game-winning goal after pinching down from the blue line to wrap the puck behind the net. David Tomášek and Jakub Flek then connected on a give-and-go play to beat Clara and give Czechia its first lead of the night.

An empty-net goal sealed a narrow 3-1 victory, but it wasn’t without some incredible work from Clara, who finished with an incredible 55-save performance in the loss.

Hronek once again led the Czech side in ice time, skating 22:14 while adding an assist, six shots on goal, and a plus-2 rating. With the victory, Czechia improved to 3-0-1-0 and moved into first place in Group B, remaining undefeated in regulation through four games.

Slovenia entered Tuesday having already pulled off one major upset earlier in the tournament against Czechia. Unfortunately, there would be no repeat performance against Sweden.

The Swedes controlled the game from start to finish, cruising to a 6-0 victory while outshooting Slovenia 45-16.

Linus Karlsson continued to skate in Sweden’s top-six, slotting in the second line alongside Jacob De La Rose and Emil Heineman. The Canucks forward played a key role offensively, collecting two primary assists — both on goals scored by De La Rose.

Karlsson’s first assist came in the opening period after he patiently surveyed the ice from behind the net before slipping a crafty backhand pass through the crease.

The duo connected again in the second period after aggressively working the puck loose below the goal line. Karlsson spun off pressure and threaded a perfect behind-the-back pass into the slot for his second helper.

He wrapped up the night with two assists, one shot on goal, and a plus-2 rating in 14:15 of ice time. Sweden improved to 2-0-0-2 and continues trying to climb back into the top portion of the Group B standings with three preliminary-round games remaining.

Tuesday’s late slate featured Max Sasson and Team USA taking on Germany, which turned out to be the day’s tightest game.

It took just over a minute for Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider to open the scoring for Germany before the Americans found an equalizer later in the first period.

Five minutes into the second frame, Sasson collected his first goal of the tournament. After a scramble around the crease, the puck bounced loose into the slot, where Sasson jumped on the opportunity and buried the rebound to give Team USA its first lead of the game. Sasson finished with a goal, two shots, and a plus-1 rating in 15:06 of ice time.

Germany responded with back-to-back goals before the Americans tied it late, thanks to a tally by Thomas Novak to force overtime and then a shootout.

There, Ryan Leonard sealed the win as the fifth American shooter to secure Team USA’s second victory of the tournament. The Americans now sit fourth in Group A with a 1-1-0-2 record.

All three players will enjoy a day off on Wednesday, while Aatu Räty and Finland return to action against Latvia, aiming to remain unbeaten at the tournament.

Räty and Karlsson will next play on Friday, while Hronek and Sasson return on Saturday.