Welcome to Last Word On Hockey’s editions of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship predictions. Throughout the tournament our team will break down key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make a prediction on how the game will play out. You can also check out our NHL editions. For this edition, we’ll take a look at the New Year’s Eve matchup of Slovakia vs Switzerland.

World Junior Championship Predictions: Dec 31 – Slovakia vs Switzerland

How to Watch: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN

Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Location: Grand Casino Arena in St Paul, Minnesota

After taking down Germany 4-0 in their last game, Team Switzerland officially secured a quarterfinal spot in this year’s tournament. Their opponent in that quarterfinal game will depend on final seeding, giving this final group stage game significant implications for the Swiss and Slovaks, with the winner of this matchup finishing third in Group A. 

Team Slovakia enters this matchup with a 1-2 record and is coming off a hard-fought 6-5 loss to Team USA. They’ll look to bounce back against the Swiss before both teams head to the quarterfinal round. The Slovaks played well against the Americans and had them on the ropes until midway through the third period. Team Slovakia will have to play a full 60-minute game if they want to come out on top on Wednesday. 

Slovakia’s Side 

The Slovaks enter this New Year’s Eve matchup following a tough 6-5 loss to Team USA, where 2026 Draft-Eligible Tomas Chrenko netted two goals to extend his tournament-leading total to five. Tobias Pitka, Adam Belusko, and Michal Svrecek each scored as well for the Slovaks in their loss to the Americans. For them to come out on top, they need to see the offence produce as it did against Team USA. They won’t be able to take down the Swiss by only scoring one or two goals. Chrenko will need to be a driving force for the Slovaks, and they’ll have to hold strong on the backend with a young defensive core. They’ve gotten solid goaltending so far from Detroit Red Wings prospect, Michal Pradel, and will look to him for a big performance in net on Wednesday. 

Switzerland’s Side 

In their last game, the Swiss knocked out Germany to secure a quarterfinal spot in the tournament. Kimi Koerbler led the Swiss with two goals in that game, with Jamiro Reber and Ludvig Johnson each getting their first goals of the tournament as well. The Swiss haven’t had this most consistent goaltending between Christian Kirsch and Elijah Neuenschwander, but they’ll need a prime-time performance to keep the Slovakians out of the net. 

The Final Prediction

Both teams have seen similar results against their common opponents in Germany, the USA, and Sweden, so this one should be a highly competitive, close-scoring game. This game could go either way, but Slovakia has looked really good in group play so far and should be able to edge out the Swiss with their size and physical play. If they don’t play well on the back end, the young Swiss offense could make this one interesting. Look for this one to be close down the stretch, with Slovakia pulling away late. 

Prediction: Slovakia 4-2 Switzerland 

World Junior Championship Predictions: December 31st Czechia vs Latvia

How to Watch: US TV: NHL Network Canada: TSN

Time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Location: 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Our second New Year’s Eve game features Team Czechia, who enters with a 2-1 record, and Team Latvia, who clinched a quarterfinal spot after a 6-3 victory over Denmark on Tuesday.  That win allows Latvia to avoid the possibility of relegation and turn its focus towards Czechia and the upcoming playoff rounds. 

Czechia was extremely impressive in their 2-1 overtime win over Finland on Monday, and St. Louis Blues prospect, defender Adam Jiricek is becoming the talk of the tournament after his between-the-legs overtime winner and solid defensive play. Los Angeles Kings prospect, Vojtech Cihar, has also looked solid this tournament with six points through three games. Undrafted Defenceman Tomas Galvashas is also one to keep an eye on, as he’s also accumulated six points for the Czechs so far. 

The Team Latvia Perspective

Team Latvia is coming off its first win of the tournament, defeating Denmark 6-3 to secure a spot in the quarterfinal round. Before they fully focus on the playoffs, they’ll have to take on a promising Czech team in their final group stage game. 2026 Draft-Eligible defenceman, Albert Smits, has quickly become one of the fastest rising prospects in the class. He has impressed with his size, skating, and physical play throughout the tournament and will be a key target for NHL teams this cycle. His performance so far should put him in the top 10 of the 2026 NHL Draft. The Latvians will need even more production up front from their top forwards like Kristers Ansons, who leads the team with 4 points so far this tournament, if they want to come out on top on Wednesday. 

The Latvians have been impressive this tournament, but Team Czechia looks ready to take the next step in the junior hockey world and compete for a medal this year. Latvia will put up a fight, but it won’t be enough to hold off the Czechs for a full 60 minutes.

Final Prediction: Czechia 5 – Latvia 2

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