{"id":194818,"date":"2025-12-27T20:07:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/a-look-at-all-10-teams-and-the-top-players-in-the-2026-world-junior-championship-rochester-post-bulletin\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T20:07:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:07:36","slug":"a-look-at-all-10-teams-and-the-top-players-in-the-2026-world-junior-championship-rochester-post-bulletin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/a-look-at-all-10-teams-and-the-top-players-in-the-2026-world-junior-championship-rochester-post-bulletin\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at all 10 teams and the top players in the 2026 World Junior Championship – Rochester Post Bulletin"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The puck drops on the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World U20 Junior Championship today, when Sweden faces Slovakia at noon at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. It\u2019s the first time in more than 40 years that the event has been held in the Twin Cities.
The 10-team field is divided into two groups of five. Every team plays every other team in its group once in round-robin play. The top four teams from each group advance to single-elimination bracket play. The gold medal game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
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The full tournament schedule and ticket information can be found at mnsportsandevents.org<\/a> .
Group A, which will play at Grand Casino Arena, includes the United States, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. Group B, to play at 3M Arena at Mariucci, includes Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland and Latvia. Here’s a look at all 10 teams:
Player to Watch<\/b>: Defenseman Cole Hutson<\/b>. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound Boston University sophomore has been sensational for the U.S. in international play, just as his brother Lane was before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens. Cole is playing in his second WJC and could challenge for the top defenseman in the tournament if he replicates his performance a year ago. He had three goals and eight assists, for 11 points, in seven games last year, helping the U.S. win its second straight gold. Hutson has seven goals and 20 points in 18 games this year for B.U.
About the team<\/b>: The U.S. has won back-to-back golds, and three of the past five (2021, 2024, 2025), but is projected by some international hockey experts to miss the medals altogether this year.
A lot of that uncertainty is due to the loss of goaltender Trey Augustine, the Michigan State star who was in goal for 15 of 21 games for the U.S. over the past three WJCs. Of the three goalies on this roster, there isn\u2019t a clear-cut No. 1, though Notre Dame\u2019s Nick Kempf is expected to get that nod ahead of Caleb Heil (of the USHL\u2019s Madison Capitols) and Brady Knowling, a 17-year-old who plays for the U.S. National Team Development Program and is among the top goalie prospects for the 2026 Draft.
On defense, in addition to Hutson, the U.S. will lean on Ottawa draft pick Logan Hensler, New York Rangers pick E.J. Emery and Buffalo pick Adam Kleber, among others. Hensler\u2019s University of Wisconsin teammate Luke Osborn is also on the U.S. squad, as are a pair of 2026 draft-eligible d-men, Chase Reid and Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen. Reid could be a top-10 pick this summer, while Rheaume-Mullen was passed over in the 2025 Draft, but has been great for Michigan this year, with 13 points in 20 games.
Up front, James Hagens (Boston College, Boston Bruins pick); Max Plante (Minnesota Duluth, Detroit Red Wings pick); Ryker Lee (Notre Dame, Nashville Predators); Cole Eiserman (Boston U., N.Y. Islanders), Brodie Ziemer (U. of Minnesota, Buffalo Sabres) and Will Horcoff (U. of Michigan, Pittsburgh Penguins) are among a deep group of forwards who could make their presence felt over the next 10 days. Then there\u2019s Teddy Stiga, the Boston College sophomore who scored the gold-medal winning goal in overtime last year.
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This team isn\u2019t as strong as some recent U.S. teams, but it\u2019s still more talented or close to as talented as any team in this year\u2019s field. Gold isn\u2019t out of the question. Nor is not winning a medal at all.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Forward Maxim Schafer<\/b>. The 2025 third-round pick of the Washington Capitals is a good skater with deceptive speed for his size (6-4, 190). Schafer can score, too, with 12 goals and 23 points so far this season for Chicoutimi in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
About the team<\/b>: This is the seventh consecutive year the Germans will play in the WJC, and avoiding relegation is again a primary goal. It finished ninth last year, avoiding relegation by coming from behind to beat Kazakhstan.
If the Germans are to qualify for the quarterfinals, they\u2019ll need goalie Linus Viellard to be at his best. Viellard (6-1, 180) is in his second WJC, after posting respectable numbers a year ago (1-2-0, 2.66, .915). He has five years of international experience for Team Germany and currently plays for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL, where he is 9-6-0, with a 3.15 GAA and .890 save percentage.
The Germans have two drafted forwards playing major juniors in Canada this year. Schaefer and David Lewandowski (Edmonton Oilers). Lewandowski (6-2, 180) is one of Germany\u2019s top playmakers; he has 24 assists and 32 points in 28 games for the Saskatoon Blades this winter. Max Penkin, a rare 16-year-old playing in the WJC, has already played more than a dozen games in Germany\u2019s top pro league. He\u2019s a prospect for the 2027 NHL Draft.
Germany\u2019s defensive corps has good size, but it is widely considered their weakest position group, aside from Carlos Handel. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound right-shot d-man was drafted by Montreal last summer in the sixth round. He\u2019s in his second season with Halifax in the QMJHL, where he has 12 points in 25 games.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Goalie Michal Pradel<\/b>. It\u2019s not often that a Slovakian goalie is taken in the early rounds of the NHL Draft \u2014 or at all, for that matter. Detroit took Pradel in the third round, 75th overall, last summer. The only Slovakian goalie chosen earlier in a draft was in 2023, when the. Chicago Blackhawks took current Minnesota Duluth goalie Adam Gajan with the No. 35 overall selection.
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About the team<\/b>: Slovakia reached the quarterfinals last year, and put up a fight, but it ran into a tough Finland team right off the bat and fell 5-3.
Goalie Michal Pradel is a nice player to build a team around. He has great size (6-5, 200) and solid international experience, having played seven games at the U18 World Championships last year, where he went 4-3-0 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
A name that sticks out to long-time Minnesota hockey fans is Luka Radivojevic. The freshman at Boston College was born in Edina when his father, Branko, played for the Wild. Luka (5-11, 181) is a right-shot d-man who has nine points in 16 games at B.C. this year. Patrik Rusznyak (6-4, 200) adds size to the defensive corps, as does WJC rookie Adam Goljer, who stands 6-3, 195, and is projected by some outlets as an early-to-mid round pick in next summer\u2019s NHL Draft.
Los Angeles Kings draft pick Jan Chovan and Detroit Red Wings pick Michal Svrcek are Slovakia\u2019s only drafted forwards. Chovan (6-3, 190) is playing for Sudbury in the OHL this year, where he has seven goals and 18 points in 29 games. Svrcek plays professionally in Sweden; he had four points in seven games in the U18 Worlds last year, when he was an alternate captain for Slovakia.<\/p>\n

Player to Watch<\/b>: Forward Ivar Stenberg<\/b>. The 5-foot-10, 181-pound winger is widely projected to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, battling Canadian forward Gavin McKenna and Canadian defenseman Keaton Verhoeff for the No. 1 overall honor. Stenberg is an elite playmaker and puck handler, with excellent vision. He\u2019s already a point-per-game player in Sweden\u2019s top professional league, at 18 years old, with 24 points in 25 games for Frolunda HC.
About the team<\/b>: Sweden\u2019s group has a \u201cgold or bust\u201d feel to it this year. It\u2019s been 14 years since the Swedes have won gold at the WJC and they\u2019re tired of hearing about that number.
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\u201cI think we had (winning gold) in our minds before we went to Canada\u201d for Pre-Tournament games, Sweden\u2019s captain Jack Berglund said after a 7-3 win over Switzerland in Rochester on Dec. 23. \u201cEveryone wants to win (gold) and now we\u2019ve had three good (Pre-Tournament) games. \u2026 Every time you put the jersey on, it\u2019s a huge honor. You put your heart into every game.\u201d
Berglund (6-3, 209) is a \u201cglue\u201d guy on a team with 17 NHL Draft picks and two more who could go in the first round in late June. The standout forward is a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, one of 11 players on this Sweden team drafted in the first two rounds. Stenberg should be a top-three pick, while Viggo Bjorck is also expected to be a first-rounder. Victor Eklund (No. 16 overall, 2025, N.Y. Islanders) and Anton Frondell (No. 3, 2025, Chicago) are Sweden\u2019s forwards who have been picked in the first round. Frondell could be the best forward in the tournament, though Stenberg and Canada\u2019s Gavin McKenna will have something to say about that.
On defense, the Swedes have one first-round pick: Winnipeg Jets prospect Sascha Boumedienne (No. 28 overall in 2025), who plays at Boston University. A pair of defenders were selected in the second round in 2024: Leo Sahlin Wallenuis (San Jose) and Alfons Freij (Winnipeg). Maple Leafs draft pick Victor Johansson will also be one to watch, as Sweden brings perhaps the deepest defensive corps to the WJC.
If Sweden has a question mark, it\u2019s goaltending. Either Love Harenstam (6-2, 192, St. Louis Blues pick) or 19-year-old Herman Liv (6-0, 170, undrafted) will likely handle a majority of the starts.The Swedes also have Dallas draft pick Mans Goos. All three have played extensively in international competition.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Forward Jonah Neuenschwander<\/b>. One of a small handful of 2009-born players in the WJC this year, Neuenschwander (6-3, 183) is being projected as a first-round NHL Draft pick in 2027. He played center and wing for the Swiss in Pre-Tournament games, including centering their top line and the team\u2019s first power-play unit in a 1-1 tie at Minnesota State, Mankato, on Dec. 16.
About the team<\/b>: Switzerland\u2019s clear strengths are goaltending and a defensive corps that features three NHL picks. The Swiss held Minnesota State, Mankato, to just 15 shots on goal in a 1-1 tie in a Pre-Tournament game on Dec. 16, then held Denmark to just 6 shots on goal in a Pre-Tournament game five days later.
A pair of drafted goalies will share the net for Switzerland, as they did last year, when it lost to the U.S. in the WJC quarterfinals: Christian Kirsch, San Jose\u2019s 2024 fourth-round pick, and Elijah Neuenschwander, Anaheim\u2019s 2025 fourth-round pick. Kirsch is in his second season playing in North America; he is 12-7-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .901 save percentage for Kitchener in the Canadian major juniors Ontario Hockey League.
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Switzerland\u2019s other three drafted players are all part of the defensive corps and are all 19-year-olds: Ludvig Johnson (Utah Mammoth), Basile Sansonnens (Vancouver Canucks) and Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals). All three played in the WJC last year. Muggli, the team\u2019s captain and a 2024 second-round pick of the Capitals, is playing this season with the Capitals\u2019 top minor-league affiliate, the Hershey (Pa.) Bears, where an injury had kept him out since mid-October. He\u2019s healthy now and will be a driving force for the Swiss team.
Up front, Jonah Neuenschwander and Lars Steiner are the players to watch. Steiner is likely to be a high-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Steiner (5-10, 176) plays bigger than his size and is a natural playmaker.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Forward Porter Martone<\/b>. The 19-year-old Michigan State freshman has been a hit in college hockey this year, with 20 points in 20 games for the No. 3-ranked Spartans. The 6-3, 209-pound winger was drafted sixth overall by Philadelphia last summer and will play in his second WJC this week. Yes, the Canadians have Gavin McKenna (the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft), Michael Misa (on loan from the San Jose Sharks, where he has three points in seven games) and Montreal prospect Michael Hage up front, among others, but Martone was named captain for a reason. The Canadians need to get things right this year, and Martone is the one they expect to lead them back to gold.
About the team<\/b>: Two consecutive quarterfinal losses haven\u2019t sat well with Canadian hockey fans, players or executives, particularly last year\u2019s, which occurred in Canada. So new full-time Hockey Canada WJC GM Alan Millar brought back head coach Dale Hunter, who led the team to gold in 2020. Team Canada now shares the same mindset as Sweden this year: Gold or bust. There is a definite sense of desperation attached to that feeling, too.
The good news for Canadian fans: Their team is loaded with talent (see the listed forwards above).
If McKenna doesn\u2019t go No. 1 overall in June\u2019s Draft, then it just might be Canadian defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, a freshman at the University of North Dakota. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-shot d-man has a heavy shot (which he uses to his advantage on the power play), a long reach and can play in any situation (power play, penalty kill). Another 17-year-old defenseman, Carson Carels (6-2, 194) could also be a top-10 pick in next summer\u2019s Draft. Canada will be led defensively, though, by Zayne Parekh (Calgary) and Harrison Brunicke (Pittsburgh), who were both loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors by their NHL teams.
Canada might have the best 1-2 goalie punch in the tournament this year. Throw in third goalie Joshua Ravensbergen (a San Jose pick) and it\u2019s hands-down the best goalie trio in the WJC. Ahead of him, though, are two of the best in this age range: Carter George (Los Angeles Kings) and Jack Ivankovic (Nashville). George posted a 1.76 GAA and .936 save percentage in four games in last year\u2019s WJC.
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Player to Watch<\/b>: Defenseman Adam Jiricek<\/b>. Like many of his Czechia teammates, Jiricek plays major junior hockey this year in Canada. He has been dominant, too, with 10 goals and 29 points in 25 games for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. The 6-2, 190-pound right-shot d-man was drafted 16th overall by St. Louis in 2024, and will be playing in his third WJC. He\u2019s the brother of Minnesota Wild defenseman David Jiricek.
About the team<\/b>: Czechia\u2019s U20 program has had a resurgence in recent years. It has won the bronze medal the past two years \u2014 including beating a strong Sweden team last year for bronze \u2014 after winning silver in 2023. That medal was the country\u2019s first in the WJC since 2005.
In goal, Czechia has to replace Michal Hrabal, who played in the past two WJCs and is now in his third season at the University of Massachusetts. Three undrafted goalies will look to replace Hrabal between the pipes: Michal Orsulak (6-4, 220), Ondrej Stebetak (6-1, 170) and Matyas Marik (6-2, 181). Orsulak and Stebetak are playing in Canada\u2019s Western Hockey League this season.
On the blue line, in addition to Jiricek, Buffalo Sabres first-round pick Radim Mrtka (6-6, 215) has the ability to make a big hit, shut down plays with his size and reach, and produce offense. He has 16 points in 14 games for Seattle of the Canadian major junior Western Hockey League this year.
Another Minnesota Wild prospect is among Czechia\u2019s top forwards. Adam Benak, a 5-8, 165-pound center is having an excellent season with Brantford of the Canadian major junior OHL. Benak has 15 goals and 43 points in 26 games and could be Czechia\u2019s go-to playmaker.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Forward Mads Kongsbak<\/b> Klyvo. In a tournament where most teams are littered with NHL Draft picks, Denmark has one. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Kylvo struggled to show his skills in a pair of Pre-Tournament games, as opposing defenses were able to key on him when he was on the ice.
About the team<\/b>: That the Danes are in Minnesota is an accomplishment for a country that hasn\u2019t been in the tournament in six years. Denmark\u2019s best hope for success in the Twin Cities is to avoid relegation. The Danes struggled in their two Pre-Tournament games in Minnesota, losing 6-1 to Switzerland in Rochester (a game in which they had just six shots on goal), then losing 13-2 to Canada in Mankato.
Denmark is solid on defense, with 6-2, 190-pound right-shot d-man Markus Jakobsen serving as the team\u2019s most offensively gifted player on the back end. He started the season playing junior hockey in British Columbia, then moved to Sioux Falls of the USHL, where he has five points in seven games. His skill stood out during Denmark\u2019s game against Switzerland at the Rochester Rec Center. When the Danes were able to create chanes in the offensive zone, Jakobsen was often involved.
In goal, 17-year-old Anton Emil Wilde Larsen will likely see the most time. He has good size (6-3, 203) and was outstanding in international play last year, going 4-0-0 with a 2.25 goals-against average in the Division I-A tournament, as Denmark won its way back into the main WJC.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Goalie Petteri Rimpinen<\/b>. The 6-foot, 180-pounder just might be the best goalie in the tournament. He backstopped the Finns to the gold medal game last year, going 5-2-0 with a 2.34 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in the WJC. He is a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings.
About the team<\/b>: Finland won the silver medal last year, in heartbreaking fashion. The Finns led the U.S. 3-1 halfway through the gold medal game, but the U.S. scored twice late in the second period to tie it, then won it on a Teddy Stiga goal in overtime.
Rimpinen is back in goal, and will need to be one of his team\u2019s best players.
Up front, a name that will jump out to fans in Minnesota immediately is Aatos Koivu. The nephew of former Minnesota Wild star Mikko Koivu and son of Saku Koivu can play center or wing. The 2024 third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens has seven points through 30 games in Finland\u2019s top pro league this season. Dallas Stars pick Atte Joki is another forward to keep an eye on for Finland. The 6-2, 205-pound center is a playmaker who, at 19, has fit right in Finland\u2019s top pro league.
The team\u2019s defensive corps is led by Minnesota Wild draft pick Aron Kiviharju (fourth round, 2024), who had three points in seven games last year, in his first WJC. He\u2019s expecting to quarterback his team\u2019s power play and excels at getting the puck out of the defensive zone quickly and accurately. Veeti Vaisanen, a 6-1, 190-pound Utah Mammoth pick, is good with the puck and active offensively \u2014 he has 18 points through 29 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in Canada\u2019s Western Hockey League.
Player to Watch<\/b>: Defenseman Darels Uljanskis<\/b>. The 2024 seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks could be Latvia\u2019s MVP, even if he doesn\u2019t show up on the scoresheet. He could play as much as 30 minutes per game, and has considerable international experience. This will be his second WJC appearance after serving as Latvia\u2019s alternate captain in the 2024 U18 World Championship.
About the team<\/b>: The Latvians pulled off the upset of the tournament a year ago, beating Canada \u2013 in Canada \u2013 in a shootout. It marked the first-ever win for Latvia against Canada in U20 play. Latvia.
This year, in addition to Uljanskis, Harijs Cjunskis and Alberts Smits are Latvia\u2019s top defensemen. Smits (6-3, 205) is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, possibly a top-10 selection.
All three of Latvia\u2019s goalies from last year\u2019s tournament \u2014 where they fell to Sweden by a narrow 3-2 margin in the quarterfinals \u2014 have moved on. Nils Roberts Maurins, who is playing with Omaha in the USHL, and Montreal draft pick Mikus Vecvanags may share time in goal.
Up front, the Latvians have size, with 6-foot-6 Roberts Naudins (a 17-year-old who is a 2027 NHL Draft prospect) and and 6-4 Kristors Ansons. Naudins is committed to Harvard and currently plays at Shattuck St. Mary\u2019s in Faribault, where he has 42 points in 26 games for the Sabres\u2019 Prep team.<\/p>\n

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Sponsored ByADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTThe puck drops on the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World U20 Junior Championship today, when Sweden faces Slovakia at noon at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. It\u2019s the first time in more than 40 years that the event has been held in the Twin Cities.The 10-team field is divided into two groups […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-194818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}