2026 World Juniors: Top standouts from Day 3
ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – There were only two games on the schedule for Day 3 of the 2026 World Junior Championship, with four teams braving the massive snowstorm to hit the ice on Sunday.
Sweden trailed at one point, but eventually came back to beat Switzerland in the lone game at the Grand Casino Arena. Finland, meanwhile, absolutely dominated against Latvia, beating them 8-0 in the most lopsided game of the tournament so far.
Here’s a look at the top performers from both games:
Sweden 4, Switzerland 2
It definitely didn’t come easy, but Sweden improved to 2-0 with a 4-2 victory over Switzerland at the Grand Casino Arena on Sunday.
The Swedes will be back in action against Germany on Monday, while the Swiss will face the Germans on Tuesday afternoon.
The Swedes needed just one shot to get on the board, with Anaheim Ducks prospect Eric Nilson scoring on a nice move. But Beni Waidacher would answer back at 14:27, forcing a deadlock that would remain until late in the second period.
The two teams traded chances in the middle stanza – and at 38:22, Switzerland’s Lars Steiner scored with an absolute bullet of a shot to make it 2-1. The Swedes took advantage of a pair of defensive miscues in the third, with Viggo Bjorck and Lucas Pettersson (twice) scoring to make it 4-2 – giving Sweden the victory.
Sweden
#4 Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D (San Jose Sharks): LSW was Sweden’s best own-zone player. He made very few mistakes, especially under pressure. Sahlin Wallenius also did a good job of dishing the puck down the ice to create rushes, even though it didn’t pan out with a goal. It just felt like he was much more involved with the puck than he was against Slovakia – sort of like…
#5 Sascha Boumedienne, D (Winnipeg Jets): Boumedienne seemed to be much more engaged with the puck today. He was shooting from everywhere, giving the team a bit of a boost from the back end. It still feels like the Swedes are missing a true shooter beyond Anton Frondell, so it was nice to see Boumedienne play a more effective game than he did against Slovakia.
#20 Alfons Freij, D (Winnipeg Jets): Freij has been Sweden’s best defenseman through two games. His poise with the puck has been noticeable, and he has shown some excellent speed, too. It felt like LSW was going to be the go-to defender on the power play but Freij has done a fantastic job of getting the puck into scoring situations overall. His pass to Bjorck in the third period proved crucial for the Swedes.
#11 Lucas Pettersson, C (Anaheim Ducks): Pettersson came alive in the third period, taking advantage of some mistakes by the Swiss defenders to score a pair of goals. He’s a good penalty killer, and he’s often looking for every opportunity to get the puck out of his own zone. After a slow game against Slovakia, he looked much stronger today.
#14 Linus Eriksson, LW (Florida Panthers): Eriksson’s game can often be a mixed bag. He struggles against older competition, but had a solid showing today against his own age group. Eriksson had a solid two-way effort and even nearly scored a few goals early. The Swedes still need a bit more out of their bottom six and Eriksson gave the team a bit of a jolt with the puck.
#21 Viggo Bjorck, C (2026 NHL Draft): Bjorck plays with so much pace, always attacking defenders and trying to force turnovers. It worked on the 2-2 goal, with Bjorck getting his team back into the contest. He’s smart, skilled and blowing past defenders with ease this week. I feel like his draft stock has really improved since the first pre-tourney game against Canada.
#28 Eric Nilson, C (Anaheim Ducks): A two-point night? Not too shabby. He scored on the first shot and then made a good play to help set up the third Swedish goal. Nilson is a strong, consistent two-way forward who rarely pulls off an eye-popping move, but he’ll grind you down and chip in the odd offense. I liked him on the top line today.
Switzerland
#28 Daniil Ustinkov, D: Ustinkov can be a difficult player to watch sometimes – he plays a high-risk game all the time. But that can create some quality opportunities, and I thought he actually had a strong first half for the Swiss. Having someone like Leon Muggli by his side allows him to relax a bit and focus on his own game, which is good, given his defensive zone play can leave a lot to be desired.
#41 Leon Muggli, D (Washington Capitals): Muggli hasn’t played much hockey this year due to injury, but he really looked up to speed today on Switzerland’s top D unit. He had a pair of assists, helping to drive the play on a team with very few true shooters. Switzerland will need him to keep it up the rest of the way if they’re going to avoid the relegation round.
#15 Lars Steiner, C (2026 NHL Draft): That’s two strong performances from Steiner, Switzerland’s top shot generator. He scored on a 3-on-5 in the second period to get his team in a good spot heading to the third period. And when they really needed a goal from him late, Steiner was leaned on and had a few good looks down the stretch.
#71 Beni Waidacher, C: Waidacher was Switzerland’s most noticeable player today, so it was only fitting that he’d score the 1-1 goal. He likes to wait until there’s traffic in front of the net, and while that could backfire at points, he was able to create some quality chances today. I didn’t notice the HC Davos forward much against USA, but he has been a decent shot generator, overall.
Finland 8, Latvia 0
What happens when you pit a strong team fresh from a day off against a group playing less than 24 hours after an overtime loss?
A blowout victory.
Finland skated to an 8-0 victory over Latvia on Sunday to improve to 2-0, and ahead of Canada by one point in Group B. The Finns were dominant throughout, outshooting Latvia 42 to seven (including 16-1 in the middle stanza), with Latvia struggling to find their footing after their overtime loss to the Canadians on Saturday.
Emil Hemming, Jasper Kuhta and Max Westergaard had goals in the first period, while Hemming and Joona Saarelainen each scored in the second period. The Latvians had a couple of shots in the third, but Roope Vesterinen, Heikki Ruohonen and Lasse Boelius scored one goal apiece to cap off the lopsided affair.
Here is a look at the top players in the lone game from 3M Arena at Mariucci on Sunday:
Lines for Finland vs. Latvia. #WorldJuniors
Finland
#25 Lasse Boelius, D (Anaheim Ducks): That’s two excellent showings from Boelius now. He had a goal and an assist and also killed a couple of potentially dangerous scoring chances from Latvia early in the first. It’s easy to get complacent in a game like this, but it felt like Boelius still held strong in his own zone.
#33 Aron Kiviharju, D (Minnesota Wild): The Finns rarely had to play in their own zone – and that’s partly because of guys like Kiviharju. He kept breaking up plays with his speed, and he even nabbed an assist on the 4-0 two-man advantage goal early in the second. I’ll always have time for Kiviharju – he might be small, but he moves so well and reads plays exceptionally well. Put that together and you’ve got a highly dynamic defender at this level.
#21 Max Westergaard, LW (Philadelphia Flyers): When it became clear Konsta Helenius wasn’t joining the roster, Westergaard was the guy most expected to step up. He had a goal and an assist in the second half of the opening frame, and he nearly had another two in the second frame. His ability to squeak past defenders and put himself in a scoring position in tight makes him dangerous.
#22 Emil Hemming, RW (Dallas Stars): Every time Hemming touched the puck, magic happened. He scored a pair of goals while also overwhelming the Latvian defenders whenever they managed to get the puck out of the zone. The three-time World Junior forward has the hockey sense and the pace to make plays happen, and he clearly has the shot, as well.
#27 Julius Miettinen, C (Seattle Kraken): Miettinen gave the Finns a nice boost up front after missing the opener. His pure size, reach and hockey sense – and chemistry with Everett Silvertips linemate Matias Vanhanen – proved lethal on the top line. He only had a secondary assist, but the Finns rarely left the zone when he was on the ice. Once he gets moving down the middle of the ice, nobody can contain him.
#37 Matias Vanhanen, LW: Vanhanen might be small at 5-foot-9, but his impact sure isn’t. He had the primary assists on both of Hemming’s goals, proving why he’s one of the WHL’s best playmakers. He’ll likely get drafted as a re-entry thanks to his ability to find opponents in open space as well as anyone his age. As long as his linemates keep shooting, Vanhanen will keep producing.
Latvia
#26 Oskars Briedis, D: The Latvians rarely made it out of their zone, but full props to Briedis. He was one of the few who was able to successfully enter the attacking area and get a shot towards the net. He’s big at 6-foot-3, plays a physical game and blocks a lot of shots. Even when Briedis looked physically exhausted, he gave it his all tonight.
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