2025 Worlds Preview: Norway

After nearly 30 years, Norway is back playing in the top division of World Championship play. Team Norway enters the 2025 Worlds hoping to make a big statement as the 14th ranked team in the world.

How They Got Here

Norway went undefeated at the 2024 IIHF Division 1-A World Championship to earn a promotion to the top division and a ticket to the 2025 Worlds.

Team Norway had two regulation wins and three shootout wins to finish at the top of the table at the 2024 Division 1-A Worlds. Their 8-0 rout at the expense of South Korea on April 27, 2024, was a serious outlier – most of Norway’s games were absolute nail-biters. Norway’s skaters scored 13 goals (12 at even strength) and star goaltender Ena Nystrøm yielded just six goals. Excluding that big win against South Korea, all of Norway’s games were decided by a single goal or a shootout winner.

They may have been the top seed in their tournament last year, but they have a lot to prove in their first appearance in the top division of the Worlds since 1997.

Who to Watch

To be blunt, Norway would not be here without Ena Nystrøm. Nystrøm had a .958 Sv% at the 2024 D1-A Worlds and backstopped her team to two shootout victories. When all the chips were down, Norway's brightest star willed her team to victory and, eventually, an undefeated record and promotion. Nystrøm took home Best Goaltender honors (for the third time in her career) and earned recognition as Norway's MVP. That is why she's our player to watch.

The 5-foot-10 keeper will step onto the ice in Czechia looking to build on her strong performance in the SDHL playoffs. Nystrøm posted a .924 Sv% for Brynäs IF, buoyed by two shutouts, and she will need to play at that high level for Norway to prove it belongs at this level. Fortunately for Nystrøm, there are other exceptional players on Norway's roster, but none will be more important than the woman who wears a mask.

Key Storyline

Norway was promoted to the top division to compete in Czechia this year despite a miserable 5.88 PP% at the 2024 Division 1-A Worlds. That just isn't going to cut it at this level – especially for a team that relies on skating and defense and has as few weapons as the Norwegians do. If Norway wants to stay at this level, they will need to capitalize on their power plays while making sure to stay out of their own box.

Emma Bergesen's ability to move the puck on the blue line will be crucial to the success of Norway's power play. She's not the only puck-moving defender with good offensive instincts on the roster, but she's a proven star in the SDHL and one of her nation's cornerstone talents.

Prediction

Staying in the top division would be a tremendous result for Team Norway, but the odds are stacked against them. Remember, Norway has about the same population as South Carolina and they haven't competed at this level since 1997. The majority of this year's roster hadn't even been born.

I predict a fourth-place finish in Group B, ahead of Team Hungary, because of an inability to produce offense at even strength and an over-reliance on veteran star Andrea Dalen and Providence College's Millie Rose Sirum to provide a spark. Unfortunately, that would mean a return to Division 1, Group A. Norway may find a way to win a bunch of nail-biters – that is, more or less, becoming their thing – but heart attack hockey is not exactly a winning strategy.