{"id":481119,"date":"2026-01-02T07:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=481119"},"modified":"2026-01-02T05:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T10:50:22","slug":"world-junior-championship-predictions-2026-quarterfinal-action-with-latvia-and-sweden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/02\/world-junior-championship-predictions-2026-quarterfinal-action-with-latvia-and-sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"World Junior Championship Predictions: 2026 Quarterfinal Action with Latvia and Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to <\/span>Last Word On Hockey\u2019s<\/span><\/i> editions of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship predictions. Throughout the tournament, our team will break down key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make a prediction on how the game will play out. You can also check out our<\/span> NHL editions<\/span><\/a>. For this edition, we\u2019ll take a look at the first two quarterfinal games with Latvia taking on Sweden to open the quarterfinal round. Then, we check in on Switzerland facing off against Czechia in the second matchup of the day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

World Junior Championship Predictions: Quarterfinal #1 – Latvia vs Sweden<\/h2>\n

Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/span><\/a>: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN<\/span><\/h3>\n

Location: Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota<\/span><\/p>\n

The Latvians enter the quarterfinal round after a tough 4-2 loss to Czechia, dropping them into fourth place in Group B. They finished with a 1-3 record, taking down Denmark 6-3 in their sole win of the group round. That puts them against the top team in Group A in Team Sweden. The Swedes dominated their pool and will be a tough matchup for the Latvians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Sweden heads into this quarterfinal matchup after a dominating 6-3 win over Team USA in their final group stage game. That win allowed the Swedes to finish in first place of Group A with a 4-0 record. Moreover, they looked outstanding in group play, cruising to the quarterfinals with their closest game being their 3-2 tournament opener against Team Slovakia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Latvia\u2019s Outlook<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Latvians come into this one as the clear underdog, but they have been playing tight games, including their tournament opener, where they took Canada to overtime, eventually falling 2-1. Their 2026 draft-eligible defenceman, Albert Smits, has been the talk of the tournament so far, and scouts are paying attention. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defender plays a physical brand of hockey and has showcased his skill, putting up four points in the group round. Look for him to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft after his performance this tournament. The Latvians’ leading point producer, Kristers Ansons, will need a big performance as well to help advance his team to the semifinals. He has put up two goals and three assists so far, and he\u2019ll have to be their best forward once again if they want to stay alive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweden\u2019s Side\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

They are led up front by 2026 draft-eligible forward Ivar Stenberg and several already-drafted NHL prospects. Stenberg\u2019s name was circling amongst media and scouts heading into the tournament. He had been looked at as a player with the potential to jump Gavin McKenna<\/a> and be picked number-one overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> prospect, Anton Frondell<\/a>, has looked dominant throughout the group stage, putting up five points in four games, while Anaheim Ducks<\/a> prospect, Lucas Pettersson<\/a>, has five points and leads the team in scoring with four goals. Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> prospect, Jack Berglund<\/a>, currently leads the Swedes with six points, tallying two goals and four assists through their four group round games. This offence should dominate the Latvians and help the Swedes cruise to victory thanks to their star-studded forward group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Prediction<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Latvians have impressed this tournament, but won\u2019t have the answers for Sweden\u2019s dominating offensive unit and won\u2019t have enough firepower of their own to hang in for a full 60-minute game. The Swedes should take control of this one from puck drop as long as they stick to their game plan. Look for Sweden to expose the depth of the Latvian defensive group and put up an impressive performance in this quarterfinal game, taking them into the semifinals on a high note. <\/span><\/p>\n

Final Prediction: Sweden 7 – Latvia 2\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/span><\/a>: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN<\/span><\/h3>\n

Location: 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota<\/span><\/p>\n

World Junior Championship Predictions: Quarterfinal #2 – Czechia vs Switzerland<\/h2>\n

The Czechs finished second in Group B after finishing group play with a 3-1 record, with their sole loss coming at the hands of Team Canada, where they played to a tough 7-5 loss in their tournament opener. Since then, they\u2019ve won three-straight games, taking down Finland in overtime along the way. In their final game of group play, they defeated Latvia 4-2, setting them up for this quarterfinal matchup against the Swiss, who finished third in Group A.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Switzerland heads into the quarterfinals after back-to-back wins against Germany and Slovakia. The Swiss dropped their first two games of the tournament to the US and Sweden, giving them a 2-2 record and finishing third place in Group A. Switzerland has been a pleasant surprise this tournament, getting solid contributions up and down the lineup, but will need all hands on deck if they want to advance to the semifinal round.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Czechia\u2019s Outlook\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Czechs have looked really solid so far this tournament. They’ve been getting offensive production from several key players and could\u2019ve easily finished on top of Group B had their opening matchup with Canada gone differently. Furthermore, undrafted defenceman Tomas Galvas and Los Angeles Kings<\/a> prospect, forward Vojtech Cihar, lead the team in points with seven each. They\u2019ve also gotten great play out of Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> prospect, Vaclav Nestrasil, who has six points, and Washington Capitals<\/a> prospect, Petr Sikora, who has put up five points in their group round games. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the biggest bright spots for the Czechs has been St. Louis Blues<\/a> prospect, Adam Jiricek<\/a>. Jiricek currently leads the team in scoring, netting three goals in their four group round games, including his viral game-winner in overtime against Finland. This team believes it should be competing for a gold medal this year and will look to flex its muscle against the Swiss in this quarterfinal matchup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Switzerland\u2019s Side\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Swiss have been led up front by 2026 draft-eligible forward, Lars Steiner, who leads the team with three points, scoring one goal and tallying two assists. Washington Capitals<\/a> prospect and team captain, Leon Muggli<\/a>, is tied with Steiner for the team lead in points with three assists and leads the team in minutes played, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. Muggli and the rest of the Swiss defence will have their hands full with a loaded Czech offence. Moreover, they\u2019ll need a solid performance in net from either <\/span>Christian Kirsch or Elijah Neuenschwander, who have split goaltending duties evenly this tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Prediction<\/h3>\n

The Swiss have had an impressive tournament, but that comes to an end this round. The Czechs are a team on a mission right now and should dominate this game offensively. In addition, the amount of weapons they have will prove to be too much for Switzerland\u2019s lack of depth. Czechia should outplay them from the jump and pull away for a decisive victory, advancing them to the semifinal round and sending the Swiss packing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Final Prediction: Czechia 6 – Switzerland 2\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Last Word On Hockey\u2019s editions of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship predictions. Throughout the tournament, our team will break down key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make a prediction on how the game will play out. You can also check out our NHL editions. For this edition, we\u2019ll take a look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5697,"featured_media":136530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5744,4547,304,4548,3462,4524],"tags":[7091,8262,1102,5739],"class_list":["post-481119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-juniors","category-hockey","category-international-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-prospects","category-nhl-predictions","tag-team-czechia","tag-team-latvia","tag-team-sweden","tag-team-switzerland"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5697"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481119"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481130,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481119\/revisions\/481130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}