The IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship returns to Slovakia for the first time since 2017. While that event was staged in the High Tatras, this one will be in the western part of the country, with Trencin and Bratislava as the hosts.

While Group A takes place in Trencin, the setting for Group B is Vladimir Dzurilla Ice Arena – named after the famous Czechoslovakia-era goaltender – in Bratislava’s Ruzinov district. This very competitive group includes the silver and bronze medallists from last year’s tournament – Sweden and the USA – and what should be a very competitive Czech side playing close to home. Group B also includes a German team that nobody should sleep on and Denmark, which won Division I Group A last season.

Here are the five teams in Group B according to how they finished in 2025:

Sweden

As always, Sweden will ice a powerful lineup at the U18 that should be in contention for the gold. In recent years, in fact, the Swedes have been this tournament’s most consistent team, having medalled in seven straight tournaments. This year’s team won’t likely have any returnees from last year’s silver-medal squad, but the Swedish roster is nearly identical to the one that finished second at last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Three players that shone at that tournament were wingers Marcus Nordmark (Djurgarden) and Elton Hermansson (MoDo) and defenceman Axel Elofsson (Orebro), who were the top three scorers of the tournament. Hermansson followed that up with 21 points in 38 games in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. There is no shortage of other players to keep an eye on, either, including speedy defender Malte Gustafsson, who played 31 SHL games for HV71 this season and playmaking centre Alexander Command, a teammate of Elofsson in Orebro. There’s no clear-cut starter in goal, but it should be between Milo Tjarnlund (Rogle) and Viggo Tamm (Leksand).

USA

Thanks to the success of the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, the USA has been the most successful team at the U18 Worlds with 21 medals – 11 gold – dating back to 2002. The Americans have medalled in each of the last four years – including a bronze on home ice last year – but have only one gold in the past seven tournaments, which is a bit of a draught by their standards.

Top prospects already on the NTDP team include forwards Wyatt Cullen and Casey Mutryn – Mutryn and Mikey Berchild are the two eligible returnees from last year’s squad. Berchild had eight points in seven games as a 16-year-old, so the Americans will expect more offence from him. Defenceman Levi Levi Harper (Saginaw Spirit) and centre Brooks Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) may be joining the team from the OHL and several other top prospects, including forwards Nikita Klepov and J.P. Hurlbert, are also now available. Klepov was a key member of the U.S. team that won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August, beating Sweden in the final. Goaltender Brady Knowling, an NTDP member, was also on the team.

Germany

Germany has never won a medal at the U18 Worlds and, in fact, never advanced beyond the quarter-finals. The team did, however, have a relatively successful sixth-place finish last year, thanks to an overtime win over Czechia that put the team third in the group. The Germans then had a narrow 3-2 loss to Slovakia in the quarters.

Germany returns two players from last year’s squad: 197cm (6-foot-6) defenceman Darian Rolsing, who plays for the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild, and 2009-born center Max Calce, who played 14 DEL games for Adler Mannheim this season. Calce is one of eight 2009-born players on this young roster that may be laying the groundwork for next year. In addition to Rolsing, another big D-man is Czech-born Tobias Kramer (Mannheim). Germany struggled offensively at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but one of its three goals was scored by Jack Peterka (Salzburg, AUT), younger brother of NHLer John.

Czechia

In contrast to their success at the men’s and U20 levels, the Czechs have never won the U18 Worlds and haven’t captured a medal of any colour since 2014. This team does have the talent to make noise in this tournament, however, and with tournament host Slovakia playing in Group A in Trencin, the Czechs should be the crowd favourites in Bratislava.

From last year’s squad, the Czechs return 2009-born defenceman Lukas Kachlir, who played 13 Extraliga games this season for Liberec and winger Simon Katolicky, who had a fine season for Tappara in Finland’s top junior league. The goaltending duties will likely be shared by Jan Larys (Drummondville, QMJHL) and Marek Sklenicka (Seattle, WHL). Other North American reinforcements include defencemen Jiri Kamas (Red Deer, WHL), Ondrej Ruml (Ottawa 67s, OHL) and Jakub Vanecek, who had 39 points in 59 WHL games this season for the Tri-City Americans, and forwards Adam Klaus (Cape Breton, QMJHL) and Jan Trefny (Moose Jaw, WHL). Centre Petr Tomek, a 2027 draft prospect, had 29 points in 64 Extraliga games for Karlovy Vary.

Denmark

After winning Division I Group A last season, the Danes are playing in the top division for the first time since 2016 and have their work cut out to remain there. The first task will be avoiding the Group B basement, which won’t be easy.

Denmark has four eligible returnees from last year’s squad: Frederikshavn goalie Anton Larsen, who was named Best Goalkeeper at the IA tournament, and three players based in Swedish junior leagues: defencemen Luca Baerensten (Olofstrom) and Emil Jakobsen (Karlskrona and Brynas), and forward Martinus Schioldan (HV71).

Photos: IIHF.com