2026 World Juniors: Top standouts from Dec. 31
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The six-day round-robin is over.
The 2026 World Junior Championship is set to begin the playoff round on Friday, with all 10 teams playing for the first time in the tournament. Switzerland, Czechia, Sweden and Canada skated to victories on Wednesday, with the tournament now set for a one-day break on New Year’s Day.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Dec. 31:
Switzerland 3, Slovakia 2
Switzerland has clinched third place in Group A after beating Slovakia 3-2 on Wednesday.
The Slovaks will hold the fourth spot and take on the top team from Group B on Friday.
A double minor to Tobias Tomik late in the first period proved to be a killer for Slovakia. Loris Wey and Mike Aeschlimann would proceed to score, forcing the Slovaks, who only had three shots in the first, into a tough hole.
The Slovaks played a better second period, but it still wasn’t enough. At 36:43, Kevin Haas managed to pick up a rebound in front to make it 3-0 after the Slovaks showed their first true sustained pressure at the other end just prior. Slovakia got goals from Adam Nemec (who was high-sticked twice today) and defenseman Luka Radivjoveic to make it 3-2 late, but the Swiss were still able to hold on.
Slovakia
#26 Luka Radivojevic, D: Radivojevic had an assist on the 3-1 goal, and then he scored to make it 3-2. He was one of the few Slovaks who didn’t struggle with Switzerland’s pace early on. He had a few opportunities to sneak past the defense and throw a pass, only for it to go to nobody. Radivojevic is Slovakia’s most dynamic player by a mile – they’ll need him to have the game of his life on Friday.
#29 Tomas Chrenko, C (2026 NHL Draft): Surprise, surprise. Chrenko was Slovakia’s best shooter in the first two periods and he helped set up the lone Slovak goal. As we’ve repeated time and time, give him open space and you’ll pay. The Swiss seemed to figure that out, but Chrenko still was Slovakia’s best forward today.
Switzerland
#8 Gian Meier, D: I have always had a soft spot for Meier, who typically is a solid puck-moving defender. We haven’t seen much offensively from him in Minnesota (although he did get an assist on the 3-0 goal), but we’ve seen him lay the boom on numerous occasions. He loves to get in the way and break plays up, and he was probably the most noticeable defender when it came to keeping the Slovaks to the outside.
#41 Leon Muggli, D (Washington Capitals): Getting sick of seeing him here? Too bad. Muggli ran the power play early in this one, which helped them get to a crucial 2-0 lead. He’s such an excellent passer, often slowing the pace down and forcing opponents to get out of position to attack him. Defensively, he repeatedly shut down the Slovak attack, which couldn’t figure out how to beat him through the middle.
#15 Lars Steiner, C (2026 NHL Draft): That was another excellent game out of Steiner. He’s the trigger man on the power play, and while he didn’t score, he seemed to have the best opportunities of anyone. The Slovaks started to realize that and continuously got in his grill throughout the game. But for the most part, he managed to get into his typical shooting lanes and create chances.
Czechia 4, Latvia 2
It wasn’t the world’s most exciting game, but Czechia won’t mind after finishing the round robin with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday.
Czechia has moved into second place in Group B ahead of the battle between Canada and Finland later tonight. Latvia, meanwhile, will finish in fourth place in Group B after beating the Danes on Tuesday.
The Czechs dominated the shot count, 14-3, in the first period, but Latvia actually opened the scoring. At 6:00, Kristers Ansons took Bruno Osmanis’ feed and scored on the man advantage to make it 1-0. From there, though, the Czechs easily dominated puck possession. Tomas Poletin, Adam Jiricek and Max Psenicka all scored before the halfway point to take any momentum away from the Latvians.
Osmanis has really turned heads in this tournament – and if Latvia was going to pull off an upset, they needed him to show up in the third. At 46:39, the Latvians brought the game within one, with Osmanis setting up Markuss Sieradzkis for the one-timer to make it 3-2 despite taking just eight shots total at that point. Latvia continued to pressure the Czechs, but Vaclav Nestrasil tallied an empty netter to finish off the night.
Czechia
#5 Adam Jiricek, D: Jiříček entered tonight’s game riding the high of his game-winner against Finland and he did that again with the 2-1 goal on the power play. He has such an excellent shot, wasting no time releasing it as hard as humanly possible. Jiříček has consistently been a standout for the Czechs – he has such a high hockey IQ, and he has the raw puck skills to pull off some high-end plays.
#23 Tomáš Galvas, D: Jump scare, he’s back! Galvas continues to establish himself as one of the best WJC players in recent Czech hockey history with his attempt at challenging Jiricek for tournament MVP honors. Galvas is as good a skater as you’ll find at this tournament, using his quick footwork to pivot on a dime. He also makes quick, accurate backhand passes that seem to throw off opponents quite frequently.
#12 Max Curran, C (Colorado Avalanche): Curran has been excellent for the Edmonton Oil Kings this year, and I was expecting big things from him in Minnesota. But it took a while – he finally registered his first two points of the tournament today while playing on Czechia’s second line. Curran is a big, smart forward who will beat opponents with his stick skills more so than his size, but he can definitely knock someone down with ease.
#18 Tomas Poletin, LW (Utah Mammoth): I loved Poletin before he scored in the first period – but that didn’t hurt either. I don’t know what he was saying to the Latvians, but they kept wanting a piece of him all game long. He loves to get to the net and take space away from the goaltender, and he has the hands to pull off some solid moves, too.
Latvia
#19 Bruno Osmanis, RW: Latvia has so little skill up front, with Osmanis being one of the few who has consistently made things happen. I loved his pass on the 1-0 goal – he probably could have shot it, but saw Ansons and his huge frame in front and wanted to take advantage. Osmanis is the team’s best skater because he’s not only quick, but he pivots well and can be really shifty. Overall, I’ve loved his tournament.
#17 Kristers Ansons, LW: Ansons is a big, big dude. He was getting shoved hard on the power play early in the game but still battled to knock in a pass to make it 1-0. His ice time continued to creep up, and it felt like he played his most energetic hockey after that. I used to really like him as a prospect, and it was nice to see him thrive in his power forward role today.
#18 Roberts Naudiņš, LW (2027 NHL Draft): Naudiņš was leaned on a lot down the stretch. The 6-foot-6 forward plays such a mature game for his age as a recently turned 17-year-old. Naudiņš struggled against the Finns, but it feels like his last two games have been a bit faster, engaged, and more consistent overall.
Sweden 6, USA 3
Sweden has taken top spot in Group A and will play Latvia in one of the quarterfinals on Friday after beating the United States 6-3 on Wednesday.
The Americans finished second in the group and will take on either Finland or Czechia, depending on Finland’s result against Canada later tonight.
The Swedes scored first, with Casper Juustovaara tallying his first World Junior goal at 9:17. The floodgates opened in the second, though, with Eddie Genborg and Lucas Pettersson scoring twice each. Chase Reid and Will Zellers both scored for the Americans, but they found themselves trailing big time heading into the final stanza.
USA made a goalie switch heading into the third, swapping out 2026 NHL Draft prospect Brady Knowling for Washington Capitals prospect Nick Kempf. At first, the momentum swapped hands, and Teddy Stiga was able to score on the power play to make it 5-1. But four minutes later, after two Americans were sent to the box, Ivar Stenberg would add Sweden’s sixth goal to double Sweden’s advantage.
Sweden
#30 Love Harenstam, G (St. Louis Blues): There wasn’t much Harenstam could have done on the 3-1 goal – he was diving all over the place and making some huge stops from a determined American squad. For my money, Harenstam has been the best goaltender in the tournament, and I think he’ll be crucial for Sweden down the stretch. I’ve liked him before only to be burned, but I can’t recall him playing a calmer, athletic game than what we’ve been seeing from him here.
#11 Lucas Pettersson, LW (Anaheim Ducks): Where did he come from? It felt like a ho-hum tourney from him until today, where he scored twice. That includes a beautiful shot to make it 4-1 while playing down a man in the latter stages of the second. He continually took up space and was Sweden’s best penalty killer today.
#23 Liam Danielsson, LW: How about that? A two-assist night for the 13th forward. That gives him five points now in three games, which is remarkable given ice time has been seriously hard for him to come by. You can tell he’s playing motivated hockey, while online discussions about his inclusion on the team have been mixed. He’s looking good now, though.
#25 Eddie Genborg, RW (Detroit Red Wings): Genborg was my favorite Swede throughout most of the tournament. He’s a hard-hitting power forward who crashes the net and plays at full force, all the time. Genborg has an excellent shot, and while I wish he had used it a bit more in other games. But that power-play goal helped spark the Swedes, and he then contributed the 5-1 goal to really silence the American crowd.
#26 Jack Berglund, C (Philadelphia Flyers): It’s hard to beat a three-point night. He was Sweden’s third-line center today and I thought that proved to be a matchup issue for the Americans. He’s a big body, and while he isn’t quick, he does a good job of getting hard, accurate passes where they need to be. Berglund is having an excellent tournament – I’m a fan.
USA
#25 Chase Reid, D (2026 NHL Draft): Reid has gradually improved with every single game, with some scouts considering him to be the best draft-eligible defenseman in Minnesota right now. His ability to fake a shot before finding a perfect passing lane is unmatched on this American blueline while Cole Hutson is out. Reid was one of the USA’s top defenders against Slovakia, and he was again today as he continues to earn more ice time and opportunities.
#24 Will Horcoff, LW (Pittsburgh Penguins): The Swedes didn’t have a ton of power on their back end, so Horcoff was able to have some fun tonight. He created havoc in front of the Swedish net, and it helped result in the first American goaltender. Horcoff is as good of a net-front presence as you’ll find at this tournament because he has the skill to be more than just a big guy crashing the crease.
#74 Brodie Ziemer, RW (Buffalo Sabres): Ziemer had a pair of assists in the second period to help start USA’s attack – just like he did against the Slovaks. His open-ice awareness is what made him dangerous in his draft year and what makes me a big fan of his game. He works as hard as anyone, and he seems to elevate his game when the Americans need him the most.
Canada 7, Finland 4
Talk about a wild end to 2025.
Canada and Finland capped off the round-robin of the 2026 World Junior Championship with a wild 7-4 game, highlighted by six goals in the opening frame.
Canada will finish first in Group B and play Slovakia in the quarterfinals at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Finland, meanwhile, will take on USA over at the Grand Casino Arena.
The two teams traded blows early and often in this one. It all started when Zayne Parekh scored on a blistering shot, breaking Petteri Rimpinen’s shutout after just one shot. But two minutes later, Julius Miettinen did the same thing to Carter George, going top shelf at 3:54. Brady Martin scored a pair for Canada, while Oliver Suvanto and Lasse Boelius answered back for Finland to make it 3-3 after 13 minutes.
The second period was a bit less chaotic, but still had three goals. Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin would score one each, but Roope Versterinen tallied Finland’s fourth goal to put the pressure back on the Canadians. Fortunately for the Canadian-dominated crowd at 3M, Beaudoin’s second of the night and Sam O’Reilly’s first eventually secured the 7-4 victory, giving them four straight wins in the round robin.
Canada
#19 Zayne Parekh, D (Calgary Flames): If you’re looking for simple, controlled hockey, Parekh isn’t for you. He’s all about creating chaos, both positive and negative for his own team. Parekh scored on the first shot of the game and then nabbed an assist on the power play. He also got scored on twice in the first – so, take your pick. Overall, he does a decent job of bouncing back from mistakes, but he needs to limit them if he’s going to be truly impactful. But, hey, that third assist? Beautiful. High-risk, high-reward all the time and that’s what we all love him.
#23 Sam O’Reilly, RW (Tampa Bay Lightning): O’Reilly came to Minnesota to block faceoffs, play a two-way game and support his linemates. But with a goal and two assists today, it was as good of a game as you could have asked for. Many believed he was only on this team because his OHL coach is Dale Hunter, but he made Hunter look smart today.
#25 Caleb Desnoyers, LW (Utah Mammoth): The more I watch Desnoyers this week, the more I like him. He’s really smart, has made some sneaky-good puck retrievals, and has become more noticeable with every game. The offense has been slow (he did get two assists tonight, though), but he has played an excellent defensive game and has been very…. is the right word “annoying”?… to anyone he goes up against.
#26 Cole Beaudoin, C (Utah Mammoth): Beaudoin really, really struggled at points in this tournament. I’m not sure I liked a single period of his before today. But he played with so much energy and it resulted in not one, but two goals and an assist. It seemed like he really understood his assignment alongside Desnoyers and Sam O’Reilly – just create distractions, and something will happen. I’m not sure how many blocks he had in this one, but he’ll be bruised tomorrow.
#28 Brady Martin, RW (Nashville Predators): Hard to beat a two-goal period. Martin loves rushing to the net, taking space away and drawing defenders away from his linemates. But, often, that results in him picking up rebounds, and that’s what happened today. Martin has an excellent shot, and is quite immovable when he’s around the crease.
#29 Michael Hage, C (Montreal Canadiens): Hage has been Canada’s best forward all tournament long, bar none. Hage had two assists in the first period, and probably should have had at least four goals in this one. He was all over the place. His big frame allows him to power through traffic and create opportunities, but I also love when he draws guys away from the middle of the ice before firing the puck toward the front.
Finland
#10 Roope Vesterinen, LW: No matter what, Vesterinen is always there. He’s small, but he might be Finland’s fastest straight-line speeder. He uses his footwork to create rushes for himself and his teammates, and it resulted in his fourth goal of the tournament. I’m not sure he’ll get drafted as a 19-year-old, but he’s making himself quite the case to, at least.
#25 Lasse Boelius, D (Anaheim Ducks): Boelius has been my favorite Finnish defender. He scored the 3-3 goal in the first period, but he also kept shutting down the likes of Hage and Gavin McKenna in transition. There isn’t much flash to his game, but it feels like he’s taking a more heads-up offensive approach by waiting for his teammates to break out of the zone into open space.
#37 Matias Vanhanen, LW: With two assists, the undrafted forward definitely made some noise. He’s a great playmaker, and it shows through in the way he continues to find high-quality opportunities for his linemates. He even got a bit chippy, too – I’m not sure a single Finnish player was involved in more scuffles today, beyond maybe Rimpinen.
#38 Oliver Suvanto, C (2026 NHL Draft): Suvanto put himself in a great scoring position for the 2-2 goal and it paid off. He also kept getting right in front of Carter George and throwing off his vision thanks to Suvanto’s big frame. I like big forwards who can score, and I love when they’re making everyone angry, too.
Remaining Schedule
Friday, January 2
(All times ET)
- 12:30 PM – Germany vs. Denmark — 3M Arena at Mariucci
- 2:00 PM – Sweden vs. Latvia — Grand Casino Arena
- 4:30 PM – Czechia vs. Switzerland — 3M Arena at Mariucci
- 6:00 PM – USA vs. Finland — Grand Casino Arena
- 8:30 PM – Canada vs. Slovakia — 3M Arena at Mariucci
Sunday, January 4
- 4:30 PM – Semifinal 1 — Grand Casino Arena
- 8:30 PM – Semifinal 2 — Grand Casino Arena
Monday, January 5
- 4:30 PM – Bronze Medal Game — Grand Casino Arena
- 8:30 PM – Gold Medal Game — Grand Casino Arena
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