The 2026 World Junior Championship is coming towards a close, and on Sunday (Jan. 4), both semi-final games were played. Team Sweden took down Team Finland in a shootout to reach the Gold Medal game, with the final spot coming down to the winner of Team Czechia and Team Canada. Many fans had Canada taking down Czechia and earning a shot at winning the tournament, but Czechia won the game 6-4 and were able to take down a juggernaut to earn their spot in the Gold Medal game.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
In this article, we take a look at some takeaways from Czechia’s incredible semi-finals win over Canada.
Vojtêch Čihar Stands Out, Scores Two Goals
Czechia’s entire team played well, and they had no passengers on their way to a win, but one player who stood out in a big way was Los Angeles Kings’ prospect, Vojtêch Čihar.
Cihar scored the fourth and sixth goals for Czechia, sealing the win for his team. He was on another level all night, driving the play offensively and being one of the key reasons Czechia picked up a win.
Cihar, who recently signed an entry-level contract with the Kings, will be joining the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League (WHL) when the World Juniors are complete, after spending the start of the 2025-26 campaign in Czechia with Karlovy Vary, where he has eight points through 27 games.
Adam Benak Finally Scores
Adam Benak, who has been playing solidly throughout the entire tournament, had yet to score a goal heading into the game against Canada. He finally scored his first goal of the tournament to give Czechia a 3-2 lead near the end of the second period, finally getting rewarded for his strong showings.
Benak was drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, and currently plays in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Brantford Bulldogs, where he has 43 points through 26 games.
Maximilian Curran Quietly Has Strong Game
Maximilian Curran, who currently plays for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL and is a prospect of the Colorado Avalanche, scored the first goal for Czechia, which got them started offensively. While that was the only goal he scored, his play at both ends of the ice was impressive and helped Czechia pick up a win. He may not be the flashiest player, but his willingness to play smart away from the puck makes him fun to watch, and his habits make him someone who will likely get a look at the NHL level down the line.
Czechia Straight Up Dominated Canada
Aside from the individual success of some players, Czechia straight up dominated Canada, and it seemed as though Canada was playing from behind for the entire game. Czechia was quicker, was more physical, was better away from the puck, and made smarter decisions in the defensive zone that led to them gaining the upper hand on their opponent early, and it seemed the game was never in jeopardy for them.
Czechia will play Sweden on Monday (Jan. 5), and while Sweden was considered one of the favourites heading into the tournament this time around, it’s tough to bet against Czechia, considering how strong they have looked and how connected their team has been throughout the World Junior Championship. It will be a close game, and Czechia has a real chance to win it all.
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