2025 U-18 Men’s World Championship: Di Iorio, Stenberg among top standouts on Day 3
Friday night featured the first two-game day of the 2025 U-18 World Championship – and both battles were one-sided.
The opening game had a final score that was a bit closer than the actual game would have suggested. Sweden scored six goals in the second period alone in an eventual 9-4 victory over Germany, helping Sweden improve to a 2-0 record.
In the nightcap, Canada scored twice in the first period and never looked back. They eventually skated to a 7-1 victory, giving them a perfect record as well after two games.
Both teams now own the top spot in their respective groups, with all 10 teams having now played twice. The tournament will return to a full four-game feature on Saturday, with Canada and Germany being the lone teams to sit out.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Friday night’s action:
Germany 4, Sweden 9
Germany
#10 Maxim Schafer, RW: That’s two games where Schaefer was Germany’s most impressive forward. The high-flying winger has a big 6-foot-3 frame but beats opponents with his speed and skill. At this tourney, Schafer has been best at winning battles in front of the net – and it was his hard work that resulted in the 1-0 goal. Schafer continues to rise up draft boards with his play as of late.
#19 Dustin Willhöft, LW: At 5-foot-8, Willhöft might be too small to get drafted. But at a tourney like this, that doesn’t matter. He put a beating on the rest of the German U-20 league while skating alongside the Griva twins, with whom he remains at this tourney. Gustavs Griva found Willhoft for the 5-2 goal, and then Willhöft assisted the 9-3 goal to finish with a solid two-point night.
Sweden
#11 Jakob Ihs Wozniak, RW: Ihs Wozniak has been hit or miss a lot this year – but the past two games have been bangers. Ihs Wozniak is a big, skilled forward who can make excellent plays around the net. He scored two of the first three goals today and then spent the rest of the game being a nuisance for the Germans. I’m really, really starting to love his game like I did in his Draft-1 year.
#22 Milton Gastrin, C: That’s two exceptional performances from the two-way center. He had three points in this one, including a power-play goal early in the second period to make it 4-0. His ability to cradle the puck on the rush with little difficulty makes him so difficult to defend against – and he’ll often outsmart you, too.
#15 Ivar Stenberg, LW (2026): Stenberg had a wild first period, registering a whopping nine shots on net. He ultimately scored to make it 2-0 on the power play to close out the second period before he snagged another assist at 22:38. He was best on the man advantage, but for the most part, Stenberg was Sweden’s most prominent play-driver. He’s a 2026 draft prospect, but he’s easily one of the most exciting players on this team.
#28 Theo Stockselius, C: Stockselius’ stock continues to rise. The smart playmaker had a three-point effort today, where it felt like he was always in the right spot at the right time. His ability to make things happen in open space is tremendous, and he’s got a big 6-foot-3 frame to land big hits and win battles. I could see him getting taken in the second round as a raw prospect with a high ceiling.
#21 Viggo Bjorck, RW (2026): Bjorck seemed a bit quiet against Switzerland, but he was much more involved today. He had a goal and an assist – with his setup being a high-IQ play. Considered to be one of the top prospects for 2026, this was better than any of the U-17 World Challenge games I saw from him in Sarnia in November. He just looked like he wanted the puck so much more today, and he even looked good on the penalty kill
#5 Sascha Boumedienne, D: Boumedienne had five shots in the first period alone. He didn’t dominate on the scoresheet like he did on Wednesday, but he still ran the team’s power play, got a bunch of chances and was physically engaged. Like Ihs Wozniak, I’m really liking Boumedienne’s game after previously becoming disinterested.
Canada 7, Latvia 1
Canada
#10 Quinn Beauchesne, D: The Guelph Storm defender scored in the onslaught against Slovakia and then made a great play to set up the 3-0 Canada goal today. Pair that with some great own-zone play and Beauchesne looked good today. A potential second/third rounder this year, Beauchense can be a bit hot and cold but he was skating well and making great moves with the puck tonight.
#2 Xavier Villeneuve, D (2026): Villeneuve’s goal might have come on a scramble, but it was the great play before that which was impressive. He danced around two different Latvians before he created a high-quality chance in front. It took a few bounces as different players tried to knock it in, but it was his high-skill play that made it happen.
#29 Lucas Beckman, G: Beckman entered the tournament as the second-ranked North American goaltender, and he made sure to make an impact in this game. He wasn’t overly busy, but he had to be sharp on more than a few occasions against a Latvian team that was buzzing around the net. The 6-foot-2 goaltender got better as the season wore on and finished with 31 wins – he was also great in his one start at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August. So while he might not be the starter on this team, it was nice to see Beckman shine today.
#11 Alessandro Di Iorio, RW (2026): Di Iorio was brought more for the experience as an underaged fourth-liner. But, man, he was impressive. He had a goal and an assist and was generally dangerous all night long. It seemed like the puck was in Latvia’s zone every time he hit the ice. As a fourth-liner, I felt like he had a significantly bigger impact than Canada’s top line. Between this and the U-17s in the fall, this felt like Di Iorio’s most impressive game in Canadian colors.
Latvia
#14 Olivers Murnieks, C (2026): Murnieks is going to be a big piece of the future of Latvian hockey. He was great at the World Juniors – so expectations were obviously high heading into this tournament. A great shorthanded steal early in the game nearly made it 1-0 in Latvia’s favor, but he hit the post. He had two more shots in the first 40 minutes and both were dangerous before eventually he was rewarded with an assist on the 6-1 goal. We haven’t seen him come alive in this tournament yet but it’s only a matter of time.
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