Team USA claimed gold at last year’s World Junior Hockey Championship held in Gothenburg, Sweden, ending Canada’s run of two consecutive championships. This time, the tournament has returned to Canada, being hosted by its capital city, Ottawa. The United States and Canada, who have claimed the last five titles. are the two favourites to win the 2025 trophy, but there are six top teams in the fight for gold.
The first phase of the tournament involves two groups (A and B) of five teams playing a round robin to decide positioning for the playoff portion. The top four nations from each group make it to the quarter-finals, while the bottom teams will play each other in a relegation game.
12:00 PM EST: Slovakia vs. Sweden
2:30 PM EST: United States vs. Germany
5:00 PM EST: Czechia vs. Switzerland
7:30 PM EST: Finland vs. Canada
1:00 PM EST: Switzerland vs. Slovakia
3:30 PM EST: Germany vs.Finland
5:00 PM EST: Sweden vs. Kazakhstan
7:30 PM EST: Latvia vs. Canada
1:00 PM EST: Kazakhstan vs. Czechia
3:30 PM EST: Latvia vs. United States
12:00 PM EST: Switzerland vs. Sweden
2:30 PM EST: United States vs. Finland
5:00 PM EST: Czechia vs. Slovakia
7:30 PM EST: Canada vs. Germany
1:00 PM EST: Slovakia vs. Kazakhstan
3:30 PM EST: Germany vs. Latvia
12:00 PM EST: Kazakhstan vs, Switzerland
2:30 PM EST: Finland vs. Latvia
5:00 PM EST: Sweden vs. Czechia
8:00 PM EST: Canada vs. United States
Rather than a best-of-three series, a single relegation game will be played between the teams that finish at the bottom of each group. The winner will remain in the Top Division for the 2026 event. The loser will drop down to Division IA, making room for Denmark’s promotion next year.
11:00 AM EST: A5 vs. B5
The top seed from Group A plays the fourth seed from Group B, the second seed of Group A the third seed from Group B, and so on. These are all single-elimination games, with the losers’ tournament coming to an end, and the winners moving on to the semifinals. The winners of the semis play for the gold medal, while the losers battle for bronze.
12:00 PM EST: Quarter-final 1
2:30 PM EST: Quarter-final 2
5:00 PM EST: Quarter-final 3
7:30 PM EST: Quarter-final 4 (reserved for Canada)
3:30 PM EST: Semifinal 1
7:30 EST: Semifinal 2 (reserved for Canada)
3:30 PM EST: Bronze Medal Game
7:30 PM EST: Gold Medal Game
