As the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship got underway on Friday, New York Islanders prospect Victor Eklund made a strong first impression on this year's tournament. The forward had a goal for Sweden in their opener against Slovakia.

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.

Entering as the No. 2 seed, the Ohio State Buckeyes look to secure a second-straight national championship. In their way is a gauntlet of old and new rivals, as well as some offensive mistakes that must be fixed before Dec.

Clark, Coventry City defeated Swansea this Friday (26th), Boxing Day, in the 23rd round of the Championship, strengthening their impressive campaign towards the top tier of

Uljankis (ANA 7th rd., 214th overall in 2024) will appear in his third World Junior Championship. He has recorded 3-10=13 points with a +7 rating in 13 games with the Flint Firebirds of the OHL this season. Uljankis ranks tied for second among Flint defensemen in goals and plus/minus while ranking third in scoring and assists.