This Week in the NHL: 2025 World Juniors arrive

Credit: (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

With 32 teams and seemingly infinite storylines, it’s hard to keep track of all the weekly goings on during the NHL season. That’s why I’m here to help. Every Monday from October to April, I’ll preview the key events, games, narratives and milestones in play for the week.

So what’s on tap for Dec. 23-29?

Dec. 24-26: NHL holiday break

The NHL shuts down entirely for three days beginning Tuesday. No games, no practices, no hockey. Dressing rooms will be closed. Happy holidays to those who celebrate.

Dec. 26: World Junior Championship begins

The Boxing Day tradition continues as the planet’s best teenagers embark on the 2025 World Junior Championship in Ottawa. The Americans roll in as the defending champions, but Sweden is hungry for revenge after losing the gold medal game on home ice last year. Canada might have the tournament’s most stacked team, featuring projected top-four 2025 picks Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer, plus probable 2026 No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna. The round-robin action begins with Sweden and Slovakia squaring off at 12:00 ET. For incredibly in-depth coverage of all things World Juniors, be sure to follow DFO prospect analyst Steven Ellis’ work throughout the tourney.

Dec. 28: NHL holiday roster freeze lifts

At 12:01 a.m. local time Dec. 20, roster movement for waivers, trades and loans stopped for any player on an NHL active roster, injured reserve, or with non-roster and injured non-roster status as of 11:59 p.m. local time Dec. 19. The freeze lifts early in the morning at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 28, and we could see some itchy trigger fingers satisfied among GMs of some struggling teams before long.