China’s men’s ice hockey team has claimed a historic silver medal at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I, Group B. It is the country’s best result in the tournament since the current format was introduced in 2001.
The achievement came on home ice at the Shenzhen Universiade Center, where China defeated already-crowned champion Estonia 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout on the final day of competition.
The last-day drama unfolded under pressure. Romania’s earlier 4-1 win over South Korea had briefly dropped China to fourth in the standings, meaning the hosts needed a win against Estonia to claim the podium.
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They delivered. Forward Hou Yuyang opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Yu Jilong added a power-play goal to give China a 2-0 lead. Hou struck again early in the second period to complete his brace, but Estonia clawed back to level the game and force overtime. Neither side scored, and China held their nerve in the shootout to seal a 3-2 victory and leapfrog Romania into second.
Hou finished the tournament as its top scorer, racking up 12 points from seven goals and five assists, and was named China’s best player. Defender Wang Haoxi added individual honours of his own, taking home the tournament’s Best Defenseman award. Seventeen-year-old goalkeeper Tu Yueran also drew widespread praise, posting a shutout against Spain and announcing himself as a future star of Chinese ice hockey.
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Estonia took gold and earned promotion to Division I Group A for 2027. Romania claimed bronze, while the Netherlands were relegated after a winless campaign.
Duan Jufang, secretary general of the Chinese Ice Hockey Association, called the result a major boost for the sport’s development in China and a sign of the team’s potential to compete at a higher level.
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