2026 World Juniors: Top standouts from Finland vs. Latvia

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – What happens when you pit a strong team fresh from a day off against a group playing less than 24 hours after an overtime loss?

A blowout victory.

Finland skated to an 8-0 victory over Latvia on Sunday to improve to 2-0, and ahead of Canada by one point in Group B. The Finns were dominant throughout, outshooting Latvia 42 to seven (including 16-1 in the middle stanza), with Latvia struggling to find their footing after their overtime loss to the Canadians on Saturday.

Emil Hemming, Jasper Kuhta and Max Westergaard had goals in the first period, while Hemming and Joona Saarelainen each scored in the second period. The Latvians had a couple of shots in the third, but Roope Vesterinen, Heikki Ruohonen and Lasse Boelius scored one goal apiece to cap off the lopsided affair.

Here is a look at the top players in the lone game from 3M Arena at Mariucci on Sunday:

Finland

#25 Lasse Boelius, D (Anaheim Ducks): That’s two excellent showings from Boelius now. He had a goal and an assist and also killed a couple of potentially dangerous scoring chances from Latvia early in the first. It’s easy to get complacent in a game like this, but it felt like Boelius still held strong in his own zone.

#33 Aron Kiviharju, D (Minnesota Wild): The Finns rarely had to play in their own zone – and that’s partly because of guys like Kiviharju. He kept breaking up plays with his speed, and he even nabbed an assist on the 4-0 two-man advantage goal early in the second. I’ll always have time for Kiviharju – he might be small, but he moves so well and reads plays exceptionally well. Put that together and you’ve got a highly dynamic defender at this level.

#21 Max Westergaard, LW (Philadelphia Flyers): When it became clear Konsta Helenius wasn’t joining the roster, Westergaard was the guy most expected to step up. He had a goal and an assist in the second half of the opening frame, and he nearly had another two in the second frame. His ability to squeak past defenders and put himself in a scoring position in tight makes him dangerous.

#22 Emil Hemming, RW (Dallas Stars): Every time Hemming touched the puck, magic happened. He scored a pair of goals while also overwhelming the Latvian defenders whenever they managed to get the puck out of the zone. The three-time World Junior forward has the hockey sense and the pace to make plays happen, and he clearly has the shot, as well.

#27 Julius Miettinen, C (Seattle Kraken): Miettinen gave the Finns a nice boost up front after missing the opener. His pure size, reach and hockey sense – and chemistry with Everett Silvertips linemate Matias Vanhanen – proved lethal on the top line. He only had a secondary assist, but the Finns rarely left the zone when he was on the ice. Once he gets moving down the middle of the ice, nobody can contain him.

#37 Matias Vanhanen, LW: Vanhanen might be small at 5-foot-9, but his impact sure isn’t. He had the primary assists on both of Hemming’s goals, proving why he’s one of the WHL’s best playmakers. He’ll likely get drafted as a re-entry thanks to his ability to find opponents in open space as well as anyone his age. As long as his linemates keep shooting, Vanhanen will keep producing.

Latvia

#26 Oskars Briedis, D: The Latvians rarely made it out of their zone, but full props to Briedis. He was one of the few who was able to successfully enter the attacking area and get a shot towards the net. He’s big at 6-foot-3, plays a physical game and blocks a lot of shots. Even when Briedis looked physically exhausted, he gave it his all tonight.

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