The Canadian hosts look to rebound after a finishing fifth in 2024. But an experienced U.S. team is well-positioned to repeat for the first time in World Juniors history.

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Today, we preview the Group B preliminary-round bracket. Sweden is looking for its first gold medal at the World Juniors since 2012, and powering that bid will be nine players who won a silver medal at the 2024 WJC.

The tournament features the best under-20 players from across the world, and is seen as a showcase for potential first-round draft picks in the NHL

The tournament has become a holiday tradition for many hockey fans around the world, beginning on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) each year and ending during the first week of the new year. The WJC has grown remarkably since the inaugural (official) tournament was held in 1977 and has massive international support.

World Junior Championship is set to kick-off and the top amateur players go toe-to-toe for global hockey supremacy. The United States enter the tournament as the defending gold medalists after they knocked off silver medalist Sweden 6-2 in the final game.

The World Junior Championship pre-tournament started on Dec. 19, and while the results don’t matter, it’s a great time to get some confidence and momentum before the meaningful games start on the 26th.

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship will be played in Ottawa from Dec. 26-Jan. 5. Group A for the preliminary round is Canada, Finland, Germany, Latvia and the United States, which won the tournament in 2024.