2025 U-18 Men’s World Championship: Schmidt, Benak among top standouts on Day 2
Day 2 of the 2025 U-18 World Championship in Texas is in the books – and if you’re a fan of goals, you got them.
Finland had struggled to score goals at just about every international tournament this year. That was especially true at the Hlinka Gretzky, where the team rarely generated much of value. So to score seven goals – even against a tired Norwegian squad – had to feel good to keep the team in the hunt in Group A, giving them top spot after two days of play.
Over in Frisco, we saw the first upset of the tourney. Czechia looked destined to beat the United States after leading late on Wednesday. Instead, the Americans had an explosive third period to secure the win. The Czechs stumbled out of the gate in Game 2 against Germany and ultimately lost 4-3 in overtime, leaving Czechia in fourth place in Group B.
Canada, meanwhile, opened their tournament with as good of a start as we’ve seen from any team. They scored five goals in the first period alone before beating Slovakia 9-2, pushing them up to second in Group A before their game against Latvia on Friday.
In the nightcap, USA improved to 2-0 with a massive 10-0 win over Switzerland. The game was never close, with the Americans scoring early, and often, in a dominant four-line effort.
Here’s a look at 25 of the top performers from Thursday night:
Finland 7, Norway 1
Finland
#21 Max Westergard, RW: With a goal and an assist, this was more like the Westergard I wanted to see. He had an exceptionally quiet opening game against Slovakia but was much more dangerous around the net. His heads-up nature allowed him to create some nice plays, including the lone assist on Rasmus Pakarinen’s 5-1 goal in the third. Westergard is arguably Finland’s most important winger and today was a nice showing.
#28 Rasmus Pakarinen, LW: Speaking of Pakarinen, he had two goals and an assist in the one-sided affair. It was by far his best game in a Finnish national team uniform, and it marked the first two goals he has ever scored while donning the blue and white. I liked his energy and drive to the net. Overall, he was Finland’s best player today – and the most productive.
#37 Eetu Orpana, C: The Tappara forward was dynamite in the faceoff dot, going 16-3. He was stout defensively and had a pair of points for good measure. I hadn’t seen him much this year, but he has been one of Finland’s more important playmakers in U-18 national team competition. Today, he was Finland’s best two-way forward.
#29 Aapo Vanninen, C: Vanninen looked great to help set up the 1-0 goal at 8:15 and then led the way with four shots. He was all over the ice, skating hard to retrieve pucks and making things happen around the net. He was the best forward in the first half – his energy was noticeable. He was quieter in the third but I still think he did a good job of doing whatever needed to win an individual battle.
Norway
#16 Mikkel Eriksen, C: That’s two games where I thought Eriksen was Norway’s best forward. He was quick, good on the faceoff dot, and played all situations. His chemistry with 2008-born Niklas Aaram Olsen has been noticeable for a while, and it’s Eriksen who is doing most of the hard work to create chances between them.
#2 Marius Määttänen, D: Maattanen scored Norway’s only goal and nearly had another in the second. He led all Norwegian players with 20:15, including 7:44 in the first period alone. He blocked a ton of shots, played all situations and was rewarded with a goal on a great individual effort.
Czechia 3, Germany 4 (OT)
Czechia
#18 Adam Benak, C: Benak joined the team just hours before puck drop and wasted no time making a huge impact. The small forward had three primary assists and was Czechia’s most dangerous forward on the power play. He loves playing in open space because he has good open-ice awareness and doesn’t waste his passes. Benak is one of the better playmakers in this tournament, and he’s already one of the most productive centers.
#26 Adam Novotny, RW (2026): Novotny’s game can’t be ignored – he had three points himself. The 2026 draft prospect has been one of Czechia’s better net-front players at this tournament, always finding an open lane and exploiting it. Case in point: his five shots in the first period alone. While his assists were secondary, he had to deal with getting the puck out of traffic before setting up Benak and came out on top on multiple occasions.
#15 Tomáš Poletín, RW: Poletín was very involved today, which included four shots in the second period alone. He scored off a genius play where he shortened the way he handled the stick, allowing him to score from his knees on a power play. He gets a lot of credit for his smart, crafty plays, and for good reason – it works more often than not.
Germany
#31 Lukas Stuhrmann, G: What Stuhrmann lacks in size, he makes up for in play reads. He was the busier of the two goalies and I thought he did a good job of tracking pucks and breaking down one-timer opportunities. It feels like his glove hand doesn’t move quick enough, but the rest of him does, at least. Today was better than any of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup performances we saw from him back in the summer.
#7 Carlos Handel, D: Handel was Germany’s best two-way player in this game. He had a few good chances with the puck, but he also shut Czechia’s top players down on the rush on multiple occasions. He’s smart, collected and is quick enough to rush the puck up the ice with little difficulty. Another good showing for one of my favorite mid-round prospects.
#23 Max Ziergiebel, RW: That was the best game I’ve seen from Ziergiebel. He was one of Germany’s more prolific puck distributors and registered a pair of points in the process. He had a quiet year on the national team front but his play today helped give Germany a much-needed spark. He’s an undersized winger who I don’t think will get too much NHL Draft play, but I liked how involved he was today – both with the puck, and physically, too.
#23 Maxim Schäfer, RW: Schäfer was the hero tonight, scoring the game-winning goal on a great skill play all alone. He also scored the opener at 5:22, catching the Czechs off guard early. Schäfer had a middle-six role with Germany at the World Juniors and looked more impressive than he did at the Hlinka. And that’s the story of his year – progression. He was downright dominant in the German U-20 league and played most of the season in the top pro league. That extra seasoning with Berlin clearly helped him heading into this tournament.
Canada 9, Slovakia 2
Canada
#16 Lev Katzin, LW: Katzin is one of the more underrated players on this Canadian team. Once considered a top OHL prospect, he bolted for the USHL and committed to Penn State. But I really liked his play in training camp, showing off his natural skill that has always followed him around. The Guelph Storm forward had a goal and an assist on the first two goals for Canada to help get the game started. His energy was noticeable – I hope to see him continue creating magic with Braeden Cootes.
#19 Cameron Schmidt, RW: Schmidt might be small – but when he dons the Canadian colors, his impact never is. He’s great around the net, and he had a goal and an assist in the first period alone. Schmidt’s second-period goal was one of the best of the tournament so far, too. He’s so shifty – players just don’t know how to contain him. That’s why he’s destined to be a first-round pick.
#24 Braeden Cootes, C: Named captain earlier in the day, Cootes handled the spotlight perfectly. He had three assists in the opening period, showing tremendous poise and smarts in open space. He then capped off the five-point night with a pair of third-period goals. The hard-nosed forward played a lot early thanks to the power play and delivered, winning just about every battle he had in the offensive zone. Look for Cootes to be an integral piece of this team.
#26 Ryan Roobroeck, LW (2026): Roobroeck had an assist in the opening period, but it was actually his play in front of the net that was more important. He was the team’s net-front presence on the power play and made life miserable for Slovak keeper Michal Pradel. He’s a big prospect who is hard to move out of the way, and that power is going to allow him to go high in the 2026 NHL Draft.
#28 Brady Martin, RW: Between the smart play off the boards on the fifth goal to the great open-ice pass on the power play three minutes prior, Martin was so much fun to watch in the first period. He does a great job of outsmarting opponents, and he doesn’t back down from any challenge. He’s fast, works hard and rarely loses an individual battle.
Slovakia
#29 Tomas Chrenko, C (2026): Chrenko was one of Slovakia’s best players yesterday, and he was finally rewarded with his first national team goal of the tournament. His second goal was even nicer. He was one of my favorite Slovak players as the tourney wore on last year and expected big things from him here. He struggled at the Hlinka, but he looks faster and more engaged, both with and without the puck. In a game with few bright spots for the Slovaks, Chrenko looked good.
Switzerland 0, USA 10
Switzerland
#20 Jonah Neuenschwander, C (2027): Look, someone had to make it for Switzerland. Neuenschwander impressed me because, despite the score, the Americans still struggled to contain the 6-foot-3 forward. He’s big, strong and speedy. He’s a 2009-born forward playing in a tournament primarily dominated by 2007-born players and he didn’t look out of place. He’s been good through two games – all you can ask for.
USA
#9 Jack Murtagh, RW: Murtagh scored the opening goal just over a minute in before helping to set up the 3-0 goal seven minutes later. Add in a primary assist on Cole McKinney’s 8-0 goal and it was a great showing for someone who, in my opinion, flew under the radar this year. He dealt with injuries, but whenever USA was showing signs of dominance, he was one of the main reasons why.
#18 LJ Mooney, C: Mooney scored a stunning goal, with his spin move looking a bit like what his cousin, Logan Cooley, pulled off as an NHL rookie. He was one of USA’s best passes yesterday and he continued with a pair of helpers today. Mooney is dangerous in both zones, and it feels like he’s making up for lost time after suffering an injury early in the season. His small frame will prevent him from getting drafted as high as he should be, but he’s a ton of fun to watch.
#11 Cole McKinney, C: McKinney was on fire today, scoring twice and adding an assist. He just kept creating space around the net, and I’m surprised he didn’t have a few more goals. McKinney has been solid through two games and that shouldn’t stop as the tournament continues.
#4 Richard Gallant, LW: Gallant continues to grow on me. He’s not the most skilled player, but he does an excellent job of getting himself to the net and creating noise. He had two goals and an assist today to make it two really impressive games from the top-line winger. Gallant was especially good on the penalty kill, which was capped off by his breakaway to create the 10-0 goal. He’s there to generate energy, and he does it in spades while also being a nuisance in front of the net.
#14 Will Moore, C: Moore’s first goal was a bit lucky – he tipped a shot off a Swiss player and in. But the second goal was an excellent read to get into open space and create a breakaway. Moore is a smart, two-way player who might not be the flashiest player, but he’s got the hockey IQ to get things done. I know many aren’t sure he’s a first-rounder, but I have no doubt that he’ll be a decent NHLer.
#13 Asher Barnett, D: Barnett had a pair of assists in a game, and he was also rock-solid defensively. He takes up a lot of space with the way he skates, and he had some great heads-up plays today. He seemed to be looking for long stretch passes all night – high-risk, but high-reward. Hopefully, his hot play continues.
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