2026 World Junior Championship Group A preview
Prospects Hagens of Bruins, Eiserman of Islanders look to help U.S. three-peat
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James Hagens and Cole Eiserman are two of eight first-round NHL draft picks hoping to bring the United States a third straight championship for the first time at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
They'll get that chance when the 2026 WJC is held in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
The U.S. won the 2024 WJC, 6-2 against host Sweden in the gold-medal game, and the 2025 WJC with a 4-3 overtime win against Finland. The Americans have won seven tournament titles and three in the past five years. No country has won three in a row since Canada's run of five straight from 2005-09.
"I think anytime you step on the ice, you always want to prove something," Hagens said. "You want to be able to show your best and when you have your country's logo on your sweater and you're playing for something big, it means a lot. You have to make sure you're wearing it with a lot of pride, a lot of honor.
"You have to be able to show the staff, show your country, show the people that believe in you, that you're meant to be there."
Hagens, a sophomore forward at Boston College, was selected No. 7 by the Boston Bruins in the 2025 NHL Draft. He leads the Eagles with 10 goals and 18 points in 16 games. Eiserman, a sophomore forward at Boston University, was selected No. 20 by the New York Islanders in the 2024 NHL Draft. He leads the Terriers with eight goals and is third with 12 points in 18 games.
The United States will be hosting the event for the seventh time. It has never won a WJC gold medal on home ice.
"I remember two years ago [U.S. general manager John Vanbiesbrouck] was talking about how they never won in Sweden, and they ended up winning in Sweden," Eiserman said. "So now we have a chance to win in the States. Hopefully history repeats itself with that and we can win on home soil, which would be pretty cool, especially in Minnesota."
Other first-round selections on the United States roster include forwards Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights, No. 19, 2024), Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh Penguins, No. 24, 2025), and Ryker Lee (Nashville Predators, No. 26, 2025), and defensemen Henry Brzustewicz (Los Angeles Kings, No. 31, 2025), E.J. Emery (New York Ranges, No. 30, 2024) and Logan Hensler (Ottawa Senators, No. 23, 2025).
The U.S. will play in Group A at the 2026 WJC, along with Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland and Germany with preliminary-round games at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Group B consists of Finland, Czechia, Canada, Latvia and Denmark with preliminary-round games at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.
The United States opens the WJC against Germany on Dec. 26 (6 p.m. ET). Canada also opens on Dec. 26 against Czechia (8:30 p.m. ET). All games will be broadcast live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Here's a look at each Group A team, in predicted order of finish:
Sweden
Coach: Magnus Havelid
2026 NHL Draft watch: Ivar Stenberg, Frolunda (SWE); Viggo Bjorck, Djurgarden (SWE); William Hakansson, D, Lulea (SWE); Casper Juustovaara, C, Lulea (SWE)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Slovakia (1 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Switzerland (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Germany (1 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, United States (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Sweden played fast, physical and averaged 4.9 goals per game on the way to earning first place at the World Junior Summer Showcase in August with a plus-9 goal differential in five games. It returns key players from last year's fourth-place finish, including forwards Anton Frondell (Chicago Blackhawks), Victor Eklund (New York Islanders) and Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim Ducks). Additionally, forwards Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Bjorck are eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and should play significant roles, particularly Stenberg, who many project to be chosen top five in the draft. Forwards Eddie Genborg (Detroit Red Wings), Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim Ducks) and Eric Nilson (Anaheim) and defensemen Leo Sahlin Wallenius (San Jose Sharks), Sascha Boumedienne (Winnipeg Jets), Victor Johansson (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Alfons Freij (Winnipeg Jets) are primed for success. Berglund had seven points (four goals, three assists) in the Summer Showcase. The only question is in goal, but Herman Liv, Love Harenstam (St. Louis Blues) and Mans Goos (Dallas Stars) each have represented Sweden on an international level before. The country has just one gold medal (2012) in the past 44 tournaments.
United States
Coach: Bob Motzko
2026 NHL Draft watch: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL); Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, D, Michigan (NCAA)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Germany (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Switzerland (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Slovakia (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Sweden (6 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Choosing a starting goalie is the first step for Motzko and it may come down to either Nick Kempf (Washington Capitals) or Caleb Heil (Tampa Bay Lightning), with Kempf the likely starter. Motzko returns after leading the U.S. National Junior Team to gold at the 2017 WJC and bronze in the 2018 WJC. A big key to success for the U.S. is remaining disciplined and not taking any unnecessary penalties since "it usually comes down to special teams, and you've got to win that battle." Don't be surprised if Hagens is asked to center the top line with returnees Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) and Brodie Ziemer (Buffalo Sabres) on what could turn out to be one of the tournament's top threesomes. The defense will be led by returnee Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals), the brother of Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson. Cole became the first defenseman in WJC history to lead the tournament in scoring (11 points; three goals, eight assists). Also returning are defensemen Logan Hensler (Ottawa Senators) and Adam Kleber (Buffalo Sabres), and forwards Trevor Connelly (Vegas Golden Knights) and Max Plante (Detroit Red Wings). Right-handed defenseman EJ Emery (New York Rangers), a sophomore at North Dakota, should log minutes in a shutdown role in his World Juniors debut.
Slovakia
Coach: Peter Fruhauf
2026 NHL Draft watch: Adam Goljer, D, Trencin (SVK); Adam Nemec, LW, Nitra (SVK); Tomas Chrenko, C, Nitra (SVK); Tobias Tomik, LW, Vancouver (WHL)
Schedule: Dec. 26, Sweden (1 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Germany (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, United States (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Switzerland (1 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Slovakia, which finished sixth at the 2025 WJC, hasn't won a World Junior medal since a bronze in 2015. They have six returnees from last season's team, including goalies Michal Pradel of Tri City in the United States Hockey League and Alan Lendak of Fargo (USHL). Pradel (Detroit Red Wings) is the younger of the two, but he sports a 2.71 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 21 games this season (7-9-3). Forward Jan Chovan (Los Angeles Kings) should play a big role after getting two points (one goal, one assist) and averaging 8:29 in ice time at the 2025 WJC. Michal Svrcek (Red Wings), who plays for Brynas in the Swedish Hockey League, will also provide an offensive boost. Two 2026 NHL Draft-eligible players to watch will be skilled playmaker Tomas Chrenko (5-11, 172) and two-way forward Adam Nemec (6-1, 176), the brother of New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec, and right-handed defenseman Adam Goljer (6-3, 194), a B-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list. Games against Germany on Dec. 27 and Switzerland on New Year's Eve will be crucial to the country earning a quarterfinal-round berth.
Switzerland
Coach: Jan Cadieux
2026 NHL Draft watch: Lars Steiner, RW, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
Schedule: Dec. 27, United States (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 28, Sweden (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Germany (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 31, Slovakia (1 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Brothers Jonah and Elijah Neuenschwander (Anaheim Ducks) each could play a role for the Swiss. Jonah (2027 NHL Draft eligible), who will be playing in his third World Juniors, became the first 15-year-old to play in the tournament since 2001 and the fifth ever during the 2024 WJC. Elijah is expected to serve as backup goalie to Christian Kirsch (San Jose Sharks), who is 12-7-1 with a 2.61 GAA and .901 save percentage in 21 games with Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League this season. On defense, Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals) has one assist in two games with Hershey of the American Hockey League, and Basile Sansonnens (Vancouver Canucks) and Ludvig Johnson (Utah Mammoth) provide experience and support. Right wing Steiner returns for Switzerland. A C-rated skater on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, he has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 15 games with Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Germany
Coach: Tobias Abstreiter
2026 NHL Draft watch: None
Schedule: Dec. 26, United States (6 p.m. ET); Dec. 27, Slovakia (2 p.m. ET); Dec. 29, Sweden (1 p.m. ET); Dec. 30, Switzerland (2 p.m. ET)
Outlook: Germany beat Kazakhstan in the relegation round at the 2025 WJC to stay in the top level, but might have a tough time avoiding the relegation round again this year. There are a few experienced returnees who also happen to be NHL draft picks. Among them are forwards David Lewandowski (Edmonton Oilers), who has 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 28 games with Saskatoon of the Western Hockey League, and Maxim Schafer (Washington Capitals), who has 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 25 games with Chicoutimi (QMJHL). Defensively, Germany will look to Carlos Handel (Montreal Canadiens), who has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 25 games for Halifax (QMJHL). Linus Vieillard, who is 9-6-0 with Spokane (WHL) this season, will likely start in goal. The 19-year-old was 1-2-0 with a respectable 2.66 GAA and .914 save percentage in three games at the 2025 WJC. Germany's chances of avoiding relegation likely will come down to its match against Switzerland on Dec. 30.
