Luxembourg’s senior national ice hockey team; Credit: IIHF

On Sunday 19 April 2026, Luxembourg’s senior national ice hockey team concluded their campaign at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group B in Hong Kong, China, recording two wins and three defeats to finish in fourth place.

The squad, led by head coach Andrey Esipov, consisted of 20 players, including goalkeepers Jesse Miquel and Sven Cruchten, defenders Thierry Beran, Lenny Braun, David Church, Alexandre Lutov, Claude Mossong, Franck Stroppolo, Barnabas Vass and Sami Zrika, as well as forwards Colm Cannon, Josef Čap, Martin Fleischmann, Mirko Mosr, Joaquim Nunes, Philip Riisberg, Charlie Springer, Antoine Thomas, Leopold Toft and Anthony Vincens. Eight members of the squad represent domestic clubs Tornado Luxembourg and Beaufort Knights.

Luxembourg faced hosts Hong Kong, as well as Uzbekistan, North Korea, the Philippines and Mongolia during the tournament, recording victories against the latter two opponents.

In their opening game, Andrey Esipov’s team suffered a 7-1 defeat to hosts Hong Kong. Luxembourg’s only goal came in the second period, when Antoine Thomas, making his debut for the national team, won a face-off which allowed captain Colm Cannon to find the net.

The team improved their position in the group in the following match against Mongolia. After trailing 1-2 in the first period, Luxembourg responded with five goals in the second, scored by Martin Fleischmann, Leopold Toft, Barnabas Vass (twice) and Colm Cannon. Despite losing the third period 2-1, Luxembourg secured a 7-5 victory.

A similar pattern followed against the Philippines, with Luxembourg conceding early before scoring three times in the second period. David Church netted twice, while Joaquim Nunes added another, as the team claimed a 4-2 win.

Against group leaders Uzbekistan, Luxembourg were unable to score, suffering a 14-0 defeat to a side strengthened in recent years by several naturalised players.

Luxembourg concluded their campaign with a 5-1 loss to North Korea, with captain Colm Cannon scoring the team’s only goal. The result confirmed Luxembourg’s fourth-place finish, ensuring their place in the division for the next edition.

Uzbekistan topped the standings to secure promotion to Group A, while North Korea claimed the silver medals and Hong Kong finished third with bronze.

Reflecting on the tournament, head coach Andrey Esipov told Chronicle.lu: “The most important thing is that we gathered a lot of information about our opponents, how they are developing, what we are missing and how we can improve. We gave opportunities to young players and saw clearly what the team needs, both collectively and individually. I believe this is a valuable experience.”

He also noted that the team delivered expected results against comparable opponents: “Of course, we hoped to win or at least take a point against Hong Kong and North Korea, but it didn't happen. It's important to understand that North Korea had three months of preparation with six on-ice practices per week, while our players can usually train only once or twice a week. I praised the players because they gave everything they had. Now it's up to the coaches and the federation to find solutions on how to work better under these conditions. Hong Kong is a very good example of that.”