U-18 World Championship: Top performers from final day of round-robin

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

ESPOO, Fin. – That’s that for the round-robin.

Both rinks in Finland saw a jam-packed day with two games apiece, and lots still on the line. The opening game between Norway and Slovakia was an important one, with a quarterfinal spot on the line. The Slovaks needed a win to stay alive, and they exploded for a 5-1 lead in the first period. It got up to 8-1 at the end of the second, only for the game to get moved to the practice rink after the ice resurfacer put a hole in the ice during the intermission. Slovakia didn’t relent in the third, finishing with an 11-1 win.

In the premier game of the day in Espoo, the atmosphere was electric in a sold-out Metro Arena. But the hometown crowd was disappointed in the end as a six-point night from top 2025 NHL Draft prospect James Hagens resulted in a massive 8-4 win for the Americans.

Over in Vantaa, Switzerland and Sweden traded the lead throughout the game, requiring overtime to decide the victor. It was there where Sweden’s Valter Lindberg found an opening in Christian Kirsch’s five-hole to win 3-2 in overtime, but still lost a point to the Czechs to finish third in Group B. In the late game, Canada pumped Kazakhstan 11-3, with Gavin McKenna matching

All 10 teams will get an off-day on Wednesday during the nation’s Vappu celebrations. They’ll return on Thursday, with the first set of eliminations on the line.

Finland

#4 Mitja Jokinen, D: This was a big game for Jokinen, who scored on a blast and added two primary assists for a three-point night. He looked much more like Aron Kiviharju than Kiviharju did, controlling the puck with little difficulty. Jokinen is a smart, skilled defender who loves having the puck on his stick, and he makes it look so easy. This was the breakout game I was hoping from him.

#19 Konsta Helenius, C: Hitting bodies, creating chances and forcing mistakes from USA’s top players? Helenius did a bit of everything tonight, even in a disappointing loss. His vision is superb and his play reads are among the best in the tournament. The Finns struggled to get the puck away from their own net, but Helenius played a good two-way game and was rewarded with an assist on Jokinen’s 4-2 goal.

#33 Tuomas Suoniemi, LW: He’s one of my favorites on the Finnish teams, especially after the Hlinka Gretzky. Even when the score was so lopsided, he scored twice and his effort never wavered once. I hope scouts noticed how hard he worked start to finish because that’s what I’ve seen from him consistently in national team play.

USA

#10 James Hagens, C (2025): The creativity. The execution. The two-way game. Hagens is the top prospect in the 2025 NHL Draft for a reason, and now he’s chasing down Nikita Kucherov’s 21-point tournament record after an incredible six-point showing. That move to score his first was beautiful, and then he capitalized again minutes later to make it 6-2. Hagens is going to be quite the NHL star one day.

#8 Teddy Stiga, LW: It’s hard to beat a three-goal game. The Stigasauraus was flying fast tonight, getting to the net and consistently creating havoc. The natural hat trick helped put the game out of reach for the Finns, and then he just spent the rest of the game using his energy to win almost every puck battle possible. He’s one of my favorites on the Americans for a reason.

#2 Brodie Ziemer, RW: Ziemer isn’t flashy, but he’s smart, controlled and meticulous in his setups. He had a pair of assists and had another two good scoring chances of his own before eventually scoring to make it 9-4. Ziemer does a lot of small things well, like attacking hard and skating with purpose while helping as a good support piece for Hagens to do his dirty work.

#6 E.J. Emery, D: It was another great game for Emery, who, while everyone was joining in on the scoring fun, was keeping things controlled in his own zone. He didn’t put anything on the board, but he landed a few big hits and matched up well against Finland’s top offensive threats. I really like how rock-steady he is.

By Steven Ellis

Canada

#9 Gavin McKenna, C (2026): McKenna’s elite skating, puck handling and shot were on full display today. McKenna was on a clear chase to set the U18 points record for a single game after seeing what James Hagens did. McKenna notched two goals and four points for six games, converting often with Porter Martone. McKenna’s edgework is off the charts he way he uses his edges to outmaneuver opponents is just silly.

#22 Porter Martone, RW (2025): Martone has been a complete package in his second tournament experience. His size played a role as he outmuscled the Kazakhs in a couple of scenarios, helping create offensive rushes for McKenna, among others. He was not shy about playing in the corners and dirty areas, and Martone’s ability to identify his size and net-front presence allowed for space to be created and Canada to pounce. Martone had three assists and a goal in today’s thumping.

#5 Henry Mews, D: Mews was among the leaders for ice time for Canadian defenders and it was easy to see why. He is a puck-moving offensive defenseman who walks the blueline with poise and confidence, rarely making mistakes. He is sound and able to use his supreme edgework and skating to close off gaps and stop odd-man rushes. Mews had a great chance to find the back of the net in the second when he entered the o-zone, made a quick deke around the Kazahstan forward, and slid a pass to McKenna, who was quick to give Mews the one-timer but was denied.

Kazakhstan

#10 Azbal Azbiek, LW: Arguably Kazakhstan’s best player, Azbiek played with a high motor all game and was relentless on the forecheck against the Canadians. The captain registered three assists in his third truly impactful game of the tournament. NHL scouts are watching.

#11 Asanali Sarkenov, RW: Sarkenov used his big 6-foot-4 frame to create opportunities, leading to a hat-trick. He got his second goal of the game in the second after a nice tape-to-tape pass from Azbiek. He scored his hat trick goal on a breakaway after beating defender Charlie Elick and pulling a beautiful backhand, forehand move off on Leenders.

#11 Lucas Pettersson, C: Pettersson was all over the ice, and he contributed offensively in the latter half. He rifled home a rocket of a shot after a beautiful cross-ice feed from Nordlund. Pettersson was a catalyst all night driving the offense, he had the chance to give Sweden the lead in the third period after gaining entry along the right wall and forcing himself into the right-hand faceoff dot but was ultimately denied. Pettersson’s straight-line speed is one of his best attributes as he moves quickly up and down the ice. He keeps his head on a swivel and always pays attention to what’s happening around him, attributing to his high hockey IQ. For good measure, he helped set up the game-winning goal in a great first-period effort.

#17 Viggo Nordlund, RW (2025): Nordlund did some heavy lifting this game, helping to get the equalizer on Pettersson’s goal. It all started when he gained entry along the wall and making a tape-to-tape pass on the power play to Pettersson, nabbing his second assist of the tourney. Nordlund has been a hound as a net-front player and continues to be a pest for goalies and opposing defenders and shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name next year.

#35 Love Harenstam, G (2025): If it wasn’t for Harenstam coming up huge at times, this game could have easily been 4-2 or 5-2 for Switzerland. Harenstam made a couple of big stops, showing his flexibility and reactiveness in the crease. He demonstrated his ability to stop in-tight shots and stay relaxed without getting himself into trouble, just like he did against the Czechs prior to the shootout.

Switzerland

#4 Gian Meier, D: Meier played a steady game again, getting himself on the board after taking advantage of a bad pass from Sweden’s Sahlin Walinus Meier has scored two goals in this tournament, helping to boost his stock after a quiet regular season. He finished the night with two points and played a big role for the Swiss. This is his third consecutive game ending up as a standout.

#7 Basile Sansonnens, D: Sansonnens played a big shutdown role for the Swiss defense and helped them reach overtime against the Swedes. Sansonnens was poised throughout the game, cutting off rushes and playing feisty in the corners. The 6-foot-4 defender played over 18-plus minutes, the second most to Meier. Sansonnens’ ability to use his strength and reach to knock pucks loose was evident throughout the match.

By Colton Davies

Slovakia

#10 Tomas Pobezal, C (2025): This was Pobezal’s best game, scoring four times to help put the game out of reach. He has shown good puckhandling in this tournament, and his work to deke out two defenders en route to the 6-1 goal was a nice one. He just missed the 2024 NHL Draft cutoff by a few days, but he’s still a leader on this team.

#22 Adam Nemec, LW (2026): Nemec scored the opening goal of the game and then kept the pace up all game. The brother of New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec, Adam plays an energetic game built around winning puck battles and fighting hard around the net. His early goal helped set the pace of play, which resulted in the blowout victory.

#26 Luka Radivojevic, D (2025): This was finally my first time watching him in person and I get the hype. He had the primary assist on the 2-0 goal and then snagged two more assists along the way to cap off a three-point game. He moves so well, has quick hands and great hockey IQ, showing signs of a true modern-day defenseman – especially on the power play.

Norway

#16 Mikkel Eriksen, C (2025): It’s been a good tournament for the underaged forward, who scored the lone Norwegian goal. It was a power-play goal, but I actually thought he had a few other good looks in game where Norway never had momentum. He’s been good for the most part in this tournament.