It’s been said before, and it’ll be said again – anything can happen at the World Junior Championship – and it did at this year’s tournament. The USA won its first back-to-back gold medals, but they nearly had that moment taken from them after falling 3-1 to Finland early in the second period. The Americans clawed back to push the game into overtime, where Teddy Stiga scored the golden goal.
Team Canada, who was expected to be a top competitor and finish with a medal after missing out on one in 2024, again failed to respond to the ups and downs of the challenging tournament. The team finished third in their pool and then bowed out in the quarter-finals against Czechia for a second straight year. Coaching – specifically head coach Dave Cameron – was a major issue, as they appeared to give up on their team after a surprising loss to Latvia early on, dooming them to struggle against tougher teams later in the schedule.
This year, I made a few predictions. Logan Horn, who made six bold predictions for the 2024 World Juniors, did pretty well last year, nailing two of his predictions and getting very close on two more. That’s nearly a 50% success rate (if you give partial marks to his two close calls). While I would like to say I followed suit, I think my predictions were just a bit too bold.
1. Gabe Perrault Leads the Tournament in Scoring
The Americans entered the 2025 tournament with established chemistry thanks to Boston College, where Gabe Perreault, James Hagens, Ryan Leonard, and Stiga play. Perrault leads that team with 23 points and 16 assists. He’s a playmaking machine, and given his familiarity with his teammates and the USA’s chance to return to the World Junior Final, I made him my choice as the tournament’s point leader.
Unfortunately, he didn’t quite get there. After four games, he had just four points, including two pointless games against Finland and Canada. He turned it on in the playoffs, scoring six points over the next three contests, but that left him just one point shy of the leader, teammate Cole Hutson. However, 10 points were still good enough to put him tied for second place alongside Leonard and Czechia’s Jakub Stancl. I’ll give myself half marks on this one.
However, I don’t get any bonus points for my bonus prediction. Despite having one of the best shots of the 2024 Draft class, Cole Eiserman finished his first World Junior tournament with just three goals in seven games, well behind Stancl’s seven. He also only managed 21 shots on net, which puts him 12th among shooters.
2. James Hagens Re-Establishes Himself as the Top Draft Choice
Sticking with the Americans, I predicted that Hagens would re-establish himself as the consensus top choice for the 2025 NHL Draft over Canadian Porter Martone. While the two have been neck-and-neck throughout the season, Martone had just taken over as the consensus first-overall pick thanks to his ability to play like Matthew Tkachuk.
At 6-foot-3, with 55 points in 27 games with the Brampton Steelheads, all he needed was a strong showing at the World Juniors to cement his place at the top. However, I didn’t see it happening. Given his age, I thought Canada would rely more on their 19-year-olds as they have in the past, leaving the big-bodied Martone to play more of a grinding role in the bottom six. Hagens, on the other hand, was a perfect pick to centre one of the USA’s top two lines, giving him much more exposure.
I was spot on. Martone was scratched after being a non-factor against Finland and Latvia, then was re-inserted into the lineup against Czechia in the quarterfinals, where he looked solid, but it just wasn’t enough. He finished his first tournament with a single goal in three appearances and some concerns about whether his lack of pace could limit his offensive potential. Meanwhile, Hagens was put on the American’s top line, between Perreault and Leonard, and finished the tournament with five goals, nine points, and a gold medal. While the debate is still close, Hagens looks like the better choice right now.
The one thing I didn’t consider was the emergence of Matthew Schaefer. Despite his age, he quickly became Canada’s top defenceman before he lost his footing and slammed into the net, breaking his clavicle and missing the rest of the tournament. Had he played the whole tournament, there’s a chance he could have usurped Hagens for the first overall spot and had already convinced a few scouts to place him there. He remains in the conversation but may have lost some ground.
I also added a bonus prediction that Viktor Eklund would push into the top five thanks to this tournament, and while Sweden failed to capitalize on a strong round-robin performance and went home without a medal, Eklund looked solid. In seven games, he scored two goals and six points and was one of Sweden’s hardest workers at any time. He may not be a top-five prospect yet, but he could be considered the best Swedish prospect available, jumping over Anton Frondell, who was not selected for the U20 squad in Ottawa. I award myself half a bonus point here.
3. Aron Kiviharju Is Named Best Defenceman
Given his drive and the chip on his shoulder following his plummet at the 2024 NHL Draft, I thought Aron Kiviharju would burst out of the gate and lead Finland’s offence. He was named team captain, played on the top pairing, and helped the Finns claim a silver medal, but he only finished with three assists in seven games.
He was much more defensively solid than we’ve previously seen, especially in the games that mattered most, which is a great sign for his future, but his impact was far more subtle than Axel Sandin Pellikka, who led Sweden with four goals and 10 points from the blue line and took home his second Best Defenseman Award. I also got zero points for my bonus prediction that he would lead Finland in scoring. That was handled by Detroit Red Wings prospect Jesse Kiiskanen, who scored six goals and seven points in seven games.
4. Jack Ivankovic Ends Up as Canada’s Starter
On paper, I completely missed this one. Carter George was Canada’s top goalie from day one and didn’t allow a goal until he faced the Americans in his third game of the tournament. Jack Ivankovic was Canada’s backup but only got one start, which was the 3-2 shootout loss to Latvia. I also missed on Carson Bjarnason, who didn’t play a single game despite being the elder statesman in Canada’s crease.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
However, Ivankovic did spectacularly against Latvia, where Canada looked lifeless for most of the game. He stopped almost every quality shot that was thrown at him and was fantastic in the shootout. The loss was far from his fault, but Canada still returned to the red-hot George for the big New Year’s Eve game against the USA. No points for me, but had Ivankovic pulled Canada out of that game despite themselves, he might have earned a few more starts. I’d like to think I wasn’t too far away on this one, but I still award myself zero points.
5. Switzerland Ends Up in the Bronze Medal Game
Another big whiff on my part. Switzerland’s roster had a lot of intriguing talent ahead of the tournament, with Jamiro Reber leading the charge and getting support from Leo Braillard, Leon Muggli, Daniil Ustinkov, Ludvig Johnson, 17-year-old Lars Steiner, and 15-year-old Jonah Neuenschwander. The Swiss won when they had to, beating Kazakhstan to stay out of the relegation game, but for the rest of the tournament, they remained near the bottom of Pool B. Reber was arguably the most disappointing, finishing with two assists in five games after catching scout’s eyes as one of the best rookies in the Swedish Hockey League this season.
The silver lining for Switzerland is that, with such a young roster, they’ll be able to bring back a significant portion of it in both 2026 and 2027. Steiner was noticeable every time he stepped on the ice, with his great work ethic, and was aggressive on the puck. Neuenschwander also stuck out, keeping pace with players four years older than him. If the Swiss make it to the bronze medal game next year, I’m taking a retroactive point for being just a bit early on my bold prediction.
In the end, I wasn’t quite as successful as Logan, earning just one and a half points on five predictions or two points if bonus predictions are included. But that’s what makes the World Juniors such a fun tournament to watch. After all, anything can happen.
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