The 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships have officially kicked off, and all three Vancouver Canucks prospects were in action — or close to it — on Boxing Day.

Sweden opened the tournament with a convincing 5-2 victory over Team Slovakia. They overcame an early 1-0 deficit to assert their dominance in the second period.

While Axel Sandin-Pellikka stole the show with a stunning three-goal, one-assist performance from the blue line, Canucks prospect Tom Willander quietly put in a strong showing of his own.

As expected, Willander patrolled Sweden’s second defensive pairing and top penalty-killing unit. However, in a slight surprise, he was also given responsibilities as the quarterback of the team’s top powerplay unit, sharing duties with Sandin-Pellikka. Positioned at the top of the umbrella, Willander was tasked with driving possession and setting up Sweden’s lethal offensive weapons.

It was on that powerplay that Willander picked up his first point of the tournament. After feeding Sandin-Pellikka for a one-timer, the puck ricocheted to Felix Unger Sörum, who fired it into the net for his second of three goals. Willander earned the secondary assist on the play.

Willander’s contributions weren’t limited to the scoresheet. He was Sweden’s top minute-earner, skating an impressive 24:43 — nearly four minutes more than any other Swedish player. While Sandin-Pellikka will grab most of the headlines with his offensive heroics, it’s clear that Willander is the engine driving Sweden’s puck possession and the backbone of their defensive structure.

Sweden’s path to the Medal round is relatively smooth, with games against Kazakhstan, Switzerland, and Czechia remaining in the round-robin stage.

Sweden’s next match is Friday, December 27th as they take on Kazakhstan at 2:00 pm PT.

For Basile Sansonnens, Team Switzerland’s opening game against Czechia was a tough test, and the Swiss ultimately fell short in a hard-fought 5-1 battle. Sansonnens, deployed on the third pairing, logged 15:33 of ice time and finished with a minus-1 rating and zero shots on goal.

Sansonnens’ role in this tournament is clear: He’s a defensive specialist tasked with neutralizing the opposition’s offensive threats. His next opportunity to showcase his game will be Friday, as Switzerland aims to bounce back and secure valuable points in their quest to advance beyond the group stage.

The Swiss team will now face Slovakia next at 10:00 am PT.

It was a quieter start to the tournament for Sawyer Mynio, who watched from the press box as Team Canada opens their tournament against Finland. As the team’s lone defensive scratch, his absence was notable but not overly unexpected, as Canada’s coaching staff rotates their roster during the early stages of the tournament.

Mynio’s physical, all-around style could provide Canada with a different look on the blue line as the tournament progresses. With a deep pool of defensive talent, earning playing time won’t be easy, but the Kamloops native has shown through the last two years that he could step in and make an immediate impact when called upon.

Canada will face Latvia next, and it remains to be seen if Mynio will get his chance to suit up to make his WJC debut. The puck drops at 4:30 pm PT on Friday, December 27th.