Exactly 400 miles northeast of Rome, Italy lies Bolzano, one of the country’s northernmost cities. Less than a mile’s journey from Bolzano’s Airport leads you to Sparkasse Arena – a cozy 7,500-seat venue that was initially built to host the 1994 Ice Hockey World Championship. It’s where the Italian National Hockey team (nicknamed “The Azzurri”) still trains in their pursuit to, against all odds, compete with the best hockey nations in the world.
Football, or soccer, is far and away the most popular and successful sport in the country of Italy, with an estimated 4.3 million participants. That’s almost 10% of the entire population, but even the ones who haven’t participated are typically diehard fans. Ice hockey isn’t listed in Italy’s 25 most popular sports, and it’s not even the most popular form of hockey…roller hockey has it beat.
Since their induction into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1924, they’ve been underdogs. They’ve gone 406-514-85 in their history with a minus-535 goal differential. In some cases, they’ve completely embarrassed themselves – like in the 1948 Olympics where they lost 31-1 to the United States. But after a century of amateurism, Italian hockey is finally starting to turn a corner. That became evident when The Hockey Writers spoke to current members of the National Team.
(Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity, as English is the second language of some of the interviewees.)
Background of Italian Hockey
“Hockey in general is becoming more and more popular around the world and the Italian national program is really striving to become a competitive team on the large stages,” said 26-year-old forward Anthony Salinitri, a 2016 Draft selection of the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2024, he led the Italian squad with six goals in 10 games during international play.
Salinitri is part of the newest generation trying to grow the game in Italy. There have been 19 Italian National Hockey League (NHL) players in history, most notably Bob Manno, a defenseman who had 173 career points with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings in the late 1970s. He represented Italy at seven IIHF World Championships (WC) and an Olympic tournament. However, only one of those 19 players (Nelson Debenedet) was actually born in Italy; the rest are dual citizens. Debenedet, from Cordenons, Italy, played 46 games between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in the early 70s.
In order to be eligible to play for the National Team, a player must have been born in Italy or become a dual citizen by playing hockey there for two seasons. So it’s not like an NHL player with parents or grandparents of Italian descent could decide they want to compete right away (Kyle Palmieri, Tyler Toffoli and Vincent Trocheck are some examples). As a result, it’s more difficult to attain success on a global stage, when countries like Canada, Sweden, etc. produce NHLers at rates significantly higher than Italy.
“Unfortunately Italian hockey is not known around the world. The more we talk about it, the better it is,” said forward Luca Frigo, a 10-year national team veteran born in Moncalieri, Italy.
Italy has finished top 10 in the IIHF global rankings 21 times since 1930. In 1994, Italy hosted the WC and held their own against a loaded Team Canada at Sparkasse Arena; a roster which included Paul Kariya, Brendan Shanahan and Joe Sakic, just to name a few. They led at the ten-minute mark, but it slipped, and they fell 4-1. Wins against Great Britain, Austria and Germany helped the Italians finish sixth in the world, with only Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States and Russia ahead of them. They were ranked ahead of Jaromir Jagr and the Czechs (seventh). Unfortunately, it’s been hard for Italy to keep that up as hockey evolves. They haven’t returned to the top 10 since 1998.
The Italian National Team today consists of players who have played their entire lives as underdogs in the hockey world. Of the 22 players on Italy’s 2024 WC roster, seven were born in North America, but only three of them had played professionally (NHL/AHL/ECHL). The other four played at the college and junior levels before heading to play in Italy’s pro ranks. You get the premise – there aren’t exactly star names filling up the roster. But they’re a tight-knit group who have embraced every challenge, regardless of what’s on paper.
“The group of friends we have in this locker room is very special. After dinners, almost all of the team meets in a hotel room to play card games or Nintendo, watch soccer games, or just joke around. Even outside of camps, a lot of guys meet often for dinners or little vacations,” said Ivan Deluca, who was born in Vipiteno, Italy and has represented them internationally for a decade.
The recent growth of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) has been an important factor in kick-starting the rise of Italian hockey. It’s now one of the top pro hockey leagues in Europe, consisting of 13 teams: eight in Austria, three in Italy and one in both Hungary and Slovenia. It’s where a good chunk of the National Team’s players are stationed during the season.
“If we manage to develop a good core of Italian-born players who constantly play important roles in important leagues in Europe, such as the ICEHL…then we can be a Top Division Nation for a longer period of time,” Deluca explained.
There’s a lot of work to be done and players know that they won’t become a powerhouse overnight. That doesn’t mean that the National Team won’t do everything they can to put Italy on the map…and there’s some big opportunities coming, including the 2026 Olympics, which will be hosted in Milan, Italy.
“Representing Italy on the world stage is a proud moment for me and my family. I know the team will continue to get better, and I’m excited for more wins and the chance to make more great memories,” said forward Dan Catenacci. The 31-year-old is the only player with NHL experience to have suited up for Italy in 2024. He played 11 games for the Buffalo Sabres and one for the New York Rangers, sandwiched between 307 career games in the American Hockey League (AHL). He left North America to play professionally in Italy in 2018, where he notched 132 points.
Salinitri echoed the same proud sentiment, “I grew up in Canada but my whole family is Italian…so now 26 years later, to be representing Italy at this level is incredible,” he said. “Pretty much everything we did was the Italian way: Christmas, church, our meals, and my parents spoke (Italian) to their parents.”
His father owned the Italian restaurant Spago’s in Windsor, Ontario for over 20 years. Salinitri worked there as a busboy and server in his teenage years. So, how does all that Italian pride channel into success for the program? That starts with the World Championships.
Italy’s Climb Back to Relevance (2017)
The annual World Championships are Italy’s best opportunity to grow the game and get noticed on a big stage, but only if they’re in the top division (top 16 teams). In the last decade, they’ve participated in the top division four times, getting to showcase their talents against some top-flight NHL talent. If they don’t do well enough, they’re relegated to the Division I Group A (DIA) tournament for the next season, meaning they can’t return to the top for two years at minimum.
They’ve come so close to having their version of the Miracle on Ice but seem to always fall just short. In 2017, they were back at the top level of the WC. In the first game, the Italians were up 2-1 late on the Slovaks, who pulled their netminder, tied it with the extra attacker, and won it in overtime. Heartbreak.
They then played Russia, fell down 2-0, but quickly pulled within one as Tommaso Traversa put one past Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Andrei Vasilevskiy. It was a one-goal game halfway through, but a tripping penalty led to a Nikita Kucherov powerplay goal and the wheels fell off the bus. They got blown out.
They were tied at one late against Elvis Merzlikins and Latvia, until Andris Dzerins pulled the Latvians ahead with barely over a minute to go. Another heartbreaker.
“We were underdogs, but I think that we played very solid against Slovakia and Latvia, enough to have deserved some points against them,” said goalie Andreas Bernard, who had a .910 save percentage (SV%) in the two contests.
They took on the Americans and held them to just three goals – two from Brock Nelson and one from Anders Lee – but the Italians weren’t able to get their offense going and got shut out. That seemed to deflate the team for the rest of the tournament, who scored just three goals over their final three games, losing all of them. Their winless tournament had them relegated to the Division IA tournament, meaning they would have to win their way back to the top division in 2018.
2019 World Championship
Thankfully, they did so and were right back to the top division in 2019. They were hoping to pull off an upset win against Switzerland but got dominated, as Nico Hischier and Kevin Fiala combined for seven points in a 9-0 final. They then lost 8-0 to Sweden, 3-0 to Latvia, 10-0 to Russia and 8-0 to the Czechs. They were only down 2-1 against Norway in the third and then collapsed, giving up five goals in a span of 14 minutes, and lost 7-1.
The air was completely sucked out of the balloon, so to speak. They went from holding their own and coming so close to beating top-level talent in 2017, to completely embarrassing themselves two years later.
But a very talented Austria team had equally underperformed and were also winless, meaning if Italy could beat them in the last contest, they’d surpass Austria in the standings and stay in the top division. It wouldn’t be easy – even though the Austrians had struggled, their roster contained almost 600 games of NHL experience and well over 10,000 professionally in the ECHL/AHL/Europe.
The Italians took the lead 10 minutes in on an Anthony Bardaro goal, but the Austrians responded with two quick ones after. The Italians scored two unanswered (Simon Kostner and Marco Rosa) to pull ahead 3-2, but then Michael Raffl of the Philadelphia Flyers tied it late for Austria.
Here we go again, one may have thought. But this time, the Italians were able to at least get it into 3-on-3 overtime.
Austria dominated the overtime session, but Bernard came up with a few big-time stops. The shootout was as dramatic as possible, with both teams trading goals and saves until the seventh round.
On came Sean McMonagle, who played hockey for Brown University while majoring in history. He didn’t score more than six goals in any season in college, and then scored just two goals in 64 ECHL games before heading to Italy.
His past statistics wouldn’t matter – his entire hockey journey would be worth it if he could score this goal and send a near-sold out crowd at Ondrej Nepala Arena (Bratislava, Slovakia) into a frenzy. McMonagle went to his backhand and roofed it. He scored. Italy remained in the top group.
The players basically floated off the bench, so ecstatic that they didn’t even know what to do. Half of them mobbed McMonagle, and the other half mobbed Bernard. The coaches bear hugged and jumped up and down in jubilation. It had been five years since they’d won a single game at the top WC and 12 years since they won a game that had standings implications.
Bernard had competed internationally for Italy for a decade prior to that moment. “That’s 100% my favorite memory…winning that thriller in a shootout, that memory and the emotions will last a lifetime,” he said.
2020-22 World Championships
Now, it was time for Italy to come back to the top division with a vengeance and get a win against a top-level team. The 2020 tournament got canceled due to COVID, so they were off to Riga, Latvia in 2021 but with a caveat: because of the pandemic, there would be no relegation. Italy could lose every game 100-0 and still stay up in the top division. They had nothing to lose, everything to gain. Could they take advantage?
In their first game against Germany, goals from Frigo and Alex Petan put the Italians up 2-1 at the first intermission…and then they gave up seven unanswered. They did score two powerplay goals late, but it didn’t matter. They lost 9-4.
They then lost 4-1 to Norway, 3-0 to Latvia and 3-0 to Finland. They took on Kazakhstan next and hung in, but just like against the Germans, they fell apart in the third period and gave up eight in the frame. They lost 11-3.
Then it was time to face Canada, which did not go well either. They lost 7-1. They fared pretty well in their last game against the Americans, putting two past Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, but fell 4-2. The close game didn’t matter for anything more than a morale boost; their tournament was done and they’d have to try again in 2022.
The 2022 WC kicked off with Italy playing Switzerland. They stayed in it, but a Jonas Siegenthaler three-point affair helped the Swiss beat them, 5-2.
Next was Canada, and Italy jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when Phil Pietroniro put one past Seattle Kraken netminder Chris Driedger. It didn’t look promising for long though, as they couldn’t keep up with the NHL talent. Josh Anderson, Adam Henrique and Dawson Mercer each had multi-point nights for the Canadians as they routed the Italians, 6-1.
Related: Projecting the United States’ Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Then came Denmark, who took an instant lead thanks to a goal from Winnipeg Jets star Nikolaj Ehlers. Late in the second, Alex Petan tied it with a powerplay goal for Italy. But the Danes answered back again, and the Italians couldn’t respond and fell 2-1. Bernard stopped an incredible 43 of 45 (.955 SV%) but had nothing to show for it.
Then they played France, which was the country they probably had the best chance to beat, and lost 2-1 in overtime as Bernard stood on his head again, stopping 34 of 36 (.944 SV%). It was the same premise for the rest of the tournament, hanging in there but not being able to grab a lead, as they lost 9-4 to Germany, 3-1 to Slovakia and 5-2 to Kazakhstan. Italy was relegated and sent back to the Division IA tournament. They have not returned to the top since.
In order to return to the top, a country has to finish in the top two of the Division IA tournament. Italy finished third in both 2023 and 2024, so they will remain there for 2025. In 2024, they lost out on a crucial standings point by winning in overtime instead of regulation against Japan (IIHF uses a three-point system). That meant instead of automatically clinching a spot, they’d need any scenario besides a Hungary regulation win to move on. Of course, Hungary upset Slovenia and won in regulation.
“The feeling was terrible…we had the team to do it, but we couldn’t and that was even more frustrating,” said Frigo.
They’ve come so close so many times, but just haven’t been able to break through and grab that historical moment or streak that could inspire a future generation. However, there are a few valid reasons to think the tide could turn in the near future.
Whether Italy returns to the top division for 2026 or not, they’ll have a massive opportunity by returning to the Olympics for the first time in 20 years. As the host country, they automatically qualified, and will have the chance to make some noise on the biggest possible stage. Now, who’s to say it won’t be a repeat of recent World Championships? Well, there’s obviously no guarantee that they’ll attain any success, but home ice advantage won’t hurt. Then…
A Young Italian Phenom
Insert 6-foot-6, 19-year-old goaltender Damian Clara, who became the first-ever Italian-born player to be drafted in 2023. The Anaheim Ducks took him in the second round, 60th overall after he attained a lot of success playing for Italy internationally. He attended development camp with the Ducks and signed his entry-level deal with them in June 2024.
We've selected 6-6 goalie Damian Clara with the 60th pick, the first Italian-born goaltender ever taken in the #NHLDraft! #FlyTogether | @Honda pic.twitter.com/o6TizsfOns
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) June 29, 2023
Catenacci spoke very highly of his teammate: “After having the chance to see him day in and day out and how he conducts himself, he works his ass off. He’s such a young goalie, and right away you see his process at the rink of working hard, taking care of himself and having the will to learn. I’ve been around a lot of pros in my career and to see what he’s like at that young age is very impressive. The sky’s the limit for him and he has what it takes to be a great goaltender in the NHL.”
When Clara was just 16, he made the Italian roster for the 2021 WC. He didn’t play, but the fact that he even made the roster at all showed how the Italian coaching staff viewed him. Suiting up as a teenager against NHL superstars has to be pretty surreal.
He’s already suited up for Italy at seven different tournaments between U18s, World Juniors (U20) and the WC. In total, he has a record of 19-10-0 in an Italian uniform and had a SV% higher than .900 in every tournament except the 2022 Division IA WC; the then-17-year-old had an .898 SV% and still won both games.
In 2023-24, he played professionally in Sweden for Brynäs IF in the HockeyAllsvenskan. That’s the same league that helped develop NHL goaltenders Linus Ullmark, Anton Forsberg, Jonas Johansson and Samuel Ersson. He went a remarkable 25-8-0 with a .913 SV% in the regular season. But if that wasn’t good enough, he went 10-1-0 with a .931 SV% in the playoffs, almost single-handedly carrying Brynäs to the championship.
🦂 Scorpion Save Alert 🦂
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) July 5, 2024
Damian 👏 Clara 👏 pic.twitter.com/XWnTxUsZax
He’s now playing the 2024 season in the Swedish Hockey League – the top level of Swedish pro hockey – for Färjestad BK. If he’s healthy, he’ll probably be the Italian starter moving forward for both the WC and the Olympics. The Olympics will be just a few weeks after his 21st birthday.
“I really think he could be the first Italian-born goalie to play in the NHL,” said his tandem partner, Bernard.
“Damian is a very good guy, I’m super happy for him and for what he has achieved so far. He still has a long way to go and he knows it. But as a teammate, I can only wish him the best and cheer for him,” said Frigo.
“He’s a very disciplined, self-confident and mature goalie. For his height, he moves very well and is always very calm and in control,” said Deluca. Salinitri added, “He’s an Italian hero…he’s gonna be looked up to by a lot of young Italian hockey players.”
With Italy having come so close to some upsets, a potential NHL goalie on their side could be the push they need. But that’s not all they have going for them…
Jukka Jalonen’s Experience Is Vital
Without discrediting the incredible work of Italy’s current and former coaching staff, a team with such a talent discrepancy from larger nations needs a genius at the helm. 62-year-old Jukka Jalonen, who was just recently named head coach of Team Italy, fits the description.
Jalonen is arguably the greatest hockey mind who has yet to coach in the NHL, but it’s not for a lack of interest. For years, NHL fans have been clamoring for Jalonen to fill their coaching vacancies, but he has preferred to wait for the right opportunity. The fact that he’s choosing this Italian squad instead of a potential NHL team shows a great deal about the upside of The Azzurri.
“We have a lot of talented young players…I’m confident (Jalonen) will set up a plan for the future to become a more competitive country in ice hockey,” said Bernard.
If I have an NHL team with average skill but a lot of will, and stuck in the middle of the pack, I am a fool not to hire Jukka Jalonen.
— Szymon Szemberg (@Sz1909_Szemberg) February 20, 2022
Jalonen started coaching in 1989 and worked his way through the ranks of Finnish hockey to eventually become the Finnish national coach. He won three World Championships, an Olympic gold medal, a World Junior gold and a Liiga championship, among many other accolades. And how he’s done it is what will fare best for Italy: none of his teams have been truly star-studded. He’s arguably the best in the world at taking a cast of underdogs and making them succeed by playing stifling defense to win close games.
“It is a challenging task, but also an opportunity Italy can take advantage of to take a leap forward,” said Jalonen in an interview with the team, translated to English. “The goal is to build something beyond just the Olympics…I will give everything I can for Italian hockey.”
When Jalonen coached the 2019 Finns to gold at the WC, the Finns had one single NHL player on their roster: Henri Jokiharju. Canada, whom they faced in the final, had 25. Finland won 3-1 with Canada’s only goal coming on the powerplay from Jonathan Marchessault. Jalonen’s system had the star-studded Canadians visibly frustrated the entire night.
It’ll be as tall of a task as ever for Jalonen to take the Italians to a gold medal, and likely unrealistic at this point. But if he’s able to bring them back to the top 10, they’ll be mainstays in the top division, meaning popularity and talent will grow. Then, in the following years, more Italian-born studs like Clara will come up through the system and help them stay competitive.
They’re already off to a great start. Jalonen coached them for the first time at the Tamás Sárközy Memorial Tournament that ran Nov. 7-9, 2024. In typical Jalonen fashion, the Italians allowed just 1.66 goals per game. Clara pitched a 17-save shutout in game one against Slovenia, as the Italians beat them 2-0. They then beat Hungary 4-2 and Poland 5-3 to win the tournament. Clara finished the tournament with a .941 SV%.
Tamás Sárközy Memorial Tournament final score: Damian Clara stops 31 of 34 shots to help Italy defeat Poland 5-3. Italy finishes the tournament 3-0.
— Ducks Prospects (@DucksProspects) November 9, 2024
All Italy needs are just a few NHLers to succeed and pave the way for future generations. For example, Simon Nemec and Juraj Slafkovsky are legends in Slovakia, where hockey is now as popular as ever.
The Italian Hockey Fanbase
In the meantime, if there were a bracket for most passionate fans, the Italian supporting cast could give anyone a run for their money. Throughout the 2024 Division IA WC, their fans packed Sparkasse Arena and did not sit down for a single second. Whether winning or losing, they were breaking into song and chants the entire time.
They may be small in number compared to other countries, but they’re certainly mighty. “The Italian culture is very passionate about its heritage, and you can see that through the players and through the fanbase when we’re playing,” said Salinitri, who mentioned a slogan he thinks best fits the team: “insieme siamo più forti” – together, we are stronger.
Bernard said, “The fans are very important to us. I hope that we can gain some more fans for the upcoming tournaments: the World Championships and especially the home Olympics in Milan.“
One Step at a Time
Their first step is to get back to the top division by finishing in the top two of the Division IA WC in 2025. The tournament runs from April 27 to May 3 – Italy will play Great Britain, Japan, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. All games will be played at Sepsi Arena in Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania.
Then the Olympics will take place in Milan from Feb. 5-22, 2026. Under Jalonen, it will arguably be the biggest opportunity for growth in the 100-year history of Italian hockey. And then three months later, they’ll have the top level of the 2026 WC if they advance in 2025.
I present to you: Italian ice hockey fans.@IIHFHockey pic.twitter.com/wkxdNUxGQ9
— Daniel Amoia (@daniel_amoia) May 3, 2024
“They are investing a lot into the team leading up to the 2026 Olympics games,” said Catenacci, who mentioned that the Olympics were the biggest catalyst for him coming over from North America. His father, Maurizio, was born in Frosinone, Italy and represented their national team on eight occasions. Maurizio led the Italian squad at the 1984 World Junior C tournament with 14 goals in just five games. Dan said following in his father’s steps, as well as suiting up for them in Milan would be “a dream come true.”
There’s no saying for certain that Italy will become a hockey powerhouse, but the current group of players, as well as the coaching staff and management groups, are clearly committed to the task. Now it’s time to prove it on the ice.
You can follow along with the national team’s progress on Instagram or their website.
THW’s Roster Prediction for Italy in 2026 Olympics:
Forwards – Dan Catenacci, Tommaso De Luca, Ivan Deluca, Luca Frigo, Daniel Frank, Dustin Gazley, Diego Kostner, Michele Marchetti, Daniel Mantenuto, Angelo Miceli, Giovanni Morini, Alex Petan, Anthony Salinitri, Marco Zanetti
Defensemen – Randy Gazzola, Gregorio Gios, Daniel Glira, Thomas Larkin, Phil Pietroniro, Jason Seed, Peter Spornberger, Alex Trivellato
Goaltenders – Andreas Bernard, Damian Clara, Gianluca Vallini
Other potential options: F Domenic Alberga, F Raphael Andergassen, F Anthony Bardaro, F Diego Cuglietta, F Giordano Finoro, F Mikael Frycklund, F Daniel Gellon, F Matteo Gennaro, F Dante Hannoun, F Mike Halmo, F Alex Ierullo, F Simon Kostner, F Alan Lobis, F Matthias Mantinger, F Bryce Misley, F Tommy Purdeller, F Nick Saracino, F Alessandro Segafredo, F Daniel Tedesco, F Marco Zanetti, D Lorenzo Casetti, D Patrick Demetz, D Dylan Di Perna, D Enrico Larcher, D Kris Pietroniro, D Filippo Rigoni, D Jason Seed, D Luca Zanatta, G Davide Fadani
