World Junior Championship quarterfinal previews – Grand Forks Herald

When: 5 p.m. Friday.
Where: Xcel Energy Center.
Records: USA 3-1, Finland 2-2.
USA player to watch: D Chase Reid. In the absence of Cole Hutson in group play, Reid affirmed his status as one of the top defensive prospects in the 2026 draft. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound right-shot blue liner has a pair of goals and assists in four WJC. Reid is over a point per game in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds and is a Michigan State commit.
Finland to watch: F Oliver Suvano. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound power forward looks like a top-15 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He’s come alive as the tournament has progressed. When he’s on his game, he can be tough to handle down low. For an American defensive group that’s had issues, that could be a challenge.
Why USA will win: The Americans got their wake-up call in a beatdown against Sweden on New Year’s Eve to close out pool play. The U.S. responded well to its preliminary overtime loss against Finland a year ago en route to gold. It will lean on that experience and WJC returners like James Hagens, Brodie Ziemer and Teddy Stiga to avoid an early exit in an evenly-matched quarterfinal game.
Why Finland will win: The Finns aren’t flashy, but they’re solid all over the ice. Everett Silvertips teammates Matias Vanhanen and Julius Miettinen pose a danger on the top line. Suvanto gives the Finns down-the-lineup depth. It’s a hungry group after losing to the Americans in the gold-medal game in overtime last year.
Schlossman’s pick: 3-2 United States
Rubado’s pick: 6-4 United States
Feldman’s pick: 5-4 Finland

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Records: Canada 4-0, Slovakia 1-3.
Canada player to watch: F Michael Hage. The Michigan sophomore has been arguably Canada’s best and most consistent forward this tournament. Hage, a Montreal Canadiens first-round pick, has two goals and six assists for Team Canada.
Slovakia player to watch: F Tomas Chrenko. You’d be hard-pressed to find a player who raised their draft stock more than Chrenko in this tournament. Chrenko entered the WJC projected to be a late first-round pick or an early Day 2 selection in the 2025 draft. He’s tied for the lead with three Canadiens to lead the WJC in scoring with five goals and three assists.
Why Canada will win: The Canadians have far too much firepower throughout the lineup. It’s no longer just the top line producing. The depth scoring showed up against Finland and nobody can match Canada’s depth, especially not Slovakia.
Why Slovakia will win: Slovakia will have a puncher’s chance against tournament-favorite Canada if it gets the goaltending it needs. Michal Pradel, a third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings, started the final three games for Slovakia in pool play, posting a save percentage of .894 and a goal-against average of 3.46. If Pradel is on, Slovakia can repeat Canada’s quarterfinal exit from a year ago.
Schlossman’s pick: 5-0 Canada
Rubado’s pick: 5-1 Canada
Feldman’s pick: 6-2 Canada

When: 1 p.m. Friday.
Where: Xcel Energy Center.
Records: Sweden 4-0, Latvia 1-3.
Sweden player to watch: F Lucas Pettersson. The high second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2024 has been one of the best players on one of the tournament’s best teams. Pettersson leads Sweden in goals (4) and is tied for the team lead in points (5). He’s also tied with Finland’s Niklas Nykyri with a tournament-best plus-7 plus/minus rating. Pettersson has done all that while averaging just 12:24 of ice time per game.
Latvia player to watch: D Albert Smits. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound blue liner can control games at both ends of the rink. He’s long, strong and responsible defensively. He can impact games offensively with a booming shot from the point. Smits is working his way into top-10 pick contention with his play at the World Juniors.
Why Sweden will win: Sweden’s standout group of forwards, including Pettersson, Ivar Stenberg, Viggo Bjorck, Anton Frontdell and Victor Eklund, has made penalty killing a nightmare for opposing teams. Sweden’s power play is 9-for-18 through four games in pool play. Even when 5-on-5 scoring has dried up, Sweden’s man-advantage units proved they are more than capable of making up the difference.
Why Latvia will win: Latvia will get outshot and outchanced in this game, but the Latvians have looked comfortable in that position. They hung in with Canada until the end. They hung in with Czechia until the end. They’ve been a tough out for a few times and if Sweden struggles to pull away, look out for the Latvians.
Schlossman’s pick: 6-1 Sweden
Rubado’s pick: 7-0 Sweden
Feldman’s pick: 5-3 Sweden

When: 3:30 p.m. Friday
Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci
Records: Czechia 3-1, Switzerland 2-2
Czechia player to watch: D Adam Jiricek. The St. Louis Blues first-round pick has been one of the best defensemen in the tournament – if not the best. He’s logging close to 25 minutes a game and impacting games on both ends. He scored the goal of the tournament thus far, going between the legs for an overtime winner against Finland.
Switzerland player to watch: G Christian Kirsch. The strength of the Swiss coming into the tournament was on the back end, and nothing that’s happened so far has proven that wrong. If Switzerland is to have any chance of reaching the semifinals, Kirsch has to be at his best. The 2024 fourth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks was outstanding in pool play, going 1-1 with a 1.01 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. He is likely to play college hockey and is currently uncommitted.
Why Czechia will win: The Czechs have been sneaky good in this tournament. They added top-10 pick Radim Mrtka to the defensive corps midway through, which gives them one of the best top-four in the tournament. They’ve got numerous weapons up front, including UMass freshman Vaclav Nestrasil, a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick.
Why Switzerland will win: This tournament is loaded with highly skilled offensive players. The Swiss are a bit different. They have some talent up front, but their strength is their defense. That corps is led by three NHL Draft picks — captain Leon Muggli (Washington Capitals), Ludvig Johnson (Utah Mammoth) and Basile Sansonnens (Vancouver Canucks). Undrafted d-man Daniil Ustinkov has been their most productive blue line; the 6-foot-1, 201-pound 19-year-old has three assists in four tournament games.
Schlossman’s pick: 5-2 Czechia
Rubado’s pick: 3-2 Switzerland
Feldman’s pick: 7-4 Czechia

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.