2025 World Junior Championship: Day Five Preview

Day four of the 2025 World Juniors has wrapped up and we’re headed into day five of the tournament. With the shocks and surprises of the tournament, one has to wonder if day five of the tournament has more in store. Let’s take a look at day fives games.

Related: A Quick Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship

Kazakhstan vs Slovakia (Noon CST)

I’m interested in both teams throughout this game. Kazakhstan hasn’t had a stellar performance but Slovakia has fought until the bitter end in every game they’ve been a part of. You have to wonder, could this be a closer game than we think it will be or will Slovakia blow Kazakhstan out of the water?

I’m leaning towards the former in this case as Slovakia hasn’t had a lot of success scoring goals as they’ve been limited to just two goals per game. When you look at it from the lenses of the betting perspective, Slovakia is the no-brainer, but doubt could be creeping into the minds of the Slovakians as Kazakhstan has yet to win a game and has been outscored 22-3.

While I expect Slovakia to emerge victorious, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kazakhstan can will together a great performance and give Slovakia a run for its money.

One Player to Watch from Each Team

For Slovakia, Juraj Pekaric is a player to watch for me. He’s been quietly a great player for the Germans and is due to have a make-or-break game. He’s done everything right and has played one of the styles of hockey that is can’t miss. If he can really dial his game into the next gear, he should emerge as a big player in this game against Kazakhstan.

As for the Kazakhs, I’m going to go with Artur Gross who has scored one of three goals for the Kazakhs. He’s pushed hard in every shift he’s taken and has been one of the big players that can and will make a huge impact in a game the Kazakhs need to push the hardest.

Latvia vs Germany (2:30 PM CST)

One Player to Watch from Each Team

For the Latvians, I’ve been quite impressed by Eriks Mateiko. I’ve liked his calm style but fierce play when he needs to crank it into high gear. He’s been one of those players for the Latvians that you can’t miss in this year’s tournament.

As for the Germans, Norwin Panocha has caught my eye lately. While he hasn’t lit up the stat sheet, he’s quietly been impressive for the German blueline that desperately needs some extra bite to it.