Kazakhstan men's national ice hockey team
The Kazakhstan men's national ice hockey team is controlled by Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation. Kazakhstan is ranked 16th in the world as of 2022. They have competed at the Winter Olympics twice, in 1998 and 2006. The national team joined the IIHF in 1992 and first played internationally at the 1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The team has frequently played at the elite division of the World Championship, often moving between there and the Division I level. History Kazakhstan joined the IIHF in 1992, applying as a separate member with six other former Soviet republics. They played their first IIHF tournament at the 1993 World Championship; as a new member they had to play in Group C, the lowest level. They reached the elite division for the first time in 1998, and have played at the elite level eleven times (1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023). The national team has appeared at the Winter Olympics twice, in 1998 and 2006. In their debut in 1998, the Kazakhs were able to win their preliminary group, surprising many, and would finish the tournament in 8th place. They returned for the 2006 Winter Olympics, and finished ninth overall. The team is the most successful team at the Asian Games, winning it four times, and are the current highest ranked Asian team. Tournament record Olympic Games 1998 – Finished in 8th place 2006 – Finished in 9th place World Championships 1953–1991 As part of / Kazakh SSR 1993 – Finished in 23rd place (3rd in Pool C) 1994 – Finished in 24th place (4th in Pool C) 1995 – Finished in 22nd place (2nd in Pool C) 1996 – Finished in 21st place (1st in Pool C) 1997 – Finished in 14th place (2nd in Pool B) 1998 – Finished in 16th place 1999 – Finished in 19th place (3rd in Pool B) 2000 – Finished in 18th place (2nd in Pool B) 2001 – Finished in 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group B) 2002 – Finished in 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group A) 2003 – Finished in 17th place (1st in Division I, Group A) 2004 – Finished in 13th place 2005 – Finished in 12th place 2006 – Finished in 15th place 2007 – Finished in 21st place (3rd in Division I, Group A) 2008 – Finished in 20th place (2nd in Division I, Group A) 2009 – Finished in 17th place (1st in Division I, Group A) 2010 – Finished in 16th place 2011 – Finished in 17th place (1st in Division I, Group B) 2012 – Finished in 16th place 2013 – Finished in 17th place (1st in Division IA) 2014 – Finished in 16th place 2015 – Finished in 17th place (1st in Division IA) 2016 – Finished in 16th place 2017 – Finished in 19th place (3rd in Division IA) 2018 – Finished in 19th place (3rd in Division IA) 2019 – Finished in 17th place (1st in