Emil Hemming explodes for two goals, Jasper Kuhta grabs a share of the tournament lead in scoring, as Finland crushes Latvia. Sweden battles Switzerland in a tight contest.
Only two games were scheduled for the 2026 World Junior Championship on Sunday, Dec. 28. Sweden faced Switzerland, who had nearly caused an upset against the host nation, USA, on Saturday night. The Americans had to fight hard for the three points, narrowly securing a 2-1 victory over the Swiss in the final minutes of the game.
Switzerland gave Sweden trouble as well. Eric Nilson scored the opening goal just 53 seconds in, but Switzerland played with heart, battling back to go up 2-1 heading into the third period.
Sweden came out in the third angry and flying. Top NHL draft-eligible prospect Viggo Bjorck scored 57 seconds in to tie the game up. Then, Anaheim Ducks prospect Lucas Pettersson scored twice to improve Sweden to 2-0 in the tournament.
No OHL players were in action for the opening game, but the next game between Finland and Latvia featured two OHL players.
Oshawa Generals’ Onni Kalto was taken out of Finland’s lineup as their number-one center, Julius Miettinen returned. Ottawa 67’s Finnish forward Jasper Kuhta recorded a team-high three points in Finland’s 6-2 win over Denmark on Boxing Day. His production carried over into game two.
Kuhta scored Finland’s second goal of the game, trying to make a backhand pass to his teammate. His pass banked off the paddle of the Latvian netminder and through his fivehole. Later in the game, he assisted on Roope Vesterinen’s third-period tally.
Through Day 3 of the tournament, Kuhta is tied with Czechia defenseman Tomas Galvas for the tournament-lead in points with five.
Kuhta’s multi-point effort matched his OHL counterpart, Emil Hemming.
After having been held off the scoresheet in Finland’s opener, Hemming flexed his offensive prowess against Latvia. Less than five minutes into the game, the Barrie Colts forward intercepted Latvia’s breakout in the neutral zone, worked a give-and-go with Matias Vanhanen, and slid his shot through the fivehole.
He wasn’t done there. On the man advantage early in the second, it was a shooting gallery for Hemming. Set up inside the left-hand faceoff circle, operating on his offside, Finland fed him one-timer after one-timer. Finally, on his third opportunity, Hemming powered his one-timer into the back of the net for his second of the game.
Finland decimated Latvia 8-0, a vast difference from the game they played against Canada the night prior.
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