2026 World Juniors: Top standouts from Slovakia vs. Switzerland
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.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the final round-robin game for both teams:
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 that didn’t struggle with Switzerland’s pace early on. He had a few opportunities where he snuck past the defense and sent a pass out, 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 said time and time again, 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.