Canada vs. Finland
How to watch
Puck drop: 8:30 PM EST / 5:30 PM PST
In Canada: TSN (English,) RDS (French)
In the United States: NHL Network
Live stream: TSN+, RDS Direct
It has become a New Year’s Eve tradition at the World Juniors to have what organizers expect will be the best games of the tournament on the final day of the preliminary round. That’s exactly how things have played out in 2026, with first the United States and Sweden playing to determine the top spot in Group A, and then Canada and Finland showing down in the last game to decide who wins Group B.
The math is simple in the game: the winner claims the first seed. Whether in regulation, overtime, or a shootout, the team that celebrates the victory with host the lowest seed from Group A, Slovakia, in Friday’s quarter-finals.
Team Canada projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #9 Gavin McKenna |
#29 Michael Hage |
#28 Brady Martin |
| #11 Tig Iginla |
#7 Michael Misa |
#22 Porter Martone |
| #25 Caleb Desnoyers |
#26 Cole Beaudoin |
#23 Sam O’Reilly |
| #17 Jett Luchanko |
#21 Cole Reschny |
#8 Brauden Cootes |
|
#24 Liam Greentree |
|
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #10 Cameron Reid |
#19 Zayne Parekh |
| #13 Ethan MacKenzie |
#4 Harrison Brunicke |
| #2 Kashawn Aitcheson |
#14 Ben Danford |
| #20 Keaton Verhoeff |
|
| Starter |
Backup |
| #30 Carter George |
#1 Jack Ivankovic |
Team Finland projected lineup
| Left Wing |
Centre |
Right Wing |
| #37 Matias Vanhanen |
#27 Julius Miettinen |
#22 Emil Hemming |
| #12 Joona Saarelainen |
#28 Heikki Ruohonen |
#15 Aatos Koivu |
| #21 Max Westergard |
#29 Jasper Kuhta |
#23 Leo Tuuva |
| #10 Roope Vesterinen |
#38 Oliver Suvanto |
#35 Atte Joki |
|
#18 Onni Kalto |
|
| Left Defence |
Right Defence |
| #34 Arttu Valila |
#7 Daniel Nieminen |
| #13 Veeti Väisänen |
#25 Lasse Boelius |
| #2 Mitja Jokinen |
#6 Juho Piiparinen |
| #4 Niklas Nykyri |
|
| Starter |
Backup |
| #30 Petteri Rimpinen |
#1 Kim Saarinen |
