Goalie improves to 2-0 with Sweden; defenseman scores first goal, nets assist in rout of Denmark
Love Harenstam remains perfect and Adam Jiricek bounced back at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Harenstam and Sweden moved to 2-0 in group play when the goalie and a six-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues stopped 21 shots in a 4-2 Sweden victory over Switzerland at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn. on Sunday.
Harenstam, who also made 23 saves in Sweden's opening 3-2 win over Slovakia on Friday, and the Swedes trailed 2-1 entering the third period on Sunday before scoring three unanswered in the third period, the final and insurance tally assisted by Ivar Stenberg, the younger brother of Blues 2023 first-round pick Otto Stenberg, who had this to say about his younger brother relishing his time playing for his country.
"I just told him to enjoy it and to play his game," Otto Stenberg said. "Just enjoy every moment, have fun. I told him it's one of the best tournaments in hockey. Enjoy every moment of it.
"It would be pretty fun to play together at some point. He's got a lot of talent, offensive, good player. It's fun to watch him."
In two games, Harenstam has stopped 44 of 48 shots against.
For Jiricek, who went down in defeat on Friday, 7-5 to Canada in the opener for each country, the Czechs bounced back in a big way on Saturday in a 7-2 win over Denmark at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Jiricek, a 2024 first-round pick (No. 16) by the Blues who led all skaters Friday in ice time at 23:04, scored in a goalmouth scramble and had a game-high eight shots on goal and once again led all skaters in ice time at 25:06:
On Monday, both countries will be in action, with Sweden taking on Germany at noon, and Czechia going against Finland at 2:30 p.m. in a crucial group game.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.