What’s at stake on final day of World Junior pool action on TSN
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With preliminary play at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship wrapping up on Tuesday, group winners from both pools will be determined via head-to-head matchups shown LIVE on TSN.
Canada vs. United States
Canada and the United States write another chapter in their storied rivalry, with a pivotal matchup set for the top spot in Group A.
Both teams sit atop the Group of Gold at seven points apiece with identical 2-0-0-1 records through three round-robin games.
The top-seeded team after Tuesday’s matchup will face the lowest-seeded team to qualify for the knockout rounds from Group B in the crossover quarterfinal on Thursday.
After an 4-0 win over Finland in their tournament-opener, Canada suffered a shocking 3-2 shootout loss at the hands of Latvia, a team they had previously outscored 41-4 in their previous four matchups at the World Juniors.
The tournament hosts got back on track Sunday with a 3-0 win over Germany to set up the high-stakes matchup against the defending-champion Americans.
Carter George turned away all 25 shots he faced against Germany to record his second shutout of the tournament. He has already been named as the starter for the matchup against the U.S.
“It’s a good rivalry,” said George to TSN's Mark Masters ahead of Tuesday's game. “It’s probably one of the oldest ones in sports. You always want to come out on top when you have these kind of games.
“I know our team is going to do everything we can to prepare and to be there and win that game.”
“The atmosphere is going to be so cool,” added team captain Brayden Yager. “Playing against the States, rivalry game. We don’t like those guys over there.”
The U.S. began its tournament with a 10-4 rout of the Germans and a 5-1 win over Latvia, before falling in overtime to Finland, 4-3.
“They hate us out there, and I love it,” said defenceman Cole Hutson on the matchup with Canada. “They’re going to root against us all tournament, and we’re ready for it.”
TSN’s James Duthie notes that while a victory Tuesday would guarantee the top spot in Group A, a loss could knock both teams down to as low as the third seed, meaning a matchup with the No. 2 team from Group B would await them in the quarterfinal.
Canada has won 34 of their 49 contests against the Americans at the World Juniors, and will look to see the year off with a victory from Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre on New Years’ Eve.
Czechia vs. Sweden
Group B’s winner also comes down to the final day of pool action, with Czechia and Sweden battling for the top spot.
Both teams hold perfect 3-0-0-0 records heading into the meeting, but now face their first big test at the 2025 World Juniors.
Sweden, the silver medalists at last year's event, defeated Slovakia 5-2 on Boxing Day, and followed that up with an 8-1 thumping of Kazakhstan.
After surviving a four-goal third period from Switzerland in their 7-5 win on Sunday, the Swedes now get a chance to win their group for the second straight year.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, playing in his third and final under-20 world championship, has been the key to Sweden’s early success at this year’s World Juniors.
Selected 17th-overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, Sandin-Pellikka is tied for the tournament lead in goals and assists. He took home top defenceman honours at last year's World Juniors on home soil in Gothenburg, and is tracking to become just the second player ever to win the award twice.
"I like to have the puck as much as I can because I know that's my strength," said the 19-year-old. "But from the back end, just keep it simple.
“Most times, I don't have to do anything flashy. Play a little more mature.”
Czechia got off to a hot start against the Swiss with a 5-1 win, before adding 14-2 and 4-2 victories of Kazakhstan and Slovakia, respectively.
Jakub Stancl and Vojtech Hradec have led the charge for the Czechs this week, and both are tied with Sandin-Pellikka atop the list of tournament scoring leaders.
Tuesday’s winner will face the fourth-seeded team from Group A, either Finland or Latvia, in the quarterfinal, with the loser taking on the third-seeded team in the crossover playoff round format.