14 Players with NAHL Ties Hit the Ice for the 2026 World Juniors Championship

Photo Credit: Liv Sherman for Phileas Lachat, Hope Magelky for Chase Reid

The 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship kicks off today as 14 players with connections to the North American Hockey League are taking part in the event. 

The annual event is celebrating an anniversary, with this year’s tournament marking the 50th anniversary of the World Junior Championships. The tournament is also returning to the State of Hockey for the first time since 1982. The event runs from December 26, 2025, to January 5, 2026, in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. For the first time since 2018, the annual championships return to the United States.

The ten best nations in hockey have put together their best junior hockey rosters as they compete for the chance to win gold. The countries taking part are Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The countries are split into two separate groups for the preliminary round of competition, as each will play four matchups. Group A features the United States, Sweden, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Germany. This group will hit the ice at the Grand Casino Arena, home of the Minnesota Wild. Group B consists of Finland, Czechia, Canada, Latvia, and Denmark. This group will play at the 3M Arena at Mariucci, the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Following the preliminary round of competition, the tournament will move into a single-elimination style of play. The schedule of the matchups is listed below. Additionally, starting in the Semifinals, all games will be hosted at the Grand Casino Arena.

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Quarterfinals: Thursday, January 2

Semifinals: Saturday, January 4

Bronze Medal Game: Sunday, January 5

Gold Medal Game: Sunday, January 5

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To watch some of our current and former NAHL players represent their country, make sure to tune in to the World Junior Hockey Championship on NHL Network. Below are the names you need to have on your radar while you are tuned in.

Coming off a huge 3-2 upset win against Canada and a Quarterfinals appearance last year, Latvia brings a ton of excitement and veteran experience to this year’s tournament. This nation features the most athletes with NAHL connections than any other country at this year’s event. With seven athletes who have laced up in the League of Opportunity, NAHL fans need to keep an eye out for this team. Kicking things off with current athletes who will be rocking the red and white, Watertown Shamrocks second-year forward, Antons Macijevskis, will skate with team Latvia for the second year in a row. Joining him is first-year forward Kristians Utnans from the Kenai River Brown Bears. Utnans will get his first taste under the World Junior lights. Looking to play in the blue paint, Nils Roberts Maurins, a former Bismarck Bobcat, will also get a taste of playing in net for Team Latvia on the U20 stage. Latvia also features a duo of former St. Cloud Norsemen, Krisjanis Sarts and Martins Klaucans. Both skaters are returners  of last year’s World Junior roster. The veteran experience does not stop there; former Watertown Shamrock forward Dmitrijs Dilevka heads to his second year of skating in the red and white. Finally, rounding out the former NAHL players on Latvia, former Aberdeen Wing Krists Retenais will also hit the ice in his second year for Latvia’s U20 team.

Moving on to Team Slovakia, this year features one of their youngest teams ever. With three former NAHLers, there are multiple players to watch at the tournament. Starting things off in the blue paint, Roberto Leonardo Henriquez is a former netminder of the Anchorage Wolverines. He heads to his first World Juniors appearance with his home country. Also getting their first taste of playing for Slovakia on the U20 stage are former Johnstown Tomahawks blueliner Michal Capos and former Minnesota Wilderness forward Michal Liscinsky.

Playing in his second World Juniors Championship, former Janesville Jets goaltender Christian Kirsch will represent Switzerland once again. Kirsch was a fourth round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks (116th overall) in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He will be  looking to lift up his home country to a dominant performance in Minnesota. Joining him is former Watertown Shamrocks netminder Phileas Lachat. Lachat will step onto the World Junior stage for the first time with Team Switzerland.

Moving on to Team USA, the Bismarck Bobcats have their former blueliner, Chase Reid, repping the red, white, and blue this year. Right now, Reid is one of the top prospects for the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The Michigan native is also the youngest player to make the Team USA World Juniors roster this year. The defenseman has skyrocketed in notoriety over the past year and will look to showcase his talents in Minnesota.

​Finally, lacing up for Denmark is current Lone Star Brahmas forward Andrew Bjergstad. The 19-year-old will hit the ice for the World Juniors stage for the first time. Denmark is also making a mark, earning their spot at the tournament for the first time since 2019. 

Despite the Watertown Shamrocks being one of the newest teams in the North American Hockey League, they feature the most players with connections to the League of Opportunity. The Shamrocks have three former players hitting the ice this week.