It was a full slate at the World Juniors on New Year’s Eve, as teams looked to solidify their final spots in the upcoming medal rounds.

All three Vancouver Canucks prospects were in action, and all three advanced to the next round.

Tom Willander and Team Sweden closed out their preliminary slate with a battle for the top spot in Group B. Czechia was on the docket, coming in as the tournament’s top-scoring team and the other perfect record through three games.

Sweden emerged victorious with a 4-2 win, continuing their dominance in the tournament. While Willander was held off the scoresheet for the first time, he was a force on the ice, firing six shots on net, and leading all skaters with 25:33 of ice time.

Through the preliminary round, the 19-year-old has been a cornerstone for Sweden, contributing five points (two goals, three assists) in four games. This ranks him second among all defencemen in scoring (tied with two other defenders).

Additionally, his 14 shots on net ties Cole Hutson for the second-most of any defender in the tournament, and his steady defensive play has earned him a plus-5 rating — good for the third-best among defenders.

Sweden will now face Latvia, who made history by securing two wins in the tournament for the first time, in the quarterfinals on Thursday, January 2, at 9:00 AM PT.

In a highly anticipated New Year’s Eve showdown, Canada faced off against their arch-rivals, the United States, with the top spot in Group A on the line. Despite a hard-fought effort till the end, Canada fell 4-1, sliding all the way down to third in their group.

The US went 3/7 on the powerplay, ultimately sealing Canada’s fate.

Sawyer Mynio, making his second appearance of the tournament, played a minimal role (13:50) on Canada’s backend. However, a cross-checking penalty midway through the third period sent the United States to the power play, where they scored the eventual game-winning goal.

The team now prepares to take on Czechia in the quarterfinals on Thursday, January 2, at 4:30 PM PT.

Basile Sansonnens and Team Switzerland secured their first victory of the tournament with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan, clinching their spot in the quarterfinals.

Sansonnens took on a quieter role in this high-stakes game, skating a tournament-low 12:32. The 18-year-old has yet to register a point and sits with two shots and a minus-2 rating through four games.

Switzerland will now face a tough test in the quarterfinals as they take on the United States on Thursday, January 2, at 11:30 AM PT.

The quarterfinals promise to bring more drama and excitement as Canucks prospects continue their journeys in the medal round. Here’s the full schedule for all three Canucks representatives:

The winner of each game will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Saturday at 12:30 PM or 4:30 PM. The Gold Medal game will be at 4:30 PM on Sunday.