Sweden opened the World Juniors with a 3–2 win over Slovakia, leaning on a strong power play to hold off a determined Slovak push.

Eklund, who the Islanders drafted in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft (16th overall), tallied a goal in the win, marking his third career goal in the World Juniors after he recorded six points (2G, 4A) through seven games of the tournament last year.

The 2026 World Juniors start on Boxing Day in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn. Here’s your quick introduction to the tournament, including rundowns of all 10 teams, predictions, draft-eligibles to watch, frequently asked questions and more.

The Buffalo Sabres will have four players at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. But success at the World Junior tournament offers little guarantee prospects of NHL success. While World Junior glory would be great,

Onni Kalto (2026 draft eligible), Oliver Suvanto (2026 draft eligible), Aatos Koivu (Montreal Canadiens) and Joona Saarelainen (Tampa Bay Lightning) also scored for Finland. Petteri Rimpinen (Los Angeles Kings) made eight saves.

Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman form an expert prospect panel to analyze our staff's picks ahead of this year's tournament.

The 2026 World Junior Championship kicked off in the Twin Cities on Friday. There's a free fan experience in St. Paul. Frankie McLister explains what to expect.