If 2025 needed one last exclamation point, Canada and Finland were happy to provide it at the world juniors.
With top spot in Group B up for grabs, both teams didn’t waste any time getting in on the action, but in the end, it was Canada that took control with a 7-4 victory.
It’s fitting that on the day the Canadian Olympic roster was unveiled, the future hopefuls were determined to show that they are ready to end their medal drought.
Goals were pretty easy to come by in this game, but more importantly, the Canadians continued to show their championship form with a tone-setting victory.
Gaining top spot in the group now sets up Canada in a favourable position going into the quarterfinals. But it wasn’t the only one to benefit from winning its final game of round-robin play.
Before we look ahead and break down those matchups, here are takeaways from the final action of 2025 at the world juniors.
A goal-fest opening period
Well, that escalated quickly.
Defence was not top of mind for either team to start the game, with four goals scored on the first five shots.
It got to a point where each point-blank was expected to go in. Safe to say some apologies were given to both goaltenders during the first intermission.
Fans watching were definitely not going to complain about how the game started, considering the skill level on display.
There were certainly some concerning moments defensively, but Canada definitely showed its depth of firepower with seven players recording two or more points in this game.
Cole Beaudoin had two goals and an assist for Canada. Brady Martin also had a pair of goals to showcase the scoring outside of the top unit.
While it was nice to see others step up and produce, Canada’s top offensive players weren’t silent in this game.
The trio of Zayne Parekh, Michael Hage and Gavin McKenna also moved into a tie with Tomas Chrenko of Slovakia for the tournament lead in scoring.
The Calgary connection on display
Seeing Parekh and Tij Iginla connect for a few highlight-worthy plays in this game definitely came with mixed feelings if you were a Calgary Flames fan.
Parekh got the scoring started with a wrister that fooled Petteri Rimpinen, but he would have a bigger role in the offence later in the game.
The Flames prospect’s vision was on display all night, but one play stood out from the others as he made a perfect pass to find Iginla for a breakaway goal.
Back in the 2024 NHL Draft, many in Calgary were hoping that the son of Flames legend Jarome Iginla would fall to them at ninth overall, but the Utah Mammoth spoiled the party, taking him sixth overall.
To be fair, Parekh was a nice pickup and has found his dynamic offensive form after a tough start to his NHL career with just one assist in 11 games.
That goal counted?
There are goals at the World Junior Championship that ignite a building — and then there are goals that leave fans in disbelief for the wrong reason.
Canada coach Dale Hunter challenged a goal by Joona Saarelainen as the replay showed that the Finnish player touched the glove of Carter George with his stick as he reached out to make the save.
Unfortunately, the explanation was that George’s glove was outside the crease, and officials ruled the play inadvertent contact. They believe Saarelainen was attempting to tip a mid-air puck — not interfere with the goaltender.
The IIHF rule dictates that if George’s glove had been in the crease, the goal would have been waived off for interference.
It was obviously a big goal for Finland as it tied the game at 3-3 in the first period, and Canada received a minor penalty for delay of game.
Sweden flexes muscle with statement win
With top spot in Group A on the line, two undefeated teams were looking to stake their claim as the team to beat going forward.
Unfortunately for the host nation, they were not ready for what Sweden had in store, as the Americans found themselves trailing 5-1 in the second period.
In the end, Sweden took a 6-3 win over the U.S. with Eddie Genborg scoring twice while teammate Jack Berglund added three assists.
It’s a game that will definitely humble the U.S. a bit, but also gives them something to work back to.
“They’re a pretty good team and we didn’t play our best,” U.S. defenceman Chase Reid said after the game. “We’ll see them again, and we’ll get them back. I feel like we can play the same way, but we didn’t bring our best game tonight. We took a lot of undisciplined penalties that we didn’t need to take, but it’s a learning lesson, and we’ll come back stronger.”
The win also has an extra benefit for Sweden when it comes to its quarterfinal matchup. It will take on Latvia, while the second-place Americans will play Finland, who lost out on top spot in Group B after Canada secured the victory on New Year’s Eve.
The battle for gold is on
To no surprise, Canada, Czechia, Sweden and the United States once again qualified out of the group stage. Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Latvia also made it to the quarterfinals with some familiar matchups coming in right off the hop.
Canada will take on Slovakia in the quarterfinals for the third time, with a rematch of the 2023 game that ended with Connor Bedard’s memorable overtime goal.
Sweden will take on Latvia after earning the top spot in Group B. It is the third time in five years that the teams will go head-to-head, with Sweden winning the last two.
The U.S. and Finland have also met three times in the quarterfinals, with their last matchup ending in a 1-0 win for the Finns in 2020.
Czechia will look for a similar result to 2023, when they beat Switzerland 9-1 in the quarterfinal.
Canada, the U.S. and Sweden remain the favourites to win the tournament, but if history has taught us anything, the world juniors have a surprise or two in store when we least expect it.
