The 2025 World Junior Championship has finally reached its knockout round, with the quarterfinals and the relegation game occurring today. After seeing the United States beat Canada on the final day of preliminary round play, the United States is the top seed in Group A. Canada has a more challenging road ahead of them, dropping down to the third seed in the group.
Germany vs Kazakhstan (11 a.m.)
Germany: Final Roster
Kazakhstan: Final Roster
Germany made a strong push to get out of playing in the relegation round for the second year in a row but fell short against Latvia on Dec. 30 in overtime. They will try to avoid being relegated against a Kazakhstan team that had their best showing of the tournament when they went to overtime against Slovakia on Dec. 30, losing their game. They have been two of the more resilient teams, and the matchup will be a tight one. Germany has a bit more firepower than Kazakhstan, which should help lead them to a victory.
Favorite: Germany
Players to Watch: David Lewandowski (Germany), Julius Sumpf (Germany), Kirill Lyapunov (Kazakhstan), Vladimir Nikitin (Kazakhstan)
Sweden vs Latvia (Noon)
Sweden: Players to Watch
Latvia: Final Roster
The first game of quarterfinal play sees the tournament’s surprise team, Latvia, taking on one of, if not the tournament’s best teams, Sweden. The Swedes look to avoid being the second team to be upset by the Latvians after Canada lost to them on Dec. 27. Sweden’s roster is loaded with NHL-drafted players, led by Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings), Anton Wahlberg (Buffalo Sabres), and netminder Melker Thelin (Utah Hockey Club). They will certainly have the advantage if things can click for their offense. The Latvian team is a group that will not give in and will make things tough for Sweden, though.
Latvia must keep the Sweden power play off the ice. They are the tournament’s most lethal unit, scoring at a 35% clip. The Latvians will also need big games from players like Eriks Mateiko (Washington Capitals), Bruno Osmanis up front, and netminder Linards Feldbergs. Feldbergs has been one of the biggest surprises this year and has helped carry Latvia through the preliminary round.
Favorite: Sweden
Players to Watch: Anton Wahlberg (Sweden), Victor Eklund (Sweden), Bruno Osmanis (Latvia), Linards Feldbergs (Latvia)
United States vs Switzerland (2:30 p.m.)
United States: Players to Watch
Switzerland: Final Roster
Bouncing back after an overtime loss against Finland on Dec. 29 by beating Canada 4-1 on Dec. 31, the United States claimed the top spot in Group A and will play Switzerland, the fourth seed from Group B. Netminder Trey Augustine had his best start of the tournament against Canada and will look to build off that heading into the knockout round. Up front, the Americans are led by Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), who continues to be one of the best defensemen in the tournament. It has been a widespread offense for the Americans, with 15 players tallying at least two points.
The Swiss come into the quarterfinals having won their last game against Kazakhstan on Dec. 31 and have been competitive against both Sweden (Dec. 29) and Slovakia (Dec. 27), albeit losing both games. They have picked up their offensive game as of late and have been led by Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals) and Leo Braillard. Christian Kirsch (San Jose Sharks) has been stellar in the net for Switzerland and will need to be against the United States again if they want a real chance at pulling off the upset.
Favorite: United States
Players to Watch: Trey Augustine (United States), James Hagens (United States), Leon Muggli (Switzerland), Christian Kirsch (Switzerland)
Finland vs Slovakia (5 p.m.)
Finland: Players to Watch
Slovakia: Players to Watch
This matchup should be a good one to watch. One team’s offense has been on fire throughout the tournament (Slovakia), while the other has struggled to get rolling (Finland). While Slovakia does not have a lot of NHL-drafted players, it has been led by two St. Louis Blues prospects, Dalibor Dvorsky and Juraj Pekarcik. Michael Urban has looked solid in between the pipes for the Slovaks.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Finland will challenge him; even if they have not had the strongest offensive outputs, they have plenty of weapons on their roster. They have been led by Jesse Kiiskinen (Detroit Red Wings) and Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres), who have three points a piece. Players like Kasper Halttunen (San Jose Sharks) and Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken) must step up for Finland to make a true run at the medal round. They will also rely on goaltender Petteri Rimpinen to continue his strong play between the pipes.
Favorite: Finland
Players to Watch: Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia), Michael Urban (Slovakia), Kasper Halttunen (Finland), Konsta Helenius (Finland)
Czechia vs Canada (7:30 p.m.)
Czechia: Final Roster
Canada: Players to Watch
The hosts, Canada, face Czechia in the quarterfinals after dropping two games in the preliminary round (Dec. 27 against Latvia, Dec. 31 against the United States). The Canadians have struggled to find offensive consistency, scoring only ten times in the tournament’s first four games, and have also been undisciplined. They took the most minor penalties, 29, in the preliminary round, and it came back to cost them against the United States.
Against a deep Czechia team, Canada needs to find some consistency and their players to step up. Matthew Schaefer is still one of the team’s top-three-point leaders (two points), but he has been out of action since the Latvia game due to a broken collarbone. Giving 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna more ice time would also be a step in the right direction, as he has been a highlight reel whenever he has been on the ice but has struggled to get on the scoresheet (one assist). For the Czechs, they are led by Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues) and Vojtěch Hradec (Utah Hockey Club). They have a strong and deep team.
The biggest X-factor for Czechia to pull out the victory comes down to the play of another Utah Hockey Club prospect, goaltender Michael Hrabal. Hrabal has looked outstanding and could find himself a top candidate for the tournament’s best goaltender award if he can help lead his team to a medal-round game. This game is a toss-up with how both teams have played, but in the end, the host team should be able to find a way.
Favorite: Canada
Players to Watch: Michael Hrabal (Czechia), Jakub Stancl (Czechia), Gavin McKenna (Canada), Calum Ritchie (Canada)
Could There Be Surprises in the Quarterfinals?
While it seems like teams like the United States and Sweden should be able to take care of their quarterfinal games, could there be a chance that the two other games see an “upset”? Czechia has shown to be a tough team to play so far, and if Canada can not get things figured out quickly, they could find themselves fighting an uphill battle. The quarterfinals could have some fireworks.
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