2025 World Juniors: Top standouts from Latvia vs. Sweden
Sweden is moving on to the semi’s after a 3-2 defeat over Latvia
The first period was back and forth for a bit until Zeb Forsfjall opened the scoring for Sweden on a beauty snipe to beat Linards Feldbergs. Buffalo Sabres prospect Anton Wahlberg scored his fourth goal of the tournament to give Sweden the 2-0 lead.
The second period was a thrill. It started when Sweden’s David Edstrom banged in a goal, with assists to Victor Eklund and Felix Unger Sorum. Following a few delays due to penalties and whistles, Washington Capitals prospect Eriks Mateiko got Latvia on the board to make it 3-1, and then he added another later in the frame to make it 3-2.
The third period was all Feldbergs. The Sherbrooke Phoenix goaltender was the primary reason why the Latvians stayed in the fight. Ultimately, the Swedes were able to hold on, but it was a great effort for a goalie with a legit shot to win top goalie honors.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Thursday’s action:
Latvia
#9 Eriks Mateiko, C (Washington Capitals): My oh my. The 6-foot-6 behemoth scored two monster goals for the Latvians and was a presence anytime he was on the ice. Mateiko currently lead the World Juniors in goals with five, and that doesn’t include the shootout winner against Canada. The power forward was a force to be reckoned with, using his size and strength to win puck battles and find the back of the net. Mateiko finished the tourney one shy off the Latvian record of six goals, which was set by forward Roberts Bukarts at the 2010 World Juniors.
#29 Linards Feldbergs, G (Undrafted): This game could’ve been much higher scoring if it wasn’t for Feldbergs’ unbelievable stops and poise in the net. He kept the game close, especially during the third period when he robbed Otto Stenberg and a few other Swedish players from finding the scoresheet. Feldbergs play this tourney will certainly be looked at closely by scouts. Feldbergs faced a whopping 50 shots in one of the busiest nights of the tournament.
Sweden
#22 Anton Wahlberg, LW, (Buffalo Sabres): Man, what a tourney it’s been so far for the Sabres prospect who is now up to four goals. Wahlberg has been a consistent offensive threat for Sweden and continued that today against the Latvians. He was best on the rush, fighting through traffic to help make scoring chances.
#16 Felix Unger Sörum, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Unger Sörum was a forechecking machine this game once again. He has been arguably Sweden’s best forward throughout the tournament – his mix of tenacity and energy has been hard to beat. Unger Sörum hounded the Latvians and it paid off when he assisted on David Estrom’s power-play goal. He has been fantastic for the Swedes in every capacity.