IIHF Male Player of the Year: Roman Cervenka, Team Czech Republic

The Czech captain, Roman Cervenka, was awarded the title of IIHF Male Player of the Year for 2024 after narrowly beating Swiss defender Roman Josi in a vote conducted by more than 100 media representatives from the top 22 countries participating in the Men’s World Championship. Cervenka received 31.3 percent of the votes, just slightly more than Josi’s 30.3 percent.

At the age of 38, Cervenka guided the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the Men’s World Championship while serving as team captain. He finished tied for sixth in the tournament scoring, collecting a total of 11 points and achieving a +7 rating. During the quarterfinal match against Team USA, where the latter was eliminated from contention for the gold medal, Cervenka stood out as one of the top three players with an assist in the 1-0 shutout loss to the Americans. In his domestic league games for Rapperswil in Switzerland, Cervenka showed his skills by recording an impressive 40 points in 47 games (12g, 28a).

To be eligible, players had to have participated in at least one IIHF tournament at any level within the year, such as the World Championship, U20 or U18, in addition to participating in their respective players’ top national competition. country.

Other awards from the IIHF for 2024 are as follows:

Roman Josi, a Swiss defender, helped his team win its third silver medal in eleven years and was recognized for his defensive skills. He made the World Championship All-Star Team and ranked third in scoring among NHL defensemen in the 2023-2024 season with 85 points while playing for the Nashville Predators.

Lucas Dostal (G, CZE) excelled for the Czech team at the recent WM, earning honors as the WM Directorate’s Best Goalkeeper and a spot on the All-Star Team. He posted a 6-2 record with three shutouts, most notably in the quarterfinals and the Gold-Medal Game. In his debut NHL season with the Anaheim Ducks, Dostal finished with a 14-23-3 record and a .902 save percentage.

Kevin Fiala was honored with the Men’s Worlds MVP and named IIHF Directorate Best Forward for his outstanding performance during the Swiss team’s silver medal victory. In the NHL, he recorded an impressive 73 points while playing for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2023-2024 season.

The full list of 2024 men’s finalists included Roman Cervenka and Lukas Dostal of the Czech Republic, Kevin Fiala and Roman Josi of Switzerland, Erik Karlsson of Sweden and John Tavares of Canada. Connor Bedard won the Player of the Year title last year and was the first recipient of this award.