Sweden vs Slovakia Preview & Prediction | 2026 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship | Group Stage

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Sweden and Slovakia begin the 2026 WJIHC with all eyes likely to be on NHL number three draft pick Anton Frondell.

Kick-off date/time:

How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / USA – NHL Network / Canada – TSN/RDS

How to watch online: UK – Cannot be streamed / USA – NHL Network via subscriptions for fuboTV, DirectTV, SlingTV or ESPN+ / Canada – TSN streaming platforms

Sweden vs Slovakia prediction

Always a significant threat at these World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, expect Sweden to be a gold medal challenger again on this occasion after finishing in fourth place last time out. The two-time champions boast a plethora of players on their roster recently drafted to the NHL, not least Anton Frondell. The Djurgardens forward was taken at number three overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and lots of eyes will be on his performances across the tournament.

Number 16th overall pick Victor Eklund of should also court plenty of attention and both he alongside Frondell are key pieces for Sweden. Slovakia shouldn’t be underestimated, but were beaten by Sweden in the group stage last year and it cannot be emphasised enough how strong the Swedes are on paper. They’ll be eying up a 100% record in the group stage for a second consecutive year and should be backed to win this game.

Sweden vs Slovakia tip: Sweden to win