Welcome to Last Word On Hockey’s 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.

The United States’ games in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships will air on the NHL Network and can be streamed live on DirecTV Stream (free trial), fuboTV and other live TV streaming services. Tickets: Starting at $32.75

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begin with Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 6. Today, writers Katarina Vilcek and Michael Langr reveal their picks for Team Slovakia. Martin Chromiak, Los Angeles Kings/Ontario Reign Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues/Springfield Thunderbirds Libor Hudacek, Ocelari Trinec Robert Lantosi, Motor Ceske Budejovice

Alternate captain James Hagens scored the tying goal with 45 seconds left in the second period and the go-ahead goal 18 seconds into the third as the United States improved to 3-0 with a 6-5 win over Slovakia on Dec. 29 at Grand Casino Arena before an announced crowd of 13,052.

Fans can tune into the USA vs. Slovakia matchup live on NHL Network. It's the home to all USA games at the 2026 World Juniors. E.J. Hradek will be the play-by-play commentator with Tony Granato alongside him. For those without cable, Fubo will have a live stream on its platform, which offers a free trial.

Archbishop Bernard Bober of Košice, Slovakia, found a special gift under the Christmas tree: a new “cathedra,” a wooden bench prepared by homeless people.

Slovakia is a country with rich history and stunning landscapes, but some tourist spots have been labeled overrated

Windsor Spitfires forward A.J. Spellacy said someone had to get the team going, and the Blackhawks prospect delivered.

People working in Slovakia in 2026 will see a rather restrained public holiday calendar, with fewer opportunities to turn official days off into extended breaks. While the country will observe 11 non-working public holidays, only seven will fall on weekdays, limiting the number of automatic long weekends.

Switzerland has clinched third place in Group A after beating Slovakia 3-2 on Wednesday. The Slovaks will hold the fourth spot and take on the top team from Group B on Friday.

Liberty Global has agreed to sell UPC Slovakia to O2 Slovakia, an affiliate of e& PPF Telecom, for around €95 million.

Tomas Chrenko netted a natural hat trick for Slovakia, leading a 4-1 win over Germany in the world junior championships on Saturday. After Slovakia (1-0-0-1) an opening loss to 2025 fourth-place finishers Sweden on Friday,