On Dec. 28, only two games were played on Day 3 of the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC). Day 4 is the opposite, as four games will be played throughout the day.
Sweden vs. Switzerland (12 p.m.)
Sweden: Players to Watch
Switzerland: Players to Watch
Sweden looks to continue rolling through the preliminary round when they take on Switzerland. The Swedes come into the fourth day of play off a dominant win over Kazakhstan on Dec. 27. They have been led by a mix of players, including Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings), Anton Wahlberg, and David Granberg offensively. In between the pipes, Marcus Gidlof and Melker Thelin have played a game apiece and looked solid in their appearances.
The Swiss are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Slovakia on Dec. 27, giving up the game-winning goal with less than five minutes to go in the third period. They have struggled to find a constant offensive game due to the lack of a true goal-scoring threat in their lineup. They have only scored two goals through two games and will face an uphill battle of scoring multiple goals against a strong Sweden team. A player who could begin to catch the eye of fans is Switzerland’s 15-year-old Jonah Neunschwander. He has played in one of the two games so far and is not eligible to be drafted until the 2027 NHL Entry Draft.
Favorite: Sweden
Players to Watch: Otto Stenberg (Sweden), Axel Sandin Pellikka (Sweden), Jonah Neunschwander (Switzerland)
Finland vs. United States (2:30 p.m.)
Finland: Final Roster
United States: Final Roster
The day’s marquee matchup is between Finland and the United States. Both teams are looking to leave their stamp and entrench themselves in the top four of Group A. The United States is coming off a hard-fought 5-1 win over Latvia on Dec. 28. They have been led up front by 2025 NHL Draft prospect James Hagens and Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers). Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals) has continued to look like one of the American’s best defensemen in his first Under-20 WJC.
Finland bounced back from their 4-0 loss to Canada on Dec. 26 with a 3-1 win over Germany on Dec. 27 but continues to struggle to get their offense going. The Finn’s top forward line of Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres), Jesse Kiiskinen (Detroit Red Wings), and Topias Hynninen (2025 Draft eligible) have a total of one goal that came on an empty-netter from Kiiskinen. This line must pick up their game to crack through against the United States. On the flip side, Finland’s defense will be put to another tough test against the Americans, and netminder Petteri Rimpinen will have to continue his strong play between the pipes.
Favorite: United States
Players to Watch: Gabe Perreault (United States), Zeev Buium (United States), Konsta Helenius (Finland), Petteri Rimpinen (Finland)
Slovakia vs. Czechia (5 p.m.)
Slovakia: Final Roster
Czechia: Final Roster
The beneficiaries of a late game-winning goal against Switzerland, Slovakia looks to try and take down a 2-0 Czechia team that routed Kazakhstan 14-2 yesterday. Daniel Jencko and Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis Blues) lead the Slovaks up front. Dvorsky has two points in the tournament’s first two games but is a player who many believed would have a stronger tournament. In between the pipes, Michael Urban has helped keep Slovakia afloat and will look to help keep a Czechia offense that has its fair share of firepower in check.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Czechia looks to move to 3-0 and try to keep pace with Sweden at the top of Group B. The Czechs currently hold the number one spot in the group due to a plus-16 goal differential. They have been led by several players offensively, with 17 different players recording at least a point and 12 with multiple points. They are led by Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues), who has a team-leading seven points. Slovakia will be a tougher challenge than Kazakhstan was for Czechia. Still, with a roster loaded with NHL draft picks (12 players and two goaltenders), they should be able to pull off a victory to stay undefeated in the preliminary round.
Favorite: Czechia
Players to Watch: Jakub Stancl (Czechia), Vojtech Port (Czechia), Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia), Samuel Urban (Czechia)
Germany vs. Canada (7:30 p.m.)
Germany: Final Roster
Canada: Final Roster
Looking for a big bounce back after losing to Latvia on Dec. 27, Canada should have a strong chance of getting back on track as they take on Germany in the late game of the day. The Germans are 0-2 and have been outscored 13-5. For Canada, they will need to figure out their power play, which has struggled mightily in the first two games they have played, while also trying to decide who will take defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s spot in the lineup after it was announced he will miss the remainder of the tournament due to injury.
Canada should be able to handle the Germans and begin to straighten out some of their offensive deficiencies ahead of their big matchup against the United States on Dec. 31.
Favorite: Canada
Players to Watch: Sam Dickinson (Canada), Brayden Yager (Canada), David Lewandowski (Germany)
A Day Full of Hockey
After a slow day yesterday for the tournament, today should be an exciting day full of hockey. There are only two days left of preliminary round play after today, so each game is big for the teams.
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