2026 World Juniors: Top standouts from Sweden vs. Switzerland
ST. PAUL, Minn. – It definitely didn’t come easy, but Sweden has improved to 2-0 with a 4-2 victory over Switzerland in the lone game at 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 3-2 – giving Sweden the victory.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Sunday’s contest:
Lines for Sweden and Switzerland. #WorldJuniors
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.
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