The quarterfinals of the 2026 World Junior Championship (WJC) delivered plenty of excitement across the four games. Moving on to the semi-finals, four countries are looking to get their crack at the gold medal game.
Sweden vs Finland (4:30 p.m.)
After a strong victory over Latvia in the quarterfinals, Sweden is one of two teams in the tournament to remain undefeated (along with Canada). They enter their semi-finals matchup against Finland looking for revenge. At last year’s tournament, Benjamin Rautiainen (Tampa Bay Lightning) scored the overtime winner to send the Finns to the gold medal game over the Swedes.
This year, Sweden has been led by players like Jack Berglund (Philadelphia Flyers), Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks), and Viggo Björck up front. They have a deep roster that can make a play at any point of the game, on top of having one of the tournament’s best power play units. Love Härenstam has looked great for Sweden as well, helping solidify the goaltender position this year.
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