The 2015 IIHF World Championships kick off on Friday, May 1 in the Czech Republic.
The annual tournament, now in its 79th year, carries extra importance this year as it will help finalize seeding for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 2018 Olympic qualification is determined by a nation's cumulative finish in five tournaments: the 2014 Olympics and the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 World Championships.
The higher a nation finished in each of those tournaments, they more points they were awarded according to an IIHF formula. Following the 2015 tournament, teams ranked in the top eight will qualify directly for the 2018 Olympics, while teams below the top eight will have to go through a number of qualification games in late 2015 and 2016.