2026 World Juniors: Germany beats Denmark in relegation game; Danes replaced by Norway in 2027

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Denmark has been relegated to Division IA for the 2027 World Junior Championship after losing 8-4 on Friday afternoon.

Denmark failed to register a single point through five games, with Germany’s lone win coming on Friday. The Germans have managed to stay in the top tournament since 2020, having qualified for the quarterfinal three times.

Germany got goals from David Lewandowski, Maxim Schafrer, Manuel Schams (two), Simon Seidl and Dustin Willhoft, while Denmark got a pair of goals from Mads Klyvo, and one each from Oliver Green and Anton Linde.

Germany can bring back 11 players in 2027, while Denmark can bring back 13 as they look to get back to the top group.

The Norwegians will return to the top event in Sweden for the first time since their relegation in 2024. It will mark the team’s fourth appearance since 2011, with Norway having never managed to stay in the top event in consecutive years.

Norway will be able to bring back nine players in 2027, including Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar and New York Rangers draft pick Mikkel Eriksen. The same goes for Niklas Aaram-Olsen, a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The team can also bring back 2009-born goaltender Maximilliam Vatn Aas, who is one of the better Norwegian goaltenders in recent history.

Here’s a look at the top performers from 3M Arena:

Denmark

#13 Oliver Larsen, LW: With a pair of assists on the power play, Larsen seemed glued to Klyvo. He’s usually more of a shooter, but he was definitely the prime set-up guy as the Danes looked to push back. Larsen was one of Denmark’s best players throughout the tournament, and he’ll be able to return to the Division IA tournament next year, where he’ll try to help his team move back up.

#24 Mads Klyvo, LW (Florida Panthers): Klyvo was by far Denmark’s most lethal shooter in Minnesota, scoring twice and adding an assist. Klyvo, the only NHL-drafted player on the team, has a quick release, loves making moves in open ice and is very dangerous at the man advantage. Both of his goals came on the power play, coming from around the same spot to the right of the German goalkeeper.

Germany

#6 Manuel Schams, D: The Germans hadn’t been getting a ton of offense from the point, but Schams’ two goals today marked his best effort. He was calm when delivering the puck where it needed to be, often waiting until he had a good shooting lane instead of just firing and hoping something worked.

#11 David Lewandowski, LW (Edmonton Oilers): It was an excellent three-point night from the Oilers prospect, scoring a goal and adding two assists. Lewandowski is clearly the most rounded German player – he battles hard, shoots a lot and can set guys up with ease. They’ll need him to be prefect next year if Germany is going to stay up.

#17 Lenny Boos, C: Shoutout to the guy in the crowd who cheered, “BOOOOO” every time Boos got a point (which was three times, by the way). This was Boos’ most effective game, serving as Germany’s top playmaker. He’s a speedy forward who has played a lot for the Germans, but seemed unlucky on the scoresheet despite averaging two shots a game. Today, it felt like he was playing with more urgency in his puck game.

#19 Dustin Willhoft, RW: Willhoft had a goal (a beautiful one, at that) and two assists in a huge outing for the undersized forward. He’s exceptionally skilled and does a ton with the puck, which was evident once he dangled past two Danes on the power play to make it 5-3. Few Germans could move the disk quite like Willhoft.

#27 Simon Seidl, C: Seidl finished the tournament with a solid three-point showing. He was one of Germany’s most consistent forwards throughout the tournament, giving the team some life at both 5-on-5 and on the man advantage. It just felt like he was everywhere for the Germans today, and the stats prove that.