The participants of the relegation game at the 2026 World Junior Championship were not surprising. Neither Germany nor Denmark was able to pull off a stunner in the preliminary round, leaving both with an 0-4 record and fifth place in their respective groups. Germany survived the relegation game last year with a 4-3 victory over Kazakhstan.
Game Recap
Germany started fast with David Lewandowski (Edmonton Oilers) netting the opening goal less than four minutes after the opening puck drop. Max Schaefer (Washington Capitals) doubled Germany’s lead to 2-0 four minutes later on a shot that sailed past Anton Wilde (2026 draft-eligible). Denmark continued to push throughout the first period. Mads Klyvo (Florida Panthers) pushed a puck past Linus Vieillard with under three minutes left in the period to slice the lead in half at 2-1.
Germany started hot in the second period with two goals in the opening five minutes. Manuel Schams and Simon Seidl combined to score goals two minutes apart, resulting in a 4-1 lead. Klyvo helped Denmark steal some momentum back again with his goal two minutes later at 6:28, while Oliver Green pulled the Danes within one goal to make it 4-3 at 10:05 of the middle frame.
As they did in the opening two periods, Germany roared out of the locker rooms with early success. Dustin Willhoft scored at 5:04 of the third period for a 5-3 contest. Schams netted his second goal of the game at 10:04 to give the Germans a 6-3 advantage with the clock winding down on Denmark.
Anton Linde provided a spark for Denmark with his goal at 11:21 of the third period for a 6-4 game, but Germany’s Lenny Boos scored 1:02 later to end any hopes of a Danish comeback at 7-4. Tobias Schwarz sealed the win with the empty-netter in an 8-4 final score.
Up Next
The tournament is over for both teams after Friday afternoon’s contest. Germany will get to sit back after securing their position at the 2027 World Junior Championship in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Norway earned promotion in mid-December 2025 behind five straight wins and will participate in next year’s event.
Denmark joins Austria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, and Ukraine in Division I Group A next season. Hungary was recently promoted to D-1 Group A after a tournament victory in December 2025.
