With December here, it's time to look to the next big event on the hockey calendar, the 2025 World Junior Championship. Last year, the United States walked away with its sixth title, defeating the Swedes in Gothenburg, while the Czech Republic took bronze from Finland. Canada, a regular medal contender, surprisingly defeated the Czechs 3-2 in the quarterfinals, leaving them without a medal for the first time in four years.
The tournament has become a holiday tradition for many hockey fans around the world, starting on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) each year and ending during the first week of the new year. The WJC has grown significantly since the first (official) tournament was held in 1977 and has significant international support.
This year, the tournament returns for the second time to Ottawa, Canada. From 2020-23, Canada has hosted the tournament for three consecutive years, but after hosting in Sweden, the rotation between the European and North American markets has been re-established. The only change from before 2020 is that the streak has been shortened to a one-game limit. Here's hoping we get another exciting tournament this year!
NOTE: Final List and Players to Watch articles will be linked below as they are published
Features
The Canadian World Junior Team is in Good Hands with Tanner Molendyk
Team Canada Drops Notable Names From 2025 WJC Camp Roster
Team USA Drops Notable Names From 2025 WJC Camp Roster
Players Who Should Be Locks for Team Canada's 2026 WJC Roster
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Who Should Play?
This is the U20 version of the tournament which means players must be under the age of 20 to take part. If a player has 20th birthday occurs in the year the contest ends (Jan. 1-Dec 31, 2025), then they are eligible, even if they turn 20 while the contest is in progress. If a player has 20th birthday occurs in the year the tournament begins (Jan.1-Dec 26, 2024), they are not eligible. People tend to talk about the upper limit of age eligibility but there is also a lower limit, as players must be 15 years old in the year the tournament ends.
Ottawa, Canada will play host
The World Juniors return to the Canadian capital for the second time in the tournament's history. The city first hosted the tournament in 2009, when the Canadians took home their 15th gold medal, defeating Sweden 5-1 with two goals from Cody Hodgson and one each from PK Subban, Angelo Esposito, and Jordan Eberle. Canada led the scoresheet, with Hodgson, John Tavares, and Eberle finishing 1-2-3 in points. Tavares took home the tournament's MVP award, was named the IIHF's Best Forward, and was selected to the All-Star team along with Suban and Hodgson.
The 2025 World Juniors will be split between the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, and TD Place, home to the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). ). The Canadian Tire Center will be a fan favorite as it will host Group A, the semifinals, and both medal games. And, with a capacity of over 18,000, it only makes sense for the Canadians to play in front of as many people as possible. TD Place holds a very small 5,500, but hosts many world-class events, including figure skating, curling, wrestling, and more. However, last season, the arena added nearly 3,000 seats to accommodate the PWHL's taping setup. TD Place will host Group B and the reverse fixture.
Participation Nations
As I mentioned earlier, Group A consists of Canada, United States, Finland, Germany, and Latvia while Group B is made up of Sweden, Czechia, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan.
Canada will look to reclaim its title as the top World Junior nation on home ice after failing to secure a medal in 2024. It won't be an easy road for them, but they rarely take a back seat for more than a year; the last time they walked away with the medal was in 2013 and 2014. With a strong group of returning players, they will be in a much better place than last year. The 2025 tournament will also see the return of the Canada-USA New Year's Eve match. The two teams have met eight times since 2000, but fans have been deprived of the old rivalry for the past seven years.
Team USA returns as a top contender for gold thanks to several key players from its 2024 championship-winning roster expected to return, including Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium and future Montreal Canadiens netminder Jacob Fowler. However, despite the strength of their program in recent years, the Americans have never won back-to-back gold medals. The best they have done is follow up the gold with a bronze medal, which they did in 2011 and 2018. The San Jose Sharks could change that if they let go of Will Smith. But they'll also need to decide what to do with Canada's Macklin Celebrini, who has fared better than his American counterpart in the NHL and will give the Canadians a big boost at the World Juniors.
The Swedes and Czechs will have a significant roster advantage from last year, which will make repeating as medalists a challenge, but they still have top-level talent that won't go down without a fight. Tom Willander, Axel Sandin Pellikka, and Theo Lindstien will return to man the Swedish blue line, while 6-foot-6 goalkeeper Michael Hrabel will have a chance to resume work in Czechia. Finland can't be counted out, however, with Buffalo Sabers prospect Konsta Helenius expected to play a major role in 2025.
Prize Winners From 2024 WJC
Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki was named the 2024 tournament's Most Valuable Player after leading Sweden with six goals and 10 points. He was instrumental in helping the Swedes reach the final, beating Switzerland and Czechia en route to their first medal – a silver – since 2008.
College star and Anaheim Ducks star Cutter Gauthier was named the tournament's MVP. He led the contest with 12 points and was unstoppable whenever he got the puck. His ability to control the pace of the game with size and skill made the Americans an almost impossible team, helping them take home the gold medal.
Axel Sandin Pellikka was named the tournament's best defender, and while he didn't lead Sweden's blue line in points, he was arguably one of the team's most important defenders, shutting down opponents with his speed and strong defensive play. The Detroit Red Wings prospect scored a crucial overtime goal over Switzerland in the quarterfinals to advance the Swedes to the semifinals.
Hugo Havelid was named the best goalkeeper and the third Swede to take the tournament award. His .917 save percentage was third-highest in the tournament, but he stood tall against the Canadians, turning away all 21 shots in a 2-0 victory over the gold medal favorite. It was two games shut out by Havelid, and he did not allow a goal until the second period of the next game against the Swiss, which made him shut down 157:26.
Media All-Star voting for the tournament saw Cutter Gauther, Jiri Kulich, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki named as the top forwards, Lane Hutson and Theo Lindstein as the top defensemen, and Hugo Havelid as the top goaltender in the 2024 World Junior Championship. .
2025 WJC Schedule
If you want to follow a specific team or game, here is the full schedule of matches in the tournament, including all the games of the medal round
December 26
Slovakia vs Sweden
USA vs Germany
Czechia vs Switzerland
Finland vs Canada
December 27
Switzerland vs Slovakia
Germany vs Finland
Sweden vs Kazakhstan
Latvia vs Canada
December 28
Latvia vs USA
Kazakhstan vs Czechia
December 29
Switzerland vs Sweden
USA vs Finland
Czechia vs Slovakia
Canada vs Germany
December 30
Slovakia vs Kazakhstan
Germany vs Latvia
December 31st
Kazakhstan vs Switzerland
Finland vs Latvia
Sweden vs Czechia
Canada vs USA
January 2 – Quarterfinals
1A vs 4B
2B vs 3A
1B vs 4A
2A vs 3B
A5 vs B5 (Relegation)
Jan. 4 – semi-finalist
1A/4B vs 2B/3A
1B/4A vs 2A/3B
Jan. 5
Bronze Medal Match
Gold Medal Game
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