Slovakia, Sweden to play for gold at 2026 U-18 World Championship
The 2026 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship gold medal game field is set, with the hosts, Slovakia, set to take on Sweden for gold Saturday at 1:00 PM ET.
Slovakia has never won gold, but did take home silver at the 2003 tournament. Despite making the final four for the fourth straight year, the Slovaks are guaranteed a medal for the first time in that span after losing in the bronze medal game three straight times.
Latvia, meanwhile, has never won a medal at the U-18 level at any major event.
Slovakia needed just one bounce to go their way to seal the deal against Latvia. Michal Jakubec score at 39:43, taking advantage of a scramble in front. The Slovaks peppered Patriks Plūmiņš the rest of the way, while Samuel Hrenak finished with a perfect effort at the other end as Slovakia finished with the victory.
In the later game, the Czechs held a 2-1 lead early thanks to goals from Petr Tomek and Matej Tomanek. Elton Hermansson scored off a faceoff to get Sweden on the board, but the Czechs dominated the rest of the frame.
Sweden had more shots the rest of the game, but the Swedes eventually caught back. But first, Jakub Vanecek would make it 3-1, scoring 45 seconds into the second. Alexander Command and Wiggo Sorensson would score to bring the game back to a boil, setting up a wild end to the second semifinal.
The Swedes looked like the better team in overtime, and with less than a minute to go, it all paid off. Hermansson continued his outstanding game by deking out just about everyone on the ice, but it would be Bosse Meijer who was in the right spot at the right time to fire a shot home, giving Sweden the victory.
Sweden has won gold twice previously, doing so in 2019 and 2022. The Swedes have won a medal in seven straight events, and they’re guaranteed to do the same again for an eighth straight year.
The Czechs have won bronze three times, with the last instance coming back in 2005 – three years before the oldest players in this year’s tournament were born.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the two semifinal games on Friday:
Latvia
#30 Patriks Plūmiņš, G (Latvia): Plūmiņš had to face a couple of really high-end chances midway through this one, but kept his squad in it. He couldn’t do much on the 1-0 goal – it was a scramble. A lot of goalies find themselves struggling to stay relaxed when the pressure gets high at this level, but Plūmiņš kept himself calm, cool, and collected. Plūmiņš does struggle a bit while screened, though, which is a bit concerning for a 6-foot-3 goaltender. Still, given Latvia has been shut out in half the tournament so far, Plūmiņš has been fantastic.
#21 Henrijs Upenieks, RW: Upenieks is a big-bodied forward who can make life very annoying for you. Standing tall at 6-foot-3, he plays a no-nonsense game without getting into trouble. He likes to push guys around and clear space around both nets, while allowing his more skilled teammates a scoring lane to exploit. I’m not sure he’ll get drafted, but he does skate well for someone his size.
Slovakia
#30 Samuel Hrenak, G: Hrenak only made 14 saves, but he turned them all away. In a low-scoring affair like this, all it takes is one bad bounce, or one funky screen, to change everything. Hrenak was good when he needed to be, especially in the first period when the game was still quite equal. He’ll have his work cut out for him in the final, though.
#23 Oliver Botka, D (2027): Botka was named Slovakia’s top player today, and I understand why. His game is built upon being defensively reliable, but he’s no slouch with the puck, either. He nabbed an assist on the lone goal, firing it into traffic from the point. Botka played 20:27 tonight, rarely making a mistake with or without the puck. Botka is a 2009-born defender, but he has been one of the more impressive 2027 draft prospects at this event.
Czechia
#21 Jakub Vanecek, D: Vanecek had a two-point performance today, which included the 3-1 goal in the second period. He has been an absolute weapon for the Czechs at this event, with his slick puck movement and solid shot. This was his best game today – I thought he also handled his own-zone game exceptionally well. There were scouts who teethered on whether they
#10 Petr Tomek, C (2027): I was hoping for a bit more from Tomek at this event, given his success against men in the top Czech pro league. But he was great today, scoring the ice-breaker goal before snagging an assist on the 3-1 power-play goal. Tomek is a smart, skilld forward with some of the best hockey sense on the Czech roster, and rarely makes a bad pass when he’s near the middle of the ice.
#11 Matěj Tománek, RW (2027): Tománek is a small, but skilled forward who loves finding loose pucks. He didn’t have a ton of points heading into today, but his speed and effort level was definitely noticed. Today, Tománek had a goal and an assist in the opening period, which led to the Czechs leaning on him more down the stretch.
Sweden
#11 Alexander Command, C: Command won the faceoff that led to the first Swedish goal and then scored one himself in the second to give his team some life. I also enjoyed his physical play and his fearless play in the middle of the ice. The projected first-round pick has been reliable at both ends of the ice all tournament long.
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW: Hermansson scored a second after Alexander Command won a faceoff early in this game. He then nearly added another on his next shift – he loves open space. Hermansson is best when he can exploit the extra room on the power play, but he’s smart enough to consistently get into scoring situations. Hermansson has a chance to take home MVP honors thanks to his high-scoring week-and-a-half in Slovakia.
#22 Wiggo Sorensson, C: Sorensson missed the last game due to illness, but re-entered the lineup today and immediately showcased his speed and skill. Sorensson is a smart forward who can beat players in transition, but he also has an excellent shot, too. Keep an eye out on Monday for my biggest risers list – Sorensson absolutely deserves all the love he has gotten at this event.
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