If 2025 needed a final exclamation point, Canada and Finland were happy to provide it at the World Junior Championships.
With top spot in Group B up for grabs, both teams wasted no time getting into the action, but in the end it was Canada who came out on top with a score of 7-4.
It's fitting that on the day Canada's Olympic roster was unveiled, future contenders were determined to show they were ready to end their medal drought.
It was a fairly easy game to score goals, but more importantly, the Canadians continued to display their championship form, setting the tone for victory.
Securing first place in the group now puts Canada in a favorable position heading into the quarterfinals. But she wasn't the only one to benefit from winning the final round-robin game.
Before we look ahead and break down these matches, here are the key takeaways from the 2025 World Junior Championship finals.
Festival of goals opening period
Well, it escalated quickly.
Defense was not a top priority for either team early in the game, with four goals scored on the first five shots.
It got to the point where every point-blank goal had to hit the target. It's safe to say that some apologies were made to both goalkeepers during the first break.
The fans watching the game certainly weren't going to complain about the way the game started, given the level of skill on display.
There were certainly some troubling defensive moments, but Canada definitely showed off their firepower with seven players scoring two or more points in this game.
Cole Beaudoin had two goals and an assist for Team Canada. Brady Martin also scored a pair of goals to show off his performance outside the top line.
While it was good to see others step up and have good results, Canada's best forwards were not silent in this game.
The trio of Zane Parekh, Michael Hage and Gavin McKenna also tied Slovakia's Tomas Crenko for the tournament scoring lead.
Connection to Calgary on display
Seeing Parekh and Teej Iginla team up for some big moments in this game was definitely a mixed bag if you were a Calgary Flames fan.
Parekh started the scoring with a wrist shot that deceived Petteri Rimpinen, but was to play a larger role in the offense later in the game.
The Flames prospect's vision was on display all night, but one play stood out above the others as he made a perfect pass and found Iginla for the breakaway goal.
Back in the 2024 NHL Draft, many in Calgary were hoping that the son of Flames legend Jarome Iginla would fall to them ninth overall, but the Utah Mammoth spoiled the party by going sixth overall.
To be fair, Parekh has emerged as a great player and has found his dynamic offensive form after a rough start to his NHL career with just one assist in 11 games.
There are World Junior Cup goals that set the building on fire, and there are goals that leave fans scratching their heads for all the wrong reasons.
Canada coach Dale Hunter challenged Joona Saarelainen's goal after replay showed the Finnish player made contact with Carter George's glove with his stick as he reached out to save the shot.
Unfortunately, the explanation was that George's glove was outside the crease and the officials ruled the play as unintentional contact. They believe Saarelainen was trying to throw the puck in the air without interfering with the goalie.
IIHF rules dictate that if George's glove had been in the crease, the goal would have been disallowed due to interference.
This was obviously a big goal for Finland as they tied the game at 3-3 in the first period and Canada received a minor penalty for delay of game.
Sweden flexes its muscles with resounding victory
With first place in Group A on the line, the two unbeaten teams were keen to establish themselves as the winning team going forward.
Unfortunately for the host nation, they were not prepared for what Sweden had in store as the Americans trailed 5-1 in the second period.
In the end, Sweden cruised to a 6-3 win over the United States, with Eddie Genborg scoring twice and teammate Jack Berglund adding three assists.
This is a game that will definitely humiliate the US a bit, but will also give them something to work on.
“They're a pretty good team, but we didn't play our best,” American defenseman Chase Reed. said after the game. “We will see them again and bring them back. I feel like we can play the same way, but today we didn't play our best. We missed a lot of unruly penalties that we shouldn't have taken, but it's a lesson learned and we'll come back stronger.”
This victory will also give Sweden an extra advantage in the quarter-final match. They will face Latvia, while the second-ranked Americans will play Finland, which lost first place in Group B after Canada secured victory on New Year's Eve.
The battle for gold continues
Unsurprisingly, Canada, Czech Republic, Sweden and the USA again exited the group stage. Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Latvia also advanced to the quarter-finals, where they immediately faced familiar matches.
Canada will play Slovakia in the quarterfinals for the third time, with a rematch of the 2023 match ending with a memorable overtime goal from Connor Bedard.
Sweden will play Latvia after finishing top of Group B. It is the third time in five years that the teams have faced each other, with Sweden having won the last two matches.
The United States and Finland have also met in the quarterfinals three times, with their last match ending in a 1-0 Finnish victory in 2020.
The Czech Republic will be looking for the same result as in 2023, when they beat Switzerland 9-1 in the quarter-finals.
Canada, USA and Sweden remain favorites to win the tournament, but if history has taught us anything, it's that the world juniors have a surprise or two in store when we least expect it.
