2026 U-18 World Championship: Zhilkin, Alalauri highlight top standouts from Day 4
Yesterday wasn’t a good day if you liked goals. Today, however, definitely was.
Canada and the United States both had one-sided affairs today, with the Americans’ 9-1 victory over Sweden – a pre-tournament favorite – being the most surprising result of the tournament so far. Germany, meanwhile, pulled of an upset, coming from behind to beat Czechia 3-2 in overtime, while Slovakia and Finland traded goals before Finland eventually won 5-4 in overtime.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Day 4 in Trencin and Bratislava, Slovakia:
Czechia 2, Germany 3 (OT)
The Czechs were minutes away from winning their third game of the tournament – and then Germany had other plans.
Thanks to a late-game regulation goal and an overtime winner, Germany has kept their tournament hopes alive with a 3-2 victory over a Czech team that was destined to finish the day with a healthy lead in Group A.
It was a tighter affair than expected, with the Czechs dominating the shot count, but not on the scoresheet. Jakub Vanecek scored early in the game, and ultimately kept German keeper Max Bolle busy.
The Germans, however, simply couldn’t do much else at the other end. Jonas Schwarz scored at 9:14 to keep things interesting. A trickle shot from Oliver Sichtar in the third period looked like a backbreaker… until it wasn’t. With under 30 seconds to go in regulation, Nikita Bloch scored on the doorstep to make it 2-2, helping the team avoid immediate elimination from quarterfinal contention.
The game required overtime – and, with less than a minute left, a penalty shot. Tobias Kresten would score one of the biggest goals of his life, beating Marek Sklenicka to win the game 3-2.
Czechia
#21 Jakub Vanecek, D: Vanecek scored the game-winner against Sweden today, and then added another one early in this battle. He’s been a shot generation machine the last little bit, playing with a level of confidence many scouts know he’s capable of. I like his shot, and I like how often he has joined in on the rush at this tournament. He’s moving quite well, too. Vanecek is projected to go late in the second round, but if he continues to be one of Czechia’s better players, he’ll force teams to consider taking him a little earlier.
#5 Matyáš Michálek, D (2028): Michálek has been a workhorse at this tournament. He’s a double underager, yet he’s one of Czechia’s ice-time leaders every night. He had four shots in the first period alone while playing with a boatload of confidence. This is a young kid with a bright future – someone I think has top-pairing NHL potential. It’s still so early, but he has become one of my favorite players at this event.
#11 Matěj Tománek, LW (2027): I thought it was a good showing for Tománek, who has had a decent tournament overall. He’s an undersized forward, but he’s creative and speedy. He had a couple of good chances early in this one and nearly scored in the third period. For the most part, his energy stood out, allowing him to win a ton of battles despite his frame. We’ll see if he gets drafted next year (he’s born a week after the 2026 NHL Draft cutoff). I liked what I saw today, though.
Germany
#1 Max Bolle, G: The Germans were heavily outmatched in this one, but Bolle stood tall. He made 15 saves in the first period, while his team in front simply struggled to leave their own zone. He couldn’t do much on the goal against in the first period, but Bolle battled hard the rest of the way to give Germany its best chance at a victory that they’ve had all tournament long.
#4 Jonas Schwarz, LW: Schwarz was everywhere in this one. It felt like Nikita Bloch had the best chances on Germany’s top line, but it was Schwarz doing the hard work to get pucks into scoring lanes and just being a general nuisance against the Czech defenders. He, of course, scored the lone German goal today. I liked his work ethic and speed in this one – it felt like he was noticeable most times he hit the ice.
#10 Nikita Bloch, C (2027): Bloch was electric for the Germans, so it was fitting that he scored the goal that sent the game to overtime. He battled so hard in front of the net and rarely got pushed around. He plays with a ton of skill and hockey sense, and he’s seemingly fearless. Bloch has been solid in all three games for Germany.
Finland, 5 Slovakia 4 (OT)
This game was as wild as it gets, with the two teams trading goals before Finland ultimately won the fight 5-4 in overtime.
The win keeps Finland in top spot in Group A, with the advantage to win the group on Monday.
A pair of 2027 NHL Draft prospects – Timothy Kazda (Slovakia) and Ilari Mäkinen (Finland) got the game going today. Vilho Vanhatalo also scored for the Finns, but goals from Samuel Hybsky and Samuel Sramaty gave the Slovaks an advantage heading into the third
The Finns had the better pressure in the closing stages, and it paid off. Alalauri would send the game into extra time with his quick wrister from the point, going top corner through a mountain of traffic.
Finland
#3 Samu Alalauri, D: Alalauri played the most of any Finn today, and it was easy to understand why thanks to a three-point effort. The Slovaks continuously created quality chances against him, but it didn’t seem to faze him. While he was on the ice for a pair of goals, he was the most effective defender overall. That goal late in the third period had to feel incredible, too. The 6-foot-2 defender is a potential second-round pick this year thanks to his usual rock-solid defensive play. He’s also no slouch offensively, either. I could see him push up my draft board as the tournament goes along.
#13 Oliver Suvanto, C: Suvanto’s tournament had been a bit underwhelming before today – scouts expected more from the projected top 15 pick. Suvanto used his big 6-foot-3 frame to win battles, excel in the faceoff dot and create some quality chances. He had an assist in the second period after outmuscling a Slovak defender in tight. I want to see him take over a game, but we haven’t had that happen yet.
#18 Ilari Mäkinen, RW (2027): Mäkinen was brought over to do one thing: grind opponents down. He’s built very strong, and opponents have had issues with him in front of the net the past few days. Mäkinen scored goals on back-to-back shifts after grinding his way in front, outmuscling opponents before jamming in goals. I love his raw strength, and he’s the perfect net-front guy in a tight game like this.
Slovakia
#14 Maxim Šimko, C (2027): Šimko had a pair of assists in this one to give the Slovaks some life. Slovakia’s No. 1 center isn’t eligible until the 2027 NHL Draft, but he has made a name for himself this season as a reliable two-way player. I like him around the net, but I think he does a good job of slowing things down and patiently getting the puck where it needs to be.
#19 Timothy Kazda, RW: (2027) Kazda, a Boston College commit, continues to prove why he’s a potential first-round pick in 2027. The highly skilled winger is all over the place every single game. He loves to jam in pucks in tight, too, which led to the 1-0 goal. He’s smart, physically strong and very talented with the puck. The future is bright for Kazda, who should be a key member of Slovakia’s World Junior team in a few months.
#25 Samuel Šramatý, LW: Šramatý is a fourth liner, but he has caught my attention through this tournament. He’s a speedster who managed to score in the second period with a solid wrister. He’s up to a point-per-game now, which is nothing to sneeze at. It just felt like whenever he was on the ice, Šramatý was the most energetic player today.
Canada 8, Norway 0
By Tyler Kuehl
This matchup went exactly as you’d expect on paper. The Canadians are playing like a team that’s still trying to shake off the disappointment from losing its tournament-opening game to Slovakia on Wednesday. After walloping Latvia on Thursday, Canada did the same to Norway, ending the game with an 8-0 victory.
Dima Zhilkin found himself on a role, scoring three goals and an assist in this one. Canada never let up at any point, even as the game continued to become more and more lopsided.
The Canadians ended up outshooting Norway 66-12, with Gavin Betts posting a relatively easy shutout. Norway used both Felix Timraz-Westin and Olivers Freimanis in the game. Timraz-Westing gave up five goals on 36 shots in the first half of the contest, while Freimanis turned away 27 of the 30 he faced in relief.
Canada
#4 Ryan Lin, D: Lin already had a reputation for being a rising offensive star from the back end after becoming just the second WHL rookie blueliner to reach 50 points. The University of Denver commit posted a pair of assists in Saturday’s victory, giving him five points in 10 career games at the U-18s. Lin finished tied for second on the team in shots (6), while averaging 18:51 of ice time. He continues to show why he’s going to be a name we hear early in this summer’s draft.
#18 Jaxon Jacobson, C (2027): Talk about making the most out of little work. Jacobson and the rest of the third line were used sparingly in the win. However, that didn’t stop the Brandon Wheat King from having a solid performance. He found the back of the net twice in his first appearance in the tournament, despite logging just 8:39 of ice time. Jacobson’s name is slowly becoming popular amongst those in the Western Hockey League, having recently finished up a career-best season in Brandon, scoring 25 goals and 85 points.
#24 Dima Zhilkin, RW (2027): After a strong performance against Latvia two days prior, Zhilkin came out swinging again on Saturday. Along with a goal and an assist in the first period, the Saginaw Spirit forward found the back of the net twice in the middle stanza to continue the onslaught. He currently is tied for the tournament lead in goals (4), while leading all skaters with six points in three games. It’s fun to see that he has a whole other year of development before entering the draft.
Norway
#18 Casper Kjolmoen, RW: There wasn’t much to cheer about once again, at least if you’re a Norwegian fan, but Kjolmoen gave his best. The captain, who picked up an assist in Norway’s loss to Slovakia last time out, was still one of the team’s more active players against Canada. He finished the game third amongst Norway’s forwards (15:03), while finishing tied with defenseman Benjam Haglund for the team lead in shots on goal (three).
Sweden 1, United States 9
By Tyler Kuehl
Arguably, this was the most surprising result of Saturday’s action in Slovakia, especially given the fact that many were excited to see the two powerhouse nations clash in Group B play.
The United States came out and swamped Sweden from start to finish, giving fans and viewers a rather empty feeling by the time the buzzer sounded.
The Americans posted four on the scoreboard before the first intermission, with a pair of points coming from Dayne Beuker. While Sweden got on the board in the second period, albeit a much better effort from the team as a while, the U.S pulled away in the third with three more goals to complete the rout.
Team USA scored its nine goals on just 27 shots. Sweden goaltender Kevin Tornblom gave up four goals on 12 shots, while Viggo Tamm surrendered five on 15 shots in relief. USA’s Brady Knowling made 18 saves in his first win of the tournament.
The U.S. improves to 2-1-0 in pool play and will meet Germany in its final group-stage game on Monday, potentially playing for first place in the group. The Swedes will try and dust themselves off before facing Denmark that same day.
United States
#14 Logan Lutner, D: Whew. This kid has a release. The Minnesota native’s first goal of the tournament, early in the second period, was a beauty, one that Tamm had no chance of stopping. Numbers-wise, Lutner is going to fly off the page, but his development in his own zone has made him one of the USNTDP’s growing prospects.
#8 Dayne Beuker, C: One of five players to have a multi-point effort Beuker’s ability to be an effective balanced offensive weapon was on display against Sweden. His awareness to be patient in setting up Diego Gutierrez for the game’s opening goal is what makes him a solid playmaker. Finding the back of the net for the second time in the tournament certainly added to an impressive day for the future Denver Pioneer.
#12 Casey Mutryn, RW: Mutryn is a player that a lot of people are projecting to go in the second round this summer, and it’s easy to see why. Excellent scoring prowess, solid vision. He’s a player that Boston College is going to love having on its roster next fall. He scored his first two points of the tournament against Sweden, scoring in the busy opening 20 minutes, before picking up a helper on Mikey Berchild’s goal later on in the third.
Sweden
#17 Elton Hermansson, RW (2026): You’d be hard pressed to find many Swedes who ended up at least even on the plus/minus side of things. Yet, Hermansson, who was tasked with playing against the U.S.’ top players all game long, did his best in trying to create some offense for the struggling Swedes. He accounted for five of the team’s 19 shots on Saturday, finishing with a -2 rating while averaging just 19 minutes of ice time. It can be tough on a player to perform when their team is getting lambasted, but Hermansson kept his nose to the grind against the Americans.
2026 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship Round Robin Standings
Group A
| Rank | Team | GP | Points |
| 1. | Finland | 3 | 8 |
| 2. | Slovakia | 3 | 7 |
| 3. | Canada | 3 | 6 |
| 4. | Latvia | 2 | 0 |
| 5. | Norway | 2 | 0 |
Group B
| Rank | Team | GP | Points |
| 1. | USA | 3 | 7 |
| 2. | Czechia | 3 | 6 |
| 3. | Denmark | 2 | 3 |
| 4. | Sweden | 3 | 3 |
| 5. | Germany | 3 | 2 |
2026 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship Round Robin Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Location |
| Sun. April 26 | 10:00 AM | Czechia vs. Denmark | Bratislava |
| 12:00 PM | Latvia vs. Norway | Trenčín | |
| Mon. April 27 | 6:00 AM | Denmark vs. Sweden | Bratislava |
| 8:00 AM | Finland vs. Canada | Trenčín | |
| 10:00 AM | USA vs. Germany | Bratislava | |
| 12:00 PM | Latvia vs. Slovakia | Trenčín |