2025 U-18 World Championship: Top standouts as Canada, Sweden, USA, Slovakia advance to semifinal
Canada, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States are the four teams moving on to the quarterfinals of the 2025 U-18 World Championship after winning their respective quarterfinal games on Wednesday night in Texas.
Canada will face Slovakia in one semifinal, while Sweden and the United States will renew vows after a spirited round-robin game on Saturday.
Slovakia will play for a medal for the third straight year, which is wild given they were in Division IA back in 2022. They beat Germany 3-2, but they almost surrendered a 3-0 lead late in the game after the Germans managed to bounce back.
The second game was far more one-sided, with Sweden beating their rivals from Finland 7-2. The Swedes have been the highest scoring team in the tournament from the get-go, despite losing to USA in the round robin. Sweden has won a medal every year dating back to bronze in 2018, and they’ve made it to the final four in nine straight tournaments – the best record of any team in that span.
Canada has always seemed to have issues with Czechia internationally. The two teams have become bitter rivals at the World Juniors, and Canada needed overtime to beat the Czechs at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup back in August. Overtime was needed yet again in this one, but Cole Reschny’s second goal of the game ensured Canada will play for a medal for the fourth time in the past five years.
USA and Latvia capped off the quarterfinal action in Frisco, and the Americans found themselves in control early. But Latvia managed to fight in the second period, giving USA a bit of a scare. In the end, the United States managed to hold to win 6-3, advancing to the semifinal on home ice.
Here’s a look at the top performers from every game:
Germany 2, Slovakia 3
Germany
#30 Lukas Stuhrmann, G: Stuhrmann did everything he possibly could have to keep the game tight. He turned away 33 shots in a game where his own team could barely muster anything of note in the first half. He was calm and steady in the net and only really got beat on plays he didn’t have much of a chance on. Given the team in front of him, Stuhrmann looked much better in Texas than he did in Edmonton at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
#25 Max Penkin, LW (2027): Get used to this name, because he’s going to be a big part of the German national team for years to come. He joined in on the German attack late with a goal with under a minute to go. It made it 3-2, and it was enough to give them extra life in the dying seconds. Penkin is a skilled, smart forward who does a great job of getting himself into scoring lanes – and he’s just getting started.
Slovakia
#2 Michal Pradel, G: Pradel might have done enough to earn himself top goalie honors. He made numerous high-profile stops today, as he has done all tournament long. The Slovaks don’t have much depth and can be iffy in their own zone, but Pradel did a great job of using his big frame and quick reflexes to make huge stops. NHL scouts have taken notice – he might have played his way into the top 75.
#29 Tomas Chrenko, C (2026): Chrenko has been Slovakia’s best skater at this tournament, no question. He had six shots over the first two periods, and while it wasn’t enough to get him on the scoresheet, he showed how involved he is at all times. Chrenko is one of my favorite Europeans for the 2026 NHL Draft, and would probably be the first Slovak taken in the draft this year if he was eligible.
#26 Luka Radivojevič, D: With a goal and an assist, I think this was Radivojevič’s best game. His offensive game can be a bit inconsistent, but it always feels like he’s involved when Slovakia needs him the most. His blast on the power play was huge, and it ultimately proved to be the game-winner. He’s skilled, smart and elusive on the blueline – and at a tournament like this, he’s tough to contain.
Finland 2, Sweden 7
Finland
#18 Matias Vanhanen, LW: Born just a few days before the 2025 NHL Draft cutoff, he’s one of the youngest players in this draft class. Vanhanen had a strong tournament, registering five points in five games to help cap off an impressive international campaign. Scouts like his offensive traits, but note that he’s not physically up to par with what you’d hope for a prospect to be. With some added muscle and improved skating, he might be something as a Draft+1 prospect. But today, it was nice to see him cap things off with two points.
#34 Rasmus Kamarainen, LW: He didn’t put anything on the scoresheet, but I liked his energy. That was especially true early, where it looked like the Swedes got frustrated with him. He doesn’t produce a lot – he had jsut three points in 23 international games this year. But he does a good job of chasing guys and making them accountable.
Sweden
#11 Jakob Ihs Wozniak, LW: Ihs Wozniak scored early and then had another good look later in the first period. He didn’t play much in the third, but he still led the team in shots with two in just 2:38 of ice time. Ihs Wozniak hasn’t had the pure scoring power that Ekberg has had, but he’s been so, so good – and likely enough to secure him a first-line spot.
#15 Ivar Stenberg, RW (2026): Stenberg was my favorite player in this game. He had two goals and two assists as he continues to have one of the most impressive tournaments from any 2026 NHL Draft prospect. He’d be one of the top Europeans taken this year if he were eligible because he’s so creative and skilled.
#14 Filip Ekberg, LW: Ekberg continues his cruise to the tournament MVP honors after registering two goals and three points, giving him 16 over five games. He’s just so quick and lethal in scoring lanes. He wastes no time getting his shot off, and he’s willing to shoot from anywhere if he sees an opportunity to do so.
#5 Sascha Boumedienne, D: With two points today and 14 on the tournament, Boumedienne now owns the record for most points in a single tournament by a defenseman. Not too shabby for someone who earned a lot of negativity for his play at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. But Boumedienne has a god head on his shoulders – nothing seems to faze him. His ability to generate offense from everywhere has made him extremely dangerous at this tournament, and he’s a big reason why Sweden has been so good.
Canada 3, Czechia 2 (OT)
Canada
#28 Brady Martin, RW: Between the perfect screen on the first Canadian goal to the battle along the boards that made it 2-2, Martin was as involved as ever for Canada. There’s a reason he’s been on this list in each game so far – he’s energetic and creative. He’s the type of player NHL teams crave – he’s fearless and has the hockey IQ to be effective everywhere.
#7 Cole Reschny, C: Reschny has been such a good addition to Canada. The Victoria Royals star had plety of high end chances all game, and it led to him scoring twice – including o nthe game-winner. Even when he wasn’t producing, he was buzzing around and trying to make things happen – and he led all forwards with 21:50 in ice time. He was also great in the faceoff dot, going 9-6 for a 62.50 percent win rate.
#20 Keaton Verhoeff, D (2026): Verhoeff was buzzing late in this one, especially in overtime. He created a breakaway for himself and then assisted on the game-winner in overtime. The 2026 NHL Draft prospect is expected to go early thanks to his mix of size, speed and skill. This felt like his best game of the U-18s – he was in full control.
Czechia
#1 František Poletín, G (2026) Poletín started the tournament as the expected third goalie and he nearly became the hero. He didn’t win any of his starts, but he made 37 saves in a great showing against Canada. He was forced to make some huge stops in overtime, and there wasn’t much he could have done on the eventual winner. The 16-year-old never looked fazed out there despite the offensive onslaught, and his ability to shut things down in the third period really helped shape that effort.
#18 Adam Benak, C: Benak wasn’t named one of Czechia’s top three players in this tournament, which is absurd. He led the team with five assists and seven points in just four games and scored a big goal today. Benak is small and that’s going to be the talking point heading into the NHL Draft. But his ability to affect games positively is better than almost anyone in this draft.
#9 David Rozsival, RW: Rozsival scored the opening goal on a great effort, and then it seemed to spark some incredible energy out of him. He was all over the ice at both ends in easily my favorite game of his all tournament long. Rozsival might not get drafted high, but I think this tournament has really helped his stock.
Latvia 3, USA 6
Latvia
#24 Daniels Serkins, LW: Serkins’ power-play goal got Latvia back in the game midway through the contest. He had two good looks in the second and converted on one of them, but he could have easily tied the game had he had a bit more luck. Overall, I liked Serkins’ tournament – he played better than his stats suggest.
#6 Alberts Smits, D (2026): Smits was Latvia’s best defenseman in this tournament and his offensive game was rewarded with a two-point effort. Smits loves to be engaged in the rush, and his power-play goal came off a great release. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays in his draft year – I’m intrigued.
USA
#14 Will Moore, RW: Despite being listed as a winger for this game, Moore was the best player in the dot all night long. He also made a great pass that led to the 4-2 goal that gave the USA its momentum back. Moore isn’t flashy – and I write that a lot about him – but he makes up for it by being one of the smartest players on the ice.
#12 Cullen Potter, C: Potter has been good all tournament long, and he also scored the opening goal on a good effort. That helped spark USA’s momentum early, and it was sustained the rest of the first period. His empty-netter with just over a minute to go in the game helped solidify the evening for the Americans. Potter is going to be highly coveted at the NHL Draft – likely late in the first round – as teams look to add someone with energy and two-way awareness.
#9 Jack Murtagh, RW: Murtagh had been a bit quieter than I wanted him to be in the round robin, but he made the most of it with two points tonight. He had plenty of opportunities against Germany and Sweden, but had nothing to show for it. Today, he looked much more involved around the crease and he had the results to show for it.
#13 Asher Barnett, D: Barnett scored a fluky goal late in the second period, bouncing off the back boards and off Ivans Kufterins to make it 4-2. But he also made a great play on the 1-0 goal and then made some great moves to get the puck out of his zone the rest of the night. Barnett continues to impress me at this tournament, performing better than projected top 20 prospect Blake Fiddler on USA’s top pairing.
#18 LJ Mooney, C: With a goal and two assists, Mooney was excellent yet again. His goal that made it 5-2 proved to be important as Latvia scored a few minutes later to keep it close. He’s so crafty around the net, and while his size will likely impact his draft rating, he has shown the hockey world just how skilled he is in the spotlight.
SPONSORED BY bet365