2025 World Juniors daily: Jan. 2
It’s quarterfinals day at the 2025 World Juniors with four contests set to take place from Ottawa.
Day 7 schedule:
Germany vs. Kazakhstan – 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT
Sweden vs. Latvia – 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT
USA vs. Switzerland – 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
Finland vs. Slovakia – 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
Canada vs. Czechia – 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
A look ahead:
The busiest day of the tournament will begin at the Canadian Tire Centre as Germany and Kazakhstan will fight for World Juniors survival in the relegation game. Both teams were winless in the round-robin although Kazakhstan collected a point against Slovakia in a 5-4 overtime loss on New Year’s Eve. The winner will guarantee their spot at the 2026 World Juniors.
The first quarterfinal of the day sees Sweden battle Latvia. Sweden were the only team to go a perfect 4-0-0 as they collected all 12 points available to them. Latvia, on the other hand, won two games in the round-robin for the first time in program history that was highlighted by its shootout win over Canada. Sweden haven’t tasted World Juniors glory since 2012 while Latvia are quarterfinalists for the third time in four years.
Defending champions USA will face Switzerland in the second quarterfinal. The USA didn’t lose in regulation during the round-robin and went 3-0-1 on route to claiming top spot in Group A. The Americans have five gold medals since 2010 while Switzerland – who went 1-3-0 in the round-robin – are in the quarters for the fourth straight year.
After they finished second in Group A with a 3-1-0 record, Finland will take on Slovakia in the third quarterfinal. Finland – who agonizingly lost the bronze medal game a year ago – are seeking their first World Juniors medal since they claimed silver in 2022. The Finns haven’t won gold since 2019. As for Slovakia, they are in the quarters for the third straight year and will look to medal for the first time since they won bronze in 2015.
Finally, Canada will face Czechia to round out the quarters. The hosts wound up third in Group A after a 2-1-1 round-robin where scoring has been a cause for concern with just 10 goals in four games. A year ago, Canada were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Czechia as they look to add to its tournament best 20 gold medals. Czechia went 3-1-0 in Group B and will begin their quest for a third straight medal after they won silver (2023) and bronze (2024) the past two years.
Where to watch:
Germany’s contest with Kazakhstan is on TSN 4 while Sweden and Latvia can be seen live on TSN 1/3/4 and USA’s contest with Switzerland is available on TSN 3/4/5. TSN 1 will show Finland and Slovakia while Canada’s matchup with Czechia is live on TSN 1/4.
Tournament notes:
60 CHL players to compete at 2025 World Juniors
Canada roster
Non-Canada players
