After defeating Czechia 4-2 in the World Junior Championship finals, Florida Panthers prospect Linus Eriksson and Team Sweden head home with gold medals.
Florida Panthers prospect Linus Eriksson and Team Sweden took home a gold medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship, defeating Team Czechia 4-2 in the finals.
Eriksson started the tournament in a bottom-six role, but after a couple of games, the 19-year-old was moved to the top line, centring Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell and New York Islanders prospect Victor Eklund.
Eriksson finished the tournament with a goal and two points in seven games. His lone goal came 36 seconds into Sweden's semi-final victory over Finland. While he didn't light up the scoresheet, Eriksson did what he does best: play a stout two-way game and chip in on the penalty kill.
Sweden's triumph ends a long drought. Sweden had not won gold at the world juniors since 2012, despite winning multiple bronze and silver medals.
Sweden was more than deserving of taking home gold this year. They finished the group stage with a perfect 4-0-0-0 record, before defeating Latvia 6-3 in the quarter-finals, Finland 4-3 in a shootout in the semi-finals, and Czechia 4-2 in the finals.
Sweden jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period of the final with a short-handed goal. In the second period, Eklund added a power play marker to extend the lead to 2-0. A third-period even-strength goal by Winnipeg Jets' Sascha Boumedienne furthered the lead, and the goal proved to be a vital one. Czechia attempted to make a frantic comeback, cutting the lead to 3-2, but Ivar Stenberg, a projected top two pick in the upcoming NHL draft, scored into the empty net, adding his third point of the game.
Eriksson finishes his final year of world junior eligibility with a gold medal, adding to his international resume, which features a bronze medal at the U-18s.
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