World Juniors Sweden Czechia Hockey Sweden's Ivar Stenberg (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game against Czechia, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matt Krohn/AP)
World Juniors Sweden Czechia Hockey Sweden's Linus Eriksson celebrates after winning an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game against Czechia, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matt Krohn/AP)
World Juniors Sweden Czechia Hockey Sweden players celebrate after winning an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game against Czechia, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matt Krohn/AP)
World Juniors Sweden Czechia Hockey Czechia goalie Michal Orsulak (30) and defenseman Vladimir Dravecky (9) react after losing an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game to Sweden, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matt Krohn/AP)
World Juniors Sweden Czechia Hockey Sweden Jack Berglund (26) and Leo Sahlin Wallenius (4) celebrate after winning an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game against Czechia, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) (Matt Krohn/AP)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Casper Juustovaara and Viktor Eklund scored first-period goals and Sweden won its third world junior hockey title, beating Czechia 4-2 on Monday night in the first all-European final since 2016.
Sweden also won in 1981 and 2012. Czechia won its lone titles in 2000 and 2001.
Sascha Boumedienne gave Sweden a 3-0 lead at 3:47 of the third.
Adam Jiricek and Matej Kubiesa scored for Czechia, with Kubiesa striking with 24 seconds left. Ivar Stenberg capped the scoring with an empty-netter with eight seconds left.
In the third-place game, Sam O'Reilly scored twice, Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage each had four points to help Canada beat Finland 6-3.
McKenna had a goal and three assists, and Hage had four assists. Zayne Parekh had a goal and an assist to break the Canadian record for points by a defenseman with 13 on six goals and seven assists. Alex Pietrangelo had 12 in 2010.
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