Linus Eriksson #14 of Sweden controls the puck against Petr Sikora #17 of Czechia in Bronze Medal Game action at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre on January 5, 2025 in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Matt Zambonin/IIHF)
photo: © IIHF / Matt Zambonin
Don’t read too much into the game scores of the just-completed World Junior Summer Showcase, which wrapped up Saturday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this situation, it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.
The week-long event was certainly an enticing teaser for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held this winter in the State of Hockey. But for the coaches and managers of all four participating nations, individual player evaluation was much more important than wins and losses.
Many top players saw limited action or didn’t play at all, but are still on the fast track to a roster spot when the games of the historic 50th world juniors begin on 26 Dec. But good showings this week from younger or less-heralded players may have helped put them on their coaches’ radar for that main event.
That being said, Sweden and Finland both impressed over the last week, sending a loud message that they shouldn’t be underestimated in the 2026 medal chase. Meanwhile, with just one win between them when icing their unified squads, the U.S. and Canada will have some work ahead over the next five months.
Here’s what we learned from each team at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase.
The week-long event was certainly an enticing teaser for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held this winter in the State of Hockey. But for the coaches and managers of all four participating nations, individual player evaluation was much more important than wins and losses.
Many top players saw limited action or didn’t play at all, but are still on the fast track to a roster spot when the games of the historic 50th world juniors begin on 26 Dec. But good showings this week from younger or less-heralded players may have helped put them on their coaches’ radar for that main event.
That being said, Sweden and Finland both impressed over the last week, sending a loud message that they shouldn’t be underestimated in the 2026 medal chase. Meanwhile, with just one win between them when icing their unified squads, the U.S. and Canada will have some work ahead over the next five months.
Here’s what we learned from each team at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase.
United States
Though they were riding high after winning back-to-back world juniors gold medals, Team USA struggled to deliver results despite the home-ice advantage at the Summer Showcase. The only win of the week for any Stars and Stripes squad was USA White’s 5-2 win over Finland on opening day.To be fair, the nine returnees from 2025’s winning squad were away from the spotlight this week, with coach Bob Motzko focusing more on evaluating potential first-timers.
Leading the charge from that group was 2025 first-round pick Ryker Lee — a high-energy threat. Speedy Cullen Potter, who hails from Minneapolis, also stood out for his stick skills and hockey sense. Both players finished with five points.
After the Americans gave up 18 goals in their three full-squad games, goaltending remains a question mark. For the moment, Providence College commit Jack Parsons may have the inside track on the starter’s job. He finished with a .904 save percentage over 87 minutes of action.
Finland
Defying their stereotypical defense-first, grinding play style, the Finns were offensively dynamic all week long. They averaged four goals per game as they looked to build off their silver medal at the 2025 world juniors.After he was left off last year’s roster, Montreal Canadiens prospect Aatos Koivu was the most dangerous player of the entire Summer Showcase. He finished with six goals and one assist as the Finns built a record of 4-1, with nine of their 20 goals coming from a fearsome power play.
Returning after winning silver with Finland in 2025, Daniel Nieminen was the tournament’s top-scoring defenseman. The sixth-round pick by the Nashville Predators tallied six assists.
In net, 2025 World Juniors starter Petteri Rimpinen led the week with a .913 save percentage. His tournament backup, Kim Saarinen, was right behind him at .909.
Canada
Coming into the Summer Showcase with a star-studded 36-player roster that included 22 first-round draft picks plus presumed 2026 No. 1 Gavin McKenna, the Canadians’ only victory outside of their intrasquad match came in the tournament closer, a 6-2 win over the United States.As with the Americans, the primary plan for coach Dale Hunter and GM Alan Millar was to evaluate prospects who can fill roles around their country’s biggest young stars. To help that cause, all seven returnees from the 2025 team, including McKenna, were sent home before the two final games.
Forward standouts for the week among the Canadian hopefuls included menacing Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage, University of North Dakota forward Sacha Boisvert and a new college teammate that he’ll skate with this fall, Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny.
In goal, returning tandem Carter George and Jack Ivankovic likely have the top two roster spots locked up. Joshua Ravensbergen made a good case for No. 3 with a .906 save percentage in three appearances.
The Canadian braintrust also got a first look at two players who have missed extensive time with injuries. Power forward Cayden Lindstrom and 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer both looked steady in their minutes played.
Sweden
Overall, no team showed better at the Summer Showcase than the Swedes. They finished 4-1 after losing their Rivalry Game finale to Finland 3-1 on Saturday, but earned first place in the standings thanks to their plus-9 goal differential.Sweden took no prisoners, making life hard on opponents with an aggressive physical game and leading the way offensively by averaging 4.8 goals per game.
Standouts included big center Jack Berglund, who was not on Tre Kronor’s 2025 world juniors roster. He wrapped the Summer Showcase with seven points including four goals, tying Koivu for the tournament lead.
The older of the two Bjorck brothers, Wilson, also impressed with six points and steady two-way play. And no one’s stock may have risen more than undrafted Liam Danielsson. A late addition to the roster in the days leading up to the tournament, the Orebro HK winger was noticeable in all five games. He finished with five points.
2025 World Junior Summer Showcase
Results- 27 July: USA White 5 – Finland 2; Sweden 5 – USA Blue 2
- 28 July: Finland 3 – USA Blue 2; Sweden 4 – USA White 3
- 29 July: Canada White 4 – Canada Red 3 (shootout)
- 30 July: Sweden 6 – USA 3 ; Finland 6 – Canada 3
- 1 Aug: Sweden 8 – Canada 4; Finland 6 – USA 3
- 2 Aug: Finland 3 – Sweden 1; Canada 6 – USA 2
- Sweden: 5 GP, 4W – 1L, 8 pts
- Finland: 5 GP, 4W – 1L, 8 pts
- USA White: 2 GP, 1W – 1L, 2 pts
- Canada White: 1 GP, 1W – 0L, 2 pts
- Canada: 3 GP, 1W – 2L, 2 pts
- Canada Red: 1 GP, 0W – 1L, 0 pts
- USA Blue: 2 GP, 0W – 2L, 0 pts
- USA: 3 GP, 0W – 3L, 0 pts
The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship
The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship will feature the top U20 players from 10 nations competing from 26 Dec 2025 to 5 Jan 2026.Preliminary-round games will be split into two groups of five for round-robin play.
Group A features the United States, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. They’ll play their round-robin games at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, which will also host the bronze and gold-medal games.
Group B features Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland and Latvia. They’ll play at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s hockey team.
Tickets for the historic 50th World Junior Championship are on sale now.