The Best Players of the Last Championship? In Switzerland, the Stars Came from Only Three Countries

USA Ruled the Women’s Tournament in Visp, Scoring Race Dominated by Canada’s Carol Ann Upshall

At the last combined World Championship in Visp, Switzerland, the awards for the best players surely landed in the right hands. Among the women, the USA dominated. In the final evaluation, two players coached by Jennifer Wilson made the list. Goaltender Brooke Wolejko finished the tournament with a 94.32% save percentage. She allowed an average of only 0.8 goals per game, and deservedly took home not only the gold medal but also the award for best goaltender. Tournament MVP went to American defender Emma Seitz, who recorded an impressive 7+1 over the course of the tournament.

Besides the goalie category, the remaining two awards went to Czech players. From a defensive position, Petra Herzigová contributed five points to help win silver, and rightly carried home the plaque for best defender. And hardly anyone would doubt the identity of the best Czech forward. The award went to Kristýna Kaltounková. Over the entire tournament, the Czech player born in 1998 collected 17 points for 9+8. The later first-overall pick in the draft of the world’s top women’s hockey league certainly made her presence known.

Although eighteen points is an excellent achievement, Canada’s Carol Ann Upshall managed to surpass that mark—twice. First in 2022, when she earned a beautiful 19 points (9+10). In Visp, she improved her personal best by another goal. For this heroic performance, she added the trophy for the tournament’s top scorer to her bronze medal.

In the Men’s Tournament, Canada Won the Final 3:2, but Individual Awards Went to the Czechs 3:2

As the headline says, Canada took control of the final, leaving the Czech Republic—just like in the women’s competition—with silver. The best defenseman of the tournament was Canadian Noah Lemos. The 26-year-old contributed 12 points (4+8) to the gold medal run. Tournament MVP was Canadian goaltender Christian Lantin. The Canadian wall drove opponents crazy with his performances and finished the event with a 92.41% save percentage. Adding 1.5 goals against per game and a shutout in the semifinal leaves no doubt about the MVP.

The results backed by gold may speak for Canada, but the runner-up Czechs were not far from overall triumph either. Vojtěch Mokry kept the Czech national team in contention until the final overtime. A 91.67% save percentage and 1.4 goals against per game earned the Czech starter the award for best goaltender. In the offensive zone, Jan Čejka worked his magic with his unstoppable play. Born in 2002, he still qualified for the U23 category at the time, yet he impressed even among adults. His seventeen points earned him not only the plaque for best forward of the tournament, but also the award for top scorer.

2024 Switzerland – Women

• Women’s Goaltender – USA – Brooke Wolejko
• Defender – CZE – Petra Herzigová
• Forward – CZE – Kristýna Kaltounková
• Top Scorer – CAN – Carol Ann Upshall
• MVP – USA – Emma Seitz

2024 Switzerland – Men

• Men’s Goaltender – CZE – Vojtěch Mokry
• Defender – CAN – Noah Lemos
• Forward – CZE – Jan Čejka
• Top Scorer – CZE – Jan Čejka
• MVP – CAN – Christian Lantin

USA’s gold-medal women at the 2024 World Championship in Switzerland. Photo source: visp-raron2024.ch