WJC Notebook: Axel Sandin Pellikka and James Hagens shine on Boxing Day
OTTAWA, Ontario – It was an eventful Boxing Day at the 2025 World Juniors, as the defending gold, silver, and bronze medallists all secured victories on the opening day.
The United States began their title defence with a 10-4 win over Germany, while Sweden claimed a decisive 5-2 victory over Slovakia.
Czechia beat Switzerland 5-1 thanks to strong performances from Michael Hrabal (Utah Hockey Club), Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken), and Miroslav Holinka (Toronto Maple Leafs). And not to be outdone, the hosts Canada defeated Finland 4-0.
Let's get into the biggest storylines from the day.
Will Axel Sandin Pellikka repeat as tournament's top defenceman?
Sweden faced some early adversity by allowing the tournament's first goal, a rocket from Dalibor Dvorský (St. Louis Blues) that put them down 1-0 after the first period.
But captain Axel Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings) but his team on his back, setting up the game-tying goal and then completing the natural hat trick near the end of the third period.
Sandin Pellikka was recognized as the 2024 tournament's best defenceman, and he's already making a strong case to earn the accolade again this year around. With him leading the way on the blueline at both ends of the ice, Sweden looks poised to win Group B.
James Hagens re-establishing first overall status
Heading into this tournament, James Hagens' grip on first overall for the 2025 NHL Draft had been slipping. Challengers from the OHL emerged, including Matthew Schaefer and Porter Martone, who are both representing Canada at this tournament.
As a result, Hagens had to prove that he still deserved to be in conversation to be the top prospect in this draft class.
He silenced those doubts in a big way, scoring twice and finishing with four points. The Boston College Line, with Gabe Perreault (New York Rangers) and Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals), combined for four goals and nine points in the win.
It wasn't all smooth-sailing for the United States, however. Germany pushed back in the second period, closing the gap to just one goal. It was Hagens who helped his team respond with a critical fourth goal, and the Americans never looked back after that.
“You've gotta be grateful that if you're a guy that has pressure, you know, it's obviously something that comes with privilege,” Hagens said.. “You can't really let that stuff affect you. Especially when you're on the ice, it's hockey, you want to be in that moment where there's pressure on you and your team.”
For Hagens, his and Team USA's attention will quickly shift to their next game against Latvia in just a couple of days. But for everyone else, all eyes will be on the USA-Canada showdown on New Year's Eve – the first time we will all get to see Hagens go head-to-head with Martone and Schaefer this season.
Gavin McKenna & Matthew Schaefer will drive the bus for Canada
Like Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) last year and Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks) both of the two years prior, it looks like Canada will once again rely on their underaged stars to lead the way offensively.
In a first period where Canada really struggled to generate consistent, high-danger scoring opportunities (including a power play that looked like it was on life support), Schaefer and Gavin McKenna teamed up to score in the final minute:
McKenna was consistently the most dangerous forward on the ice for Canada, and the crowd reacted every time the puck was on his stick. Meanwhile, Schaefer looked very steady defensively and also created quality scoring chances from the back end, finally rewarded for his efforts with the empty-netter in the final 30 seconds.
As Canada works to find line combinations that will allow them to generate scoring from all four lines, it's reassuring to know that their youngest players can hold their own at this level – not that there were many doubts – and that they can rely on both to drive the bus offensively.
Tomorrow's Schedule:
Switzerland vs. Slovakia - 1:00pm ET
Germany vs. Finland - 3:30pm ET
Sweden vs. Kazakhstan - 5:00pm ET
Latvia vs. Canada - 7:30pm ET
