As is tradition, hockey fans who celebrate Christmas had the 25th of December to look forward to. Then, it was time to focus on the next scheduled event: the IIHF World Junior Championships.

Every year, players under 20 are afforded the chance to don their nation’s jersey, giving fans a look at the next wave of NHL players. Whether they have the potential of a bottom-six player or are projected first-overall picks with a “generational” label, every person on a roster can etch their name in hockey history.

So, with the tournament beginning, we’re not just recapping the games, but I’m also providing the patented three stars across all games on any given day.

As a reminder, before we hop into the recipients for day one, just as any three-star list in the NHL is subjective, my three stars are subjective. Not everyone will agree with my three stars every day (or maybe even a single day), so feel free to share who you would have selected as well!

The final game of the opening tournament day was a rematch between Team Canada and Team Finland, considered one of the best gold medal games of all time in 2022. While the game’s result was predictable simply because of Team Canada’s powerhouse nature, how it happened was as exciting as ever.

Team Canada’s goaltender, Carter George, was tested in the first two periods, but nothing was like how he was tested in the third period. In the final frame, shots were 20-12 in favor of the Finns, and the Canadians went to the penalty kill thrice. George was forced to make some incredible saves.

George’s 31-save shutout led Canada to victory over a tough opponent, earning him the player of the game (which his teammates were incredibly excited about) and my third star of day one.

Before Team Canada’s evening victory, Team USA played Team Germany in a matinee. After winning the gold medal in Sweden last year, Team USA is looking to repeat as champions. Their first test came early, with Germany putting up a strong fight throughout the first half of the game.

The score was 3-2 through the first 30 minutes, but Team USA took a large lead in the following 30 minutes, led by their first line of Boston College players: James Hagens, Gabriel Perreault, and Ryan Leonard.

Leonard did not notch any goals, posting only two assists, and Hagens had a strong World Juniors debut with two goals and two assists; Perreault stood out as the best player on the ice. His two goals were as well-placed as any shots you’ll see in the tournament, both coming from high-danger areas as well.

And here’s his second:

And this primary assist on one of Hagens’ goals was just as pretty as his goals.

Perreault was the best player on the ice against Germany, but because there was a performance better than his in an earlier game, he sits in the second star position for day one.

Team Sweden faced off against Team Slovakia in their first game since the soul-crushing defeat to Team USA on home turf last year, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who was on the team in 2024 and named captain for 2025, came out with a vengeance.

The 2023 first-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings scored a hat-trick to begin his 2025 WJC campaign, and he also had the primary assist on Sweden’s first goal. Sandin-Pellikka was drafted being known for his offensive touch (he is almost a point per game from the blue line in the Swedish Hockey League this season), and his offensive abilities were on full display with his tallies.

Overall, Sweden scored five goals in their triumph over Team Slovakia. Sandin-Pellikka contributed to four of them, making him my first star of day one of the World Junior Championship.