Sweden Clinches Junior World Hockey Championship Gold After 14 Years

Sweden emerged victorious in the 2026 IIHF Junior World Hockey Championship, winning gold for the first time since 2012. The final, held at the Grand Casino Arena in Minnesota, saw Sweden defeat the Czech Republic 4-2 in an intense match. Casper Juustovaara Karlsson opened the scoring, assisted by captain Jack Berglund, followed by Victor Eklund’s power play goal, pushing the lead to 2-0. Eklund finished the tournament with eight points, signaling his key role. Sascha Boumedienne extended the lead to 3-0 early in the third period, assisted by Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck. Despite a late Czech comeback with two goals, Stenberg sealed the win with an empty-net goal just eight seconds before the final buzzer.

Goalkeeper Love Härenstam, named the best goalie of the tournament, recorded 26 saves in the final. Five players from Västernorrland—Alfons Freij, Eddie Genborg, Linus Eriksson, Milton Gästrin, and Lucas Pettersson—contributed to the team’s success. Sweden’s path to gold included victories over Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, the USA, Latvia, and Finland. This triumph marked Sweden’s third junior world title (1981, 2012, 2026) and ended a series of finals losses in 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2024.

Captain Berglund expressed immense pride in the team’s camaraderie, calling them a close-knit family, while 17-year-old Björck described the victory as an indescribable and lifelong joy. Experts like Håkan Loob praised the performance as nearly flawless. The tournament also saw individual awards go to players including MVP Vojtech Cihar of the Czech Republic and tournament standout forwards and defenders. The win signifies a milestone for Swedish junior hockey, rekindling national enthusiasm for the sport’s future stars.