Two Vancouver Canucks prospects' teams played on the opening day of the 2026 World Junior Championship.
The first day of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship has officially passed, with two Vancouver Canucks prospects’ teams taking part in today’s matchups. While only one, Braeden Cootes, played today, Wilson Björck and Team Sweden also registered a win during the opening day of the preliminary round. Here’s how today’s matchups concluded.
Sweden 3, Slovakia 2
Björck, whose brother Viggo is also on Team Sweden during the 2026 World Junior Championship, was listed as a healthy scratch for today’s match against Slovakia and did not end up playing. He also sat during Sweden’s second exhibition game against Canada earlier in the lead-up to the tournament’s start. A big factor in Sweden’s win was Ivar Stenberg, who scored the game-winning goal and assisted on his team’s opening tally. Stenberg played alongside Viggo in Sweden’s first game of the preliminary round of the tournament.
Canada 7, Czechia 5
For a good chunk of the game, Canada and Czechia were knotted at equal scores of 3–3 and 4–4, before Canada took an eventual lead thanks to Tij Iginla and Ethan MacKenzie. During this game, Cootes reprised the role he has been showcased in at times during the exhibition games, acting as Canada’s fourth-line center paired with Los Angeles Kings prospect Liam Greentree and Sam O’Reilly of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Cootes played a total of 9:21 throughout the game.
December 27 Schedule
Latvia vs. Canada: 1:30 pm PT
USA vs. Switzerland: 3:00 pm PT
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