For International Hockey Coverage

The 2012 IIHF World Championships begin on Friday, May 4 in Stockholm and Helsinki. Here's a preview of some of the teams for whom winning a medal is only a dream at this point, including Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Denmark, Belarus and France.

The Division 1 level of the IIHF World Championship completed with two separate tournaments in Budapest and Kiev. Kazakhstan and Italy broke the hearts of Great Brtiain, Ukraine and Hungary by returning to the elite group for 2012.