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Skilled Sweden Wins Gold
Sweden finished off its dominant World Junior Championship with a gold medal.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sweden hadn’t dropped a game at the World Junior Championship. After outlasting Finland in a shootout in the semifinals, Sweden was in control of the gold-medal game against Czechia, too, holding a 3-0 lead with three minutes remaining in regulation.
Surely the Swedes weren’t going to fully surrender that lead, even when Czechia scored a pair of extra-attacker goals?
“We all knew we were going to end up on top,” said defenseman Sascha Boumedienne. “We just had that feeling together. We just stuck together.”
The Swedes indeed stuck together, surviving that last-minute push from its opponent and defeated Czechia 4-2 to win the gold medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship in front of a crowd of 9,753 Monday night at Grand Casino Arena. Earlier in the evening, Canada won the bronze medal with a 6-3 win over Finland.
Sascha Boumedienne and Jack Berglund embrace in the postgame celebration on the ice at Grand Casino Arena. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
Sweden and Czechia also met for a medal in the 2025 World Junior Championship, with Czechia earning the bronze in a shootout.
In 50 years of the World Junior Championship, it’s the third time Sweden has won the gold medal, also winning in 1981 and 2012. Many players on the current Sweden roster were probably too young to remember that last gold medal for the country. Sweden also took silver in 2024, losing to the United States when the tournament was held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“It’s special,” Boumedienne said. “This is the tournament everyone’s been watching since they were really, really small. It’s the third time we’ve done it, and being part of this group who did it is unreal.”
Though the result wasn’t the ultimate prize for Czechia, the program has shown consistent success in recent WJCs. Czechia won a medal for the fourth year in a row, bookended with two silvers and adding two bronze medals in between.
“It just says that even as a small country, we have great hockey players, and they are progressing,” said Czechia coach Patrik Augusta. “When we choose them to national teams, they represent the country and they do it very [well] the last four years.”
Their last gold medal in the tournament came back in 2001. Augusta told his players after Monday’s game to be proud and that they had a great tournament, even though they finished a little short of the ultimate prize.
“But before the tournament, if somebody would have told us that we would win the silver medal, we would take it,” Augusta said. “Our dreams were higher… hopefully if we work hard, we’ll get another chance.”
In Monday’s gold-medal game, Sweden, as the team had been throughout the tournament, was just too good for Czechia. Sweden went a perfect 7-0 in preliminary play and the medal round combined.
“They’re just so skilled with the puck,” said Czechia forward Adam Benak. “They skate good.
“Congrats to them, they played very well today.”
Sweden was in control throughout the game, eventually doubling up Czechia in shots on goal at one point as it built a lead that eventually went to 3-0 before Czechia’s late rally.
Sweden’s Casper Juustovaara and Jack Berglund celebrate a shorthanded goal to give Sweden a 1-0 lead. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
The first period was scoreless for about 15 minutes until Sweden capitalized with a shorthanded goal that also came on a delayed penalty. Sweden’s Casper Juustovaara had his stick slashed out of his hands at the Czechia blue line, drawing the call. But he picked up his lumber, then went to the front of the net while his team possessed the puck. Jack Berglund had the puck behind the net and fed Juustovaara, who had a wide-open net to bury the puck after Czechia goaltender Michal Orsulak was out of position after making an earlier save.
Sweden seemed to get better as the game went on, with a stifling forecheck and defense, not allowing much time or space for Czechia. Sweden doubled its lead about halfway through the second period on a power-play goal from Victor Eklund as he buried the puck on a backdoor rebound.
“I think Sweden played better from the beginning,” Augusta said. “Our legs weren’t going. It took a lot of energy out of us, the game against Canada. Not even physique but mentally, too, and emotions.”
Through two periods, Czechia trailed 2-0 and was getting outshot 28-11.
Sweden made it 3-0 less than four minutes into the third period with what turned out to be the only five-on-five goal of the game and the eventual game-winner. Boumedienne didn’t miss on his shot from the circle on a feed from Ivar Stenberg along the blue line.
Time continued to tick away without a Czechia goal. But with 3:20 left in regulation and an offensive-zone faceoff looming, Czechia pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. They cycled the puck and got on the board 56 seconds later with a goal from Adam Jiricek.
Then it became a one-goal game with 23.3 seconds remaining as Matej Kubiesa’s fluttering shot up high hit the back of the net to make it 3-2. Czechia took a timeout with tying the game suddenly very much in play.
But Stenberg, who already had two assists, scored an empty-netter with exactly eight seconds on the clock to figuratively put the gold medals around the necks of Sweden players. The Sweden bench was a mob of yellow jerseys jumping up and down together before Stenberg also joined the pile.
“That was nice. Really nice,” Stenberg said. “That’s something you dream about… I’m so happy. That goal was really nice.”
Czechia forward Adam Benak finished the tournament with eight points. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
Minnesota Wild prospect Benak wins silver medal with Czechia
Benak, an 18-year-old forward, had one shot on goal and drew an interference penalty after taking a hit along the boards in the second period of Monday’s game. He was one of two Minnesota Wild prospects in the tournament, having been selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Benak scored a goal and seven assists and was a plus-4 in six games during the tournament.
One of his best games was in the semifinal 6-4 victory over Canada. He put Czechia ahead 3-2 in the final minute of the second period with his goal, plus he added a pair of assists in the game. Without hesitation, Benak said that victory over Canada was amazing and his stand-out memory from the tournament.
“I’ve never been that happy like ever,” Benak said. “It was such a good feeling. Sadly, it didn’t happen tonight, but I’m super proud.”
