Canada is looking to avenge the defeat from under the five rings and has put together a really strong team, as well as the home selection of Switzerland. Who can the fans look forward to?
Sidney Crosby (38, Canada)
Crosby left the past two major tournaments without fanfare. Last year, the hyped-up team led by Nathan MacKinnon burned in the quarter-finals at the hands of the Danes, and was knocked out of the February Olympics by Czech Republic's Radko Gudas with a hard hit at the same stage.
The Canada captain then just watched sadly as his side were defeated in the final by the Americans. His participation is not surprising after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
"At my age, I don't have the luxury of having a long break anymore," he said last year before the championship.
His attitude will not change - he wants to keep the momentum going for the smoothest possible entry into next year's season.
He'll be going to the championship for only the fourth time in his late career; the imaginative playmaker has a gold from the 2015 World Championships (along with two Olympic triumphs and three Stanley Cup rings), having first competed 20 years ago in Riga. As an 18-year-old talent, he was the tournament's top scorer with eight goals.
Aleksander Barkov (30, Finland)
Who could you want on your team more than the captain of the Stanley Cup champions, even a two-time one? And a hungry hockey player to boot.
The Florida Panthers forward played his last sharp game in last year's finals against Edmonton, as he injured ligaments in his knee in September in preparation for the new campaign and missed the entire season, including the Olympics.
Even though he jumped into practice before the end of the regular season, it was not at all certain that Florida would let him go to the World Championships.
However, when he approached the management to ask for permission, he got a very friendly response by NHL standards. It also shows how strong his position is with the Panthers.
"If a hockey player wants to play, that's a good sign, right?"...the club's general manager, Bill Zito, said.
The Finns have acquired an exceptional leader and a popular teammate in Barkov. It's actually a comeback of sorts for him, as he last competed in a championship 10 long years ago, when he helped lead the team to silver.
Matthew Tkachuk (28, USA)
The Americans triumphed at the World Championships last year for the first time in 65 years. This long drought is also the reason why this undisputed world hockey power has no Triple Gold Club member yet.
That is to say, a player who will win the Olympics and the Stanley Cup in addition to the World Championship gold during his career. The elder of the Tkachuk brothers may become the first ever, capping off an absolutely excellent year.
With Florida, he won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year last June, then dominated the Olympics with the national team this past February.
In addition, he got married in July, and his daughter was born in mid-April. Despite the latter fact, he did not hesitate over his debut appearance at the World Championships.
"I try to be as patriotic as I can," he said.
He is the only one from the gold medal-winning Milan team in the current squad. In the NHL, he has 670 points (253+417) from 673 games. How will he do on a wide rink?
Macklin Celebrini (19, Canada)
If there was talk of Crosby's first championship in 2006, this talent wasn't born until three weeks after it ended. Despite his young age, he's shining and getting a lot of responsibility on the national team.
After all, he was named captain ahead of schedule, the youngest in Canadian men's national team history! And reporters are unanimous that this has put the coaches in a tight spot after Crosby's confirmed start.
It's almost hard to believe that the Celebrini has only two seasons in the NHL under his belt and is playing with a below-average San Jose.
After all, even in their jersey, he has collected 115 points this season and finished fourth in the overall productivity rankings.
If sometimes draft picks are accompanied by embarrassment of coping with expectations, that's not the case with this youngster and the first pick of 2024. He also excelled at the Olympics, collecting 10 points (5+5) in six games. He assisted on half of the goals (1+3) in Sunday's 6-1 win over France.
Roman Cervenka (40, Czech Republic)
Sure, he doesn't play in the NHL, and for the experts there, he might not be one of the biggest stars of the tournament, but Roman Cervenka's position in the international hockey spotlight is undeniable.
He has accumulated an amazing 51 points in the last four championships, and he played all of them after his 37th year on the counter... He was also a difference maker at the Olympics, where he faced the NHL's biggest stars as an ambassador of the extra league.
With five points, he was the second most productive Czech behind Martin Necas. Now he is going to his 13th world championship, which will create a Czech record that he shared with David Vyborny.
"Even though the season and the playoffs were tough, I just want to be there. I can't imagine saying no," he said. In Fribourg, where the national team will play the regular group, he knows it. He spent two seasons there, albeit not very successful ones.
Roman Josi (35, Switzerland)
The golden Swiss generation is still waiting to fulfil its nickname. In the past two years, the team made it to the finals, but failed to make the final step.
This year, however, they are playing on home ice and new coach Jan Cadieux has packed the roster with 22 world runners-up. With the captain's C, he'll be led by this veteran Nashville defenseman, who can be expected to play a major role on the power plays he directs from the blue line.
This season hasn't been as explosive in points for him as some recent ones, he even attacked the 100 mark four years ago. Even so, he's racked up a fair 55 contributions, which still puts him in the elite company of quarterbacks in the best league in the world.
An impressive feat considering he missed the second half of last season due to a nervous system ailment that accompanies sudden heart palpitations after a change in body position and chronic fatigue. That's why he had to miss the championship last year.
Ivar Stenberg (18, Sweden)
The least-known name of the bunch. And rightly so, because this rookie from Frolunda hasn't done much compared to the above. So far. At the turn of the year, he led the Under-20s to world gold, destroying the Czechs in the final (4-2) with three points (1+2).
He's earned the respect of scouts and should be very high in this year's NHL draft. When asked recently by Toronto's Oliver Ekman Larsson, who won the lottery for the first pick, who he would pick, he named his countryman.
And he had yet to see them in the national team jersey, where they both played in the Swedish Hockey Games. The week before, Stenberg shone in Ceske Budejovice, where he picked up five points in three starts, and again against the Czechs (1+1).
Experts appreciate the versatility of his offensive record, as he is as good at setting up goals as he is at scoring them. The championship is his first big chance to make his mark among the adults.