The 1998 Preolympic Tournament was held from February 1-3, 1998, in Sapporo and Tomakomai, Japan. Italy won Group A, and France won Group B.
Tournament[]
Group A[]
| Pl. | Team | GP | W | T | L | Goals | Pts |
| 1. | Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8:4 | 4:0 |
| 2. | Austria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:7 | 2:2 |
| 3. | Japan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:7 | 0:4 |
Group B[]
| Pl. | Team | GP | W | T | L | Goals | Pts |
| 1. | France | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9:4 | 4:0 |
| 2. | Slovakia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6:5 | 2:2 |
| 3. | Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:6 | 0:4 |