Sweden tops Finland in a shootout to make final at world junior hockey championship

By Canadian Press on January 4, 2026.

SAINT PAUL — Anton Frondell scored the winner in the eighth round of the shootout as Sweden topped Finland 4-3 to make the final at the world junior hockey championship on Sunday.

The No. 3 overall pick at the 2025 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks sealed the victory with a shot through Petteri Rimpinen’s five-hole on the forward’s third attempt after his first two were denied.

Ivar Stenberg and Eddie Genborg added a goal and an assist each in regulation for the Swedes, while Linus Eriksson provided the rest of the offence. Love Harenstam made 33 saves in 70 minutes of action, including a back-and-forth 3-on-3 overtime.

Atte Joki, Jasper Kuhta and Joona Saarelainen replied for the Finns. Rimpinen stopped 29 shots at Grand Casino Arena, home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

Canada and Czechia played later Sunday for the other spot in Monday’s gold-medal game. Finland will meet the loser of that matchup for bronze. Sweden is looking to win just its third world junior crown after topping the podium in 1981 and 2012.

The Swedes last made the final on home soil at the 2024 tournament in Gothenburg, when they fell 6-2 to the United States.

Sweden opened the scoring 36 seconds into the first period. Joki tied it with a shot past Harenstam’s glove at 16:26 for Finland, which lost out to the Americans 4-3 in overtime in last year’s title showdown in Ottawa.

Stenberg, one of the top prospects for the 2026 draft, pushed his country back in front at 1:20 of the second when he rifled a puck home from the slot before Kuhta again knotted things up 50 seconds later when his initial effort that hit the glass was accidentally batted off Harenstam and in by Swedish defenceman Alfons Freij.

Genborg broke that 2-2 tie at 14:07 of the second when he banked a shot in off Rimpinen from below the goal line.

Finland got a power play midway through the third when Stenberg went off for tripping, but failed to register a shot on goal before Leo Tuuva took an undisciplined slashing penalty late in the man advantage.

Saarelainen gave the Finns life when he took advantage of a fortunate bounce off a teammate in front at 13:01 to make it 3-3 and force a wild extra period and a drama-filled shootout.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press