Sascha Boumedienne and Alfons Freij will represent the Jets at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship

The Jets battled back from 3-0 down Sunday night to earn a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, the NHL has the first of three days off for the holiday break. A 30th-place finish in the NHL overall standings wasn’t what the Jets had planned for Christmas this season, but that’s exactly the situation they find themselves in as of tonight.

They will have plenty of time in late 2025 to recap how the Jets season is going, but today the focus turns to the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. This year’s tournament will be played in Minnesota, where Team USA will try to win their third straight gold medal. Three NHL teams are sending seven players to the tournament this year and several teams are sending none, while the Jets are sending two players: Sascha Boumedienne and Alfons Freij.

Sascha Boumedienne was drafted in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old left-handed defenseman from Stockholm, Sweden is currently playing his second full season for Boston University. In 17 games with a top 20 college team in the US, Boumedienne has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. Boumedienne is described as an offensive transition defenseman who excels in skating, puck movement and offensive upside, also as a power play specialist.

Alfons Freij was drafted in the second round, 37th overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old left-handed defenseman from Solvesborg, Sweden is currently spending his first season with Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League. In 25 games in the Swedish top league, Freij has 0 goals and 2 assists for 2 points. Freij is described as a player similar to Boumedienne, who excels at moving the puck. Freij is also known for his high hockey IQ and defensive awareness.

Jets fans will likely be cheering on Team Canada like this tournament, but Team Sweden will be fun to watch with these two talented Jets prospects. Below is Team Sweden’s schedule for the 2026 IIHF World Championship, where you can get a glimpse of the Jets’ future blue line with Boumedienne and Freij.

*Times listed are in CST (same as what it will be in Minnesota for game time)*

December 26: Sweden vs. Slovakia – 12:00 PM CST

December 28: Sweden vs. Switzerland – 1:00 PM CST

December 29: Germany vs. Sweden – 12:00 CST

December 31: USA vs. Sweden – 5:00 PM CST

Next step for the Winnipeg Jets

The Jets return to NHL action on Saturday, December 27, which is an off day for Boumedienne, Freij and Team Sweden during the round robin. First up for the Jets after the holidays is a strong Central Division opponent, the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop for this game at the Grand Casino Arena will be just after 6:00 PM CT. Stay up to date with all the latest Jets news, plus previews and recaps of every Jets game this season, right here at Jets Nation.

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