IIHF Announces Suspension of Lias Andersson from 2019 World Junior Championship

The IIHF announced multiple suspensions to the Swedish National Junior team this morning, for their actions at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Axel Jonsson, Jesper Boqvist, and Olle Eriksson Ek both have been suspended for the first two games of the 2019 World Junior Championship. Rasmus Dahlin was suspended for the first two games as well, but because he was only 17-years-old at the time of the tournament, his suspension instead counted towards the first two games of the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship. Head coach Tomas Monten was suspended for the first three games of the 2019 World Junior Championship, while assistant coaches Nizze Landen and Henrik Stridh were suspended for the first two.

Team Sweden captain and New York Rangers’ prospect Lias Andersson was suspended for the first four games of next year’s tournament, after taking off the silver medal he was awarded and tossing it into the stands.

The announcement from the IIHF’s Disciplinary Board states:

“In the case of the players, immediately after the silver medal was placed around their necks and while still on the ice, all four players took the medals off and kept them in their hands for the remaining ceremony. Lias Andersson, who had been warned by the Co-Chairman of the championship not to take off the medal when he placed the medal around his neck, nevertheless took it off and tossed it into the stands.

By taking off the silver medals during the closing ceremony of the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championship immediately after the medals had been placed around their necks, the players in question violated Championship Regulations Article 5.5.8 of the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, according to which the silver medals are placed by IIHF representatives around the necks of the players and team officials and have to be worn around the neck in respectful manner for the duration of the closing ceremony and the following post-game mixed zone and media conference procedures.

According to IIHF Disciplinary Regulations Articles 1.2, 3.2, the players named were thus subject to disciplinary measures for the violations.”

At the time of the 2019 World Junior Championship though, Andersson will be 20-years-old (born October 13, 1998), making him ineligible for the tournament.