There Are Plenty Of Minnesota Connections At the World Junior Championships

One of the world’s premier hockey events comes to the Twin Cities this week. The World Junior Ice Hockey Championships will take place at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, from Friday, December 26 to Monday, January 5.

Ten teams, divided into two groups, will square off in a format featuring a preliminary round of group play, from which eight teams will advance through a bracket to compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals.

As usual, this tournament will provide a showcase for some of the best drafted prospects in the world, several of whom have already spent time in the NHL, as well as some of the top draft-eligible prospects for the upcoming 2026 NHL draft.

Also, as usual, the tournament is filled with connections to Minnesota. Team USA, the two-time defending gold medalist, features its usual arsenal of players from the State of Hockey, with as many as eight Minnesotans on the roster (the team still has two cuts to make, as of December 23). In other words, it’s business as usual for Team USA.

Beyond the red, white, and blue, Minnesota connections are sprinkled throughout the tournament field. The Wild only have two draft picks playing (more on them below), but there are several other familiar names and neat links that might pique the interest of Wild fans and hockey heads in general.

Team Finland

Aron Kiviharju – Defense – HIFK (Liiga) – Drafted by Wild in 4th round, 2024

Kiviharju, the self-proclaimed steal of the 2024 NHL draft, is captaining Finland for a second consecutive season. Last year, he led the plucky Finns all the way to overtime in the gold medal game, where they ultimately fell to Team USA.

The 5-foot-10, 181-pound defenseman is a steady, reliable puck mover and solid defender. While he doesn’t have a lot of flash to his game, he’s well-rounded and is a strong game manager from the back end. 

He usually makes the correct pass and is adept at creating lanes with deceptive body language, solid footwork, and a great sense of time and space. He’s never rattled and uses efficient footwork and a great stick to defend in all three zones and along the wall. I wrote an in-depth profile of his game after last season’s tournament, which you can read here.

Kiviharju should be a fun player to watch in this tournament, and Finland is going to be a tough out once again, with a battle-tested group of returnees being joined by skilled newcomers.

Aatos Koivu – Center/Wing – TPS (Liiga)

One of those newcomers has a familiar name for Wild fans; Aatos Koivu, a 2024 3rd round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, is the nephew of longtime Wild captain Mikko Koivu, and the son of former NHL star Saku Koivu, the legendary former Canadien who remains an icon in Montreal.  

Aatos is a skilled, lanky forward with great hands, a strong shot, and a responsible two-way game, as one might expect from a Koivu. He’s had a slow start with his professional club in Finland, but was one of the standouts during last summer’s World Junior Summer Showcase at Ridder Arena. Koivu should be a key contributor for a Finnish forward group that won’t have a lot of high-end offensive talent.

Team Czechia

Adam Benak – Center – Brantford (OHL) – Drafted by Wild in 4th round, 2025

The diminutive Benak became an instant fan-favorite after the Wild selected him last summer, and he immediately backed up the hype with a sterling performance at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. The 5-foot-7 center is having a tremendous year for a loaded Brantford team that has run roughshod over the Ontario Hockey League for much of this season. While Benak’s production has slowed a bit of late, his 1.65 points per game is good for third in the entire league.

Czechia is loaded with talent this year, and after medaling in three consecutive tournaments – and eliminating Canada in each of the past two – they return as a legitimate contender to take home the gold. Benak will play a prominent role, and his speed, skill, and tenacity should make him a very impactful player at this level. 

Benak also has an international track record of success. His performance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, along with another strong showing at last year’s Under-18 World Championship, were major contributors to his rise as a prospect leading up to the draft.

Adam Jireck – Defenseman – Brantford (OHL)

Jiricek, the younger brother of Wild defenseman David Jiricek and Benak’s teammate in Brantford, has emerged as a legitimate prospect with high upside. He’ll likely be the No. 1 defenseman for Czechia in this tournament, which is his third consecutive World Juniors.

Jiricek, a 2024 first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, suited up for the Blues prospects at the Tom Kurvers showcase last fall and looked fantastic throughout the weekend. He’s mobile, an excellent passer, and can play with varied pace to suit any situation. He’s also not afraid to mix it up physically and puts his 6-foot-2 frame to good use in that regard.

The younger Jiricek is tracking to be a key member of St. Louis's blueline down the road, so Wild fans will have the chance to get a look at a player that they’ll likely be seeing a lot of.

Team Slovakia

Luka Radivojevic – Defense – Boston College (NCAA)

It’s not often that you see a Slovakian player whose listed birthplace is Edina, but that’s the case with Radivojevic, the son of former Wild player Branko Radivojevic, who brought his hockey talents and incredible name to St. Paul from 2006 to 2008.  

While his dad was a burly, physical winger, Luka is a smaller, mobile defenseman who is having a good freshman season at Boston College. Radivojevic was on a lot of draft lists last summer, but his 5-foot-10, 173-pound frame is likely the reason he went unclaimed. Still, his skill as a puck mover and strong skating, along with the fact that he’s looked quite good on the Boston College blue line, could be enough to get him drafted next summer.

Radivojevic was a key member of Slovakia’s squad as an under-ager last season, and returns as an alternate captain who will be asked to carry an even bigger load this time around for a team that features only two NHL draft picks.

Team Canada

Ethan Mackenzie – Defense – Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

MacKenzie put himself on the Wild’s radar last season after a strong second year in the WHL, and earned an invitation to last summer’s Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase. The 6-foot, 189-pound prospect has been draft-eligible since 2024 but has gone undrafted twice. 

That’s likely to change after his meteoric rise, which has seen him become a lock for Canada’s lineup despite never having played in an international event. In fact, he suited up on the top pair in their most recent pre-tournament scrimmage against Sweden. He should be a fun player to watch and is probably a player that is on the Wild’s radar for next summer’s draft.

Team Latvia

The Latvians were the darlings of last year’s tournament, where they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Juniors history by taking down Canada in a shootout, on Canadian soil no less. The result was so shocking that it sent the entire Canadian nation spinning into an existential crisis. It also marked a giant step in Latvia’s development into a hockey nation that is to be taken seriously.

The Minnesota connections on the Lativan squad are minor, but notable nonetheless. Forward Martins Klaucans and defenseman Krisjanis Sarts both spent last season playing for the St. Cloud Norsemen of the North American Hockey League.

Both players also represented Latvia in last year’s tournament. Klaucans was a double under-ager as a 16-year-old, and he’s draft eligible this season, though he's probably a long shot to be selected. Klaucans and Sarts will be key players for this year’s Latvian squad, one that should advance from the group stage once again.

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This year’s tournament is shaping up to be another fantastic event, and anyone with time on their hands would do well to snag a ticket or two and check out what has become a truly one-of-a-kind hockey spectacle. For those interested, tickets can be purchased here.

Otherwise, grab a beverage and a snack, kick your feet up, and tune in to see some fun, intense hockey. The full tournament schedule can be found here, and TV and radio information is available here.