nnWelcome 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 second game of the tournament, Denmark taking on Team Finland.
World Junior Championship Predictions Denmark vs Finland
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
Denmark is back in the top division at the World Juniors for the first time in six years. The Danes will have to do everything in their power to avoid relegation. Their lack of depth will be the big question for them in this tournament. This will be put to the test in their opening matchup against Finland.
The Finns enter the tournament as the defending silver medalists after taking Team USA to overtime in the 2025 final. However, they return 11 players from last year’s team and look to push for another medal this tournament.
Finland’s Focus
Finland has lost their last three tournament openers and will be looking to right the ship this year against Denmark. Coming off of a silver at the 2025 tournament, the Finns want to make a push for the podium again. Their hard-nosed, physical style should pose a challenge for Denmark, as they are led by 2026 draft-eligible defenseman, Juho Piiparinen. Piiparinen stands 6-foot-1, 200 lbs, and is averaging over 10 minutes a night as a 17 year old in the Finnish Pro League (Liiga).
They’ll once again be backstopped by 2025 Best Goalie award winner, Petteri Rimpinen. He went 5-2-0 with a 2.34 GAA, .933 SV%, and made World Juniors history as the first goaltender to play every minute of his nation’s games. Offensively, the Fins will look to Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect, Heikki Ruohonen, who scored in pre-tournament action against Team USA, to create offensive opportunities for himself and his teammates. Additionally, keep an eye on Montreal Canadiens’ prospect, Aatos Koivu, to potentially break out on the offensive end this tournament.
Keys for Team Denmark
This will be a tough tournament for Denmark and every game will be a battle for them. For them to compete with Finland, they’ll need to get off to a hot start offensively and try to capitalize on any mistakes or sloppy play from the Fins in their tournament opener. That won’t be the easiest task for Denmark as they are a team built from the back-end up. Goaltender Anton Emil Wilde Larsen will be their #1 option in net. They will have a solid top-pair on the blue line with defencemen Jeppe Kramer and Jesper Bank Olesen. On the front end, forwards William Bundgaar and Oliver Green will need to drive a lot of the Danish offense in order to get points this tournament.
The Final Prediction
The Danes will have their hands full in their opening round game against the defending silver medalists in Team Finland. The Fins are looking to break their 3 year long opening game losing streak and make a statement against Denmark. Despite a potential slow start for the Fins, I don’t see Denmark being able to keep up with their physicality and speed. They should be able to put pucks in the net early and often, helping them pull away on the scoreboard. With the high quality of goaltending from Finland in net and their heavy defensive presence, the Danes will struggle to create offense and find themselves outmatched. The Danes already have their game later in the tournament against Latvia circled as that’ll likely determine relegation for next year’s tournament.
Prediction: Denmark 1-7 Finland
Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.