2026 World Juniors: Top standouts for Czechia vs. Denmark
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – After losing 7-5 in a wild game against Canada on Friday night, Czechia bounced back to beat Denmark 7-2 on Saturday.
It was a close game early on, with the Czechs feeling the pressure. They scored first, with Vojtech Cihar scoring on the opening shot of the game. But the Danes managed to do the same three minutes later, with Penticton Vees forward Tristan Petersen beating Anton Wilde for the 1-1 goal. Matej Kubiesa and Vaclav Nestrasil would extend the Czechs’ advantage, both scoring on the power play.
When Oliver Larsen scored at 23:49, Denmark looked to be back in the game. Instead, the Czechs laid on the pressure, with Adam Jiricek, Stepan Hoch, Tomas Galvas and Richard Zemlicka all adding markers to put the game out of reach.
Both teams will be off on Sunday before returning on Dec. 29. The Czechs will kick off Group B action against Finland at 3:30 PM ET, before the Danes will look to get revenge for a 13-2 pre-tournament loss when they face Canada at 8:30 PM ET.
Here’s a look at the top performers from Saturday’s contest:
Czechia
#3 Max Psenicka, D (Utah Mammoth): His play won’t earn all the glimpse and glamour of someone like Adam Jiricek, but I really like Psenicka today. Most of his defensive reads were smart, calculated, and he was typically rewarded with possession. Psenicka won’t beat you with flash, but he’ll often out-think you on the rush. That was on full display today, especially early as the Danes really pressured the Czechs.
#5 Adam Jiricek, D (St. Louis Blues): Jiricek might have the early advantage for top defenseman. He was great against Canada and was excellent again tonight, registering a goal and an assist. Almost nobody can get past him without a fight, and I like how engaged he is offensively, too. Whenever the Czechs need a big momentum-changing shift, Jiricek seems to be called upon.
#14 Vaclav Nestrasil, RW (Chicago Blackhawks): Nestrasil had himself a game. He looked good against Canada, but was even better today with a goal and an assist. Nestrasil is such an imposing figure – he routinely dominates older competition in college, and it almost feels like he’s playing a step above here. Blackhawks fans: listen to the hype. Nestrasil is legit.
#15 Vojtech Cihar, C (Los Angeles Kings): That’s two solid games out of the future Kelowna Rocket. Cihar was everywhere in the first, scoring the opening goal and then helping to drive the offense on the 2-1 power-play maker. Cihar plays a relentless game – he’s energetic and always wants to win a puck battle. He wasn’t that productive in the Czech pro league, but he’s clearly playing with confidence in Minnesota.
Denmark
#1 Anton Wilde, G: I’ve been critical about Wilde early on – I thought he had a terrible pre-tournament and looked awful against Finland. But today, he really showed up. Sure, it fell apart late for Denmark, but he looked much more in control of his rebounds and handled the workload with ease. This was the most competitive hockey we’ve seen from him since the start of the pre-tournament, and he truly kept the Danes in this one as the shot clock started to go south for Denmark.
#6 Emil Jakobsen, D (2026 NHL Draft): Jakobsen is the youngest draft-eligible player in this tournament. He was the team’s most lethal defender, killing plays against some of Czechia’s biggest and most skilled forwards. He had an assist on the 1-1 goal and killed a few quality chances in front of his own net, too. Jakobsen is a mobile, offensive defenseman who, from my understanding, is earning some solid praise from scouts as a potential late-round pick.
#9 Tristan Petersen, LW: I was very impressed with Petersen today. He scored Denmark’s first goal at 5:53 after working hard to get himself into position for a good shot. Petersen is skilled, quick and has the best hockey sense of any Danish forward. Sure, Denmark lost, but Petersen’s play was promising – it feels like their forwards are starting to figure out the pace.