2025 World Junior Championship predictions | NHL.com

The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship winner will be from North America, according to three NHL.com writers.

NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale predict the United States will repeat as gold-medal winners for the first time. LNH.com senior writer Guillaume Lepage believes Canada will win the tournament on home ice in Ottawa.

The U.S. has won gold six times at the WJC (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024), but its best finish following its previous five championships was third in 2011 and 2018.

Canada, which finished fifth at the 2024 WJC, has won the gold medal the previous two times the tournament was played there, in Edmonton in 2022 and Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2023. It has won it eight times in 17 stints as host or co-host since the tournament began in 1977.

Each writer also made his pick for best goalie, best forward and best defenseman at the tournament. They also chose the top 2025 NHL Draft prospect, with Canada defenseman Matthew Schaefer and U.S. forward James Hagens the selections.

The 2025 WJC will be held Dec. 26-Jan. 5. The 10 teams will play in two groups. Group A consists of the U.S., Canada, Finland, Germany and Latvia and will play its preliminary-round games at Canadian Tire Centre. Czechia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland are in Group B, with its preliminary-round games at TD Place.

The top four finishers in each group will play in the quarterfinals Jan. 2. The semifinals are Jan. 4, and the championship and third-place games are Jan. 5.

All games will be broadcast live on NHL Network in the United States and TSN and RDS in Canada.