The 2026 World Junior Championship (WJC) is right around the corner, with the first games beginning on Dec. 26 across a pair of sites in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The United States of America was selected to host the 50th anniversary of the World Juniors, as the Americans look to win their third consecutive title.
Before the puck hits the ice in the State of Hockey, let’s take a look at 10 storylines heading into the tournament. From the debut of a dynamic Swedish forward to the 2025 WJC points leader returning to the frozen floor, there will be plenty to watch as Grand Casino Arena and 3M Arena at Mariucci host a combined 29 games over 10 days with the best under-20 players from around the world.
1. Cole Hutson Returns for Team USA
The 2025 World Juniors featured a defenseman as the top scorer for the first time in the tournament’s 49-year history. Cole Hutson, a Washington Capitals draftee, registered 11 points in seven games at the 2025 WJC as the United States claimed back-to-back World Juniors titles. Hutson leads a talented Team USA into battle, looking to collect a third consecutive gold medal for the Americans… except this time on home soil in front of fans at Grand Casino Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 6.
The 19-year-old is contributing at a point-per-game level at Boston College. Hutson might not reach double-digits in scoring again, but if he gets close to 10 points, watch for Team USA to be in the medal hunt in Jan. 2026.
2. Top 2026 Draft Picks Battle it Out
Three of the best under-20 players in the world compete for the opportunity to improve their draft stock against their peers over the next two weeks as Gavin McKenna (Canada), Keaton Verhoeff (Canada), and Ivar Stenberg (Sweden) skate in Minnesota.
McKenna, currently enrolled at Penn State University, is producing at a point-per-game rate with 18 points in 16 games at the NCAA level. While his point total isn’t the eye-popping 129 points it was with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2024-25, the 18-year-old has showcased his ability to make plays at the next level of competition. McKenna is the only skater of these three players with prior experience at the World Juniors, with one goal in five games at last year’s tournament.
Verhoeff, a standout defenseman at the University of North Dakota, doesn’t have the point-per-game totals of McKenna, but he has still showcased well at the NCAA level. The 17-year-old has amassed 11 points in 16 games, a .687 points per game against NCAA goalies. Verhoeff is expected to be relied on heavily as Canada attempts to get back into the medal conversation.
Related: Keaton Verhoeff Finds a Home at North Dakota While Chasing NHL Dreams
Stenberg continues to make noise with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as a potential top selection at the 2026 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old is producing at a point-per-game pace against men in the SHL, with 24 points in 26 games.
All three of these players – McKenna, Verhoeff, and Stenberg – have a logical argument to be chosen at the top of the draft based on an NHL team’s needs. The 2026 World Juniors provides an excellent opportunity to see how these potential high draft picks perform directly against their peers.
3. Petteri Rimpinen Return Gives Finland an Advantage in Net
The best goalie at last year’s tournament returns for another shot at glory at the World Juniors. Petteri Rimpinen, a Los Angeles Kings draft pick, posted a 5-2-0 record, a 2.34 goals-against average (GAA), and a .933 save percentage (SV%) in Finland’s run to the silver medal at the 2025 WJC.
His numbers in the Liiga, Finland’s top hockey league, are impressive when you look at things through the lens of Rimpinen being just 19 years old. The teenager has compiled an 8-9-6 record, a 2.79 GAA, and a .894 SV% in 31 games for Kiekkp-Espoo in 2025-26.
If Rimpinen can reprise his role cosplaying a brick wall over the next two weeks, it should lead to solid results for Finland at the 2026 World Juniors.
4. Team Canada Loaded with 2026 Draft Eligible Prospects
Outside of McKenna and Verhoeff, Team Canada features several other high-profile, draft-eligible skaters at this year’s tournament on a roster filled with impressive athletes.
Ethan Belchetz, a projected top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, is in his second season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and has amassed 32 points in 31 games, including 18 goals. It is a solid uptick in production from his 38 points in 56 games in 2024-25.
Tynan Lawrence, the captain for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the United States Hockey League (USHL), projects inside the top 10 at the 2026 NHL Draft. In his second season in Muskegon, the 17-year-old has 13 points in nine games, including eight goals. Lawrence was nearly a point-per-game player for Muskegon in 2024-25, recording 54 points in 56 games.
Mathis Preston, a top-10 forward prospect skating for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL), has produced nearly a point-per-game this season. The 17-year-old has totaled 29 points in 31 games in his second full WHL season.
Xavier Villeneuve, a left-handed defensive prospect playing for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), should likely hear his name called in the top half of next summer’s draft. The 18-year-old has recorded 33 points in 30 games in his third campaign with the Armada.
5. Czechia Looks to Build Off Bronze Medal
Czechia will look to improve on a third-place finish at the 2025 World Juniors last winter. While the team might not garner much attention in North America ahead of the tournament, the European squad packs a punch on both sides of the puck.
On the offensive front, Czechia is led by Adam Benak and Adam Novotny. Benak, a Minnesota Wild draft selection in 2025, has posted 43 points in 26 games for the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL. Novotny, a 2026 NHL Draft-eligible skater from the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, has totaled 35 points in 29 games in 2025-26, his first action on North American ice.
Radim Mrtka, a 2025 Buffalo Sabres draft selection, leads a talented defensive unit. Mrtka has recorded 16 points in 14 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL after starting the first four games of the season with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Jakub Fibigr and Adam Jiricek will help Mrtka protect the crease for Czechia. Fibigr, a Seattle Kraken draft pick, has totaled 24 points in 27 games for the Brampton Steelheads in 2025-26. Jiricek, a St. Louis Blues first-round draft pick, has totaled 29 points in 25 games for Brantford in the OHL. Both players finished an identical stat line from last year’s WJC with five assists in seven games.
6. Sweden’s Powerful Offensive Attack
A three-headed offensive attack could help Sweden return to the medal stand in Minnesota. Led by Stenberg, Tre Kronor also features 2025 NHL Draft first-round forwards Anton Frondell (#3 to the Chicago Blackhawks) and Victor Eklund (#15 to the New York Islanders), who both skate for Djurgardens in the SHL. Frondell has registered 15 points in 25 games, while Eklund has tallied 11 points over the same number of contests.
Related: Swedish Prospects Frondell & Eklund Have “Cool” NHL Combine Experience
A pair of brothers, Viggo and Wilson Bjorck, deserve a mention as a core component of Sweden’s attack. Wilson, a 2025 draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks, has recorded eight points in 15 games for Colorado College in the NCAA. Younger brother Viggo skates alongside Frondell and Eklund at Djurgardens, where the draft-eligible forward has amassed eight points in 24 games.
7. Swiss Forward Commands Attention
Not many people are giving Switzerland a chance to advance from Group A, which features the host country (Team USA), Sweden, Slovakia, and Germany. One name to watch out for for the red and white is Jonah Neuenschwander, a 2027 NHL Draft-eligible forward. He was a member of the Swiss contingent at the 2025 WJC, where the then 15-year-old skated in three games but did not record any points.
Currently, the teenager skates for EHC Biel-Bienne in the National League (NL), Switzerland’s top-tier hockey league. Neuenschwander started with the EHC Biel-Bienne Spirit U21 squad, but after posting 16 points in 15 games, he was moved up to the NL. His scoring pace slowed against stiffer competition, with six points in 18 games.
8. Will Canada Get Out of the Quarterfinals in a Hostile Environment?
Team Canada needs a better performance than the back-to-back Quarterfinals exits that they’ve suffered at the 2024 and 2025 World Juniors. It is only the second time since the early 1980s that the Canadians failed to medal in back-to-back editions of the global competition.
With a roster featuring some of the best prospects in the world, there is little reason for Canada not to be in the medal round once the calendar flips over to 2026. But no one expected Latvia to win a shootout against the red and white, leaving the Canadians with a difficult path to medal contention. Canada’s tournament ended abruptly following a 4-3 loss to Czechia at the Canadian Tire Center on Jan. 2, 2025.
Now, Canada will need to break their string of early exits on American soil. Will the internal pressure from the entire country be too much to handle in the face of adversity from a revved-up Minnesota crowd that will surely give plenty of grief to their friends from the north?
9. Germany & Slovakia Should Battle for Last Spot in Group A
Germany sent Kazakhstan back to the drawing board after winning the relegation game at the 2025 World Juniors. The European country will look to battle Slovakia to avoid being the Group A representative in the relegation round at this year’s WJC. Germany is currently ranked seventh in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) world rankings, while Slovakia is ranked ninth.
As we saw with Latvia against Canada last year, anything can happen in the round-robin portion of the tournament. A win would be massive for either of these two countries in retaining their spot heading towards the 2027 World Juniors.
10. Can Denmark Sneak Out of Group B?
Denmark and Latvia appear to be the teams destined for the relegation round out of Group B… at least on paper, anyway. Denmark, the eighth-ranked team by the IIHF system, earned promotion into this year’s World Juniors and will likely need to battle it out with Latvia for the right to play in Canada in 2027.
Latvia scored a pair of impressive wins in 2025 against Germany (in overtime) and Canada (in a shootout). The scrappy bunch of Europeans put up a fight in the Quarterfinals but lost 3-2 to Sweden, ending their tournament quickly. Will Latvia be able to bring the same kind of magic to their matchups at the 2026 World Juniors?
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
Whether you are watching from North America, Europe, or elsewhere around this spinning rock, the next two weeks of hockey action from Minnesota should be delightful for hockey fans everywhere. As the 50th edition of the World Juniors, something special is bound to happen at this year’s edition of the games. Keep it locked right here for far more coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship.
