With the holidays approaching, this means that immediately after Christmas ends, the IIHF World Junior Championship will begin, this time being hosted in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario, with the world’s top under-20 teams convening for the title of global supremacy.

Group A features the top two favourites of the tournament, defending champions Team USA and the hosts Canada, whose tilt on New Year’s Eve will likely crown the winner of the group. Finland, however, will be looking to play spoiler for both, as they did the last time they captured Gold, in 2019, also on Canadian soil, the most recent European nation to win the World Juniors. Germany and Latvia will round out the group, with their 30 December tilt likely to decide who avoids the relegation round.

Group B sees defending Silver medalists Sweden taking on defending Bronze medalists Czechia, with 31 December likely to be the matchup to solve who tops their group as well. The group, playing out of The Arena At TD Place, home of the PWHL’s Charge, will also feature Switzerland and Slovakia trying to puncture the top two, and the newly promoted Kazakhstan, who despite being a perennial fan favourite, will be the most likely to miss out on Minnesota 2026 and be relegated back to Division IA.

Click here to see the full 2025 World Junior Championship schedule

From the perspective of the IHLC, a few interesting facts related to this year’s World Junior Championship:
– the United States enters as incumbent champions for the eighth time in history, and for the second consecutive year, last repeating that feat in 1999-2000
– this is the eighteenth World Junior Championship to be hosted in Canada, with Ottawa hosting for the second time, after 2009; the province of Ontario has also hosted in 1986 (15 cities, with Hamilton as the base), 2015 and 2017 (both Toronto)
– Team USA is looking to repeat as champions for the first time in history (with their two closest Golds being three years apart), and win their first Gold Medal on enemy ice in Canada since 2021
– Canada will be looking to win its fifth straight Gold medal in years ending in “5” over the past four decades, after victories in 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015
– the only returning tournament award winners from 2024 are directorate Top Defender Axel Sandin Pellikka and media all-star defender Theo Lindstein, both of Sweden

After yesterday’s exhibition victory over Finland, the United States will enter the tournament with the International Hockey Lineal Championship for the second straight year, ensuring that the title will run through Group A at the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators – who leaves Canadian capital with the title, and ostensibly World Junior Championship Gold, remains to be seen!

Photo Credit: 2024 World Junior Championship – IIHF – HHOF – IOC