Day six of the World Junior Championship is over. Each team had a nice day off to celebrate the new year, and now they will all battle for their spot in the semifinals on Saturday. The final two teams will battle to stay in the top division in the relegation game.
Related: A Quick Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
With five games on the docket, here are the previews and one player to watch for each team.
Relegation Game: Kazakhstan vs Germany (10:00 AM CST)
The first of five games is the relegation matchup which is between Kazakhstan vs Germany. Both teams were the likely candidates to end up in the relegation game, but there were close calls with Switzerland and Latvia.
The relegation game used to be a series of games, and now it’s just one game. Denmark was promoted from Division 1A to the top division for the 2026 tournament, so they will be closely watching to see who they replace.
One Player to Watch from Each Team
If Kazakhstan wants to stay in the top division, goaltending is an absolute priority for them and they’ll be looking at Vladimir NIkitin to help them stay in the top division. His four games in net netted him a .839 save percentage (SV%) and a goals-against average (GAA) of 6.61. It’s an underwhelming stat line, but the Kazakhs will be looking to do anything to knock the Germans off in the relegation game.
Germany has not been in the WJC D1A since the 2019 tournament where they were promoted for the 2020 tournament. The Germans will be looking to Julius Sumpf to get them to stay in the top division. Sumpf has recorded four points (1G, 3A) in four WJC games and has been a tremendous leader for the Germans.
Quarterfinal One: Latvia vs Sweden (11:00 AM CST)
Latvia has already pulled off one major upset, maybe they’ll pull off another. Like Kazakhstan, the Latvians will be relying on their goaltender to have another strong game to push Latvia into the semifinals. Sweden will be expecting the Latvians to push as hard as they can when it comes to this game.
The first of four quarterfinal games has huge implications as the Latvians are still riding the high that they felt against beating Canada, a defeat of Sweden would be huge. However, it will be a more favourable result for the Swedes as they’re still hunting for a gold medal.
One Player to Watch from Each Team
Linards Feldbergs will be the make-or-break player for the Latvians, but he can’t do it all by himself. Feldbergs has had a wonderful tournament, posting a .926 SV% and a 3.14 GAA complimented by a win-loss record of 2-2-0. The Swedes will be pushing in full force, but it won’t be easy to break Feldbergs and get him off target.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka has been the driving force for Team Sweden and his eight points (4G, 4A) in four games will only continue to push the Swedes closer to a gold medal. With vengeance fuelling the Swedes, I expect that Axel Sandin-Pellikka will be at the front of the scoring onslaught that the Swedes are projected to have.
Quarterfinal Two: Switzerland vs USA (1:30 PM CST)
The second quarterfinal matchup should be an easy win for the Americans who are defending their gold medals from last year. The Americans have come off some big wins, and some that haven’t been as easy as you’d think.
This is one of those games that should be an easy walk to the semifinals for the Americans, but there have been so many big surprises that I’m not entirely counting out the Swiss. It will be interesting to see how this game shapes up and what the final score turns out to be.
One Player to Watch from Each Team
Leo Braillard is the player that the Switzerland team will be looking to continue his goal-scoring ways. His three goals this tournament for the Swiss have been a great surprise and they’ll hope that he can score a goal or two against the Americans.
The Americans have had consistent scoring throughout their lineup, but it’s projected 2025 first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, James Hagens who’s going to be the American’s most lethal scorer. With six points (2G, 4A) in four games, Hagens is tied for second in scoring on the American’s roster behind Cole Hutson. Hagens has been a strong player and the Americans will look to Hagens to score yet again and lift them to the semifinals.
Quarterfinal Three: Slovakia vs Finland (4:00 PM CST)
The Finnish group have been a disappointment this year, and they need to find a lifeline in their lineup if they want to survive against Slovakia. The Slovaks are on high alert that any player on the Finnish roster can have the tournament-defining game that they desperately need, but the Slovaks will be looking for one of their own to do the same.
Ultimately, the third quarterfinal game is a stepping stone for both teams who need to perform just a little bit more if they want to compete for a medal.
One Player to Watch from Each Team
Team Finland hasn’t scored lots of goals this year. It’s going to be Konsta Helenius who will carry a weight to have that tournament-defining game to add to his three assists in four games. Other players are on the list, but Helenius being without a goal in four games should raise eyebrows.
The Slovaks are going to look to their captain to help them get to the semifinals. Dalibor Dvorsky has posted seven points (4G, 3A) in four games which is ranked first on Team Slovakia. His consistency and clutch playmaking have given Slovakia some extra breathing room and time to prepare for this game.
Quarterfinal Four: Canada vs Czechia (6:30 PM CST)
The final quarterfinal game of the day is a rematch from the 2024 tournament where Czechia upset the Canadians. This year, it’s the same message, and if the Czechs want to continue their medal streak, they need to knock off the Canadians in the quarterfinal game for a second straight year.
The Canadians have been massively underwhelming throughout this entire tournament. They started strong with a 4-0 shutout win against Finland and then their performance took a nosedive after that. It didn’t help they lost Matthew Schaefer due to injury and it certainly doesn’t help Canada that their top players haven’t produced whatsoever.
It’s a blame game that people want to play, but ultimately, it’s up to the team on the ice to hold themselves accountable and break the narrative they’ve caused in the 2025 World Juniors.
One Player to Watch from Each Team
For the Canadians, I’m constantly watching the same players, but today, I’m watching their captain Brayden Yager just a little closer. His one assist across four games has been underwhelming as Yager is considered to be one of Canada’s top players. If the captain of Team Canada can get his production going, it should trickle throughout the lineup and give Canada what they need to survive another game.
The Czechs are looking to upset Canada for the second year in a row, and they’ll be relying on goaltender Michael Hrabal to have another big game. Hrabal’s posted a .926 SV% and 2.36 GAA in three games this tournament and he’s contributed a win-loss record of 2-1-0. If Hrabal performs like everyone knows he’s able to, the Czechs should runaway with a second consecutive upset over the Canadians.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
