2024 Worlds Preview: Denmark

For just the fourth time in team history, Denmark will play in the Top Division of the World Championships. 

The last time the team played at this tournament was back in 2022, where they finished in 10th place behind Germany and were relegated back to Division IA. At last year’s tournament, they finished second, and are now promoted back up to play in Group B in Utica. 

Their path to the top three in Group B won’t be easy, with tough matchups against Japan, China, Sweden, and Germany on deck. But the Danish contingent might just have some surprises up their sleeves as round robin play gets under way on April 3. 

Roster

Forwards: Frederikke Foss, Lilli Pearl Friis-Hansen, Silke Lave Glud, Julie Røder Henriksen, Nicoline Søndergaard Jensen, Frida Mia Kielstrup, Sara Julie Knudsen, Millie Kunnerup Sørensen, Julie Oksbjerg, Maria Holm Peters, Olivia Ranum, Emma Elizabeth Russell, Sofia Blüthgen Skriver 

Defense: Amalie Andersen, Josephine Asperup, Sofie Skott Dahl, Kristine Melberg, Silja Franksdottir Engel Rasmussen, Amanda Normann Refsgaard, Lærke Søndergaard

Goaltending: Caroline Bjergstad, Emma-Sofie Nordström, Caroline Kromann Thomsen

How to Watch

All Start Times in Eastern Standard Time in Utica

April 3rd - DEN vs. SWE (11:00 AM) - NHL Network, TSN 3/4 

April 4th - DEN vs. GER (3:00 PM) - ESPN+, TSN4

April 7th - CHN vs. DEN (7:00 PM) - ESPN+, TSN3

April 9th - JPN vs. DEN  (7:00 PM) - ESPN +. TSN1

Who to Watch 

Whichever goaltender gets the nod in net. 

Emma-Sofie Nordström, a potential starter for Denmark, had an outstanding sophomore season at St. Lawrence in the NCAA. Posting a .931 save percentage, Nordström helped lead the Saints to a national tournament berth, and was named to the All-League second team for her efforts. Additionally, at the IA tournament last year Nordström was in net for all three of Denmark’s wins and finished with a .925 SV%. 

Caroline Bjergstad, meanwhile, is just 19, but she has played incredibly well at the international level. In January 2023 at the Under-18 tournament, Bjergstad was flawless on Denmark’s way to finishing atop the DIB standings and earning a promotion back to IA. She finished the tournament with a .968 SV%, and carried that over to the senior level, where she found success with high numbers as well. 

Then there’s the third member of the trio, Caroline Kromann Thomsen. Thomsen has been playing outstanding hockey for Rødovre in the Danish Women’s Hockey League, and put up rock solid performances at the Deutschland Cup for Team Denmark back in November. It’ll be interesting to see how she performs at the World Championships if she's able to get some playing time in net. 

All three of the netminders have a solid case for the starters role. And regardless of who gets the chance to hold down the crease, there’ll be something to keep an eye on game in and game out when it comes to the goaltending for Denmark. 

What to Watch For

The Danes are definitely young – of their roster of 23, only five players were born before 1998. Of that, all three of their goaltenders were born in 2002 or later, and their only defender over the age of 24 is 31-year-old Josephine Asperup. 

Even being on the younger side of things, Denmark has the defensive structure to keep up with the other teams in Group B. Not to mention the capability of any of the three goaltenders behind them; they’re going to be a difficult team to score against. 

The question then becomes: how well does that youth hold up against the other teams? 15-year-old forward Olivia Runum will probably be the youngest player at the tournament, and playing her against the experienced teams in Group B such as Sweden might not play out as well as they expect. 

It’s going to be a guessing game of how their youth matches up with the experience some of the other squads have, but regardless they’ll be a fun, fast team to watch when they hit the ice. 

Group Stage Showdown 

The closest matchup to keep an eye on is their April 7 contest against China. Why? 

Well, China was the other team promoted to the top division, coming in first in the IA tournament last August. They finished just above Denmark in the standings at the Olympic Games in 2022 as well. 

On their way to the top spot in IA, China beat Denmark 4-2 in their matchup at the tournament. That April 7 game will have some key implications in the standings of Group B, and could be the difference between a quarterfinals berth and relegation potential for the two squads. 

Prediction

There’s definitely a world where Denmark is able to make things interesting in Group B, and maybe even grind out a win or two over China or Germany (who they played well against in November). Otherwise though, there’s a very strong chance the Danes find themselves back near the bottom of the standings. They’re just a little too young to compete right now, but it’s only a matter of time before they find themselves playing in a top division quarterfinal.

Data courtesy of IIHF.com and EliteProspects.com.