The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship kicks off today (December 26, 2025) in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, running through January 5, 2026. Believe it or not, the Flyers have a strong contingent of prospects participating—three of them are wearing leadership letters (“C” or “A”) for their respective countries:
- Porter Martone (Canada): Named captain. The Flyers’ 2025 first-round pick (No. 6 overall) is expected to be a top-line forward and key offensive driver for Canada.
- Jack Berglund (Sweden): Named captain. The 2024 second-round pick will lead Sweden after missing last year’s tournament due to injury.
- Heikii Ruhonen: Currently plays for Harvard, and he’s off to a strong start.
Other Flyers prospects in the tournament include:
- Jett Luchanko (Canada)
- Max Westergard (Finland)
- Shane Vansaghi (USA)
This gives Philly one of the deeper prospect representations at the WJC this year. Exciting time for Flyers fans—plenty to watch as the tournament gets underway!
Schedule:
Sweden vs. Slovakia 1pm EST
Denmark vs. Finland 330pm EST
Germany vs. USA 6pm EST
Czech Republic vs. Canada 830pm EST
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