Christmas might be just around the corner, but for die-hard hockey fans, the real holidays kick off on Boxing Day.

That’s right— the 2025 IIHF World Juniors are just one week away, and hockey’s brightest young stars are ready to hit the ice.

With rosters finalized, teams are now focused on testing line combinations and refining systems in pre-tournament action leading up to the main event on December 26.

Tonight, two Vancouver Canucks defensive prospects, Sawyer Mynio (Team Canada) and Basile Sansonnens (Team Switzerland), will make their pre-tournament debuts for their respective nations.

For Sawyer Mynio, this marks his first time officially representing Hockey Canada. The Seattle Thunderbirds’ co-captain earned his spot as one of five left-shot defenders on the roster.

Early indications suggest Mynio will slot in on Canada’s second defensive pairing alongside Oliver Bonk, son of former NHLer Radek Bonk.

The Kamloops, B.C., native has been a key player for Seattle, amassing 114 points (30 goals, 84 assists) in 196 WHL games and 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists) post-draft. In his first two seasons, he played a role in the Thunderbirds advancing to the WHL finals in back-to-back seasons, earning a WHL Championship win in 2022-23 as a sophomore.

On the other side of the ice, Canucks’ seventh-round pick Basile Sansonnens will don Switzerland’s jersey in his pre-tournament debut. Sansonnens is in the midst of his rookie season with the Rimouski Océanic in the QMJHL, where he has cemented himself as a top-pairing shutdown defenceman.

While it’s unclear where Sansonnens will slot in the Swiss lineup tonight, he’s expected to play a third-pairing role focused on shutdown and penalty-killing roles. Known for his physical presence and skating ability, Sansonnens is no stranger to international play, having represented Switzerland at the U18 level, where he served as captain.

Tonight’s game is at 4 p.m. PT, and will be available on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.