The United States will play Germany in one of four games Dec. 26, the first day of the 2027 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
The tournament will run Dec. 26-Jan. 5, 2027. Games will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, home of the Edmonton Oilers, and at Marchant Crane Centrium in Red Deer.
The United States looks to return to the medal stand after finishing fifth at the 2026 WJC. It had won back-to-back gold medals in 2024 and 2025. Forward Wyatt Cullen, chosen by the Nashville Predators with the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and defenseman Chase Reid (Seattle Kraken, No. 7, 2026) are two players expected to play a big role for the U.S.
The U.S. has won the WJC seven times, including three times in the past six years (2021, 2024, 2025).
Canada, which won a bronze medal at the 2026 WJC, could have a roster featuring as many as six players chosen among the top 10 in the NHL Draft: defensemen Carson Carels (Calgary Flames, No. 6, 2026), Daxon Rudolph (Buffalo Sabres, No. 4, 2026), and Keaton Verhoeff (San Jose Sharks, No. 9, 2026), and forwards Caleb Desnoyers (Utah Mammoth, No. 4, 2025), Caleb Malhotra (Vancouver Canucks, No. 3, 2026), and Brady Martin (Nashville Predators, No. 5, 2025). Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, is eligible to represent Canada at the 2027 WJC but he’s expected to be playing in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Additionally, defenseman Landon DuPont, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL Draft who will play for the University of Michigan this season, is expected to play for Canada, which will play its first preliminary-round game against Switzerland on Dec. 26.
Ten teams will play in the WJC. Group A features Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and the U.S., with its the preliminary-round games at Marchant Crane Centrium. Group B consists of Canada, Czechia, Latvia, Norway and Switzerland and will play its preliminary-round games at Rogers Place.
Sweden, which won its third gold medal after a 4-2 win against Czechia in the championship game at the 2026 WJC in Minnesota, will have a roster that could include four first-round NHL draft selections: forwards Alexander Command (New Jersey Devils, No. 12, 2026), Elton Hermansson (Los Angeles Kings, No. 19, 2026), Marcus Nordmark (Anaheim Ducks, No. 28, 2026), and defenseman Malte Gustafsson (New York Islanders, No. 13, 2026).
Russia remains banned from international play because of its invasion of Ukraine.
The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played Jan. 2, along with the relegation game. The semifinals are Jan. 4 at Rogers Place, and the championship and third-place games will be Jan. 5, also at Rogers Place.