MINNEAPOLIS — A new IIHF World Junior Champion will be crowned this year for the first time since 2023. As many predicted ahead of the tournament, it could very well be Canada. The Canadians are looking for their first gold medal in three years and have won three of the past six WJCs. The U.S. claimed the other three, most recently in 2025 and 2024. With Finland knocking the Americans out of the tournament thanks to a 4-3 overtime win in the quarterfinals on Friday, the path to gold is even clearer for Team Canada. The first 13 minutes of the first period in the quarterfinal matchup between Canada and Slovakia on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci were rather quiet. With seven minutes...
