2026 IIHF World Juniors Championships: Playoffs Open Post and Gamesthread

It’s the final two days of the group stage, but things already seem pretty set.

Good morning, Devils fans. The World Juniors Championships are now past the group stage and into the playoffs. Please see below for how the Groups A and B shook out:

The Rosters and Standings

Please see the following hyperlinks for each roster for qualified teams. Please note that not all teams have posted their rosters on their official sites. The top four teams in each Group will advance to the Championship Playoffs, while Germany and Denmark will proceed to the Relegation game.

Group A

Team Sweden — 4-0-0-0 (12 points)

Team USA — 3-0-0-1 (9 points)

Team Switzerland — 2-0-0-2 (6 points)

Team Slovakia — 1-0-0-3 (3 points)

Team Germany — 0-0-0-4 (0 points)

Group B

Team Canada — 3-1-0-0 (11 points)

Team Czechia — 2-1-0-1 (8 points)

Team Finland — 2-0-1-1 (7 points)

Team Latvia — 1-0-1-1 (4 points)

Team Denmark — 0-0-0-4 (0 points)

January 2

Relegation Playoff: Germany vs. Denmark
The Time: 12:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket A Quarterfinal #1: Sweden vs. Latvia
The Time: 2:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket A Quarterfinal #2: Czechia vs. Switzerland
The Time: 4:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket B Quarterfinal #1: USA vs. Finland
The Time: 6:00 PM EST
The Spot: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

Bracket B Quarterfinal #2: Canada vs. Slovakia
The Time: 8:30 PM EST
The Spot: 3M Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
The Broadcast: TV — TSN, NHL Network, Fubo

As a result of USA’s loss to Sweden in the final game of the Group Stage, it became certain that only one of Team USA or Team Canada can medal this year. But Finland is a tough enough game for Team USA, and they cannot take them lightly.

January 4

January 4 will feature the Semifinals.

January 5

January 5 will feature the Gold and Bronze Games.

Your Thoughts

What have you thought of World Juniors this season? Have you been able to catch any games so far? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and feel free to treat this post like a gamethread when the times come.

Category: General Sports