Team USA claimed gold at last year’s World Junior Hockey Championship held in Gothenburg, Sweden, ending Canada’s run of two consecutive championships. This time, the tournament has returned to Canada, being hosted by its capital city, Ottawa. The United States and Canada, who have claimed the last five titles. are the two favourites to win the 2025 trophy, but there are six top teams in the fight for gold.
Preliminary round
The first phase of the tournament involves two groups (A and B) of five teams playing a round robin to decide positioning for the playoff portion. The top four nations from each group make it to the quarter-finals, while the bottom teams will play each other in a relegation game.
December 26, 2024
12:00 PM EST: Slovakia vs. Sweden
2:30 PM EST: United States vs. Germany
5:00 PM EST: Czechia vs. Switzerland
7:30 PM EST: Finland vs. Canada
December 27, 2024
1:00 PM EST: Switzerland vs. Slovakia
3:30 PM EST: Germany vs.Finland
5:00 PM EST: Sweden vs. Kazakhstan
7:30 PM EST: Latvia vs. Canada
December 28, 2024
1:00 PM EST: Kazakhstan vs. Czechia
3:30 PM EST: Latvia vs. United States
December 29, 2024
12:00 PM EST: Switzerland vs. Sweden
2:30 PM EST: United States vs. Finland
5:00 PM EST: Czechia vs. Slovakia
7:30 PM EST: Canada vs. Germany
December 30, 2024
1:00 PM EST: Slovakia vs. Kazakhstan
3:30 PM EST: Germany vs. Latvia
December 31, 2024
12:00 PM EST: Kazakhstan vs, Switzerland
2:30 PM EST: Finland vs. Latvia
5:00 PM EST: Sweden vs. Czechia
8:00 PM EST: Canada vs. United States
Grid schedule (EST)
| Team | Dec 26 | Dec 27 | Dec 28 | Dec 29 | Dec 30 | Dec 31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | FIN (19:30) | LAT (19:30) | — | GER (19:30) | — | USA (20:00) |
| CZE | SUI (17:00) | — | KAZ (13:00) | SVK (17:00) | — | SWE (17:00) |
| FIN | CAN (19:30) | GER (15:30) | — | USA (14:30) | — | LAT (14:30) |
| GER | USA (14:30) | FIN (15:30) | — | CAN (19:30) | LAT (15:30) | — |
| KAZ | — | SWE (17:00) | CZE (13:00) | — | SVK (13:00) | SUI (12:00) |
| LAT | — | CAN (19:30) | USA (15:30) | — | GER (16:30) | FIN (14:30) |
| SUI | CZE (15:00) | SVK (13:00) | — | SWE (12:00) | — | KAZ (12:00) |
| SVK | SWE (12:00) | SUI (13:00) | — | CZE (17:00) | KAZ (13:00) | — |
| SWE | SVK (12:00) | KAZ (17:00) | — | SUI (12:00) | — | CZE (17:00) |
| USA | GER (14:30) | — | LAT (15:30) | FIN (14:30) | — | CAN (20:00) |
Relegation game
Rather than a best-of-three series, a single relegation game will be played between the teams that finish at the bottom of each group. The winner will remain in the Top Division for the 2026 event. The loser will drop down to Division IA, making room for Denmark’s promotion next year.
January 2, 2025
11:00 AM EST: A5 vs. B5
Playoff round
The top seed from Group A plays the fourth seed from Group B, the second seed of Group A the third seed from Group B, and so on. These are all single-elimination games, with the losers’ tournament coming to an end, and the winners moving on to the semifinals. The winners of the semis play for the gold medal, while the losers battle for bronze.
January 2, 2025
12:00 PM EST: Quarter-final 1
2:30 PM EST: Quarter-final 2
5:00 PM EST: Quarter-final 3
7:30 PM EST: Quarter-final 4 (reserved for Canada)
January 4, 2025
3:30 PM EST: Semifinal 1
7:30 EST: Semifinal 2 (reserved for Canada)
January 5, 2025
3:30 PM EST: Bronze Medal Game
7:30 PM EST: Gold Medal Game
