Monday is the fourth day of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
On Tap for Day 4
All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN in Canada
Germany vs. Sweden (1 p.m. ET) -- Sweden (2-0-0-0) will look for a better effort in its Group A game at Grand Casino Arena than it got against Switzerland on Sunday, when it needed three goals in the third period, two by Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim Ducks) to rally from a 2-1 deficit for a 4-2 victory. Germany (0-0-0-2) will look for a similar effort to the one it had in its tournament opener against the United States, when it pushed the two-time defending champions for two periods before losing 6-3 on Thursday. They fell behind Slovakia 3-0 through two periods on Saturday before losing 4-1. Goalie Linus Viellard (2026 draft eligible) has been Germany's best player through two games, with a .919 save percentage.
Finland vs. Czechia (3:30 p.m. ET) -- After allowing 17 shots on goal in its two wins, Finland (2-0-0-0) knows it will get its first true challenge of the tournament against Czechia (1-0-0-1) in a Group B game at 3M Arena at Mariucci, on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Petteri Rimpinen (Los Angeles Kings), who was voted the best goalie of the 2025 WJC, has stopped 15 of those 17 shots, including all seven he faced in an 8-0 win against Latvia on Sunday. He's almost certainly going to see more pucks against Czechia. Their top line of Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings), Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals) and Vaclav Nestrasil (Chicago Blackhawks) has combined for 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Defenseman Tomas Galvas (2026 draft eligible) leads all players with five points (two goals, three assists).
Slovakia vs. United States (6 p.m. ET) -- Tight defense and strong goaltending has helped Slovakia (1-0-0-1) to a strong start in Group A. Goalies Alan Lendak (2026 draft eligible) and Michal Pradel (Detroit Red Wings) have combined to allow four goals on 67 shots in a 3-2 loss to Sweden on Friday, and a 4-1 win against Germany on Saturday. To counter that the U.S. (2-0-0-0) might need one of their defensemen to step into a larger role with Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals) questionable after he was removed from the ice on a stretcher during a 2-1 win against Switzerland on Saturday after he was hit in the back of the head by a puck. Hutson was hospitalized briefly but rejoined the team for dinner Saturday night and is considered day to day. Hutson, the leading scorer of the 2025 WJC with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in seven games, has two assists and a plus-5 rating while averaging 18:42 of ice time in two games. If he can't play, Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen (2026 draft eligible) could return to the lineup after being scratched Saturday.
Canada vs. Denmark (8:30 p.m. ET) -- After a day off Sunday, Canada (1-1-0-0) returns to Group B action looking for its third straight win. Their top line has been Michael Hage (Montreal Canadiens), Gavin McKenna (2026 draft eligible) and Brady Martin (Nashville Predators). Hage (two goals, two assists) and McKenna (four assists) are tied for the Canada scoring lead with four points each, and Martin (one goal, one assist) has been a shift-disturbing, netfront presence at 5-on-5 and the power play. But they need more from their other top-end forwards. Of their four with NHL experience, only Martin has a goal. Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks) has one assist, and Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks) and Jett Luchanko (Philadelphia Flyers) don't have a point. Facing Denmark (0-0-0-2), which allowed 13 goals in losses to Finland (6-2) and Czechia (7-2), could provide an opportunity for some other players to contribute to the offense.
