Can the Swiss pull off an upset in the quarter-finals? Our IIHF.com writers seem to think so.
photo: Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF
It’s that time of the tournament when we ask our IIHF.com writers to weigh in on what they have seen so far at the 2026 World Junior Championship, and what they expect over the coming days leading to the medal games on 5 January. Herewith are the provocative insights of Lucas Aykroyd and Andrew Podnieks.
Q: Who is looking like MVP material through the four games of the preliminary round?
LA: Put it this way: none of the teams in the final four at last year’s World Juniors had a player with more than two game-winning goals. U.S. forward Will Zellers – tied with Slovakia’s Tomas Chrenko for the overall goals lead (five) – already has three GWG. That’s amazing. No wonder his teammate James Hagens said: “Give him the puck; he’s got the hot stick!” Zellers is in the mix if the U.S. gets past Finland in the quarter-finals. Canada’s Gavin McKenna is probably the best bet to win the World Junior points crown, and he hasn’t even hit top gear yet. There have been some great performances on defence as well. Canada’s Zayne Parekh could emulate the history-making performance of the U.S.’s Cole Hutson last year by becoming the second D-man to take win the tournament scoring title. Czechia’s Adam Jiricek is scoring big goals and leading all skaters in average ice time (24:13). We’re spoiled for choices!
AP: Thinking about an MVP is a bit of two worlds—looking back at the best from the preliminary round and looking into the future and trying to figure out who might shine in the playoffs. Looking back, it’s impossible to ignore Zellers. Four games, three game winners. I also like the way Sweden captain Jack Berglund plays. He’s smart with the puck and has great intuition. Only four times in 22 years has a goalie been named tournament MVP, so I’ll also throw in Love Harenstam. He was excellent for Sweden at last year’s U18 in Texas and here in Minneapolis he has allowed only four 5-on-5 goals in three games.
Q: The top countries have all looked a little vulnerable in moments. Is that because this isn't a banner year for them, or is this a sign of the lower-ranked nations catching up?
AP: In the old days, most of the lower-ranked teams lost before the opening faceoff, because they knew they would lose. And so, of course, they did. And coaches tried playing the trap, or some boring variation to try to contain the damage. Now, those teams have good goaltending and players who can skate and shoot. And although they may not be world-beaters, they go in thinking they can win and playing a style that promotes confidence and offence rather than deflating styles that promote losing by a little.
LA: I think it’s a bit of both. No team this year boasts the overwhelming depth of, say, the 2005 Canadian World Junior team – Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Dion Phaneuf – that could steamroll the opposition every night. A lot of lower-ranked nations have learned from the success of Finland in recent years at the Men’s Worlds and World Juniors. You don’t always need the most star-studded roster if you stick together and play confidently within your system. Thus you see Latvia giving Canada a big scare in a 2-1 overtime loss or Slovakia trading goals with the Americans in a 7-5 loss. But the World Juniors is an age-restricted tournament, and nations like Switzerland and Germany still don’t have large enough talent pools to be in the medal conversation as regularly as they are at the Men’s Worlds.
Q: Do you have a favourite goal or save so far?
LA: Going back to Adam Jiricek, it’s hard to argue with his 2-1 OT winner against the Finns. Not only is it a big goal in a big moment against a medal contender, but the poise he shows to go between the legs and also evade Petteri Rimpinen’s pokecheck attempt is something else.
AP: I agree fully here. The shot is amazing and expertly captured by IIHF photographer Tim Austen (shameless, but well-earned plug!). However, what is equally amazing is the pass from Petr Sykora. He casually skates from the faceoff dot up to the blue line, and it looks like he’s waiting for a man to join in the play. Sykora looks at that player, turns quickly, and fires a perfect pass to Jiricek, who is behind all three Finns. Great goal, even greater pass.
Q: Goalies truly are a unique type. Who has impressed you the most?
AP: The two goalies who have stood out to me, irrespective of team or results, are Michal Pradel of Slovakia and Nils Maurins of Latvia, with a shoutout to Elijah Neuenschwander of Switzerland as well. Pradel has looked poised, and Maurins stopped 36 of 38 shots against Canada and was also excellent in allowing only three goals against the Czechs. Neuenschwander is big, so will take more time to develop, but you can see he has all the tools to become something special.
LA: There’s a lot to be said for the focus and athleticism of both Finland’s Petteri Rimpinen (2025’s Best Goalie) and Canada’s Carter George. But I think they’d both prefer to never speak again of their wonky performances in the 7-4 Canada win on New Year’s Eve. You can make a case for Maurins. It hasn’t been endless highlight-reel saves, but he was a big part of getting that point against Canada. He also made the saves needed in the crucial 6-3 win over Denmark and gave his team a chance against the superior Czechs.
Q: Heading to the playoffs, the favourites are always the favourites, but do you see an upset in the making when you look at the matchups?
LA: This is certainly one of the more wide-open quarter-finals ever. The 2025 gold-medal rematch of United States-Finland is a coin toss. The Finns have – apart from the riverboat gambling sequence with Canada – looked a little more solid on balance, and if Cole Hutson isn’t able to return to the lineup at 100 percent, that would tilt the advantage further towards Suomi. But the U.S. could certainly win, too. You could look at Sweden-Latvia and say, “Well, the Latvians pushed them hard in a 3-2 quarter-finals loss last year. Maybe there’s an upset brewing here.” But I suspect that Sweden’s skill takes over as it did on New Year’s Eve against the Americans to make it five straight Juniorkronorna wins. Slovakia knocking off Canada is a long shot. So, I have to go with a potential Swiss upset over the Czechs. Switzerland hasn’t had a bad game yet, and with the power play finally coming to life in their last game in a 3-2 win over the Slovaks, coach Jan Cadieux’s team just might have what it takes to end Czechia’s three-year medal streak.
AP: I think you’ve focused in on the one game that has the greatest potential. The Finns and Americans played for gold last year, so a win by either team won’t be an upset. Sweden and Canada, first in their groups, are playing fourth-place finishers that shouldn’t give them much trouble. But goalie Neuenschwander (see above) can be a difference-maker. As well, Switzerland has yet to give up a power-play goal in 13 short-handed situations. The Czechs will likely win, but if there is one QF where an upset is possible, I’d also take the Swiss.
Q: Who is looking like MVP material through the four games of the preliminary round?
LA: Put it this way: none of the teams in the final four at last year’s World Juniors had a player with more than two game-winning goals. U.S. forward Will Zellers – tied with Slovakia’s Tomas Chrenko for the overall goals lead (five) – already has three GWG. That’s amazing. No wonder his teammate James Hagens said: “Give him the puck; he’s got the hot stick!” Zellers is in the mix if the U.S. gets past Finland in the quarter-finals. Canada’s Gavin McKenna is probably the best bet to win the World Junior points crown, and he hasn’t even hit top gear yet. There have been some great performances on defence as well. Canada’s Zayne Parekh could emulate the history-making performance of the U.S.’s Cole Hutson last year by becoming the second D-man to take win the tournament scoring title. Czechia’s Adam Jiricek is scoring big goals and leading all skaters in average ice time (24:13). We’re spoiled for choices!
AP: Thinking about an MVP is a bit of two worlds—looking back at the best from the preliminary round and looking into the future and trying to figure out who might shine in the playoffs. Looking back, it’s impossible to ignore Zellers. Four games, three game winners. I also like the way Sweden captain Jack Berglund plays. He’s smart with the puck and has great intuition. Only four times in 22 years has a goalie been named tournament MVP, so I’ll also throw in Love Harenstam. He was excellent for Sweden at last year’s U18 in Texas and here in Minneapolis he has allowed only four 5-on-5 goals in three games.
Q: The top countries have all looked a little vulnerable in moments. Is that because this isn't a banner year for them, or is this a sign of the lower-ranked nations catching up?
AP: In the old days, most of the lower-ranked teams lost before the opening faceoff, because they knew they would lose. And so, of course, they did. And coaches tried playing the trap, or some boring variation to try to contain the damage. Now, those teams have good goaltending and players who can skate and shoot. And although they may not be world-beaters, they go in thinking they can win and playing a style that promotes confidence and offence rather than deflating styles that promote losing by a little.
LA: I think it’s a bit of both. No team this year boasts the overwhelming depth of, say, the 2005 Canadian World Junior team – Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Dion Phaneuf – that could steamroll the opposition every night. A lot of lower-ranked nations have learned from the success of Finland in recent years at the Men’s Worlds and World Juniors. You don’t always need the most star-studded roster if you stick together and play confidently within your system. Thus you see Latvia giving Canada a big scare in a 2-1 overtime loss or Slovakia trading goals with the Americans in a 7-5 loss. But the World Juniors is an age-restricted tournament, and nations like Switzerland and Germany still don’t have large enough talent pools to be in the medal conversation as regularly as they are at the Men’s Worlds.
Q: Do you have a favourite goal or save so far?
LA: Going back to Adam Jiricek, it’s hard to argue with his 2-1 OT winner against the Finns. Not only is it a big goal in a big moment against a medal contender, but the poise he shows to go between the legs and also evade Petteri Rimpinen’s pokecheck attempt is something else.
AP: I agree fully here. The shot is amazing and expertly captured by IIHF photographer Tim Austen (shameless, but well-earned plug!). However, what is equally amazing is the pass from Petr Sykora. He casually skates from the faceoff dot up to the blue line, and it looks like he’s waiting for a man to join in the play. Sykora looks at that player, turns quickly, and fires a perfect pass to Jiricek, who is behind all three Finns. Great goal, even greater pass.
Q: Goalies truly are a unique type. Who has impressed you the most?
AP: The two goalies who have stood out to me, irrespective of team or results, are Michal Pradel of Slovakia and Nils Maurins of Latvia, with a shoutout to Elijah Neuenschwander of Switzerland as well. Pradel has looked poised, and Maurins stopped 36 of 38 shots against Canada and was also excellent in allowing only three goals against the Czechs. Neuenschwander is big, so will take more time to develop, but you can see he has all the tools to become something special.
LA: There’s a lot to be said for the focus and athleticism of both Finland’s Petteri Rimpinen (2025’s Best Goalie) and Canada’s Carter George. But I think they’d both prefer to never speak again of their wonky performances in the 7-4 Canada win on New Year’s Eve. You can make a case for Maurins. It hasn’t been endless highlight-reel saves, but he was a big part of getting that point against Canada. He also made the saves needed in the crucial 6-3 win over Denmark and gave his team a chance against the superior Czechs.
Q: Heading to the playoffs, the favourites are always the favourites, but do you see an upset in the making when you look at the matchups?
LA: This is certainly one of the more wide-open quarter-finals ever. The 2025 gold-medal rematch of United States-Finland is a coin toss. The Finns have – apart from the riverboat gambling sequence with Canada – looked a little more solid on balance, and if Cole Hutson isn’t able to return to the lineup at 100 percent, that would tilt the advantage further towards Suomi. But the U.S. could certainly win, too. You could look at Sweden-Latvia and say, “Well, the Latvians pushed them hard in a 3-2 quarter-finals loss last year. Maybe there’s an upset brewing here.” But I suspect that Sweden’s skill takes over as it did on New Year’s Eve against the Americans to make it five straight Juniorkronorna wins. Slovakia knocking off Canada is a long shot. So, I have to go with a potential Swiss upset over the Czechs. Switzerland hasn’t had a bad game yet, and with the power play finally coming to life in their last game in a 3-2 win over the Slovaks, coach Jan Cadieux’s team just might have what it takes to end Czechia’s three-year medal streak.
AP: I think you’ve focused in on the one game that has the greatest potential. The Finns and Americans played for gold last year, so a win by either team won’t be an upset. Sweden and Canada, first in their groups, are playing fourth-place finishers that shouldn’t give them much trouble. But goalie Neuenschwander (see above) can be a difference-maker. As well, Switzerland has yet to give up a power-play goal in 13 short-handed situations. The Czechs will likely win, but if there is one QF where an upset is possible, I’d also take the Swiss.