
The semifinals of the 2026 World Juniors are officially in the books. As they have all tournament, WHLers stepped up in a big way on Sunday. Here are the WHL standouts from January 4, 2026.
Sweden 4, Finland 3 (SO)
Czechia 6, Canada 4
Another game, another incredible performance from Vojtech Cihar. The Kelowna Rockets forward had two goals in 22:42 of ice time and was named Czechia's player of the game. Fans in Kelowna should start getting excited as if Cihar can carry this momentum to the WHL, the Rockets may be unstoppable for the rest of the season.
Max Curran stepped up in a big way when his country needed him most. The Edmonton Oil Kings forward had a goal and two assist while logging 14:38 of ice time. Curran also came up big in the faceoff dot, as he won 11 of his 17 draws on the night.
Sunday was a big day for Rockets forwards as Tomas Poletin also had a strong game for Czechia. The 18-year-old scored the game-winning goal while also recording an assist. Poletin has had a strong tournament overall, posting four goals and six points in six games.

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