Islanders prospects Eklund, Eiserman, and Poletin ignite the World Junior Championship stage. Poletin nets two goals in Czechia's thrilling matchup.
The 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Championship started in Minnesota on Friday, and New York Islanders left their fingerprints throughout the day's proceedings. Victor Eklund (Sweden), Cole Eiserman (United States), and Tomas Poletin (Czech Republic) all lit the lamp, with Poletin netting a pair.
Islanders Prospect Tomas Poletin Scores Twice For Czechia vs. Canada
Islanders prospect Tomáš Poletín ignites Czechia's World Juniors campaign, his second of the two tying the game early in the third period.
Here's the breakdown of Friday's action:
Eklund's goal came on the power play. He deflected home a shot from Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell. His goal gave Sweden a 2-0 lead en route to a 3-2 victory over Slovakia.
Team USA features two Islanders prospects: Eiserman and Kamil Bednarik. Eiserman scored the sixth and final goal of the United States' 6-3 win over Germany, letting go a wicked shot from the left circle off a feed from Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Hutson.
Bednarik was a healthy scratch for Friday's game.
The nightcap of the slate saw a pair of Islanders prospects facing off, with Poletin and Czechia facing Kashawn Aitcheson and Canada. Aitcheson was kept off the board in just under 10 minutes of ice time in Canada's 7-5 win, but Poletin stole the show for the Czech Republic, netting a pair of red lights. He was named Czechia's Player of the Game by members of the media.
His first goal of the evening came on a nifty deflection in the first period off an Adam Benak (Minnesota Wild) shot.
His second tied the game early in the third period, finishing a backdoor pass from Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals).
Heading into day two of the tournament, Eklund and Sweden have the day off before returning to play on Sunday against Switzerland. However, three prospects will be on the docket, starting Aitcheson and Canada facing Latvia at 4:30 p.m. EST. Eiserman and Team USA face Switzerland at 6:00 p.m. EST, with Poletin and Czechia facing Denmark at 8:30 p.m. EST.
All games can be found on NHL Network.