HEISLER vs BALLARD: WORLD JUNIORS SEMI-FINALS USA, CZECHIA, SWEDEN, AND FINLAND

Yes, it feels a bit strange to be talking about the semi-finals of the World Junior Championship with Canada and Russia not being part of the conversation. But here we are.

And for the third straight year, my friend Eric Ballard and I go into the semi-finals in a dead heat when it comes to pre-game predictions.  

While the quarter-finals generated a high degree of drama and storylines (enough to have Canada chattering for the next eleven months), it's the semi-finals where the hardware starts getting earned.

Any of the four teams has a serious shot of taking the gold, but the Americans appear to be carrying entirely too much talent to stumble now. 

Sweden vs. Finland (3:30 p.m. ET) -- Sweden won 3-2 against Latvia in the quarterfinals and has scored 27 goals in five straight victories and is seeking to do one better than last year's silver medal-winning performance at the 2024 WJC. The power play is connecting at a tournament-best 36.3 percent efficiency (8-for-22), led by defensemen Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings), Sweden's captain, and Tom Willander (Vancouver Canucks) with two goals apiece on the man-advantage. Sandin-Pellikka, named the top defenseman at the 2024 WJC, is tied for the tournament lead with nine points (four goals, five assists). No defenseman has outright led the World Juniors in points and only twice have defensemen tied for the lead (Carlo Colaiacovo, Canada, 2003; Erik Johnson, United States, 2007). Among forwards, the Swedes have been led by Felix Unger Sorum (Carolina Hurricanes) with seven points (six assists) and Anton Wahlberg (Buffalo Sabres) with seven points (four goals). Goaltender Melker Thelin (Utah Hockey Club) has four wins and a 2.75 goals-against average in four games. Sweden, which will compete in the final four for the fourth straight time, lost 6-2 to the United States in the gold medal game at the 2024 WJC. The country's last gold medal came after a 1-0 overtime win against Russia in the 2012 WJC in Calgary.

Finland advanced with a 5-3 win against Slovakia in its quarterfinal round match, receiving a 33-save effort by Petteri Rimpinen, a W rated goalie on NHL Central Scouting's December players to watch list and projected sixth- or seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Rimpinen, who has earned the nickname "Showtime" in his country, has won four of five games with a 2.00 GAA and .940 save percentage.

Finland is led offensively by its "Big Boy Line" with Julius Miettinen (6-foot-3; Seattle Kraken) centering left wing Rasmus Kumpulainen (6-3; Minnesota Wild) and Halttunen (6-3; San Jose Sharks). Jesse Nurmi (New York Islanders) has four points (two goals, two assists), and Konsta Helenius (Buffalo Sabres) and Heikki Ruohonen (Philadelphia Flyers), each have three assists. The Finland penalty kill is tied for the tournament lead with Germany (94.1 percent; 16-for-17) in five games. The Finns seek their first medal since winning silver at the 2022 WJC in Edmonton. They have won gold five times (1987, 1998, 2014, 2016, 2019).

HEISLER: This is one of Europe's most intense rivalries. Like Canada vs United States, anything can happen when Finland and Sweden hit the ice. Rimpinen could easily frustrate Sweden, but nothing is a given. PICK: Sweden

BALLARD: eam Finland’s Rimpinen enters the semifinals as the top goaltender with 4 games played, a 94.08 SV%, a 2.00 GAA, and a shutout. With a scoring proficiency of 8.57 they will need to rely on the goaltending and get some secondary scoring to come away with a win. Sweden has a 12.68 scoring proficiency, but nothing screws up a better game plan than a hoy goalie. When these two countries meet it's another border battle and even though Team Sweden om paper should win this game I will be going with the Finns in fine fashion. PICK: Finland

United States vs. Czechia (7:30 p.m. ET) -- The United States has outscored Canada and Switzerland by a combined 11-3 since a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland in its third preliminary-round game on Dec. 29. The Americans clinched a semifinal berth for the eighth time in 10 years and are seeking a second straight tournament championship for the first time in their history and seventh championship overall. The U.S. and Czechia are tied for the tournament lead with 29 goals each, but the U.S. is hitting at a 33.3 power-play efficiency (7-for-21) and 78.9 penalty-killing efficiency (15-for-19). It has gotten goals from 12 different players and the top line of captain Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals; four goals, six points) with center James Hagens (2025 draft eligible; four goals, eight points) and right wing Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers; two goals, seven points) has combined for 21 points. Defenseman Cole Hutson (Capitals) is tied for the team lead with Hagens with eight points (two goals, six assists). Goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) is the expected starter after he helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal last year.

For the second straight year, Czechia eliminated Canada in the quarterfinal round, winning 4-3 on a power-play goal by Adam Jecho (St. Louis Blues) with 39.4 seconds remaining in the third period. The Czechs will now seek a third straight World Juniors medal after winning silver in 2023 and bronze in 2024. The Czechs are tied for the tournament lead with the United States with 29 goals, including a 27.7 percent efficiency on the power play (5-for-18). Czechia's penalty kill is ranked fourth among the 10 participating countries with an 81.2 percent efficiency (18-for-22).

Czechia is led offensively by Jakub Stancl (St. Louis Blues; five goals, three assists) and Vojtech Hradec (Utah Hockey Club; four goals, four assists) with eight points each, and Petr Sikora (Washington Capitals; four goals, three assists) and captain Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken; five goals, two assists) with seven points apiece. Defenseman Jakub Fibigr (Kraken) has five assists, and goalie Michael Hrabal (Utah) has won three of four games with a 2.52 GAA and .920 save percentage.