The top Championship Group tournament took place in Finland from 26 April to 14 May 1997, with matches played in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku.

Played 12–21 April in Katowice (Spodek) and Sosnowiec (Stadion Zimowy).

Along with the expansion of Group A, a provision was made to allow the best "Far East" team to qualify directly.

For this year, as well, promotion to Group B was available to the top three European teams, and there was no relegation.

The final standings of the tournament according to IIHF: List shows the top skaters sorted by points, then goals.

Source: [1] Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage, who have played 40% of their team's minutes are included in this list.