the United States in the quarter-final against Switzerland

The United States and Sweden finished at the top of their respective groups after key victories, 4-1 against Canada for the former, and 4-2 against the Czechia for the latter. Finland and Switzerland complete the qualifications with decisive successes against Latvia (3-0) and Kazakhstan (3-1).

Group A:

The United States dominated Canada 4-1 for their final match of 2024, taking advantage of their opponents’ indiscipline. Three American goals were scored on the power play, the last in an empty net by captain Ryan Leonard.

Cole Hutson was again decisive with a goal and an assist, while goalkeeper Trey Augustine excelled, making 38 saves on 39 shots. Despite Canadian domination in shooting, the Americans knew how to exploit opposing errors.

In front of a large audience at the Canadian Tire Centre, this 50th duel between the two teams in a Junior World Championship confirmed their rivalry. Canada, penalized several times, saw its five-on-five efforts neutralized by costly errors.

The United States finishes first in Group A and will play Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Canada, third, will face Czechia. With ten goals scored, the Canadians posted one of their weakest offensive performances in the preliminary phase.

Finland won 3-0 against Latvia in their last match. Petteri Rimpinen posted a shutout with 28 saves, and Benjamin Rautiainen chipped in with a goal and an assist. Note this anecdote, that at the end of the first period, Latvian defender Harijs Cjunskis had to change jersey, going from number 10 to 4.

This defeat leaves Latvia in fourth place in Group A. They will play in the quarter-finals on Thursday against Sweden. For Finland, it will be a quarter-final against Slovakia. Finland remains undefeated against Latvia in the history of the World Juniors, with eight victories in as many matches.

Group B:

Switzerland validated its ticket at the last minute for the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Juniors. This thanks to a 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan on Tuesday, clinching fourth place in group B. The Kazakhs, still without success, will face Germany Thursday to try to maintain.

Robin Antenen scored the winning goal in the second period. Simon Meier and Ludvig Johnson stood out with a goal and an assist each, while Eric Schneller provided two assists. In front of the cages, Christian Kirsch was able to count on a solid performance from the team, with a clear Swiss domination on shots (35-12).

The Swiss, in difficulty in the tournament so far, were able to exploit their numerical advantage game, scoring two goals in this meeting. Meier scored from the first advantage, while Johnson secured the victory in the third period.

Faced with a Kazakh team penalized by numerous errors, Kirill Lyapunov still shone by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But with a permeable defense, illustrated by the 14 goals conceded against the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan will have to raise their level to hope to beat Germany.

Switzerland will meet the United States, reigning champions, in the quarterfinals.

Sweden dominated the Czech Republic 4-2 in their final group match of the World Juniors in Ottawa, clinching first place in Group B. Herman Traff, who scored his first two goals of the competition, was one of the main players of this victory. The Swedes will face Latvia in the quarter-finals.

Facing a prolific Czech attack since the start of the tournament, Sweden took the advantage thanks to their discipline and a solid performance in the second third. The Czech Republic, often penalized (seven numerical inferiorities), reduced the gap thanks to a goal from Eduard Sale on penalty, but did not manage to come back.

This victory comes after a semi-final won by the Czechia in overtime in 2023. The Swedes present themselves with confidence for the rest of the tournament, while the Czechia will have to face Canadians who are surely revengeful after their defeat against the United States.