2026 U-18 World Championship: Celko, Hermansson highlight top standouts from Day 1
The opening day of the 2026 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship is in the books, and we’ve got our first set of winners from Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia.
Sweden and Finland started the day off with convincing, dominant victories over Germany and Norway, respectively. Czechia, meanwhile, needed extra time to beat the United States for just the third time in tournament history.
The most fascinating game, however, was the late game between the hosts from Slovakia and the two-time defending champions, Canada. The Canadians never led at any point, with Slovakia beating Canada for the first time in tournament history.
Here’s a look at the top standouts from the four games on opening day:
Germany 2, Sweden 7
Lines for Germany vs. Sweden. #U18MensWorlds
Sweden is one of the favorites to win gold at the 2026 U-18 World Championship, and they looked in full control in a 7-2 victory over Germany to kick things off.
The Swedes dominated the first period. Mikael Kim got the game started at 9:20, taking a feed in close from Olle Karlsson to make it 1-0. Elton Hermansson then appeared to have made it 2-0 with under five minutes to go in the frame after scoring a Michigan-style goal, but the play was reviewed and deemed offside.
The rest of the game was one-sided in Sweden’s favor. Hampus Zirath, Adam Nomme and Nilas Bartholdsson scored in the second, while Wiggo Sorensson and Hjalmar Clithe added tallies in the third. Nikita Bloch and Tobias Krestan scored in the final 10 minutes of the game for Germany, but the score was way out of reach by that point.
Germany
#9 Max Calce, C (2027): Previously known as Max Penkin, Calce was easily Germany’s best player today. He made a great play that led to the second German goal and was generally buzzing all over the ice. His mix of speed and pure skill is impressive – there’s a reason he spent half the season in the top German pro league as a 16-year-old. Calce is Germany’s most important forward, so we’ll see if he continues to live up to the 2027 NHL Draft hype.
Sweden
#4 Malte Gustafsson, D: Gustafsson isn’t known for his smooth offense, but it felt like he made a handful of very intelligent passes today. He was on the ice for nearly every Swedish goal, often being the one preventing the Germans from entering the attacking zone at the other ned of the ice. He played the most minutes of anyone and will continue to do so as the tournament wears on. Gustafsson is a potential first-round pick.
#10 Adam Andersson, C: Between killing penalties and some overall solid two-way play, Andersson looked on his game today. He’s a tough dude who plays a refined two-way game with his big 6-foot-4 frame. Scouts like him – some see him as a potential second-rounder thanks to his no-nonsense, yet high-reliability playstyle. His numbers with the Swedish U-18 team have been excellent this year, too.
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW: It’s a shame that his Michigan goal was taken back because that was as incredibly executed as you’ll find. Hermansson did impress with some quick hands the rest of the night and was rewarded with an assist in the second period. Hermansson didn’t score again today, but he was easily the most skilled player in the lineup today.
#22 Wiggo Sörensson, C: A solid two-point game for Sörensson, who served as Sweden’s No. 2 center. He was dangerous around the net and did a solid job of breaking up plays whenever Germany managed to get close to Sweden’s blueline. It felt like everything went Sörensson’s way with the puck today. Sörensson was productive at every level this season, but is in the midst of his first major junior international action. The speedy center is a potential mid-round pick.
#23 Bosse Meijer, C (2027): Meijer is a creative forward who came alive with a two-point game today. He’s not overly physical, but he makes up for it with some slick hands and high-end hockey IQ. He plays with a ton of energy and works harder than just about anyone in Sweden’s lineup. I loved him on the first line today.
Finland 6, Norway 1
Lines for Norway vs. Finland. #U18MensWorlds
Finland looked strong early and never gave up, beating Norway 6-1 to open up Group B play in Slovakia.
The Finns were definitely the more impressive team from the opening puck drop, even though Norway kept things interesting. Luca Santala scored the lone goal of the opening frame, before Anttoni Uronen doubled it up at 29:31. Santala would score his second of the game at 36:23, forcing the Norwegians to get a bit desperate.
Norway would have a reason to celebrate at 41:17 after Niklas Aaram Olsen scored on the man advantage. That seemed to spark some energy for Norway – but it didn’t last for long. Three minutes later, Max Laatikainen scored to make it 4-1, and then Santala would complete the hat-trick eight minutes later. Noel Pakarinen would cap off the night with the 6-1 power-play goal, giving Finland the convincing victory.
Finland
#4 Max Laatikainen, D: A potential late-round pick, Laatikainen really came alive in the third period. The Swedish-born defender has had a solid year internationally and even put up a pair of assists in a short stint with Kiekko-Espoo in the top Finnish league. Laatikainen is a skilled puck-mover, but he also did a fair-bit of play-killing in today’s game. He’s a good skater, too.
#10 Anttoni Uronen, C: Uronen is a fascinating prospect. He can be a bit quiet at times, especially internationally. But I really liked him against men this year, spending the majority of the season with HIFK (and putting up 10 points in 27 games). Today, Uronen converted on a solid pass from his twin brother, Eelis, to score near the halfway point in the game before adding an assist in the third. It felt like a long time coming because he was buzzing all over the ice early in this one. Both Uronen’s will be leaned on heavily as the Finns look to find any scoring they can possibly muster.
#29 Luca Santala, LW (2027): Santala has been downright dominant internationally over the past few years. He couldn’t have started his IIHF career off any better, scoring three goals and adding an assist to take the tournament scoring lead early. The 16-year-old is already one of the most promising Finnish prospects for 2027, and being 6-foot-2 doesn’t hurt, either.
#36 Paavo Fugleberg, RW: (2028): While Santala is more of a goal-scorer, Fugleberg is as good as it gets in terms of playmakers. He had a trio of assists in his first IIHF game to help boost his already impressive 2028 NHL Draft profile. Fugleberg is an incredibly smart forward who consistently finds his linemates through traffic. As long as these two continue to play together and stay hot, Finland will be A-OK.
Norway
#30 Felix Timraz-Westin, G (2027): This is Timraz-Westin’s second go as a starter at this tournament, and he’s not even draft eligible until 2027. He’s one of the more promising young goalies out of Norway that we’ve seen. He’s athletic and has a great glove hand. There were a few re-directions and quick moves he couldn’t handle against Finland today, but he gave his team a chance before the team eventually fell apart in the third period.
Czechia 3, USA 2 (OT)
Lines for Czechia vs. USA. #u18mensworlds
Many Czech fans weren’t too confident in their team’s chances this year, but they’ll take a 3-2 overtime win to start the tournament.
Wednesday’s result marked the first time the Czechs have ever beaten USA in the preliminary round of the U-18s.
The opening period was quite even, with six shots apiece and six penalty minutes per side. The scoring wouldn’t begin until the second period, with Michal Hartl jamming in a loose puck in tight at 23:49. Lukas Zajic and Wyatt Cullen scored a goal each about a minute apart in the second period to make it 2-1, only for Czechia to have Vojtech Hora jam in a rebound early in the third.
The game required overtime, with the two teams trading quality chances. USA thought they’d escape the extra frame, but Dominik Ripa had other plans, scoring with 12 seconds left in overtime to secure the two points for the Czechs.
#2 Marek Sklenička, G: That second goal will haunt him a bit, but it was an otherwise solid effort for the Seattle Thunderbirds keeper. Sklenička is a big 6-foot-4 goaltender who typically handles the bottom half of the net very effectively. He was often busy with Seattle and rarely caused his team much distress in net. He does need to work on his glove hand, and his mobility is still a work in progress, but he never gives up on a play, and that allowed him to stay strong early in this one.
#29 Dominick Byrtus, D (2027): Byrtus played the season playing against pros in Czechia, and at points, it was easy to see that today. He’s a smart two-way defender who loves to get shots on net, and he had four chances today. It feels like he’s even quicker than I remember him at the U-17 World Challenge back in the fall. I expect him to eat a lot of minutes at this tournament, given that he’s so mature and intelligent with the puck already.
#22 David Huk, C (2027): Huk did most of the work that led to the 2-2 goal early in the third period. But as a whole, I thought he was the most noticeable forward on Czechia’s top line. Most scouts are keeping a close eye on 2027 NHL Draft prospect Petr Tomek, but Huk was the one who did the most away from the puck, and he had a few good scoring chances in this one, too. He’s built strong, and he proved that today with how he battled near the net.
USA
#7 Wyatt Cullen, C: Cullen has been my favorite USNTDP player all year long. Just about every time I’ve watched him this year, he has scored. But, perhaps more importantly, he also broke up a few other plays and created numerous other scoring chances. Cullen is an extremely smart forward who plays a reliable two-way game and moves quickly. It was hard not to notice him today because he was so dangerous around the crease.
#17 Jamie Glance, RW (2027): Glance isn’t eligible for this draft, but he’s a leader on this team. He didn’t score today, but he was one of the more impactful play drivers that we saw overall. Glance plays a highly detailed game – a lot of what he does well doesn’t get rewarded on the scoresheet. He forces giveaways, does a good job of chasing after attackers, and draws penalties as well as anyone on the roster. It’s only a matter of time until Glance has an offensive explosion at this tournament.
#28 Brooks Rogowski, C: It’s never easy to join an established group and make an impact as an outsider. But Rogowski did just that, doing the legwork that led to USA’s first goal in the second period after snagging the puck near the blueline. He’s huge, but he uses his 6-foot-7 frame to power through his opponents instead of just knocking dudes over for the sake of making that happen. Rogowski is a potential first-round prospect, and despite serving as a fourth-liner, he should be able to help his draft stock in Slovakia thanks to his versatile play.
Canada 1, Slovakia 2
Lines for Canada vs. Slovakia. #U18MensWorlds
Slovakia gave the hometown crowd so much to cheer for, beating Canada 2-1 for the first time at a major U-18 national team event.
Timothy Kazda was the miracle-maker, scoring a penalty shot goal in the third period to seal the deal. Samuel Sramaty had the other Slovak goal, opening the scoring on the power play at 31:50. Canada was dealt a big blow less than five minutes into the third after Gavin Betts appeared to have injured his left leg reacting to a save. Carter Esler did everything asked of him, but facing a penalty shot goal very early on proved to be difficult for him.
In the end, the Slovaks – playing in front of a sold-out crowd of over 6,000 fans – pulled off the upset. The Slovaks have made it to the bronze medal game in three straight years, so they’re no stranger to big-game moments. But beating the two-time defending champions – and doing so for the first time ever – will be something the Slovak federation will never forget.
Canada
#4 Ryan Lin, D: Lin was especially noticeable early on. He’s a quick-skating, well-refined defender who loves the puck on his stick. He didn’t score today, but Lin played a ton of minutes and did an excellent job of getting the puck out of the zone and out of danger. Lin is small, but he’s an elusive skater who isn’t afraid of anyone at this level.
#14 Mathis Preston, RW: Preston was absolutely buzzing in this one. He always shows up for his country, putting on some memorable performances at various national team events in the past few years. He was easily the most noticeable forward in the first half, and he was rewarded with the 1-1 goal midway through the second period. Preston’s draft stock fell a bit the past few months after struggling to produce to the standard most expected from him out of the WHL. But right now, he looks exceptionally motivated to be a leader on this Canadian squad.
#19 Adam Valentini, LW: Valentini came alive in this one. The University of Michigan forward was one of Canada’s better forwards at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, so he was expected to play a top six role from the get-go in Slovakia. His chemistry with Preston was immediate – they kept flying along the ice and looking for each other every time they entered the offensive zone. Valentini is small but after an impressive NCAA freshman season, Valentini is riding a high right now.
Slovakia
#2 Denis Čelko, G: Čelko is coming off an excellent season in the top Czech junior league. He impressed at points during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, making him the easy choice to be the No. 1 at the U-18s. He’s a midsized goaltender who relies on his speed to make stops. Fortunately, he’s definitely quick, and he gave Canada some fits today. Čelko reads plays well, and he had to deal with a number of cross-crease passes and high-danger opportunities today.
#22 Adam Goljer, D: The Slovaks had a solid opening period, and Goljer was a big reason for that. He had two quality scoring chances and continuously forced the Canadians to the perimeter. The Slovak captain played against men this year and was part of the World Junior team, too. He’s as experienced as they come at this event, so Slovakia will continue to lean on him on home ice.
#11 Lucian Bernat, RW: Bernat is someone I want to keep a closer eye on. Projected to be more of a late-round pick, Bernat had an assist on the 1-0 goal today. He also looked excellent physically and used his large 6-foot-4 frame to routinely poke pucks away out of danger. He’s been good in most of my viewings – I see him as a potential checking line forward as long as he learns to shoot a bit more.
#19 Timothy Kazda, RW (2027): Kazda scored the huge penalty shot goal in the third period and then nearly scored again with under five minutes to go. Kazda’s energy was incredible, beating just about every Canadian to every puck race he was involved in. Kazda, a Boston College commit, isn’t eligible until the 2027 NHL Draft, but is expected to play a big role at this tournament.
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