The opening day of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship saw its fair share of excitement, led by host country Canada winning the marquee matchup against Finland. Day 1 winners included the aforementioned Canadian team, the United States, Sweden, and Czechia. Day 2 will be filled with teams looking to bounce back and get into the win column as preliminary-round play continues.
Slovakia vs. Switzerland (1 p.m.)
Two teams looking to bounce back from opening-game losses, Slovakia and Switzerland are trying to stay from going 0-2 to start the tournament. After facing Sweden yesterday, Slovakia will look to their offensive firepower in Dalibor Dvorsky and the rest of the forward group to get them on track. Playing against a Switzerland team who struggled to find a consistent offensive game against Czechia, thanks in part to not having a true goal-scorer on the roster, could very well work in Slovakia’s favor. If things go how they should, Slovakia should be able to win in the first game of Day 2.
Favorite: Slovakia
Players to Watch: Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia), Elijah Neuenschwander/Ewan Huet (Switzerland)
Finland vs. Germany (3:30 p.m.)
Another matchup of teams looking to avoid going 0-2, Finland is coming off a tough 4-0 shutout loss to Canada. They could not solve Canadian goaltender Carter George, but there was plenty to build on. Heading into a matchup against a less-skilled German team, the Finns should be able to find their offensive game while lessening the load of their goaltender, Petteri Rimpinen.
While the German team eventually saw their opening game against the United States get out of hand, losing 10-4, they put up a strong battle against the reigning gold medalists through the first 20 minutes. Building off that first period against Finland could help keep things closer than many believe this game should be. At the end of the day, Finland has too much skill and firepower for Germany to keep up with for a full 60-minute game.
Favorite: Finland
Players to Watch: Jesse Kiiskinen (Finland), Konsta Helenius (Finland),
Kazakhstan vs. Sweden (5 p.m.)
After an impressive offensive showing in their first game of the tournament against Slovakia, Sweden will look to build even more momentum against Kazakhstan. Sweden has a major advantage regarding its roster’s skill and talent level, so this game could have the same result as the United States vs. Germany game on Day 1. For Kazakhstan, keeping Sweden’s top line out of high-danger areas of the offensive zone will be imperative to keep the game close.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
The Kazakhstan roster is loaded with returners from last year’s team, which helped them return to the tournament (they won the Division 1 Group A 2024 tournament). They are led by Ottawa Senators prospect and goaltender Vladimir Nikitin, who will likely see plenty of action against the Swedes.
Favorite: Sweden
Players to Watch: Felix Unger Sorum (Sweden), Tom Willander (Sweden), Asanali Sarkenov(Kazakhstan)
Canada vs. Latvia (7:30 p.m.)
Riding high off their tournament-opening shutout over Finland, Canada will be looking to make another statement in their matchup against Latvia. This is yet another game where one team has a clear advantage skill-wise. It will be tough for the Latvians to knock off the host country team, especially with it being their first game of the tournament. Keeping Canada’s high-power offense at bay on top of strong goaltending is likely too much to ask for Latvia to do. Conversely, Canada will look to get their power play going after going scoreless on their opportunities against Finland. Overall, the Canadian power play did not look like it should and will need to be if they want to return to the medal rounds after missing out last year.
Favorite: Canada
Players to Watch: Easton Cowan (Canada), Porter Martone (Canada), Darels Uljanskis (Latvia)
Day 2 Could Prove to Be Crucial
Teams playing their second game in as many days of preliminary-round play are entering a crucial time. Dropping to a 0-2 record to start the tournament could be detrimental to their chances of making it to the knockout round while improving to 1-1 will help them stay afloat for the time being. Day 2 has the makings of being a crucial one for a handful of teams looking to leave their stamp on the tournament.
Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter
