Day 3 was a quieter two-game slate in the Twin Cities, highlighted by Sweden needing a third-period comeback to beat Switzerland.
Here are The Athletic’s daily takeaways and standouts from prospects writers Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler.
Sweden defeated Switzerland 4-2 on a late empty-netter. A pair of 2026 prospects, Sweden’s Viggo Bjorck and Switzerland’s Lars Steiner, were named players of the game. Ducks second-rounder Lucas Pettersson also scored twice for Sweden.
The Finns beat Latvia 8-0. Emil Hemming (DAL) scored twice. Julius Miettinen (SEA) returned from injury to Finland’s first line and picked up an assist. Heikki Ruohonen (PHI) also had a three-point game for the Finns.
Top teams still unconvincing
None of the presumptive top teams have separated themselves as the favorite through their first two games of the tournament. Canada, Sweden and USA have all won two games, but Canada gave a point back to Latvia and trailed against Czechia, Sweden’s wins against Switzerland and Slovakia were both narrow, and USA struggled at times against both Germany and Switzerland — and are now without their No. 1 D, at least for the time being (the latest on Cole Hutson is that he’s day-to-day but it doesn’t sound like he’ll play against Slovakia on Monday).
All three teams clearly haven’t played their best hockey yet, but the competitiveness of the tournament’s other nations has also been a trend at the last five tournaments. The Swiss have a strong blue line. The Latvians have a handful of legit players instead of one or two, and are well-coached (though they had a tough time on the tail end of a back-to-back with Finland). We’re still likely going to see three of the same five countries medal, but the preliminary round is now playing tighter, and nobody’s talking about blowouts or contraction. — Wheeler
Sweden waiting for Stenberg to take charge
Ivar Stenberg has had some mild struggles in this tournament, particularly in Sunday’s game against Switzerland. He has still displayed very good skill and has created some chances, but for an offensive dynamo, he’s made some tough decisions at times and hasn’t generated as much even-strength offense as hoped. He was also bumped off Sweden’s top power-play unit. It’s only two games, but between the top two 2026 draft-eligible wingers in Stenberg and Gavin McKenna, McKenna has been more impressive to start the tournament. — Pronman
Pair of Swedish defensemen emerging
The Swedish blue line has been a strength of their team over the last couple of tournaments. Tom Willander and Theo Lindstein formed a shutdown pairing for them last year. Axel Sandin Pellikka was named the tournament’s top defenseman in both 2024 and 2025. Mattias Havelid was a top player at this level. But there were questions, coming into this year’s tournament, about whether they had a D or two that could be go-to guys.
So far, I’ve really liked second-rounders Leo Sahlin Wallenius (SJS) and Alfons Freij (WPG). Freij has been their best defenseman through two games, but Sahlin Wallenius was excellent on Sunday and went end-to-end to set up the first goal of the game. Freij was viewed as a potential first-rounder at 15-16 but didn’t have the draft year he needed to go there, similar to fellow Jets prospect Elias Salomonsson (who really took off again post-draft after an up-and-down draft year). Freij has played exclusively in the SHL this year and is now moving pucks well back with his peers and playing with confidence, and Sahlin Wallenius’ skating always stands out. — Wheeler
Eric Nilson SCORES less than a minute in for Sweden! 💥#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/7N03KlXvjZ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 28, 2025
Day 4 schedule
Here’s your schedule for a busier four-game slate on Dec. 29:
Sweden vs. Germany in St. Paul at 12 p.m. CTFinland vs. Czechia in Minneapolis at 2:30 p.m. CT
USA vs. Slovakia in St. Paul at 5 p.m. CT
Denmark vs. Canada in Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m. CT