Welcome back to our predictions segment, as we continue our coverage of the World Juniors, live from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is the 2026 World Junior Championship predictions, with us here at Last Word On Hockey. What better way to spend your holiday season than to carry on this annual tradition with us? Today, we take a look at this year’s relegation game, featuring Denmark and Germany.
How to Watch: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN3
Time: 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Location: 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota
This year’s World Junior Championship relegation game features Denmark taking on Germany. Both teams are entering with zero wins and four losses in the preliminary round. This game arguably has the highest stakes of any in the tournament, as the winner gets to return and compete against top-level teams such as the USA, Sweden, and Canada. The loser will be demoted to play in Division 1 Group A against nations like Austria, Slovenia, and France next year.
Denmark’s Keys
Team Denmark enters this relegation game after a 6-3 loss to Latvia in their final group round game. The Danes have been led up front by forwards Oliver Larson and William Bundgaard, who each have tallied 4 points, and Anton Linde, who had 2 goals and 1 assist in the group stage. They’ve also had a consistent presence in net with Anton Wilde, who’s played 75% of the tournament for Team Denmark. If the Danes want to avoid relegation, they’ll need their forwards to rise to the occasion and produce. Wilde can keep them in the game, but if they can’t break through the German defense, they’ll be staring relegation in the face come Friday afternoon.
Germany’s Perspective
The Germans are coming off a disappointing 4-0 shutout loss to the Swiss. This now puts them at risk of relegation if they can’t take down the Danes on Friday afternoon. Team Germany has not been able to produce consistent offense all tournament. They’ve only scored five goals in the group round, and only have one player who has registered more than one point. Dustin Willhoft, who is currently playing in the WHL and is committed to Boston College, has put up one goal and two assists for the Germans so far, and he’ll need to produce in their final game if they want to avoid relegation.
Defensemen Calos Handel, a Montreal Canadiens’ 2025 Draft Pick, and Fabio Kose have played over 94 and 79 minutes, respectively, and will need to hold down the back end as this should be a lower-scoring game. They’ll need a full team effort to defeat the Danes and stay at the top level of international junior hockey in the coming year.
Final Prediction
Denmark should be able to keep the game close with their defense and goaltending. However, they won’t have enough offensive firepower to take down the Germans. Expect Team Germany to overwhelm the Danes and wear them down with their physicality. The Germans should be able to hold off the Danes and get a group scoring effort to avoid relegation and secure their spot in the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship in Alberta, Canada.
Final Prediction: Denmark 1 – 3 Germany
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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