2025 World Juniors Roundup: Everything that happened on Day 4
OTTAWA – We’ve got a three-way fight at the top of Group A, and two teams are set to duke it out to win Group B.
The 2025 World Junior Championship returned to four games in Ottawa on Sunday, with Canada, Finland, Sweden and Czechia taking home victories.
Here’s everything that happened on Dec. 29:
Canada bounces back to win 3-0 over Germany
It wasn’t pretty – again – but Canada took home the 3-0 victory over Germany to get back into the win column at the 2025 World Junior Championship.
Canada will have a chance to win Group A with a victory over the United States on Tuesday in the highly anticipated New Year’s Eve clash. Germany, meanwhile, will look to overtake Latvia and avoid the relegation round when the two meet up at the Canadian Tire Centre on Monday.
The Canadians were buzzing early, and they opened the scoring at 9:40. With Oliver Bonk in the bumper position – the spot he’s known for in London – the Philadelphia Flyers prospect would wire home a shot on the power play to make it 1-0.
But just like the game against Latvia, Canada couldn’t seem to put things together. They struggled to connect on passes, the line chemistry looked like a mess and sustained scoring pressure was almost non-existent. It was many of the same issues presented against Latvia – including an abundance of penalties, too.
Fortunately for the hosts, a weird bouncing goal with about five minutes left. Caden Price’s point shot went off the back boards and bounced off German goaltender Nico Pertuch and in to make it 2-0. Mathieu Cataford would finish things off with an empty-net goal with 2.4 seconds to go, a minute after Carter George attempted a goalie goal.
Here’s a look at the top performers from the final game of the weekend:
Canada
#30 Carter George, G (Los Angeles Kings): George has yet to allow a goal through two games, so it’s good to see that goaltending hasn’t been a problem. The Kings prospect has been great since allowing two bad goals against the Czechs in the pre-tournament, especially when it comes to handling shots near the posts. He doesn’t waste many movements, and he’s mentally sharp, too. A solid 25-save effort tonight.
#16 Carson Rehkopf, LW (Seattle Kraken): After watching the last few games from the press box, Rehkopf drew into the lineup and had a solid first game. He had a few chances in open space, and while he didn’t actually register any shots, he still was trying to generate something, at least. But, hey, Dave Cameron: try him with Porter Martone. I dare you. See what happens.
#27 Easton Cowan, RW (Toronto Maple Leafs): This wasn’t Cowan’s best game, but he was one of the few actually getting pucks on net. He has a powerful wrister – more than a year ago – and he was leaned on to generate chances as the game remained tight. Still, they need him to get back to scoring like he did early in the pre-tournament if Canada is going to go far this year.
Germany
#1 Nico Pertuch, G (Undrafted): The Canadians had more dangerous opportunities, and other than the shot from Bonk, Pertuch managed to stand on his head. This was the best game I’ve seen from him since the start of the pre-tournament – he didn’t panic, he didn’t have an issue tracking pucks and he moved much quicker than he did against the Americans. Pertuch is arguably the biggest reason why the Germans stayed in this one.
#7 Carlos Handel, D (2025 NHL Draft): The team that takes Handel at the 2025 NHL Draft is getting a smart, steady young blueliner who knows when to pinch and when to stay a bit more reserved. He never tries to overdo anything, but he has the skill and the hockey IQ to make the right plays more often than not.
Sweden holds on after near late-game comeback from Switzerland
Switzerland got off to a great start, outshooting Sweden 10-2 at one point. But it didn’t take long for the Swedes to take control, ultimately winning the game 7-5 on Sunday.
Sweden will look to secure the top spot in Group A on Tuesday when they play Czechia at 12:00 PM ET, while Switzerland will hope to avoid the relegation round with a win against Kazakhstan earlier that same day.
Despite being on the backburner early, the Swedes did manage to score the first goal. Tom Willander would convert at 6:52 on the power play, taking Axel Sandin-Pellikka’s feed to make it 1-0. Switzerland answered back six minutes later when Kimo Gruber’s shot deflected off Theo Lindstein and in, but Zeb Forsfjall scored on Sweden’s third shot of the game to make it 2-1 on the very next shift. Otto Stenberg would cap off the period with a 3-1 goal, also coming on the power play.
The second period was dominated by the Swedes, who outshot Switzerland 19-7. Christian Kirsch took over from Elijah Neuenschwander but had a rough go himself, allowing goals to David Granberg, Victor Eklund and a second to Willander.
Switzerland had a wild second period, bringing themselves within two goals. It all started when Kimo Gruber capitalized on the man advantage. But Axel Sandin Pellikka’s third point of the game restored the five-goal advantage for Sweden to finish their scoring. Leo Braillard had two and Andro Kaderli would add one for the Swiss on the power-play, but it was far too late to make any type of comeback.
Sweden
#16 Felix Unger Sorum, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): I love Unger Sorum. He’s just so dynamic as a two-way player and rarely makes mistakes with the puck. He had a pair of assists, and while he didn’t register a shot on goal, he always seemed engaged around the Swiss net. His ability to find ways to positively affect the play without having the puck makes him a fascinating prospect.
#27 David Granberg, RW (Undrafted): Granberg is typically known for his two-way play and solid frame back home. Right now, he’s up to six points in three games. His playmaking has been on display, something that hasn’t been as effective against men. It feels like he’s moving better than when I’ve seen him in recent years; he’s getting where he needs to be more consistently and quicker.
#25 Otto Stenberg, LW (St. Louis Blues): Stenberg was one of Sweden’s better defensive forwards today, but the goal on the power play late in the first was nice, too. Stenberg played all situations for the Swedes and appeared to be the team’s primary play-driver on the rush – as expected. This felt like the best game of the week for him.
#24 Tom Willander, D (Vancouver Canucks): Hard to beat a two-goal night. The Boston University defenseman was dialed in, with both shots coming from the point through clean chances. He also was solid on the penalty kill, often keeping Switzerland’s top unit to the outside. This was my favorite game of his since the pre-tournament bout against Germany – it felt like Willander was Sweden’s best all-around blueliner. He had an assist late in the third for good measure.
#4 Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D (Detroit Red Wings): With a goal and two assists today, Sandin-Pellikka put himself tied with Jakub Stancl for first in tournament scoring with seven over three games. ASP is now three goals behind Juha Jyrkkio’s effort in 1977 for the most goals by a defenseman and just one behind Matus Chovan and Maxim Goncharov for the most in the 21st Century.
Switzerland
#26 Eric Schneller, D (Undrafted): Is it safe to say Schneller has been Switzerland’s best player in this tournament? He scored a breakaway goal against the Czechs a few days ago and then led Switzerland in shots tonight. With some of Switzerland’s top defenders struggling – most notably Leon Muggli – Schneller has picked up the slack as an all-around offensive defender with good hockey IQ.
#12 Kimo Gruber, C (Undrafted): Gruber came alive in the third period, scoring a goal and two assists on the power play. Even as a fourth-liner, Gruber clearly knows how to activate in open space. He has an excellent shot and wasn’t afraid to get physical with some of Sweden’s tougher players.
Czechia doubles up against Slovakia 4-2
Czechia has joined Sweden as the only teams still sitting at 2-0-0-0 at the 2025 World Junior Championship after beating Slovakia 4-2 on Sunday.
Czechia will face Sweden in the final game of Group B action at TD Place on Tuesday, while Slovakia will finish the round-robin with a meeting against Kazakhstan on Monday.
Czechia got off to an excellent start, with Vojtech Hradek and Pavel Simek both scoring in the first period. Peter Cisar would get the Slovaks on the board at 30:48, cutting the lead in half. But a pair of goals from Seattle Kraken prospect Eduard Sale helped change the course of the game, something
Dalibor Dvorsky couldn’t change with a late goal. Of note, Czechia’s Vojtech Cihar was ejected from the game for checking from behind, hitting Miroslav Satan Jr. hard behind the Slovak net. Satan left the ice and didn’t return for the final seven minutes of play.
Czechia
#22 Vojtech Hradec, C (Utah Hockey Club): Hradec has had an outstanding tournament. He’s always moving and attacking the play and it resulted in the 1-0 shorthanded goal midway through the first. He’s excellent around the net and that’s where he’s doing a ton of his damage – but he has a solid shot, too.
#18 Matej Mastalirsky, RW (Undrafted): Mastalirsky scored a hat-trick in his last game and followed it up with an assist today. He’s proving to be a dynamic offensive forward – someone who can finesse his way out of trouble. Mastalirsky is having a breakout tournament after failing to register a point a year ago, and he only has one assist in 23 pro games back home. Maybe a showing like this will get him back on some draft boards.
#12 Eduard Sale, LW (Seattle Kraken): I’ve been perplexed bout my feelings for Sale for a long time now. At his best, he’s a dominant, high hockey-IQ threat every time he hits the ice. And for the most part, that’s what we’ve seen from him. That includes today, where he scored two goals and had a few other excellent looks. The Czechs needed him to be an overall threat and his two-way game has turned some heads.
Slovakia
#26 Luka Radivojevic, D (2025 NHL Draft): Radivojevic has been one of Slovakia’s best players from start to finish. He’s looking better defensively than we saw at this same tournament a year ago and he’s definitely not lacking confidence. He had two good looks in the first period, and I like how he uses his footwork and patience to trick opponents when he wants to get the puck somewhere.
#12 Peter Cisar, LW (Undrafted): The Fargo Force forward scored Slovakia’s first goal, and was generally their most dangerous forward in the first half. He’s known more as a playmaker, but he’s shifty and smart away from the puck, too. After a quiet start to the tourney, this was Cisar’s best game.
Finland beats Americans to keep Group A interesting
A wickedly fast-paced game had both teams off to a hot start, but it was Finland who would with the 4-3 overtime win.
No team will finish with a perfect record in Group A, with the United States moving to 2-0-1-0. With two days left in the round-robin, it still looks like a three-horse race between Canada, Finland and the United States, which should keep things interesting.
It was the Finns who started the game off on the right foot. After a bad turnover by Trevor Connelly, Arttu Alasiurua broke in through the middle and beat Trey Augustine for a shorthanded goal to make it 1-0. The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as USA’s Carey Terrance dazzled into the offensive zone and rifled a puck home to tie the game at 1-1 before the end of the frame.
The second period started quick with Cole Hutson ripping home the puck to give the USA the 2-1 lead. But just like in the first, the advantage wouldn’t last long as Jesse Kiiskinen tied it up at 2-2 on a nice play from Emil Pieniniemi on the powerplay. The Finns would add one more to the scoresheet before closing out the second period, as Julius Miettinen notched a goal to make it 3-2.
The Americans tied the game again early in the third period when Brodie Ziemer tapped a puck home for his third of the tourney on a nice play from Teddy Stiga and Oliver Moore. The third was back and forth on both ends, with both Augustine and Petteri Rimpinen coming up clutch to make huge saves for their teams.
Overtime was fast-paced on both ends, but Tuomas Uronen would get the winner for the Finns after wiring a shot home on a 2-on-1 to beat Augustine.
USA
#10 Carey Terrance, C (Anaheim Ducks): Terrance dazzled through the offensive zone to give the Americans their first goal of the game. Terrance cut to the middle and released an absolutely wicked shot to beat Rimpinen. Terrance has two goals in three games now, which is good for someone pegged as more of a depth option.
#24 Cole Hutson, D (Washington Capitals): This kid is just so incredible. Hutson absolutely wired a shot into the top corner to make it 2-1 USA. Hutson has been arguably the USA’s best player at this event, and definitely the best defender. The Capitals prospect – who is eligible to return in 2026 – is up to six points in three games.
#74 Brodie Ziemer, RW (Buffalo Sabres): Ziemer is so fun to watch. The Sabres prospect has three goals in three games, including a momentum-changing goal midway through today’s game. He might not be flashy or overly
Finland
#38 Jesse Kiiskinen, RW (Detroit Red Wings): The flashy Finn was able to position himself accordingly on the powerplay when Emil Pieniniemi fired a shot from the blue line, and Kiiskinen deflected it past Augustine. The Red Wings prospect has two goals in three games, and they’ll be relying on him to produce as the tournament wears on.
#10 Emil Pieniniemi, D (Pittsburgh Penguins): The Kingston Frontenacs defender got his name on the scoresheet with a big assist on Kiiskinen’s goal. Pieniniemi has been very mobile and running the Finns’ power play with poise throughout the tournament. For the most part, he’s been Finland’s best defenseman, especially in the last two games.
#22 Kasper Halttunen, RW (San Jose Sharks): The London Knights forward was able to pick up an assist for his first point of the tournament on Julius Miettinen’s 3-2 go-ahead goal. The team likes him for his brute force and excellent shot, two things that have lacked at points in the tournament. Hopefully today’s performance helps spark a nice push for him going forward.
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