Islanders React to World Juniors

Blink and you would have missed it. The 2026 World Juniors have come and gone, with three New York Islanders prospects – Victor Eklund, Tomas Poletin and Kashawn Aitcheson – bringing home medals for their respective countries. The 10-day tournament featured goals, hits and skills from the next generation of NHL stars and the next generation of Islanders.

Team Sweden won it all with a 4-2 victory over Team Czechia in the final game on Monday night. It was Sweden’s first gold medal at the tournament in 14 years, a source of pride for Swedish Islanders like Emil Heineman,

“[It’s a] great feeling,” Heineman said. “Even though you’re not a part of it, you’re still cheering for your country. So, [I’m] just so happy for us as a country.”

Eklund, the Islanders 2025 first-round pick (16th overall) put on an impressive showing at the World Juniors, with eight points (2G, 6A) in seven games in Sweden’s gold medal run. He even was named Sweden’s player of the game in the championship game, recording a goal and an assist.

“He played real well [and] had that grit in his play,” Heineman said of Eklund. “I thought his line created a lot for Sweden and he has a really strong end.”

Heineman’s home nation provided him with bragging rights in the Islanders’ locker room. Even so, the 24-year-old forward didn’t need to use them.

“I figured everybody knew Sweden was going to win that one,” Heineman said. “That’s why [there’s] not a lot of chirping around here.”

Cal Ritchie was ready to challenge Heineman and the other Swedes in the Isles’ locker room to a friendly wager if Team Canada had made the gold medal game. Instead it was Tomas Poletin, the Islanders’ 2025 fourth-round pick (106^th overall) , and Czechia who made the gold medal game with Poletin scoring the winning goal against Canada. David Rittich, a Czechia native, enjoyed watching his nation’s great success at this year’s tournament as Czechia earned a medal for the third straight year.

“That’s why the U.S. media is a little quiet here today and [the] Canadians are not even here,” Rittich joked ahead of Monday’s gold medal game.

Poletin was instrumental in this success as he put together a strong tournament with six points (4G, 2A) in seven games.

Rittich praised the 18-year-old’s abilities on the ice, as well as his character when he isn’t suited up. The two Czechs connected at Islanders Training Camp and have remained connected since.

“We’re in touch all the time,” Rittich said. “And I told him to shoot more, and the next day they played a game, and he scored right away.”

Rittich followed Team Czechia, especially Poletin, throughout the tournament, and he even had a history with Head Coach Patrick Augusta of the team this year. Augusta was an assistant head coach for Rittich when he began playing professionally.

Team Canada defenseman and Islanders 2025 first-round pick, Kashawn Aitcheson took home a bronze medal in his first World Juniors experience. He also had his countrymen rooting for him in the Isles room.

Ritchie had mentioned before the tournament began on Dec. 26 that he would also be following Team Canada and “rooting for Aitcheson.”

“He’s obviously a great player [and] super physical,” Ritchie said while pointing out Aitcheson’s huge hit on Monday night. “We’re lucky to have him.”

While Ritchie hoped for another Canadian gold medal, the 6-4 defeat to Czechia in the semifinals ended their run. This was a feeling the 20-year-old forward can relate to as he and Team Canada fell 4-3 to Czechia at the tournament in 2025.

“It’s unfortunate for them,” Ritchie said. “[I] played with a lot of those guys on the team last year, so I can share their frustration with our loss last year.”

The Canadians still went on to earn a bronze medal with a 6-3 win over Finland on Monday evening.

“I wish they could have gone a little further,” Matthew Schaefer said. “But a bronze medal is still a medal at the end of the day.”