ST. PAUL and MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Aatos Koivu knew the questions would come.
When you’re playing in a major international hockey event in Minnesota and you share the bloodline of one of the longest-tenured players in the history of this state’s NHL franchise, those questions are inevitable.
“It means the world to me to play in this event and it’s not because of my name or because my uncle used to play here,” Aatos Koivu said. “I don’t think any of that really matters to me. I just want to be here. I want to win here. That’s all I came here for.”
The 6-foot, 175-pound 19-year-old star forward from Finland scored his first World Junior Championship goal in his first World Junior Championship game, as the Finns rolled to a 6-2 win against Denmark at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday afternoon.
Aatos Koivu’s goal came fewer than 10 miles from the home base of the Minnesota Wild. His uncle, Mikko, scored 205 goals and 709 points, and played 1,028 NHL regular-season games for the Wild from 2005-2020.
But Aatos gets enough of his uncle when he’s at home in Finland.
Mikko Koivu is a minority owner and assistant coach for TPS, the team that Aatos plays for in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. And Aatos’ father, Saku, is also a minority owner of TPS, after playing 1,124 games in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks
“At first, it was a little bit something I wasn’t used to,” Aatos said of Mikko being his coach. “But I think we’re at the point where, when we’re at the rink, he’s my coach and I’m his player. If we see each other on family occasions, then he’s my uncle and we don’t talk about hockey.
“It’s two different occasions and something I have to get used to. … But he did give me a couple of restaurants I should check out (in the Twin Cities) if I have time.”
WJC Day 1 three stars
1. Will Zellers, USA, 2 goals, 1 assist.
2. Zayne Parehk, Canada, 2 goals.
3. Anton Frondell, Sweden, 1 goal, 1 assist.
Slovakian coach Peter Fruhauf was excited to see his team hang with Sweden through a goalless first period. He was even more excited to see his players erase a two-goal lead.
“At one point in the first period, about 15 minutes into the game, it was about 10-5 in shots for us,” Fruhauf said. “The boys felt it. Of course, in the second, those PKs were so close to one another. It was hard. Sweden is such a good team and already scored. We knew they were going to have the momentum. We settled down and scored a goal on the power play. We fixed a few things after the second.”
Slovakia forward Jan Chovan (12) reacts to a third-period goal against the Sweden on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, during the World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Slovakia turned the tables when it went on a 5-on-3 power play in the final minute of the second period. Tomas Pobezal scored with four seconds before the intermission to cut the deficit in half.
Midway through the third period, Tobias Tomik tied the game with an assist from Northern Michigan freshman and Slovakian captain Tobias Pitka.
If not for a highlight reel, game-winning goal from a top 2026 NHL Draft Prospect, Ivar Stenberg, who struggled to find his game until he scored with just under four minutes left in regulation, Slovakia would’ve had more to show for its effort.
“The boys did a really good job,” Fruhauf said. “I feel sorry for them because they deserve to have at least one point from this game.”
Leading scorers after Day 1
Will Zellers, USA, 2-1—3
Ethan MacKenzie, Canada, 1-2—3
Michael Hage, Canada, 1-2—3
Vojtech Cihar, Czechia, 1-2—3
Jasper Kuhta, Finland, 0-3—3
Frondell, Sweden’s powerful special teams
During Sweden’s first power play with four minutes left in the first period, Anton Frondell’s right-flank shot took Slovakian goaltender Alan Lendak back… literally.
Frondell, the third overall pick in the 2025 draft by Chicago, ripped a one-time shot off Lendak’s cage, causing the 19-year-old goaltender to fall backwards after making the save.
Frondell got another chance in the second period on Sweden’s second power play. This time, he avoided Lendak sliding to the right post, scoring the first goal of the WJC tournament just over nine minutes into the second period.
“It’s always a nice feeling when you see the puck go into the net. It wasn’t the first shot from me,” Frondell said with a laugh.
Frondell helped Sweden pay off its third chance on the man-advantage four minutes later. With Slovakian defenders selling out to the flank, Frondell found Victor Eklund on the back door to double the lead.
“I was just trying to shoot the puck when I had a chance,” Frondell said. “I’m lucky I scored one. It feels like late in the game, Slovakia read that play and started to block me more. Eklund was open after that.”
Sweden went 2-for-4 on the power play in its 3-2 tournament-opening win. It nearly had a shorthanded goal early in the third period.
Viggo Bjorck broke free on the penalty kill. His initial shot was stopped by Lendak before his leg made contact with the Slovakian goalie, propelling the puck in. Slovakia successfully challenged the goal and it was overturned.
Sweden forward Victor Eklund (18) scores a goal against Slovakia goaltender Alan Lendak (30) on Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, during the World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne dropped the puck during he pregame festivities, and Phil Housley led the “Let’s Play Hockey” chant. Grand Casino Arena also held a pregame ceremony with youth flag bearers related to other famed Minnesota hockey figures, including the son of newly minted U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Zach Parise. Boston College freshman and WJC veteran Luka Radivojevic was the lone Slovakian player out of the lineup in Friday’s tournament opener due to an illness. Radivojevic competed in the previous two WJC in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Ottawa. Canada’s dressing room is in Ridder Arena, which is connected to 3M Arena at Mariucci. The walk meant Canada took the ice about three minutes after Czechia did for warmups.USA coach Bob Motzko, who is also the head coach at the University of Minnesota, was the very last to speak with reporters Friday at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul because, “I was halfway to the hotel,” before USA Hockey’s Dave Fischer brought Motzko back to the arena. “I forgot about media,” Motzko said. “Sorry guys. I normally love being with you all.”Who picks the Player of the Game for each team in the World Juniors? That was the question after USA beat Germany 6-3 on Friday in St. Paul. USA forward Will Zellers had two goals and an assist to lead the U.S. in scoring. Goaltender Lennart Neisse made 41 saves for Germany. Neither was picked for Player of the Game. Instead, USA’s was forward Brendan McMorrow, who had one assist. Germany’s went to forward Dustin Willhoft, who had two assists. According to an IIHF spokesman, the teams each select their own player of the game.Slovakia coach Peter Fruhauf needed stitches on the bench after he was hit above his right eye with the puck. Despite a playing career that lasted from 1995 to 2019, Fruhauf lightheartedly said, “I was never a victim of that myself. I guess it happens, and now I’ve had my first one.”
Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.