Standouts and biggest surprises (both good and bad) from the 2026 World Juniors

The IIHF World Junior Championships wrapped up on Monday, and for the first time in a very long time, one of Canada or the United States did not play for gold. Perhaps the most important takeaway is that, at the junior levels, the field is more competitive than ever before. The number of teams capable of winning a medal has expanded.

We can quibble about what Canada's team would have looked like with all NHL players available -- Macklin Celebrini, Beckett Sennecke, Sam Dickinson, Berkly Catton, Matthew Schaefer among them -- but Canada should always be deep enough to withstand that. The talent is there, but perhaps a nation with an embarrassment of riches gets a little too cute with their approach, which impacts their ability to compete against teams who "gear up" to play them.

Regardless, the fact that Czechia, Sweden, and Finland are right there with Canada and the United States speaks to the growth of hockey, something that can only be seen as positive for the sport.

So many players stood out for different reasons at this tournament, which can be a springboard or a detriment to their value, regardless of the sample size. Undrafted players who looked better than many drafted players, drafted players who failed to meet expectations, and teams who over- or underperformed were aplenty in the 2026 edition of the Holiday Classic.

This is the first time many fans have seen the likes of Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck play, and some haven't seen Gavin McKenna play since the tournament last year either. There are plenty of storylines to cover coming out of the tournament, not the least of which is the new champion.

Sweden finally strikes gold

Sweden has been one of the best teams at the tournament since its inception. Arguably the best group stage team never seemed to be able to win in the most important games.

That was not the case this year, as Sweden was the best team from start to finish.

The Swedes went through the group round like a hot knife through butter on brilliant performances from Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks), the deepest defensive core the tournament has seen in some time, and their draft-eligible players. For his part, Frondell looked like a man among boys for much of the tournament. Supported by Ivar Stenberg (2026 draft-eligible) and Viggo Björck (2026), the trio formed Sweden's top three players at the tournament, taking turns exerting their dominance on the competition.

Jack Berglund (Philadelphia Flyers) led with his brute physical strength, bullying his way through opponents to create opportunities, and played critical defensive minutes for Sweden. Whether it was the veterans or the young guns, Sweden got contributions at the right times from their top forwards.

Sweden's team was built from the blue line, and while the forwards will get many of the accolades, Sweden's D corps was the difference maker. Leo Sahlin Wallenius (San Jose Sharks) quietly shut down every top player he went against. Alfons Freij (Winnipeg Jets) ran an excellent power play, and sound defensive play in transition combined with excellent goaltending made Sweden incredibly difficult to score on.

Sweden conceded 2.23 goals per game, more than half a goal per game fewer than the second-best defensive team in the tournament. Love Harenstam (St. Louis Blues) ensured that Sweden was the only team to finish with a team save percentage above .900, and was named the tournament's top goaltender. Sweden's ability to stay disciplined, defend in transition and limit high-danger chances allowed their forwards to create chances, on which they were skilled enough to capitalize many times over.

Czechia medals for the fourth straight year

From top to bottom, Czechia was the most impressive team at the tournament. Their discipline and ability to consistently forecheck the will to win out of their opponents is a testament to their willingness to do what it takes to win, and the federation's coaching staff. Junior hockey is a game of mistakes, and Czechia forced more mistakes than any other team.

Their relentless play without the puck caused turnovers, led to quick-strike offense and stifled their opponents from creating chances off the rush. They were disciplined in their system and were able to mitigate many of their own mistakes because of solid positioning and not overcommitting.

Czechia was fun to watch, from the skill of Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings), Adam Benak (Minnesota Wild) and Vaclav Nestrasil (Blackhawks) to the effective annoyance brought by Tomas Poletin (New York Islanders) and Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals).

Tomas Galvas was nothing short of exceptional for Czechia, and it remains ridiculous that he went undrafted largely it seems because he measures 5-10. No team thought that a player of his skating ability and impact was worth a late-round selection. While 19-year-olds are traditionally the best players in the tournament, Galvas stood out among his peers, many of whom were drafted. It is not a stretch to say that without Galvas, Czechia likely finds themselves in the bronze medal game or worse.

It is rare that a smaller defenseman can make an impact the NHL level, but Galvas certainly demonstrated that he is capable of outperforming his peers, and is more likely to make the NHL than many of the players who have been drafted. If his rights were owned by a team, he'd be discussed as one of the best value draft selections of the last few years. Every team has the potential to right this wrong at the upcoming NHL draft, where Galvas will surely draw interest.

McKenna, Stenberg and other draft-eligible notables

Quite a few draft-eligible players made their mark on the tournament. Before delving into specifics, it's important to assert that making sweeping judgements on a player's value based on play at a singular tournament is irresponsible and entirely unhelpful. There are many instances where players have struggled in this tournament, seen their stock fall and gone on to have successful NHL careers. There are also cases where players were brilliant in the World Juniors and never made the same impact in the NHL. A player's performance over a two-week tournament will not make or break their NHL career and should not be the determining factor in their value.

Five draft-eligible players expected to be selected in the first round generated significant chatter over the course of the tournament: Gavin McKenna (Canada), Ivar Stenberg (Sweden), Viggo Björck (Sweden), Oliver Suvanto (Finland) and Chase Reid (United State).

McKenna, who entered the tournament as the favorite to go first overall, was part of one of the best lines throughout the group stage. He has game-breaking ability, but like many players his age, there were questions about the consistency of his effort. He was not the electrifying gamebreaker many had hoped he would be in the semifinal, but he was the primary reason Canada's power play was so dangerous throughout the tournament.

McKenna's talent is undeniable, his ability to create and facilitate electric offense is special. He did nothing to cement his status as the first overall selection, but claims that he is a bust or unworthy of a lottery selection are grossly misguided. For all the chatter of a disappointing performance, McKenna finished second in tournament scoring with 14 points, including a four-point performance in the bronze medal game.

Stenberg and Björck were highly impactful for Sweden, with both named as top players for Sweden in the tournament.

Björck's four missed breakaways in overtime of the semifinal were a hot button topic. One can look at them in two ways: he has the speed, skill and hockey sense to put himself in positions to consistently create those opportunities... or, he is inefficient with his opportunities and lacks killer instinct. Making sweeping assessments on a player's "killer instinct" over the course of one overtime, let alone one tournament is short-sighted. Björck demonstrated the ability to drive play and create opportunities against players older than him, and more than held his own physically. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in maturity, compete and smarts. No one should be surprised if Björck ascends in the draft rankings, and being selected in the top 10 is a very realistic possibility.

Stenberg did nothing to harm his draft stock as one of Sweden's best players. Viewed as McKenna's top competition for the first overall pick, Stenberg was excellent throughout the tournament, stepping up in key moments. He drove play, used his body to protect pucks and outmuscle opponents, and created opportunities all over the ice. He got better as the tournament went on, and put opponents in blenders with his elusiveness without overcomplicating plays. He created passing lanes and took shooting opportunities when they presented themselves. Stenberg was an impactful difference maker for Sweden, and left many believing in his potential to be a star in the NHL.

Oliver Suvanto was named one of Finland's best players at the tournament and rightfully so. Suvanto quickly worked his way into a top-line role for Finland, and the big center put himself firmly in the conversation to be a top-15 pick. Off the puck, Suvanto was disruptive in the middle of the ice, forced turnovers on the forecheck and created quick-strike opportunities. He showcased a quality blend of two-way play, offensive prowess and physical capability. Suvanto's ability to impact the game with and without the puck shows a maturity that some of his peers lack and impressed onlookers.

Chase Reid entered as a player with top-5 potential who was going to play behind some more experienced players on the American blue line. His play forced the coaching staff to increase his role, and when Cole Hutson went down with injury, Reid stepped up. He ran the power play with ease, facilitating offense and making plays that few others in the tournament could pull off, especially as an underage player. He jumped into the play, sent defenders the wrong way and created high-danger opportunities for his teammates. He handled the pressure of an elevated role very well, and showed he could be impactful in key situations, something that will only drive home the value many believe he already held in the upcoming draft.

Canada, USA must evaluate their grassroots approaches

In every tournament, there are disappointments -- teams and players who ought to have performed better than they did. It is even more pronounced at the junior level where players who cannot even enjoy a beer in the host country receive exponentially more attention than usual. How they perform and manage their emotions in critical moments is analyzed for months following the tournament, and speaks to some underlying concerns about how youth hockey is managed in North America compared to Europe.

The United States failing to make the semifinal on home soil can be seen as bitterly disappointing. Canada coming unglued in the semifinal -- knowing the United States was out -- is equally disappointing. Both teams lacked the requisite discipline without the puck to defend, and thus struggled to control games.

Will Zellers (Boston Bruins) was excellent for the United States, but was inexplicably left out of the overtime rotation in the quarterfinal. He and James Hagens (Bruins) were two of the best Americans in the tournament, making Zellers' deployment questionable at best. The reality for the Americans is that their most talented players were unable to come up in key moments, and they were made to pay for their defensive miscues. Ultimately, giving up five power-play goals in 15 attempts, along with a team save percentage of .861 was going to be difficult to overcome.

Canada, the tournament favorites, were excellent when leading. Tied or trailing, Canada got away from their defensive structure, took unnecessary risks, and ultimately was unable to adequately control play; simply, they lacked the patience to trust that their skill would overcome the deficit.

Canada was the more skilled team in every game they played. Whether players lacked maturity or the system did not fit the personnel, Canada was unable to stick to their game plan and capitalize on opportunities in tight games. Turnovers in dangerous areas of the ice and the inability to get the puck out of their own end in critical situations led to goals against, and put Canada in uncomfortable situations. Playing 12 forwards and eight defensemen left no margin for injury and Canada was not the same after Brady Martin was injured in the semifinal, causing every line to be cycled into a blender. Between that, ridiculous unsportsmanlike penalties, ill-timed offensive zone penalties and a general inability to keep their heads, Canada faltered at the most critical time.

A bigger question about hockey in both countries looms large. It is impossible to escape the feeling that part of the reason two of the top producers of talent in hockey history are falling back to the pack at the junior level is related to how the sport is managed at the grassroots level.

Hockey has never been more inaccessible in North America, with astronomical costs for equipment and ice time. That is before we arrive at the cost to play in a premier program and the number of players who lose out on valuable development opportunities, not for lack of ability, but because the cost associated with the programming is unaffordable for many families. Talented athletes are choosing other sports, not necessarily because of interest but because hockey is wholly unaffordable for the majority of middle-class families. Playing elite hockey means thousands of dollars on equipment, ice time, private ice sessions, off-ice trainers, travelling to tournaments, and the cost to be part of the program.

The professionalization of the sport at the youth level has led to an increase in for-profit entities and a decrease in accessible community-based programming. Instead of playing or running programs to develop as a person, learn the importance of being a good teammate and having fun, parents are trying to gain the attention of scouts prior to their child's age of 10. If Canada and the United States want to continue to stay atop the mountain, their pool of athletes needs to grow, not shrink. Currently, the talent pool is shrinking because the approach at the youth level has become more about profiting off of desperate parents than coaching kids because you want to have a positive impact.

In Europe, children are encouraged to compete in multiple sports and become well-rounded, before specializing in their teenage years. In North America, children are told they must dedicate themselves to one sport and train year-round to avoid "falling behind." Studies show that the best athletes do not specialize until much later in life, which leads to better performance and less burnout. Both North American federations would do well to evaluate the state of grassroots hockey in their countries and make every effort to place emphasis on community development in place of for-profit programming.

Some of the behavior exhibited by players on and off the ice over the last decade is likely related to growing up in an environment that teaches them their athletic talent and accomplishments are more important than the person they become and thus, the way they conduct themselves in the community has left something to be desired.