When the IIHC World Junior Championship commences on December 26th, teams from ten countries will compete for the gold. Players invited to selection camps for their respective countries have been whittled down to the final rosters that will take the ice when competition begins. The Kraken will have four prospects among them, though none competing for Team USA or Team Canada.
So who will be competing for their home countries?
Finland: Both forward Julius Miettinen and goaltender Kim Saarinen will make their second run at World Junior gold with Team Finland. In 2025, the Finns lost the gold medal game in overtime to Team USA and walked away with silver. Despite missing several games due to injury and illness, Miettinen has already surpassed his points total from the 2024-25 season and ranks 8th overall in points in the WHL. Saarinen, who has remained in Finland for development, currently carries a .094 save percentage with a 2.37 goals against average in Liiga.
Sweden: Picked up by the Kraken in the 7th Round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Loke Krantz has divided his time between Linkoping HC U20 and Linkoping HC of the Swedish Hockey League. He has played 13 games so far in Sweden’s top professional league and clocked 1 goal and 1 assist in that time. He has been more productive with his U20 team and is expected to play a bottom-six role for Team Sweden.
Czechia: Jakub Fibigr will make his second appearance at World Juniors representing Team Czechia. In 2025, Fibigr played a key role in Czechia’s bronze medal finish with five assists in the team’s seven game campaign. Selected by the Kraken in the seventh round in 2024, Fibigr currently plays for the Brampton Steelheads of the OHL where he has 8 goals, 16 assists in 27 games. As an alternate captain for Brampton, he will bring both leadership and international experience to the team.
Preliminary games begin today, December 26th and will culminate in the final gold medal game on January 5th.