It’s the time of year when Santa Claus and his elves are busy delivering presents to children all over the world. When I was younger, that would have gotten me excited about Christmas Day fast approaching, but as time has gone by, the excitement of opening presents has diminished. But one thing about this time of year still has me playing with anticipation, just like when I was young… the World Junior Tournament!!
I can’t remember all the details off the top of my head, but when I close my eyes I see flashes of so many good memories revolving around this event. My cousins and I would sneak away from family holiday events to see how Team Canada was doing. The epic battles between the Maple Leaf and the Sickle & Hammer with the underlying theme of democracy versus communism in the 1980s when the Canadians and the Soviet Union dominated that decade (combined won 8 of 10 championships). The 1990s were even better for a true Norther, as our country won seven out of ten championships during that period… probably one of the many reasons why I will always love that decade. Jonathan Toews scoring on all three shootout attempts to seal a gold medal for the Canucks. By Jordan Eberle heroics during two championships, where he set a record for most goals by a Canadian junior player (14). Of course, more recently a young phenomenon Connor Bedard Ultimately, he rewrote the record books with 17 red lights on in his two tournaments. And Canada has gained a new rival in the past decade, joining the United States in winning eight of the last nine tournaments. So many good times….
As always, the World Championship action kicks off on Boxing Day, giving us the chance to see the best young hockey players in the world compete for a spot in the gold medal match on January 5. The Americans will host the tournament in Minnesota and will battle with that advantage to earn three straight first-place finishes. Team Canada put on an embarrassing performance in Ottawa last year, finishing so low that they should have been placed in Group A with the US and Sweden… but our neighbors to the south chose to send us to Group B so the big countries were more spread out. This is how the countries are divided this year:
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On December 26, the teams that most of us Winnipeg Jets fans will want to keep an eye on will see the game as young defensive prospects Sascha Boumedienne & Alfons Freij will play for Sweden in the tournament opener against Slovakia, the United States will clash with Germany in the early evening and Canada will face the Czech Republic in the night match.
If you would like to view the full schedule, here is a link to Hockey Canada’s website:
Schedule and Results – 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship
Since I mentioned our two candidates who are eligible for the World Juniors, let’s take a closer look at the two Swedish defenders.
Sascha Boumedienne, D, Sweden
The 6-foot-4 defenseman, who was drafted 28th overall in 2025, is known for his great skating skills, allowing the Swede to impact the game at both ends of the ice. The scouts say Sascha is extremely attentive, constantly scanning the ice to read plays, and has the ability to fight for the puck when the time comes. He usually creates offense as a playmaker, but his great shot on the power play is also an asset. A common comparison from the pundits I’ve seen is to the Montreal Canadien Mike Matheson.
Playing in his second season in the NCAA at Boston University, Boumedienne scored two goals and four assists in 17 games, playing on the second-worst team in the league. We should probably expect a bigger attacking impact in this tournament due to the younger competition, as the defender provided 13 assists in 7 games for Sweden last year.
Alfons Freij, D, Sweden
At the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Winnipeg did not have a first rounder, so their first selection was Freij with the 37th overall pick. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound defenseman doesn’t have the impact of his compatriot on the game offensively, instead relying on strong defensive play and smart passing decisions to help his club’s goals.
More like Dylan Samberg or Dylan De MeloAs a 19-year-old, Alfons has played all 25 games for Timra IK of the Swedish top flight and when you consider that his team only has five players with a positive plus-minus rating, his -1 confirms that he is responsible in his own zone.
Of the two Jets’ prospects, I think Freij is the most likely to make the move to the Manitoba Moose next season… so it will be fun to see what to expect from the youngster if that happens.
Now that we’ve looked at the young men already part of the organization, let’s take a look at the upcoming offseason to see who could be added to Winnipeg’s draft pool. With our hockey club performing so poorly this season and projected to get a very high draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, we might also be interested in looking at the players involved who haven’t been drafted yet to see who the True Northers could get with their first round selection. To help with this insight into the Jets’ future, I’ve outlined the top 15 players that scouts predict will be drafted first.
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As you can see, our hockey team currently has a top 5 pick depending on how the lottery balls fall. The 2026 draft pool is considered very deep and that not only includes the number of players expected to make the NHL, but also has a larger than normal number of elite skaters at the top. Of course, we’ve all heard about the potential greatness of a forward Gavin McKennabut many scouts also sing the praises of being a bulky defender Keaton Verhoeff and Swedish striker Ivar Stenberg as potential 1st overall selections.
McKenna won the WHL with Medicine Hat last season and recorded 129 points in 56 games for the Tigers. His transition to the tougher NCAA hasn’t gone so well, though the kid is still scoring at a point per game for Penn State against older competition. Verhoeff is another Canadian who made the trip south this season after collecting 45 points in 63 games for the Victoria Royals. The 6-foot-1 defenseman has done well in North Dakota, scoring at a .688 pts/gm pace for the Fighting Hawks with a +6 rating. Stenberg is probably the closest to NHL ready at this point due to him being the oldest of the bunch and his performances against actual grown men in the SHL. Ivar will be almost 19 years old when the Entry Draft takes place and this year he is scoring almost a point per game (.96) shows that he has the ability to compete at a high level despite not being very tall.
Admittedly, this early in the season my knowledge of the rest of the draft pool is limited as I didn’t expect my attention to turn so quickly to the future of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2025-2026 season. But if you look at the last column, which shows a player’s NHL equivalent rating, you might get a better idea of the talent available. That statistic attempts to say how many points a player would have in the NHL this year, based on the level of competition and the stats he has actually accumulated in his respective leagues. With the True Northers having trouble scoring this year, it would be nice to add someone who is already projected to score 25 to 40 points in the major leagues. And there are 11 options in that range in the top 15 prospects alone…..potentially good news for us Jets fans in June?
If you want to dive deeper into the pool, here is a link to the current Tankathon trial with the top 3 laps outlined. You can click on each player’s name to get even more information about them and create your wish list for Winnipeg’s upcoming draft. Anything to distract us from the current state of the club, right?
2026 NHL Mock Draft with Lottery Simulator | Tankathon
Okay, I think I’ve pushed on long enough and my growling stomach suggests I have more pressing matters to attend to. We may use this page to provide commentary on the World Junior tournament as it progresses. Feel free to share your favorite WJC memories and whether the Canadian games played a role in your holiday festivities, as my hockey-loving family allowed. Ordering Chinese food on Christmas Eve and watching the rising young hockey stars compete on the ice have always been traditions that I have appreciated.
And of course, let me know if it excites you to think that Winnipeg might be able to pick up a game changer in the upcoming draft? Do you have someone in particular in mind? Should Kevin Cheveldayoff Make sure he drafts the much-needed future 2C the Jets have needed for years, or should they just take the best prospect available when their name is called?
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and Holidays!! Take time to appreciate your family and friends while indulging in the delicious food that comes with such gatherings.
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