The
Kazakhstan men's national ice hockey team is controlled by
Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation. Kazakhstan is currently ranked 16th in the world. In their first
Olympic Games in
1998, the Kazakhs were able to win their preliminary group, surprising many, and would finish the tournament in 8th place. Their head coach is
Andrei Nazarov. Unlike most European countries, the national team officially began competing against other nations as a member of the IIHF in the
1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, one year after being admitted into the federation.