QUEBEC - The Swiss are starting to look comfortable among the top eight in international hockey.

Once a B-pool regular, Switzerland displaced Germany in 2003 as the No. 8 team in the world behind the long-established Big-7 - Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, the United States, Sweden, Finland and Slovakia, in no particular order.

And Slovakia's failure to get past the preliminary round at the IIHF World Hockey Championship this week will see the Swiss move at least a spot or two higher in the next world rankings of hockey-playing countries.

"To pass Slovakia is a monumental step," said Ralph Krueger, the Winnipeg native who has coached Switzerland since 1997. "It's something I thought I'd never see in my time as coach."

A 7-2 drubbing of lowly Denmark on Sunday guaranteed at least third place in their qualifying round group, thanks to an upset 4-2 victory over Sweden earlier in the tournament.

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