U-18 Men’s World Championship: Who stood out on Day 4

Credit: Gavin McKenna (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

VANTAA, Fin. – We got our first overtime game of the tournament, folks.

It was a day dominated by one-sided affairs, as we do typically see early in the U-18 World Championship each year. But Sweden and Czechia looked to buck the trend, with the Swedes scoring a late goal to force extra time. Overtime solved nothing, but the Czechs scored three times in the shootout to escape to a big 3-2 victory – putting them one point ahead of the Swedes for second in Group B after three games apiece.

They’re both chasing Canada, though, who pummeled Switzerland 8-1 in the evening game in Vantaa to clinch top spot with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record. They’ll face the fourth-place team in Group A, with Norway and Slovakia still chasing points.

The Slovaks were shut out 4-0 in Finland in the opening game in Espoo, witnessed by a sold-out crowd for the first time all tournament. USA then whomped Latvia 7-1 in the night game, giving USA their third consecutive games with seven goals or more. The top spot in Group A will be decided on Tuesday, with the Americans taking on the hosts in the final round-robin game at Metro Arena.

Here’s a look at the top players from all four games, with Daily Faceoff’s prospect analyst Steven Ellis tackling the two games in Vantaa, while news writer Colton Davies focused on the matches in Espoo:

Canada

#9 Gavin McKenna, C (2026): He’s ridiculous, man. It’s just straight-up impressive. McKenna went the distance to score the go-ahead 2-1 goal, giving Canada some serious momentum. He then made an even nicer play shortly after, deking past two players before getting a shot on net. Christian Kirsch made the save, but Porter Martone skated in and tapped in the shot. What else is there to say? McKenna’s the real deal.

#22 Porter Martone, RW (2025): Speaking of Martone, what a night. He started off slow, but he scored twice in the second and completed the hat-trick with 2:37 left in the game. Not eligible until the 2025 draft due to a late 2006 birthday, this is Martone’s second tournament, and he’s been solid. He’s one of the top prospects next year for his combination of speed, skill and physicality, allowing him to be such a dynamic threat.

#1 Ryerson Leenders, G: Leenders wasn’t overly busy in the second half when the game was already out of reach, besides a pair of breakaway stops. But he made 15 saves in the first period, keeping Canada in it after the Swiss threw everything at the net. The one goal he allowed was a real stinker, but Leenders was sharp to close things out in his first start of the tournament.

#21 Ryder Ritchie, RW: After starting the tournament as the 13th forward, Ritchie moved up to the second line with Tij Iginla and Jett Luchanko and thrived. Ritchie scored to make it 5-1 on the power play and then helped set up Iginla for the next goal just over a minute later.

Switzerland

#4 Gian Meier, D: Meier was one of my favorites two nights ago and he was again today. He’s not offensively inclined, but he’s so strong defensively, and felt like he put up a good effort again in a game where Switzerland spent significant time chasing guys around.

#34 Cole Eiserman, C: To nobody’s surprise, Eiserman came to play. He scored in the second period to make it 5-0, only to have it taken back. A few minutes later, he got one that finally counted for his tournament-leading sixth goal. The 17-year-old isn’t just a one-trick pony either, he can score in many ways — off the rush, rebounds, one-timers, snapshots, in the slot and so on. Don’t give him an open lane to make moves because he’ll make you pay.

#10 James Hagens, C (2025): Another day, another standout game from Hagens. The 2025 top prospect created plenty of chances offensively and helped open the scoring on Hutson’s opening goal. Hagens can always make plays in tight spaces and is tenacious and ready to attack the puck. He can get caught trying to do too much on occasion, but today, he looked in control.

#17 Trevor Connelly, LW: Connelly was explosive throughout the game, notching two goals, two assists, and four points – including a lacrosse goal. The versatile winger’s offensive creativity was on display throughout the game, creating offense down deep off cycles and on the rush that allowed the USA to finish. Connelly’s strong vision, along with his passing allowed him to help set plays and his hard nose for the net created many scoring chances.

#23 Cole Hutson, D: It didn’t take Hutson long to find the back of the net – just 26 seconds, actually. The one noticeable thing about Hutson is his superior ability to find open lanes and make crisp passes; he’s a better passer than a shooter, but he’s been excellent in open space. Hutson tied J.D. Forrest for the most points by a defenseman in USNTDP history after picking up his second point of the night.

Latvia

#10 Dmitrijs Dilevka, RW: It was an ugly game for the Latvians, but Dilevka had a team-leading three shots en route to winning best player honors. The third-liner had a solid all-around night, landing a few hits and showing some good speed.

Czechia

#15 Tomas Galvas, D: I’ve liked Galvas significantly more against older competition this year compared to his U-18 offerings, but today was a solid effort. He shut down Sweden’s top guns all game, holding his own defensively and giving the forwards battling in front of the net very little to work with. I’d wish he’d carry the puck up the ice more like he did last year because he’s so good at it, but he’s a bit more reserved now, it seems.

#19 Adam Jecho, LW: It’s been an excellent tournament for Jecho, who, even in a massive loss to Canada, looked solid. He scored today to make it 2-1, utilizing his big-shot release. He’s strong, competitive, and skates well, but it was his backchecking that I felt like he really improved on game-to-game so far. I still think he’s a second-rounder, but this has been the most impressive I’ve seen him internationally.

#23 Petr Sikora, C: Sikora had some good work early and was rewarded with the 1-0 goal. He was trusted with key shifts in the game, where I felt like he moved quickly and snappy with the puck. I’d like to see him chase harder after pucks, but he puts a lot of velocity behind his chances. Good effort from someone I thought struggled against Canada. For good measure, he scored a beautiful shootout goal.

#9 Adam Benek, C (2025): One of the hardest-skating, hardest-working players out there, Benak was one of the few Czech players who looked on it all game. Benak scored a shootout goal and had another further five shots to lead the Czechs in that category. For an underager coming off a tough season, it’s been good to see him put up three good game performances.

Sweden

#35 Love Härenstam, G (2025): I’m not sure this game is close if it wasn’t for Härenstam. He had a rough go against the Canadians but made plenty of big, high-danger saves today, including a penalty shot from Benak. Härenstam has had a rough go with the U-18s this year but it seemed like the brief time of this week helped him relax and refocus.

#26 Alex Zetterberg, LW: Another good showing for Zetterberg, who, despite not scoring, did get an assist on Linus Eriksson’s goal that tied it up. It was a smart play by a skilled winger who brings plenty of speed to the table. He’s really undersized and that’s something could prevent him from getting undrafted, but there isn’t a more creative draft-eligible prospect on this Swedish team.

#4 Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D: I really liked this one scoring chance midway through the game when he received a pass near the blue line, deked out a Czech defender, and got a decent shot on the net. He’s really calm under pressure, which helps. Beyond that, he handled Czechia’s speed well and took space away quickly in his own zone.

#24 Linus Eriksson, C: Eriksson continues to grow on me more and more. He’s got good hockey IQ and drives the net well, and that paid off with the game-tying goal. He also assisted on Victor Eklund’s goal, getting it started from his own zone. His puck skills are good, and I liked how hard he battled in his own zone in the latter stages of the game, especially in overtime. His shootout goal was nice, too.

Finland

#32 Emil Hemming, RW: To no one’s surprise, Hemming opened the scoring for the Finns, registering a team-leading fourth goal after blasting home a shot from Konsta Helenius. Hemming’s ability to one-time the puck off the rush has become a lethal way for him to find the back of the net this tourney. The Finnish sniper is fast and uses his size and strength to get an advantage in the offensive zone down low.

#19 Konsta Helenius C: Helenius had two primary helpers in Finland’s victory today. His first was a beautiful cross-ice pass that was given tape-to-tape to Hemming to rocket home. His second came when Helenius intercepted the puck, opened up the passing lane with a little fake, and found Joona Saarelainen open in the slot to make it 2-0. It marked his sixth point in just three games for the forward who’s set to join Finland’s senior team for the World Championship in May.

#10 Veeti Vaisanen, D: Vaisanen was Finland’s best defender, finding himself on the scoresheet several times throughout the night. Vaisanen is a safe, puck-moving two-way defenseman who plays a calculated game and has been situated on the top pairing with Kiviharju and on the second power-play unit for the Finns. His gap control ability and edgework are heavily relied on in terms of Vaisanen’s tools. Vaisanen’s best sequence was picking the puck up along the wall, walking the blueline with poise and helping set up Pikkarinen’s goal on the power play.

#24 Joona Saarelainen, C: Saarelainen has been a sleeper throughout the tournament, flying under the radar behind Hemming and Helenius. He notched an assist on Hemming’s opening goal and found the back on a flawless pass from Helenius to extend Finland’s lead. He uses his size and speed to create breakout chances and fly by opposing defenders, but he’s also a good net-front presence.

#33 Tuomas Suoniemi, C: Suoniemi was explosive again this game and found the scoresheet twice, registering assists on Heikki Ruohonen’s goal as he created the play to set up Mitja Jokinen’s shot. Suoniemi then saw time on the second power-play unit, helping to set up Kasper Pikkarainen’s first goal. The 5-foot-10 two-way center has outstanding puck skills and offensive creativity. He can control the puck in tight spaces which gives him an edge in jumping on loose rebounds and creating net-front plays.

Slovakia

#12 Luka Radivojevic, D (2025): Radivojevic oozed offensive confidence and was one of Slovakia’s biggest play drivers throughout the night. He is among the top ice time leaders averaging 27:51 as an underaged prospect. Radivojevic is a smaller puck-moving defender who has seen success this season in Sweden’s J20 league. The 5-foot-10 defenseman is a fast and powerful skater, possesses a great tape-to-tape passing game, and picked up two assists against Latvia in the opening game.

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