Wednesday is the second day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship to be held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
2nd day match
Germany 4, Finland 3 — Veidt Oswald, a 2024 NHL Draft candidate, scored two goals for Germany in an upset win in Group A at the Scandinavian Am.
Germany’s victory was their first against Finland at the World Junior Championship with 26 tries (1-0-0-25). Seven players return from the 2023 team that finished eighth on the German national team.
For Germany, Erik Holdler had two assists and Philipp Dietl made 40 saves (1-0-0).
For Finland, Sam Bowe (Arizona Coyotes) had one goal and one assist, and Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 24 saves (0-0-0-2).
Germany scored three points on 10 shots in the second period and took a 4-3 lead.
Roman Koechter (2024 draft target) scored on a rebound that hit the right post, tying Germany at 3-3 at 13:07 of the second. Oswald, a 19-year-old forward representing his country for the second year in a row, made it 4-3 with a snap shot from low inside the left faceoff circle at 14:38 and 1:31 later.
Dietl, a 2024 draftee, made 33 consecutive saves after allowing Bau a goal at 3:05 into the second half when Finland led 3-2. The 19-year-old made 17 saves in the third period.
Germany will play Sweden on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET). Finland, which lost 5-2 to Canada on Tuesday, will next face Latvia on Friday (8:30 a.m. ET).
Slovakia 3, Switzerland 0 — Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) made 36 saves for Slovakia’s first shutout win in the world juniors in a Group B game in Frolundaborg.
Slovakia opened the World Juniors with two consecutive wins for the first time since 2002, when they finished 8th. Slovakia last won a medal at this competition in 2015 (bronze).
Peter Lepczyk (2024 NHL Draft eligible) had a goal and an assist for Slovakia (2-0, 0-0).
Alessio Beglieri (2024 Draft Eligible) made 17 saves for Switzerland (0-0-0-1).
Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) scored from the backhand slot to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead 8:33 into the first period. Lepsik missed the right post, but was able to backpass the puck from the end boards into the front of the net.
“I think we played a really good game and showed character,” Honzek said. “We made some little mistakes, but we have a great goalkeeper and he carried us through.”
At 2:56 of the second period, Honczek’s penalty shot was denied when Veglieri was hit with a stick blade while attempting a backhand in the middle of the ice.
Lepczyk scored an empty-net goal at 18:19 of the third period to take a 2-0 lead. Selvak Petrovski (Minnesota Wild) scored a short-handed empty-net goal at 19:12 to make it 3-0.
Gajan, who was selected in the second round (No. 35) of the 2023 NHL Draft, made 27 saves in Tuesday’s 6-2 win over the Czech Republic and made his second consecutive start. He made 11 saves in the third period Wednesday, including one with his left glove against 2024 draftee Gregory Weber in the right post.
The 19-year-old goaltender was named the 2023 WJC Goaltender of the Year after posting four straight starts, a 2.40 GAA, a .936 save percentage, and one shutout in four games. He made 33 saves in a 6-3 win over the United States in the preliminary round and 53 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to eventual champion Canada in the quarterfinals.
Switzerland next plays the United States on Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Slovakia will play Norway on Friday (6 a.m. ET).
on tap
Norway vs. Czech Republic (11 a.m. ET) — The Czech Republic (0-0-0-1), which lost in overtime to Canada in the 2023 WJC gold medal match, is looking to bounce back after losing 6-2 to Slovakia in the preliminary round in Frolundabori on Tuesday. That’s what I’m aiming for. Czech defenseman Adam Jilicek, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting’s list of players to watch for the 2024 NHL Draft, was unable to continue after the 17-year-old suffered a right foot injury and played one shift until season opener. It was the 3rd period on Tuesday when I decided not to play because it was gone. Norway played admirably in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the United States, with undrafted goaltender Markus Stensrud making 40 saves. “We have to be ready from the beginning against Norway,” Czech defenseman Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) said. ”[The loss to Slovakia] Norway (0-0-0-1) is playing in the tournament’s top division for the first time since 2014.
Latvia vs. Canada (1:30 p.m. ET) — Canada (1-0-0-0) will look to build on a 5-2 victory over Finland in the qualifying round at the Scandinavian Am. In Tuesday’s game against Finland, Canada’s checking line of Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings), Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens) and Owen Allard (2024 NHL Draft candidate) combined for three points (two goals). and recorded 8 shots. Macklin Celebrini, projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored in 13 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time and had four shots on target in his WJC debut for Canada. Latvia (0-0-0-1), which lost 6-0 to Sweden on Tuesday, returns six players from last year’s squad that dominated Austria in the three-game relegation round and remains at the top of the world. Juniors.
quick links
World Junior Championship predictions
Group A preview
Group B preview
World Junior Championship Roster
Tournament schedule